Sleeper Starts of the Week (Week 1)

If you’ve ever played fantasy football, you know things change in a hurry. It would be nice if the NFL season played out exactly as we had planned when drafting our fantasy team, but that’s never the case. Sometimes things go sideways, leaving owners forced to scramble on a weekly basis. The intent of this article is to help you find some players to plug and play while dealing with injuries, bye weeks, ineffectiveness, or just plain bad luck.  Here are some guidelines I will follow when identifying weekly sleepers:

1. I will use weekly positional rankings to identify players
2. I will try to identify players who may be available on the waiver wire
3. QBs will generally be ranked outside the top 12
4. RBs will generally be ranked outside the top 20
5. WRs will generally be ranked outside the top 30
6. TEs will generally be ranked outside the top 10

These are players who you should feel comfortable starting, and who I believe will provide solid production for the week. Let’s jump right in.

Quarterbacks

Andy Dalton (@ Colts)

Dalton is typically underrated. Sure, he never wins in the playoffs, but that doesn’t matter this week. He’s a solid NFL QB with one of the best receivers in the game (A.J. Green), an electric up-and-coming receiver (John Ross), and what should be a good running game, with a RB who is great at catching passes out of the backfield (Joe Mixon). The Colts defense is not good. Their secondary is no match for the receiving corps of the Bengals. Green could have a monster game, and Dalton will soak up some points because of it. Start Dalton with confidence this week, and expect QB1 numbers.

Joe Flacco (vs. Bills)

This is as sample as this – the Bills are going to be one of the worst teams in the league. The Ravens are going to dominate time of possession in this game. Look for Alex Collins to have a strong game. I don’t think Flacco will throw for a ton of yards, but I think there’s a solid chance he has 3 TDs in front of the home crowd. If you’re in a pickle at QB in week 1, Flacco is a fine option. Feel free to drop him after this week.

Running Backs

Jamaal Williams (vs. Bears)

Chicago has a solid defense, and the addition of Khalil Mack will obviously only help. However, Green Bay has an elite offense. They are damn near matchup proof. You want RBs who play for top 5 offenses, and this week Williams has the job all to himself. He’s a talented back, and he won’t face stacked boxes with the receiving threats of the Packers. Buy now while you still can.

Adrian Peterson (@ Cardinals)

My prediction is AP gets hurt before Week 6. The good news is it’s only Week 1, and the Redskins have a healthy AP. He looked good in his preseason action, and he’s going to get plenty of touches. He’s a good bet for 70+ yards and a TD this week, in a game where the Skins SHOULD have a positive game script.

Wide Receivers

Nelson Agholor (vs. Falcons)

No Alshon Jeffrey in this one, and Agholor has played well with Foles in the past. Last year, Agholor saw nine or more targets four times with Foles at QB. Without Alshon, I would expect Agholor to get at least 7 targets, and he can do plenty of damage with that. If he gets into the end zone, he could have a huge week.

John Brown (vs. Bills)

This is kind of a gut call. As noted above, the Bills stink. The Ravens will probably score 30 points, and I think John Brown will get loose for a deep TD. You would probably have to be pretty desperate to start Brown, but he offers some good upside at the position.

Tight Ends

Nick Vannett (@ Broncos)

I’m in six leagues. Vannett was drafted in zero of them. He’s available if you need a TE. He’s now the starting TE for the Seahawks, and he’s a big dude who will be a red zone threat. Outside of the elite TEs, you are looking for TD upside, and Vannett provides just that. The Broncos were pretty bad against TEs last year, as they allowed 10 TE1 performances. Vannett might be a popular pickup next week.

Ryan Griffin (@ Patriots)

This will most likely be a high scoring game, and a fun one to watch. Griffin is the starter for the Texans, and if Watson is anything close to what we saw last year, the upside will really high. The Patriots were not great against TEs last year, and Griffin had a solid game against them, racking up 60+ yards and a TD. Another risk/reward option, but he’s as good a dart throw as any.

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