Ryan Tannehill, Teddy Bridgewater are solid plays this week
Garrett Lee | @TheBasedGarrett
Sunday, September 13, 2015 | BataviasBest.org
Finally. Fantasy Football has returned. Following up my first edition of Hate It or Love It, here are the players I love this week.
—————-
Love It
QUARTERBACK:
As I previously wrote about, I’m a big fan of Miami’s Ryan Tannehill this year (and especially this week). Tannehill plays the Redskins. That franchise is in such disarray, I love every QB playing against them. I could probably have a decent game against that defense. I wouldn’t be shocked if the 4th-year QB has a top 3 fantasy performance to start 2015.
As for Minnesota’s Teddy Bridgewater, he’s facing the 49ers. In case you were living under a rock, the 49ers had THE WORST OFFSEASON I HAVE EVER SEEN a professional sports team have in my 22+ years of living. Patrick Willis? Retired. Chris Borland? Retired. Justin Smith? Retired. Aldon Smith? Probably getting a DUI as we speak, and he’s now across the Bay. Ray McDonald? Probably going to prison for a loooooong time. This once elite defense is mediocre at best. I predicted the Louisville alum to have a breakout year in 2015, similar to Tannehill last year. Teddy is going to have some fun on Monday night, if you ask me.
RUNNING BACK:
As for running backs, I’m HUGE on Cincinnati’s Jeremy Hill this week. He’s in my top-5 for week 1. Playing against the Raiders to start the season? Hello. I don’t care if we’re talking standard, PPR, or DFS; you play Hill at all costs. And probably every game for the rest of the year.
In addition to Hill, I’m liking Carolina’s Jonathan Stewart against the Jags. He flew relatively under the radar last season, despite having a great end of the year. While the Jaguars seem to be moving in the right direction, they’re still one of the worst teams in the league. And with Carolina being sans Kelvin Benjamin all year, I see this offense being keen on establishing the run game. Carolina is no offensive juggernaut, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they’re up by two TDs by the mid-3rd quarter, meaning they’ll be looking to kill the clock (that means running the ball more!!!!!).
WIDE RECEIVER:
We’re all accustomed to the Packers vs. Bears turning into a shootout – and that usually ends up in heavy favor of the Packers. The Bears defense is not good, Jordy Nelson is gone for the year and Randall Cobb has a shoulder sprain (although I still think he’ll have a good game this week). With Aaron Rodgers tossing him the ball, I expect DaVante Adams to make the most of his opportunity. Rodgers is one of those QBs that can turn most players around him into a bonafide stud. I expect Adams to be the next in line.
This is common sense, but common sense is anything but common. Dez Bryant is a superstar. He destroyed the Giants last year (16 catches on 22 targets, 237 yards and two TDs in two games), and I expect that pattern to continue. The Giants have a horrendous seconadary, and Dez will run cirlces around whoever the unlucky cornerback is. Throw up the X.
TIGHT END:
Like I said with Jonathan Stewart, the loss of Kelvin Benjamin benefits everyone else on the offense. All of a sudden a ton of targets are up for grabs, and who do I think will get a lot of Benjamin’s targets? Greg Olsen. He’s Cam Newton’s safest aerial threat, and he’s a big target. Like Matthew Berry said in his Love/Hate; sometimes you don’t need to be the hottest girl at the bar, you sometimes just need to be the ONLY girl at the bar. Greg Olsen is the only girl at the Carolina Passing Saloon.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS:
If you’re one of the teams in your league who missed out on all of the top tier defenses, and is looking for some solid streaming options; don’t worry I have your back. The Minnesota Vikings defense/special teams was quietly a top-10 defense last year, and has some high quality young talent on that side of the ball. Going against the 49ers, who also lost starting offensive-linemen Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati (I was serious about having the worst offseason ever) and have a ridiculously inconsistent QB in Colin Kaepernick, I like what Mike Zimmer and this unit brings to the table. Don’t expect a monster performance, but a solid 7-10 points is easily attainable.
Alright, enough with the optimism that will probably end up backfiring. Just remember, YOU started these guys. Not me. I just made a suggestion. Onto the players I’m not particularly fond of in Week 1.
Hate It
RUNNING BACK:
Father Time seems to LOVE getting running backs at age 30, however Frank Gore has seemingly escaped his grasp for now. Despite being 32 and still producing like a running back around his prime, I believe 2015 is the year the new Indianapolis Colt begins to slow down. Starting off the season against the front seven of the Buffalo Bills is not good, plus Indy plans on limiting his carries. I’m positive Gore won’t be a total bust this week, but I’m not expecting much out of him in the season opener.
No word makes fantasy owner cringe more than “committee.” For that reason, and that reason alone, I’m not big on any Cowboys RB in week 1. Sure, the Cowboys have a nice matchup and that line is great, but who’s starting? Will it be the oft-injured Darren McFadden or the popular Jospeh Randle? Randle was expected to get the job easily, but Run DMC decided it was 2007 and he was still mauling the NCAA with the Razorbacks. Dallas even traded for Christine Michael, Seattle’s former third-string back and a second round pick not too long ago. Should someone win this job, lots of success is to be had. But until there’s a clear-cut top back, no member of the Dallas backfield is nothing more than a flex play.
WIDE RECEIVER:
For a similar reason to his two-time teammate, I’m not fond of Andre Johnson this year. Yes, he finally has an elite QB, but doesn’t have the most favorable matchup against Buffalo. I do think Indy wins on Sunday, but it’ll be a low scoring game for what that offense is used to. Johnson is too much risk, and doesn’t bring much reward. Should you have an option with a better matchup, don’t hesitate to sit Andre for this game.
The Washington Redskins are currently the most tumultuous organization in professional sports. Just an absolute mess at QB, a legitimate idiot for an owner, no trust among the coaching staff and the front office; the list goes on. He is a major home run threat, but I wouldn’t be happy if I had to start DeSean Jackson this week. He is an elite deep threat, but deep threats come with major concerns; they will either explode or be a dud. With how bad the QB situation is in the capital, Jackson seems to be more of a dud.
TIGHT END:
He was last year’s popular breakout candidate, but THIS is the year!!!! Not buying it, Mr. Zach Ertz. The potential is there for Ertz to succeed, especially with the offensive wunderkind, Chip Kelly, calling the shots. There’s just too many weapons in Philly, and I think Ertz is gonna fall on the bust side again this season. Plus, Atlanta allowed the 9th-fewest points to tight ends last year. A solid week 1 doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS:
They’ve been a very good, but not quite elite, defense the last two years. But the loss of defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles, could be crippling for the Arizona Cardinals defense. I think the revamped offensive attack of the Saints could cause lots of problems for teams this year. Even though the Saints will be without CJ Spiller in week 1, Mark Ingram will not have a problem taking the load of the ground game. Cooks might have some difficulty with Patrick Peterson, but the running game should pick up the slack. I think Bowles is a major reason why Arizona’s defense has been as good as it was, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Cards fare without the new Jets head coach in the desert.
—————–
That does it for my second edition of Hate It or Love It. Continue to follow along before each NFL Sunday.
Other articles you may like:
Week 1 Daily Fantasy Football Preview: Here are my top players at each position
Interested in Daily Fantasy Sports, but unsure of where to begin? Check out our Introduction to DFS
