2016 NFL Weekly Game Previews: Week 1

There were a total of 11,680 points scored last season, the second most of all-time (11,985 in 2013).

Nine teams scored at least 400 points in 2015 – Carolina (500), Arizona (489), New England (465), Pittsburgh (423), Seattle (423), New York Giants (420), Cincinnati (419), New Orleans (408) and Kansas City (405) – the second most ever.

Fifty-five percent of games last season were decided by a touchdown or less. Since the two point conversion was adopted in 1994 no season has had more than 140 games decided by eight or fewer points.

Since 1990, when the 12 team playoff format was instituted, at least four teams each season have made the playoffs after not qualifying the previous season. Last year the teams were the Texans, Chiefs, Vikings and Redskins.

Here are the top opening weekend performances of the last 10 years (from NFL.com).

Here's a link to the Fantasy Alarm WEEKLY PLAYER RANKINGS.

Here’s a link to the DFS NFL PLAYBOOK PRO.

** Game recaps are from NFL Media.

** All times listed are EDT.

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This is the first time since 1970 to have the previous seasons Super Bowl combatants facing off in Week 1.

Carolina Panthers

Cameron Artis-Payne will handle a support role as the backup to JStew. He has no stand alone value.

Kelvin Benjamin is coming back off an ACL surgery. He’s not as talented as most folks think, and it appears that he has no shot at a full workload of snaps in Week 1. Sounds like the plan is to pull back on his snaps all season long too. Devin Funchess appears to be the main beneficiary of this news. He’s outperformed Benjamin this preseason and he’s clearly more physically ready than Kelvin.

Kony Ealy had an interception and three sacks in the matchup in SB 50.

Ted Ginn scored 10 times last season as a pass catcher. His previous seven seasons he scored 11 times. He has hands of stone and even last season he failed to reach 45 receptions or 740 yards.

Cam Newton was the NFL MVP after being the first player to ever throw for 30 touchdowns and to run for 10 in the same season. He threw for 35 by the way. Newton also failed to throw for 3,900 yards or to complete 60 percent of his passes, and he takes on the stout Broncos defense.

Greg Olsen led the Panthers in receptions (77) and yards (1,104) last season. Olsen has scored five times in 8-straight seasons but he only scored seven times last year. He caught four of nine targets for 41 yards in the SB matchup last year.

Jonathan Stewart went for 1,088 yards from scrimmage last season. He also had a stretch of 7-straight games in which he carried the ball 20 times. Last season the Broncos allowed just 83.6 rushing yards a game, and Stewart is always a threat to lose goaline work to Newton.

Denver Broncos

C.J. Anderson has scored five times his last five games at home (playoffs included). Anderson averaged 5.9 YPC last season at home, and each of the final three months last season he averaged more than six yards a carry. He will be the centerpiece of an offense that will likely try to limit the pass. Devontae Booker is his direct backup.

Virgil Green is everyone’s favorite at the tight end position. Why? If Jeff Heuerman was fully healthy Green likely wouldn’t even be starting. Regardless, Green has caught 35 passes for 379 yards and two scores in five NFL seasons. He’s more of a talent as a blocker than as a pass catcher.

Von Miller had 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in the last matchup in SB 50.

Emmanuel Sanders has gone over 1,000 yards each of the last two seasons. Sanders has also seen 141 and 137 targets the past two seasons, though it’s debatable if he will see that many this season.

Trevor Siemian makes his first NFL start with Paxton Lynch serving as the backup. He takes on one of the best front-sevens in football where all three linebackers were top-20 in Prof Football Focus (PFF) rankings last season.

Demaryius Thomas had a disappointing season last year… and still caught 105 passes for 1,304 yards. Rather amazing. He is second the NFL with 5,787 receiving yards since 2012 but seeing 176 targets against this season is unlikely.

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11^th

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

LaVonte David was third in the NFL in tackles last year. He has a at least nine tackles in 5-of-6 games against the Falcons.

Mike Evans has issues with drops and focus, but he’s an impressive talent. He caught 74 passes for more than 1,200 yards though, oddly, he only scored three times. He caught just eight passes for 109 yards and a score last season in two games against the Flacons.

Vincent Jackson has gone for 75 yards in four of five games against the Falcons. Last season though he only caught three balls for 87 yards in the matchups.

Doug Martin was second in the NFL with 1,402 rushing yards last season. In five career games against the Falcons he’s torn them up for four scores and 91 yards a game from scrimmage. Last season in two games he ran the ball 48 times for 166 yards and a touchdown.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Cameron Brate are listed as co-starters. At this point Brate would seem to be the slightly better option, even though ASJ is more talented, but there is no reason to count on either in Week 1. No way.

Cecil Shorts was signed to a 1-year deal to fill the WR3 role with this team working out of the slot. He’s tough to trust for health season long, and since he’s only been on the club for a day as of this writing there’s no league in the world in which he should be starting this week.

