Key Starters and Tough Calls - Lineup Spotlights for Week 1

Scott Engel provides Week 1 fantasy football lineups analysis, spotlighting key NFL players to start and tougher lineup start/sit decisions to make.

Welcome to the 2021 season, RotoBallers! Below you will find some of my spotlight choices and players to go with when faced with tough lineup decisions in Week 1.

These choices are based off my Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available as part of the RotoBaller's NFL Premium Pass. Enter promo code KING at checkout for a discount and get access to all of my ranks in all formats, plus a full roster of tools and analysis for the 2021 season.

Skill position picks here are based on my PPR rankings.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
• Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
• FLEX fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Running Backs

Tevin Coleman has 105+ rushing yards in 2 of his past 3 games vs. Carolina. While the Jets RB picture seems to be unclear and Michael Carter should eventually become the best fantasy option the Jets have at the position, Coleman is the starter for now. He has a well established past relationship with the coaching staff and appears to the top bet to score a rushing TD for the team this week. If you have to go deep for an RB option because of injuries, Coleman should receive some consideration.

Raheem Mostert leads all NFL RBs with 5.7 yards per rush attempt since 2018. He is healthy right now and has a superb matchup in the opener against the Lions. You may like the matchup so much you are considering starting Mostert over one of your top guys. So where do you draw the line on a decision to start Mostert this week? I say he should be started over any option that was not drafted as a RB1 this season. That means he starts over anyone not named Taylor, Harris or Mixon, for instance. but should get the call over players like Carson, Montgomery, James Robinson etc. Mostert can score from anywhere on the field when he is available to play.

Kareem Hunt had 1,145 scrimmage yards (841 rushing, 304 receiving) and 11 TDs (6 rush, 5 receiving) in 2020. He faces his former team this week, but more importantly for fantasy purposes, the Browns will be relying heavily on their running backs against the Chiefs. The Browns' game plan should be to control the clock as much as possible, but when the scoreboard starts to light up, Hunt should be involved often as a receiver and possibly a TD finisher. He is a very good flex option for Week 1.

Chase Edmonds had career-high 850 scrimmage yards (448 rushing, 402 receiving)  and a career-best 53 catches in 2020. He only started two games last season. Now Edmonds is in line for a larger role, and he has upside for Week 1. The Cardinals and Titans will engage in a high-scoring affair, and that means Edmonds should be very busy. If the pace of play gets amped up he could outsnap James Conner and he is certainly the preferred option when the Cardinals must go into passing mode. Edmonds will have playmaking opportunities as both a runner and receiver this week, and he is a very good flex starter who can also function as a RB2 if you have a need there.

Wide Receivers

Robby Anderson led the Panthers with a career-high 95 receptions and had 1,096 receiving yards, his 1st-career 1,000-yard season. He and Sam Darnold face their former team this week, and the two obviously have familiarity with each other from their Jets days. Darnold and Anderson get a very friendly matchup against the New York secondary. Anderson is a good fantasy WR3 start for your season opener.

Tyler Boyd led the Bengals with 79 catches and had 841 rec. yards last season. He is 1 of 6 NFL WRs with 75+ catches in each of the past 3 years. His 2020 numbers were posted in a season where Joe Burrow missed six games. While there is a lot of buzz about Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins has a lot of promise, Boyd will still be dependable for Burrow, especially if he is not looking to air it out as much in the opener as he will later in the season. Boyd is a viable fantasy WR3 option.

Marvin Jones will make his Jaguars debut this week. He had a career-high 76 catches for 978 yards last season with Detroit. Jones is 1 of 2 NFL WRs (Davante Adams is the other) with 9+ receiving TDs in 3 of the past 4 seasons. All three of the Jaguars top WRs, Jones, D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault are quality WR3 options in a strong season-opening matchup with the Texans. Jones offers the best combination of veteran experience and playmaking ability for Trevor Lawrence and is a good upside play for Week 1.

Corey Davis makes his Jets debut on Sunday. He had 65 catches for a career-high 984 yards and 5 TDs with Tennessee last season. He had 5 games with 100-plus receiving yards in 2020, tied for 2nd most among AFC WRs. The Jets are dealing with some injuries at wide receiver and Zach Wilson will have to lean a lot on Davis in his first NFL game. Davis caught six passes for 88 yards in the preseason with a long of 27 yards, so he was already looking like a significant part of the New York passing game in exhibition action.

Quarterbacks

Jalen Hurts is aiming  for his 3rd start in row on the road with 300+ passing yards. Hurts played well late last year but now as a starter from the outset, opponents may be better prepared to face him. But he does get a very good draw vs. the Falcons defense in the season opener. Hurts can prove himself more as a real life and fantasy QB by taking advantage of the matchup. Start Hurts with confidence, as he is in a good situation to prove himself further this week.

Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 1,096 yards with 7 TDs in 6 starts last season. He Is 22-8 (.733 winning percentage.) as a starter since joining SF in 2017. Expect him to get his 23^rd win as a 49er this week and take San Francisco vs. the spread this week. The Niners can attack the Lions in various ways this week and all of their main offensive skill players should receive strong starting consideration. If you did not draft a Top 12 QB, Garoppolo has a good case to be in your lineup. Even if Trey Lance gets mixed in, you can expect a quality fantasy outing.

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