RADIO
Year after year. Week after week. Every sports analyst. Every sports website. They all voice their opinions of which players they like and which players they do not like to play this week. The most notable column out there is Matthew Berry’s. The fantasy expert has the ability to relate his everyday adventures to fantasy. Amazing. This is not to take anything away from Mr. Berry, but this column will be different. He knows his stuff and has helped me through many fantasy football seasons, but this will be a little shorter than his and will only deal with fantasy football. Sorry Mr. Berry.
Let’s start with the season opener on Thursday night: Denver Broncos versus the Carolina Panthers. Denver got to open the season with a win, but was it really thanks to C.J. Anderson? The answer to this question is most definitely. Honestly, I would not have started Jonathan Stewart or have been comfortable starting Anderson, but you probably had no choice if you drafted them given their draft position. Anderson, for the most part, single-handedly won the game for Denver and should continue to do so as the season progresses. Ultimately, he has the potential to be in the top six or seven RBs at the end of the season, strictly due to his workload and talent on the offensive line.
Moving forward there are a lot of questions regarding a lot of RBs this season. But, how about we talk about some more running backs for this week?
Start of the Week - DeAngelo Williams @ WAS
Most teams would struggle mightily if their starting RB in Le’veon Bell was suspended to start the season. Not the Pittsburgh Steelers. Williams showed that, even in only 10 starts, he can still be a top-10 fantasy RB, even at the ripe age of 32. With the talent still there and this week’s game expected to be a shoot out, the sky's the limit for the former Panther. Even if the ball is placed in Ben Roethlisberger’s hands, Williams has shown he can be a factor in the passing game (career-high 40 receptions in 2015).
Excellent Start(s) - Spencer Ware (or Charcandrick West) v. SD
The Chargers gave up the 27th-most rushing yards in 2015, including 148 yards and two scores to Ware and 70 yards to West. While West is still nursing an injury, it appears that Ware will be given the start, especially since Jamaal Charles is not back to form just yet. Therefore, if you drafted Charles, I hope you were able to handcuff him with Ware, or at least West. I think Ware is going to be getting the majority of the touches and needs to be in your line-up (unless you have two studs) against the Chargers minus Joey Bosa.
Very Good Start - Ryan Mathews v. CLE
Established runner. Above average offensive line. Rookie quarterback. Horrible defense. This all points to Mathews being a strong play against the Browns. Rookie Carson Wentz has already been announced as the starter and, hopefully, he is eased into the passing game this week. While Mathews has Darren Sproles behind him on the depth chart, Sproles should not cut into his touches. I expect Mathews to get 20-plus carries and find the endzone no less than once against a team that gave up 4.5 yards/rush last season.
Sit of the Week - New England RBs @ ARI
This is the same story every season. Regardless of who the Patriots being in, do not get drawn into the hype. Every runner on their depth chart will see snaps and touches. The top two, LeGarrette Blount and James White, will see the most snaps, but it is impossible to figure out who will see the field more often. White is the passing back, but the team may want to run with Jimmy Garrapolo making the start. Maybe the Patriots want to test the Cardinals pass defense? This uncertainty against last season’s sixth-ranked rush defense makes for a very bad fantasy play this week.
Bad Start - DeMarco Murray v. MIN
We still do not know which version of Murray will show up for the Tennessee Titans this season. It could be the one from 2014 with the Cowboys where he led the league in rushing yards or from from 2015 with the Eagles, where he did not come close to leading the league in rushing yards. Additionally, Murray has a young rookie in Derrick Henry who will be stealing touches from him. It is still unclear who will be the short-yardage and goal-line back. Add in the strong defense of the Vikings and this is a match-up I would advise against starting.
Questionable Start - Eddie Lacy @ JAX
This has nothing to do with talent or the opponent. This is all about game flow. A game between the Jaguars and Packers will likely be a shootout, allowing Aaron Rodgers and Blake Bortles to do what they love to do: sling the ball down the field. If this is the tempo of the game, it would be hard to see Lacy getting any more than 15 carries in this game. He can still make his presence felt in the passing game, but with Jordy Nelson returning this week, he could become non-existent on passing downs.
Suggested Start For The Season - Lamar Miller
On top of my top starts and sits, each week I will throw in a name that I believe needs to be started for the whole season or benched for the whole season. This week’s is Houston’s Miller. He is finally out of Miami and playing for a strong offense that should utilize him the same way the team used Arian Foster the past couple seasons. While four of his first seven games (v. KC, @ NE, @ MIN, @ DEN) are against tough run defenses, the rest of the season should be a cake walk for Miller, given the team uses him appropriately.
Next week, we will take a look at valuable plays and potential train wrecks at WR heading into the second week of the season. Good luck in Week 1 everyone.
*Have a player or position question you would like me to talk about? Follow me on Twitter @JSorensen119 and let me know.