Charles Sims carried the ball 13 times for 78 yards last season, with five receptions, against the Falcons. He averaged 5.3 YPC in the second half last season while catching 31 passes.

Jameis Winston was a turnover machine last year. PFF had him at 27 turnover worthy throws, 4^th worst amongst any quarterback as he threw 15 interceptions and lost two fumbles. He was the third rookie ever to throw for 4,000 yards last season. He threw only two scores for 404 passing yards in two matchups last season.

Atlanta Falcons

Tevin Coleman has mouthwatering long speed. He will have a role as well as he was heavily involved in the preseason. Coleman averaged 4.5 YPC last season and figured to be sprinkled in pretty liberally in Week 1.

Devonta Freeman scored 14 times last season, the most in the NFL at the running back position (three as a pass catcher). Freeman will cede work to Coleman. He also struggled in the second half averaging a pathetic 3.1 YPC with just two rushing scores his last eight games.

Julio Jones led the NFL in receiving yards, receptions and targets last season. His ankle issue seems to be relatively minor and should be no concern in Week 1. The negative with Jones is that he’s scored an average of 8.4 touchdowns per 16 games and that he has only one season with more than eight scores in five years.

Matt Ryan threw for 4,000 yards last season for the 5^th straight time and he’s thrown for 20 scores in 7-straight. In two games last season he threw for 666 yards and two scores in the matchup.

Mohamed Sanu will fill the second receiving role, a spot that traditionally hasn’t posted big numbers in this offense the past few years. Sanu is a better football player than fantasy option and has just one year of 50 catches and 500 yards in four NFL seasons.

Jacob Tamme caught 59 passes last season, seven more than Tyler Eifert. Tamme had 657 yards receiving last season, 42 more than Tyler Eifert. Tamme had only one game in the second half over 70-yards and he scored just once all year.

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Buffalo Bills

Charles Clay is dealing with back woes. He also had a terrible effort last season after signing a big money deal as he caught just 51 passes last season on 77 targets. He also scored just once his last 10 games.

Mike Gillislee is the handcuff to McCoy, not Reggie Bush. However, it’s possible that Bush will have a bigger weekly role than Gillislee as he can be sprinkled in as a pass catcher here and there which is worth more than a handful of carries for Gillislee.

LeSean McCoy had a down season last year with just 203 carries for 895 yards. Still, his 4.4 YPC mark was just off his 4.6 career mark, and in two of the last three seasons he’s run for at least 1,300 yards. Greg Roman offenses, over five years, have finished as a top-3 offense in red zone rushing attempt percentage every time. The Bills also led the NFL in rushing yards per game last season at 152.0 per contest.

Tyrod Taylor had a great season last year, though he struggled on short passes. Taylor had the second worst passing grade at PFF last season of any QB on passes of less than 10-yards while he was 5^th best on passes over 20-yards. He was one of three QBs with 3,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards.

Sammy Watkins seems to be fully healthy and is coming off a season of 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns. Both of those numbers are career bests. Watkins averaged 19.2 YPC on the road last season and he finished on fire with 6-straight games of at least 80 receiving yards as he scored a total of six touchdowns.

Baltimore Ravens

Kamar Aiken quietly caught 75 passes for 944 yards and five scores last season. He also ended the season on a high note catching at least five passes in 9-straight games including eight in two of his last three. He’s the most stable option in the WR group at the moment.

Joe Flacco’s knee is fine. His receiving corps is not. Still, there is lots of throwing in this offense and Flacco averaged 41 passing attempts a game. He’s never thrown for 4,000 yards. He’s never thrown for more than 27 touchdowns. He’s just a second quarterback.

Justin Forsett appears to be the lead back here after averaging 1,161.5 yards from scrimmage the last two seasons. However, it’s completely uncertain what being the lead back means as it appears Terrance West and Buck Allen will also have a role this week with Kenneth Dixon working his way back to full health.

Crockett Gillmore is the starter at tight end ahead of Maxx Williams and Dennis Pita. Williams is back at practice, but for now it would appear that Pita is the second option. Gillmore caught four scores last season but only 33 passes for 412 yards.

Breshad Perriman missed last season with a series of knee issues. He then was slow to start this preseason. There’s a need here, but Perriman isn’t likely to be active in Week 1.

Steve Smith is an undersized 37 year old coming back from an Achilles blow out. How anyone could start him in Week 1 given just those two facts…

Mike Wallace will have a role for the Ravens. Wallace is likely to see a heavy snap count, and potentially target workload, in Week 1 with all the injuries to the Ravens wideouts (note that Wallace still shouldn’t be looked at as a high volume option as he’s far from a possession wideout). He and Flacco really seem to have some chemistry.

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Chicago Bears

Connor Barth is the Bears kicker after they let Robbie Gould go. Barth hit 82.1 percent of his 28 field goal attempts last season.

