Week One of the NFL season is finally here! The summer was a long one for football fans, and now that the regular season is finally back, there’s a lot to look forward to. Before you draft your daily fantasy football team, let’s take a quick look at some of the top ranked players, and try to identify some players that are not receiving enough attention based upon our analysis.
Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers is the top ranked QB going into the weekend. That’s understandable, but we were more surprised to see Andrew Luck at number two! He is a great QB and he has a ton of fantasy potential right now, but after missing much of last season, it’s tough to know what to expect from him early on. We’d love to see him excel against the Detroit Lions, but his salary is a bit too high for our liking. Unless you can find huge value out of some surprise picks at wide receiver or running back, then Luck needs to get the pass for this weekend. Our top value picks include Matt Ryan, who is playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Andy Dalton, who is going up against the New York Jets. Both are pretty cheap in most leagues this weekend, and both have the potential to score fantasy points at the same level that some of the top ranked QBs will. That’s a win in our book.
Wide Receiver: There are several great WRs out there this season, but many of them are not playing in Week One. These include A.J. Green, Dez Bryant, and Julio Jones. That leaves Odell Beckham, Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins as the top two picks. Hopkins has a weaker defense in Chicago and he is cheaper in most leagues, so he is likely the stronger pick right here. Keenan Allen of the San Diego Chargers also has a lot of potential this first week of play, depending on how San Diego QB Philip Rivers does. He has been hit or miss over the last few seasons, but when he is playing well, he’s one of the best. At WR, our top value picks include Sammy Watkins of the Buffalo Bills, and Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks, who are going up against the rebuilding Miami Dolphins. However, because of the huge importance of this position, it’s okay to pick the most expensive player in the field. WR has huge fantasy importance, and this is a position where you need to spend a lot of extra attention and not be concerned with value as much as you would in other places. Look for points.
Running Back: Adrian Peterson is the top ranked running back in the field for this weekend. However, other RBs have shown more fantasy potential in the past than Peterson, such as Devonta Freeman. It’s hard to think that Peterson will outperform Freeman just based on last year’s fantasy performances, but Freeman is expected to not be used quite as much as he was last season. This might not materialize in Week One, but at the very least, it drives us to stay away from him at such a high price. Mark Ingram is our top value pick here. In fact, he might have more fantasy potential than any other RB this weekend. Ingram is one of the fastest backs in the league, and he has shown that he can be used in the passing game, which opens up a whole new element when it comes to fantasy potential. He’s a top to mid-level priced RB in most leagues, which automatically makes him a high value player. This is an important position and you usually want to spend what you need to here, but Ingram’s discount leaves a lot of potential for you to use your cash effectively in other places. Other top value picks include DeMarco Murray of the Tennessee Titans and Frank Gore of the Indianapolis Colts. Both are going up against weaker defenses, and there’s a chance that their QBs may need to rely on them more than usual.
Other Thoughts: It’s worth noting that Rob Gronkowski is a bit of an X Factor at TE until Tom Brady returns. He’s talented, but way too expensive. Also, the Kansas City Chiefs had a great defense last year, and their opponent (San Diego) is not well known for their defense.
