The NFL season is officially underway and that means if you play fantasy football you’re probably more excited than a five-year-old walking down the cereal aisle in a grocery store.
It also means you’re likely stressing out about who to start and who to sit heading into Sunday’s action.
If you have Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady or Antonio Brown then you’re sitting pretty after their strong outings in the season opener Thursday night and if you took a chance on DeAngelo Williams or Dion Lewis you had to be pleasantly surprised with their output.
Still, there are plenty more points to be had on Sunday and Monday.
Now, if someone needs to tell you to start Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson, Dez Bryant or players of that ilk you’re in serious trouble, but here’s some advice on players you might be on the fence about for Week 1.
QB
Start Ryan Tannehill. The Washington Redskins gave up more fantasy points to quarterbacks than any other team last season and Tannehill appeared to be in mid-season form in the pre-season. He is poised to build off the career-high 27 TDs he threw last year and should get off to a strong start on the road against a troubled Washington team.
Start Teddy Bridgewater. The 49ers are without Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, Aldon Smith, Perrish Cox, Chris Culliver and Chris Borland this year. Bridgewater is ultra efficient and should chew up a San Francisco secondary that looks like a mess. With Charles Johnson, Mike Wallace, Jarius Wright and Kyle Rudolph, the second-year QB has plenty of weapons. Oh, and they’ve got some guy named Adrian Peterson the 49ers have to account for, which should definitely open things up for Teddy B.
Sit Cam Newton. Don’t think because the Panthers are playing the lowly Jaguars that it means Newton will light it up. The Jaguars will be an improved team and actually have one of the better defensive lines in the league. In fact, they only allowed the 14th most fantasy points to QBs last year. Even if Newton salvages some fantasy points by running the ball for 40-60 yards, his only reliable weapon is tight end Greg Olsen.
Sit Philip Rivers. The Lions were stringent against quarterbacks last season, allowing the fifth fewest fantasy points to QBs. Rivers should be on his heals as the Lions have an underrated defence and a quality pass rush. He’ll also be without tight end Antonio Gates (suspension) and potentially backup Ladarius Green (concussion). Sitting Rivers goes against the grain, however, because historically he has performed well at home against NFC teams.
RB
Start: Doug Martin. The Muscle Hamster is back, people! At least it seems that way after Martin impressed in training camp. The Buccaneers have a young, improved offensive line and going up against a Titans defence that gave up an abundance of fantasy points to running backs last season leads one to expect a big day from Martin.
Start Chris Ivory. The Browns have a solid front seven to be wary of, but Ivory should see at least 20 touches and is running well at the moment, averaging 4.5 yards after contact in the pre-season. The Jets are favoured to win and that usually bodes well for Ivory.
Sit Frank Gore. Don’t get me wrong, Gore will be a solid RB2/flex option most weeks this season, but putting him in there on the road against the Bills’ staunch defence is a risky play.
Sit Joique Bell. Even though he’s listed as the Lions’ starter, he’s going to lose touches to rookie Ameer Abdullah and you can expect the Lions to do most of their damage through the air with Matt Stafford targeting Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate early and often.
WR
Start John Brown. The Saints didn’t fare well against the pass last year and their secondary was banged up in the pre-season. Brown is a serious deep threat and he’s far more difficult to cover than his teammate Larry Fitzgerald.
Start Kendall Wright. He has big play capability and emerged as Marcus Mariota’s favourite target through training camp. I expect the Bucs to stuff Bishop Sankey and the run game, so Wright could do some damage if Mariota is forced to throw the ball frequently.
Sit Brandon Marshall. He’s a proven veteran, he’s a red zone target, he’s healthy, but he’s also about to see a whole lot of lockdown corner Joe Haden. Marshall will definitely be targeted plenty, but a better option on the Jets in Week 1 might be the always-overlooked Eric Decker.
Sit Mike Evans. This simply comes down to health. The sophomore wide out is dealing with a hamstring injury and soft tissues ailments significantly limit what skilled players can accomplish. Like Alshon Jeffery’s situation in Chicago, you’ll need to wait until the last minute to figure out what their status is. Even if he plays, he won’t be 100 per cent.
TE
Start Jason Witten. The tight end situation in fantasy this year is a real quandary, so going with a reliable player like Witten should be a safe bet. With uncertainty in the Dallas backfield look for Tony Romo to lean on Witten, especially on third downs when they need to move the chains.
Sit the Colts tight ends. Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener are both talented, but the fact the Colts added so many new weapons limits their potential for monster fantasy numbers. Also, as mentioned above, the Bills D is no joke.
DEF
Start the Jets. The New York Jets are being overlooked in the AFC East, but their defence should be a real strength. Their front seven can get to opposing quarterbacks and with Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie manning the secondary, Browns QB Josh McCown is being served up on a platter.
Sit the Cowboys and Giants. These two teams usually get into shootouts when they play one another, which means you shouldn’t start their defences. The Cowboys at home are the lesser of two evils for sure.
K
Start Matt Bryant. The Falcons veteran is one of the most consistent kickers in the league and Atlanta’s Monday night match-up against the Eagles should be a high-scoring affair with the over/under set at 55.
Sit Chandler Catanzaro. Even though he’s got a favourable matchup against the Saints, the Cardinals kicker looked quite shaky in the pre-season missing three field goals and two extra points.
Sleepers
Josh Hill. If you owned Jimmy Graham last season you got to know Hill as a frequent TD vulture. The Saints tight end caught five touchdown passes in 2014 and with Graham gone he’ll be a frequent red zone target for Drew Brees who loves using his TEs as a safety net.
Eddie Royal. With Jeffrey dealing with a calf injury, Royal will be counted on to produce. He’s got a great rapport with Jay Cutler and the Bears will be playing from behind against the Packers, which means plenty of opportunity to rack up some garbage yards.
Ryan Mathews. The Falcons were terrible against the run and despite playing behind Demarco Murray, Mathews will still see plenty of touches and there’s a strong chance he gets into the end zone.
Tyrod Taylor. If you like living on the edge in fantasy (or you drafted poorly) you could take a flier on the Bills’ starter. He can extend plays with his feet, showed accuracy in the pre-season and is a threat to run the ball.