Jay Cutler had his most efficient season last year with a career best 92.3 QB Rating and a 64.4 completion percentage. The last five starts he’s made on the road his QB Rating has been 90+ and he tossed 12 scores against just three picks on the road.

Alshon Jeffery is a beast when healthy. Twice in three seasons he’s gone for 1,100 yards. Since 2013 he has 121 receptions, 1,795 yards and 11 scores on the road to join Julio Jones as the only wideouts with all three of those numbers on the back of their football card.

Jeremy Langford rushed for six scores last season. He posted 80 yards from scrimmage in four of his last five games on the road. Jordan Howard and Ka’Deem Carey might also see work, and it should be noted that HC John Fox has used a running back to handle more than 63 percent of the backfield touches just once in his career. He likes a committee. The Texans held opponents to just under 100 rushing yards a game last season while permitting 10 rushing scores.

Zach Miller has scored five times in his last eight games. He caught at least five passes for 57 yards each of the final three games. He’s also 31 years old and has appeared in 15 games the last four years.

Kevin White will have to step up with Marquess Wilton placed on the reserve/PUP list with a foot issue. White caught four passes for 57 yards in the preseason final after having an extremely slow start to the preseason. He’s healthy and that’s what matters at this point, but the reports have not been glowing to this point.

Houston Texans

Will Fuller has tons of speed, even with concerns about his hands continuing to dog him. “Will’s a very special football player,” Osweiler said to Texans Radio. “What people really need to know about him – obviously everybody knows about his speed, they saw him all last season, they saw him at the combine – but it’s his work ethic. With concerns about his hands and how many targets he will see, he’s a tough start even after a strong preseason, especially now that his hamstring is barking.

DeAndre Hopkins saw a league worst 17.1 percent of all his targets miss him completely (32 targets). The average NFL wideout was at 11.2 percent. He still caught 111 passes for 1,521 yards and set a franchise record with 11 receiving scores.

Lamar Miller has scored 19 times with 2,643 yards from scrimmage the last two seasons. He now joins an offense that funnels things through the backfield as they have been a top-5 running attack three years running (rushing attempts).

Brock Osweiler started seven games last season. He started once against the Bears going 20-for-27 with 250 yards and two scores. Brock looked strong this preseason as he completed 69.2 percent of his passes with two scores over 39 pass attempts.

Jaelen Strong caught just 14 passes in 10 games last season for 161 yards and three scores.

J.J. Watt (back surgery) appears likely to play in Week 1. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year has won the award three times in four seasons.

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Green Bay Packers

Davante Adams appears set as the third wideout for the Packers. He might serve an even bigger role this week with Nelson likely to be somewhat limited. Jeff Janis is hurt and Jason Abbrederis is more of an inside guy versus Adams who can run outside.

Randall Cobb had a down season but still went for 79-829-7. He should improve this season with Nelson back and with his health in check (he dealt with a shoulder issue for most of last season). Folks seem to forget that in 2014 Cobb went 91-1,287-12.

Jared Cook looks the part physically, but he’s never stood out statistically. Ever. Richard Rodgers caught 58 passes for 510 yards and eight scores last season. With the two likely steal work from each other, don’t know how you can fully count on either one at this point, though soooooo many folks seemingly trust Cook.

Eddie Lacy has produced an average of 1,025 rushing yards a season through three seasons with a total of 23 touchdowns. James Starks was one of four runners who had 600-yards on the ground, two rushing scored, 350-yards receiving and two receiving scores. Lacy is the starter and a solid RB2, but Starks seems likely to have a role.

Jordy Nelson had ACL surgery and missed all of last season. He then developed knee tendinitis in camp. He’s been practicing in full for a week. He’s not going to play a full slate of snaps in Week 1. He could still have a nice day as the deep threat in the offense, but the odds are against him in the first game of the season.

Aaron Rodgers had a down season last year, but now he has more parts to utilize. Rodgers threw for 3,821 yards, a very low total, but he still tossed 31 scores against just eight picks. The Jaguars allowed the 4^th most passing yards last season and allowed 29 touchdowns through the air while picking just nine passes.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Blake Bortles threw for franchise records of 4,428 yards and 35 touchdowns last season. Add in 300 rushing yards and he’s the youngest player ever to reach all three of those numbers in one season. Note that Bortles threw five picks his last three games last season and that he completed just 58.6 percent of his passes last year.

Allen Hurns was a great caddy last season with 1,031 yards and 10 scores. Just three of those scores came the last six games. Hurns also failed to hit 50-yards in four of his last six outings.

Chris Ivory led the AFC with 1,070 rushing yards last season with the Jets. He figures to be the early down and goaline back. Keep an eye on Ivory’s calf as he was missing time early in the week. T.J. Yeldon was the only rookie runner last season with 750-yards on the ground and 250 as a pass catcher. Yeldon shouldn’t see much work near the goaline this season, though he could see a few more carries than folks think while handling a lot of the passing down work as Ivory certainly isn’t a pass catching machine. The Packers allowed 13 rushing scores last season and 4.5 YPC in 2015.

