Hello everyone, and welcome to another day closer to kickoff! Tonight, the Chiefs and Patriots will play, and all will be right in the world. Except for multiple hurricanes, tropical storms and wildfires throughout the country. Let’s get to football!
If you are new here to Razzball and this post, don’t hesitate to quickly brush up on my preview article, where I go over what this article will entail, as well as talking about the fantastic tools we offer here at Razzball! So let’s get into some Razzball-certified picks today at every position, helping you conquer your Week 1 matchups, with some DFS analysis along the way.
Let’s get to it!
Check out Rudy’s exclusive DFS and season-long tools that are sure to help you be profitable this fantasy football season!
*Note: Projections are based off of standard scoring leagues*
Quarterbacks
Ben Roethlisberger vs. CLE: Projected: 18.01 pts (#4 QB)
No surprise here, Big Ben Roethlisberger is one of the highest projected QB’s this week. Without even their veteran CB Joe Haden anymore, the Cleveland secondary looks pretty brutal right now, throwing out players such as Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Derrick Kindred against Martavis Bryant and Antonio Brown. Many people out there are always nervous when talking about Roethlisberger on the road, but you couldn’t want a better way to kick off your 2017 season.
Cam Newton vs. SF: Projected: 17.58 pts (#7 QB)
Well when I wrote up my rankings post, I talked about how I was low on Cam for the year in general, so he’ll just be lower in my rankings week-to-week compared to the rest of the community, but I might have to change my opinion on that. He draws quite a good matchup against San Fran to start the year, who might be very strong up front, but is definitely not in the secondary. Kelvin Benjamin seems like a fine start, and so does Cam.
Matthew Stafford vs. ARI: Projected: 18.01 pts (#5 QB)
Now this is a bit interesting, and although I generally disagree with Rudy on this one, I understand where he is coming from. Although it is a tough matchup, I do see some things working in the favor of Stafford. First off, he is at home, and this game should fairly be close (Arizona is only a slight favorite per Vegas). Because the Lions secondary is not #good, and Palmer should have a field day Sunday, I really do see the Lions abandoning the run and just letting Stafford throw it as many times as possible. Volume is definitely a crucial aspect of fantasy, and Stafford has it.
Philip Rivers vs. DEN: Projected: 13.74 (#26 QB)
No surprise here, you should probably be sitting Rivers against this Broncos defense. Sure, I think Rivers will have a very good 2017 season, but not this week. If you have a better option, I would start them over Rivers. If you need help deciding, leave a comment below!
Running Backs
Todd Gurley vs. IND: Projected: 12.81 pts (#7 RB)
What’s not to love about Gurley this week? He’ll be facing the Colts, who had one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL last year according to Football Outsiders, at home and the favorite to win this game. Without Andrew Luck, the Colts offense may struggle to get some points on the board, which means a nice lead for the Rams to run on. Opposing defenses can’t stack the box anymore due to Sammy Watkins’ new presence, and Gurley should have a field day.
Terrance West vs. CIN: Projected: 11.80 pts (#13 RB)
This one is a little surprising, but I don’t mind it one bit. West will be the primary-downs back on a football team that might not be able to throw it a lot, or at all, depending on the status of Joe Flacco’s back heading into Sunday. This should be a gritty, low-scoring AFC North matchup where every running back should have production. Although I wouldn’t go as far as to say that West will finish as a borderline Top-12 option this week, I have no problems with him as a flex option.
Paul Perkins vs. DAL: Projected: 10.26 pts (#19 RB)
Another flex option, I don’t mind Perkins at all this week against Dallas. He should be a bellcow runner for the New York Football Giants (unless Orleans Darkwa says otherwise), and with the status’ of Odell Beckham and Brandon Marshall still in the air (they should both still play, but maybe not at a full 100%), I really see the Giants trying to keep it on the ground for most of the game. They might have to abandon the run if they find themselves down at a point in the game, but Perkins should get his licks in.
Ameer Abdullah vs. ARI: Projected: 10.83 pts (#16 RB)
I would have to disagree with the projections here. In a normal game against a normal defense, I could see how Abdullah would be productive. But this is a tough defense in a game that should be shootout, which would force us to consider a running back that works on passing-downs. That runner is not Abdullah, that runner is Theo Riddick. In deep leagues, I don’t mind Riddick, but there are just other options I would prefer over Abdullah and Riddick.
Wide Receivers
Larry Fitzgerald vs. DET: Projected: 9.85 pts (#4 WR)
I love Fitzgerald this week, and I’m glad that the projections love him too. This should be a tremendous game and very high-paced, which should benefit both offenses. Fitzgerald should avoid CB Darrius Slay, drawing a matchup against Quinten Rollins, who was one of the worst CB’s last year graded by PFF. Fitzgerald should have a field day Sunday.
Terrelle Pryor/Jamison Crowder vs. PHI: Projection 9.52/5.75 pts (#5/#51 WR)
I am also really high on the Washington passing game this week against Philadelphia, who may be throwing out some pretty weak defensive backs against this Washington passing attack. Pryor should line up against Jalen Mills, which is a great matchup for him, and Crowder will be lining up against Patrick Robinson, which is another great matchup. I’m happy to see that the projections really do value Pryor, but I’m wondering why it doesn’t for Crowder, who I believe to pose some legitimate upside just as much as Pryor does.
Sammy Watkins vs. IND: Projection: 8.16 pts (#20 WR)
Matt and myself really do believe in Watkins on Sunday. Long story short, the Colts have a bad defense. Like really bad normally, and without their top CB Vontae Davis, well, Watkins should easily finish within the Top 20 in all formats. The only thing stopping him is Jared Goff, but we’ve seen plenty of good WR’s produce with bad QB’s.
DeAndre Hopkins vs. JAX: Projection: 8.69 pts (#13 WR)
I understand the he will be force-fed targets from Tom Savage, but he will most-likely get shut down from either Jalen Ramsey/A.J. Bouye, or both. I understand that you have to start your studs, but this game should be a low-scoring defensive game, and I’m not very confident in Hopkins at all.
Tight Ends
Jason Witten vs. NYG: Projection: 6.94 pts (#8 TE)
Labeled as the “Giant Killer”, Jason Witten has routinely done very well against the boys in blue, and is a very good streaming option for those that punted the position in drafts.
Jimmy Graham vs. GB: Projection: 6.61 pts (#9 TE)
In my opinion, Jimmy Graham should be the #1 TE in all scoring formats, drawing an excellent matchup versus Green Bay. He shouldn’t be the 9th TE.
Kickers and D/ST
Matt Prater vs. ARI: Projection: 8.54 pts (#2 K)
No surprise here, this should be one of the fastest paced game this Sunday with a boatload of scoring.
Buffalo Bills vs. NYJ: Projection: 7.70 pts (#2 D/ST)
The Bills have a an average defense but an average defense is now a great defense when you’re playing this New York offense.
Daily Fantasy Advice for Week 1
Using Razzball’s DFS projections and optimizer, here is a sample lineup I generated, using Fanduel scoring:
QB: Carson Palmer
HB: LeSean McCoy, Todd Gurley
WR: Antonio Brown, Jamison Crowder, Larry Fitzgerald
TE: Evan Engram
K: Phil Dawson
D/ST: Buffalo Bills
Alright everyone, well that about does it for me. Good luck to everyone this week, and we’ll talk next Thursday!
You Can Follow Zach on Twitter @razzball_Zach.