Allen Robinson went 80-1,400-14 last year as the scores led the wide receiver position. He also had 19 receptions of at least 25 yards, the most in football. He only caught 33 passes at home last year but seven times he hit pay dirt with a score.

Julius Thomas first appeared in an NFL game in 2011. He has averaged a mere 51 receptions a season the past three years, and the last two seasons he’s failed to post 490 yards. He’s also appeared in an average of 13 games the last three seasons. He’s all about the touchdown.

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San Diego Chargers

Keenan Allen had nine receptions for 124 yards in the last matchup. He had an injury that ruined his season last year but he caught 67 passes in eight games for the third highest per game average last season (8.4 receptions).

Travis Benjamin is a little guy at 5’11”, 175 lbs. Last season was his first of note in the fantasy game as he caught 68 balls for 966 yards and five scores. He’s not a real end zone threat with 10 scores in four seasons but he will be asked to fill the Malcom Floyd role. Dontrelle Inman and Tyrell Williams have been getting a lot of run with Rivers and Rivers seems to really have a thing for Williams.

Antonio Gates has scored 104 times, the second most in NFL history by a tight ends. He also has 77 scores tossed by Rivers, the most for a QB/TE duo in NFL history. Gates has scored 17 times his last 26 games.

Melvin Gordon will lead this team in carries barring something unforeseen (a position strengthened by the Achilles injury to Brandon Oliver). He’s coming off a significant knee surgery, but he looked sharp this spring and is the clear cut early down backer.

Melvin Ingram had 10.5 sacks last season and he’s posted a sack the last two times these teams have met up.

Philip Rivers was second in the NFL last season with 4,792 passing yards. He also has the second most passing yards in football since 2008. He’s thrown for 5,157 yards against the Chiefs, the most he has against any team. He did fail to toss a touchdown pass last season against the Chiefs.

Danny Woodhead led running backs last season with six receiving scores and 755 receiving yards. He also tied for the NFL lead with 80 catches by a runner. Danny had at least seven receptions in a game last season just three times.

Kansas City Chiefs

Jamaal Charles has a 5.47 YPC mark for his career, the most in NFL history (1,000 attempts). Alas, there is no chance that Charles will see a full workload this week as he works his way back from ACL surgery, and it seems likely that that he won’t even suit up. Spencer Ware is the back to own this week ahead of Charcandrick West. We have no idea though how the workload will break down between the duo but it appears obvious that Ware would be the goaline back. Ware has six rushing scores in nine games.

Chris Conley would seem to be the secondary wideout option, but in this offense the second wideout role is completely hit or miss. Albert Wilson, as the third wideout, has no weekly value at this point.

Tamba Hali has nine sacks the last 10 meetings.

Travis Kelce was exactly the same guy last season as he was as a rookie. He caught 72 passes for 875 yards and five scores. Can he take a step in his third season or will the Chiefs stubbornly underutilize him yet again?

Jeremy Maclin caught 87 passes for 1,088 yards and eight scores last season. He’s also scored six times his last nine games (including the playoffs). Maclin has caught 85 passes for 1,085 yards and eight scores each of the last two seasons.

Marcus Peters has five interceptions his last seven games (including the playoffs).

Alex Smith tossed the pigskin for 3,486 yards last season, a career best. He also had 20 passes for scores. Since 2011 he’s the second least picked off quarterback in football with a 1.4 interception rate. Smith threw for just one score and 444 yards in two matchups last season.

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Oakland Raiders

Derek Carr threw for 3,987 yards and 32 scores last season, the first time a Raiders QB has hit both those numbers in one season. Carr was aces on the road last season with 17 touchdown passes and just three picks.

Amari Cooper dropped 18 passes last season according to PFF, the most in football (though other sources clearly have different drop totals). He still led all rookies with 72 receptions and 1,070 yards and his six scores tied for the rookie lead. Cooper’s foot was an issue late in the year, but he’s fully healed now.

Michael Crabtree led the club last season with 85 receptions as he went for 922 and a team leading nine scores. He’s a chain mover who isn’t a dynamic red zone threat, but he showed last season he still has plenty of oomph.

Khalil Mack has 15 sacks and 23 tackles for a loss last season. Those are NFL leading numbers in both categories.

Latavius Murray was a compiler last season doing nothing of note, but carrying the ball enough to posted 1,067 yards, second most in the AFC, and six scores. Murray averaged a mere 4.0 YPC mark last season and the mark was even worse in the second half at 3.6 YPC. He also scored just six times last season. DeAndre Washington figures to steal work on passing downs from Murray, but for now the workload of Murray should remain the same. “I want to have more rushes,” HC Jack Del Rio said.

Clive Walford caught just 28 balls for 329 yards and three scores last season but his role should grow this season, perhaps to the point where he could be considered a weekly option in fantasy.

New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees led the league with 4,870 passing yards last season. He’s thrown for 4,000 yards in an NFL record 10-straight seasons and each of the last five years he’s hit at least 4,870 yards. He’s been top-3 in the NFL in pass attempts each of the last three seasons. In eight home starts last season he averaged 357 passing yards a game while tossing 23 scores against only five picks.

Brandon Coleman caught 30 passes for 454 yards and two scores last season. At one point this preseason HC Sean Payton said his work was “pedestrian.” Look somewhere else.

Brandin Cooks led the club last season with 1,138 yards and nine scores as a receiver. He went over 120-yards in two of his last three games.

Colby Fleener will make his Saints debut. He caught 54 passes for three scores last year with the Colts, and he had a rough spring where he struggled with the playbook. Still, the Saints like to funnel the ball to the tight end.

Mark Ingram has posted 1,100 yards from scrimmage 2-straight seasons. He’s still failed to run for 975 yards in a season, but over his last 25 games he’s run for 15 touchdowns. The real question isn’t his role of importance in the offense, but how much will he be used in the passing game. After catching 53 passes in four seasons he hauled in 50 last years in just 12 games.

Willie Snead is moved all over the field and he’s a potential weekly option, possibly even being ahead of Michael Thomas at the moment. This offense can support three wideouts, but if Snead and Thomas alternate weekly explosions owning both might be difficult.

C.J. Spiller might actually be healthy and ready to produce. Maybe. Possibly. "Individually, I feel like my cutting, my explosiveness, my straight-line speed is good," he said. "I'm very confident. I showed a couple flashes here in the preseason that are back to what I need to be, and so I just have to stay on that road and continue to get better." After doing nothing last season it’s a real surprise that he has run with the first time offense a lot ahead of Tim Hightower. Hightower might be the handcuff to own, but it sounds like Spiller might be the better play with Ingram on the field.

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Cincinnati Bengals

Giovani Bernard has produced 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 3-straight seasons. He averaged 4.1 YPC on the road last season though the mark dropped to 3.5 after midseason no matter where the game was played. Bernard has averaged 49 receptions a season through three years.

Tyler Boyd will open the year as the third option in the passing attack after Brandon LaFell was named the second starter out wide. LaFell is coming off a down season where he struggled with health and drops, and truthfully, he’s not very talented. It’s uncertain how long he will be able to hold off Boyd for a starting spot in two wide out formations. When moving to three WR sets Boyd will fill the slot role.

Andy Dalton had a career best 106.3 QB Rating last season. The last time these two teams met Dalton annihilated the Jets passing for 325 yards and five scores. Dalton tossed 25 scores and just seven picks over 13 games last season

Tyler Eifert will not practice this week. That means he will not play this week. Tyler Kroft figured to be the next man up but he hurt his knee and while likely to play in Week 1, it's hard to trust him in Week 1. That means C.J. Uzomah will likely be the starter at tight end in the first game.

A.J. Green is just the second player to ever have 1,000 receiving yards the first five seasons of his career (Randy Moss). The last time the teams met he only caught three passes but they went for 115 yards. He’s a weekly WR1. Period. His knee should be fine by the way.

Jeremy Hill led the NFL last season with 11 rushing scores including seven scores his last eight games (including the playoffs). Hill scored eight times inside the five yard line last season, the second most in football. The Jets allowed just 83.4 yards a game last season and four scores overall on the ground.

New York Jets

Eric Decker was one of two wideouts, the other Allen Robinson, to score 10 times in the red zone last year. Decker saw a higher percentage of his teams red zone looks than any wideout in football (nearly 37 percent of all the passes). In two meetings Decker has 13 receptions, 212 yards and four scores.

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw 31 touchdown passes last season, a franchise record. He tossed at least two scores in five of his last six games to end the year and he threw 20 touchdown passes in home games. He also threw for 3,905 yards, a career best. He threw for at least 275 yards in four of his last six contests.

Matt Forte makes his Jets debut. Since 2008 no player in the game has more yards from scrimmage (12,718 yards, 8,602 as a runner). Bilal Powell was giving a big contract this offseason and he will have a role in Week 1. However, this is Forte’s backfield with Powell needing to have success to improve his role. The offensive line is a concern with RT Brent Giacomini out and D’Brickshaw Ferguson retired.

Brandon Marshall had the best receiving season in club history (109-1,502-14). He’s caught at least 80 passes for 1,000 yards in 8-of-9 seasons. He’s a WR1 until further notice.

Muhammad Wilkerson has six sacks his last four games at home and had a career best 12 sacks last season.

There’s no tight end worthy of speaking of at the moment.

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Cleveland Browns

Gary Barnidge caught 79 passes for 1,043 yards and nine scores last season, three the best numbers of his career by miles. Of course, there’s a new signal caller as well as a new HC in town so the situation with Barnidge is totally up in the air.

Corey Coleman has dealt with a hamstring issue this preseason and though his head coach says the rookie isn’t too far behind, it’s hard to believe that at this point. Coleman had a drop and caught just one of six targets over the final two preseason games. Expecting huge things in Week 1 is a stretch. Still, the team might have little choice but to target Coleman given that Josh Gordon is out the first four weeks of the season do to suspension (Coleman might return punts to open the year to get his hands on the ball in the open field). Terrelle Pryor, a converted quarterback, has transitioned well to the wideout spot. A dynamic talent, he’s still extremely raw.

Robert Griffin III threw some wobbly passes, and made a few bad decisions this spring, but he also tossed three scores and was picked off once. He completed 22-of-38 passes for 313 passing yards and seems to have reestablished himself as an NFL starter. He’s still nothing more than a QB2 at this point.

HC Hue Jackson is a creative mind that knows how to use a tandem in the backfield (just see the last few seasons in Cleveland). He will have a built in 1-2 punch in Cleveland. Duke Johnson caught 61 passes last season, as a rookie, the 4^th most in football. Isaiah Crowell led the club with 706 rushing yards last season though he averaged a mere 3.8 YPC and had just four rushing scores. He’s likely to be the early down runner but Johnson is breathing down his neck for work as a ball carrier as well. The Eagles were the worst run defense in football last season allowing 134.6 rushing yards a game on the ground (10 rushing scores).

Philadelphia Eagles

Nelson Agholor will have to catch passes from an inexperienced rookie. Nelson was terrible last year. He reportedly worked hard this offseason and even though he was less than impressive in the preseason he figures to be a starter behind only JM in terms of targets outside. Not worth a look at the moment.

Zach Ertz caught 450 yards of passes his las three games to become just the second tight end ever to accomplish that. Alas, Sam Bradford is no longer with the team it’s impossible to expect Ertz to operate at a level remotely close to that. Ertz has also scored just nine times in three seasons, so seeing him emerge as some huge red zone threat seems like a bit of a stretch.

Dorial Green-Beckham will make his Eagles debut. He led rookies last season with a 17.2 YPC mark last season. He’s raw though with only Agholor truly ahead of him on the wideout depth chart it’s completely possible that he will emerge as a weekly option in the fantasy game at some point, just not now.

Ryan Mathews averaged 5.1 YPC last season, the 4^th best amongst running backs. He has a rushing score in five of his last nine games. Wendell Smallwood has just been cleared to return from a concussion and it’s highly doubtful that he will see the pigskin this week. Kenjon Barner is the back that figures to support Mathews and see work on the ground this week. Meanwhile, Darren Sproles seems likely to handle third down work and potentially a big workload as a pass catcher given the Eagles woes out wide and the fact that Wentz checking down to Sproles might end up being a safe play.

Jordan Matthews leads the NFL in slot route percentage the last two years. He’s caught 146 of his 153 passes out of the slot. His total of 152 receptions the last two seasons are the 10^th most in NFL history for a fella his first two seasons.

Carson Wentz completed 42.6 percent of his passes in college last season when he was under pressure while his rate with a clean pocket was an impressive 70.1 percent. He saw less than 40 snaps this preseason. He’s not ready for primetime.

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Minnesota Vikings

Stefon Diggs should have success when Bradford is under center as the quarterback likes to target the slot. After catching six passes for 85 yards each of his first four games last season Diggs failed to reach those numbers in one game a single time the rest of the season.

Shaun Hill is set to start as Sam Bradford hasn’t had enough time to get up to speed with the playbook since being dealt to the Vikings. Still, it sounds like the Vikings might pull a late switcharoo and go with Bradford at the last minute. Whomever it is, they will be facing a Titans defense that allowed just 230 passing yards a game last season though the were burned for 34 passing scores, the third most in football. It’s a good matchup but a bad offense for whomever is quarterbacking.

Charles Johnson appears like the starter across the field from Diggs. Johnson looks the part, and has all the skills you need for success, but he was an epic failure last season catching nine passes for 127 yards. He burned the world after Cordarrelle Patterson did the exact same thing in 2014. Neither wideout can be trusted.

Jerick McKinnnon is going to be involved. A dynamic talent, he’s likely to see a lot of third down work in passing situations. Of course, he won’t be carrying the ball on early down which limits McKinninon’s usefulness in Week 1 to a complete and total dart throw, with the light off, and six beers in your belly.

Adrian Peterson led the NFL with 1,485 rushing yards and tied for the league lead 11 rushing scores. Every week starter. Period.

Kyle Rudolph is in an offense without impressive wideouts and his OC, Norv Turner, has always run an offense that caters to the tight end. Unfortunately, the same could be said of last year’s unit and Kyle caught 49 passes for 495 yards and five scores. A desperation toss at this point.

Laquon Treadwell isn’t going to start and his workload in Week 1 is totally up in the air as he’s likely to play behind Johnson. He cannot be started with any level of confidence at this point. Heck, he might be behind Adam Thielen at the moment.

Tennessee Titans

Andre Johnson makes his Titans debut. You shouldn’t care.

Marcus Mariota threw for 19 scores last season and ran for two more. The Titans would prefer to limit the tosses from Mariota and to utilize their run game, with Mariota using some of his own athleticism. He threw just six touchdown passes in the second half last season, but he’s been diligent with his work this offseason and seems poised to exceed the expectations of most.

Rishard Matthews will start along with Sharpe, and he’s an intriguing late round add. With the uncertainty surrounding how the team will handle the pigskin in Week 1 against a solid defense, it’s tough to trust Matthews as a starter.

Derrick Henry generated 138 of his 216 preseason yards after contact, a massive number. He also forced 12 missed tackles on a mere 34 carries. He appears ready to go beast mode on fools. However, he will start the season as the second banana in the backfield. DeMarco Murray makes his Titans debut. He has scored 28 times on the ground since 2013, the most in football. Of course, he looked bad last season with the Eagles, largely because Chip Kelly kept trying to get Murray to run plays that didn’t suit his north/south game. At this point, expect something like a 65/35 split in touches favoring Murray.

Tajae Sharpe was someone no one was talking about, but Jeff Mans, two months ago. Now the entire world loves the guy. Sharpe is a precise route runner who has a nice connection with Mariota. It’s quite possible that Sharpe, who missed nary a workout this preseason, will lead the club in targets after catching 9-of-12 for 163 yards this preseason.

Delanie Walker sent a club record with 94 receptions and 1,088 yards as a tight end. Jace Amaro was claimed off waivers from the Jets, but he offers no resistance to Walker being the obvious option at tight end on this team. Regression is likely with Walker, but with health there’s little reason to think he won’t be a TE1 this season.

Kendall Wright (hamstring) is back at practice. He’s missed copious amounts of time this summer going as far as being called out by his HC for not hitting the field. Doesn’t matter in Week 1 as he won’t play.

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Miami Dolphins

Jordan Cameron did nothing last year. He was a total disappointment. He then went out and dropped seemingly every third pass thrown his way this summer after a 50 percent catch rate last season. Only masochists need apply.

Arian Foster makes his Dolphins debut. Since 2010 he is the only back in football with 6,000 rushing yards, 50 rushing scores, and 2,000 yards a receiver. He will lead the backfield in carries and touches until he is hurt with Jay Ajayi working in reserve. The Seahawks in Seattle is a brutal matchup, and last season in all the games they played they led football holding teams to a mere 81.5 yards a game. Foster is an RB2/flex this week as a result.

Jarvis Landry caught 110 passes last season, a franchise record. He has 194 catches the past two seasons, the most in football. He’s 5’11” and he’s scored just nine times in two seasons. We know what his game is, but he’s not a touchdown maker.

DeVante Parker has 13 catches for 286 yards and a touchdown his last three games. He’s also dealt with injuries all spring and continues to be sidelined with a hamstring injury. He seems unlikely to even play this weekend. Kenny Stills will have to step up to fill Parker’s spot since Justin Hunter isn’t ready to go after recently being brought into the fold. Note that Stills has been dealing with a back issue though he shouldn’t be heavily limited in a brutal matchup.

Ryan Tannehill has a tough matchup this week no doubt. He tossed 10 scores against five picks on the road last season and seems primed for a nice season with Adam Gase now in the fold to help him out. However, he cannot be looked at with favor this week given the matchup.

Seattle Seahawks

Doug Baldwin led the NFL with 14 receiving scores last season. He’s scored only three times his first 10 games before his remarkable finish. Note that he only had 95 receiving yards three times last season and that he caught three or fewer passes six games last season.

Jimmy Graham (knee) has made a solid recovery from surgery. However, it’s unclear if he will be able to suit up this week as it appears to be a bit better than 50/50. That means Luke Wilson owners, if there are any, might not be able to role with Mr. Wilson.

Thomas Rawls has run for an average of 108 yards a game, with four scores, in seven career starts. His workload this week is totally up in the air as he works his way back from a leg issue. "He's ready in the next couple weeks to get back in where he can start a game, take a game over and do all of the things that he can do," Carroll said. Christine Michael will actually have a role in Week 1, as amazing as it sounds, as Rawls will be on a snap count, and might even be the better option. C.J. Prosise has failed to impress.

Jermaine Kearse, and not Tyler Lockett, is the starter across from Doug Baldwin. In fact, Paul Richardson could get a lot of run too. Lockett is a small guy, so I would encourage everyone to read about a similarly sized player in Why the Interest in Tavon Austin? Lockett could disappoint given sky high expectations.

Russell Wilson led the NFL with a 110.1 QB Rating last season. He became the first quarterback ever with 4,000 passing yards, 500 rushing yards and 30 passing scores. In games played at home las season he completed 17 touchdown passes with only two picks.

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New York Giants

Odell Beckham has produced 2,755 yards through two seasons, the highest total in league history for the first two years of a player’s career. #Beast

Victor Cruz and Sterling Shepard figure to start in three wideout sets with ODB. Given that the Giants used three wideout sets last season 83 percent of the time, the second most in football, that could make both worthy of a look weekly. Well, at least Shepard. Cruz should be out there in Week 1 but given that he’s been unable to get healthy all preseason, yet again, Cruz is a desperate toss at best.

Larry Donnell and Will Tye will battle for looks at the tight end spot. The Giants did use a lot of two tight end sets this summer, though it’s not what you likely think as the end often lines up in the backfield as a fullback, h-back style. Can’t trust either.

Rashad Jennings seems like the lead back this season coming off a year in which he posted a career best 1,159 yards from scrimmage. With Andre Williams gone, it’s possible that Jennings could become a three down back for as long as he can stay healthy. Even if he’s not a three down back he appears in line to be the goaline back. Jennings carried the ball 18 times for 71 yards and a score last season against the Cowboys. It seems like Orleans Darkwa has grabbed the second spot ahead of Paul Perkins, though neither is worth much at the moment. As for third down back Shane Vereen, how can anyone start him with confidence? Vereen caught 59 passes last season but he scored just once his last seven games and caught as many as 50-yards of passes just three times all season.

Eli Manning threw for 4,436 yards, his second best total, and 35 scores, his best total, last season. He also tossed a career best 618 passes, a second straight season with 600. They will throw a lot. In two games against the Cowboys last season he threw for just 363 yards and no touchdowns. At least he wasn’t picked off.

Dallas Cowboys

Dez Bryant has scored 44 times since 2012, the second most receiving scores in the league. He’s also gone for 1,200 yards in 3-of-4 seasons. He caught five passes for 48 yards in the last matchup with the Giants and in 2014 he caught 16 balls for 237 yards and two scores.

Darren McFadden may never be able to straighten his right arm again after suffering an elbow injury that was completely downplayed by the team and the media. It’s a way more serious injury than we were told. That makes those that took a shot on Alfred Morris feel even better about their addition. Still, the only runner to talk about it obviously Ezekiel Elliott who could touch the ball 20 times a week. Elliott only carried the ball seven times for 48 yards this preseason, but he looked sharp and with the issue with his former girlfriend totally cleaned up, he should be ready to succeed.

Dak Prescott will start for a long while, perhaps through the bye week, as Tony Romo works his way back from his back injury. Prescott will make his NFL debut in this outing with an intriguing skill set. Still, he’s had trouble with footwork, underneath passing and with pressure.

Terrance Williams caught 52 passes for 840 yards and three scores. He rarely steps up to the point that he’s a true option in the fantasy game. Even though he played 16 games last season he was targeted just 94 times.

Jason Witten has caught at least 64 passes in 12-straight seasons. Witten has also posted at least 700-yards each of those seasons. He’s scored more than five times just once in five years.

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Detroit Lions

Ameer Abdullah will be the lead back. Sounds like Theo Riddick will handle a lot of third down work (he caught 80 passes last season with less than 50 carries). The question is about the goaline. Will it be AA or will Zach Zenner be called on? Ameer is obviously the only back you start confidently in Week 1.

Ezekial Ansah last three games include 12.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Anquan Boldin takes on a Lions defense that is a mess with injuries all over the place, this after a season in which they were terrible against the wide out. Boldin will take on Darius Butler and last season Butler allowed QBs to post a 118.1 QB Rating against him. 

Eric Ebron (ankle) may or may not play this week. He’s been sidelined so long that even if he was to play it’s illogical to start him since he’s likely to be on a limited snap count.

Marvin Jones will be asked to stretch the field and fill the old CJ role in the offense. Jones caught eight passes for 106 yards in the preseason as he flashed some trademark work with the feet along the sidelines. The team will throw the ball a lot and the 26 year old, who scored 10 times in 2013, merely needs to stay healthy to have success, something he has struggled with (his health).

Matt Prater hit 91.7 percent of his kicks last season (22/24).

Matthew Stafford was the 7^th ranked QB in football last season after Jim Bob Cooter took over as the OC. Over the final eight games Stafford was picked just twice while tossing 19 touchdowns.

Golden Tate has the fifth most catches in football the last two seasons at 189 receptions. He has scored four times his last four games. With Calvin Johnson no longer on the field, Tate should have little issue with replicating his success of the last two seasons. Note though that he averaged a mere 9.0 yards a catch last season that that he’s averaged just five touchdowns the last three years.

Indianapolis Colts

Dwayne Allen is a complete football player who now gets to play three downs as the guy at end with Coby Fleener out of the mix. Allen has scored nine times his last 26 games and has the look of a potential breakout.  

Phillip Dorsett is the third wideout with this team. That marks him as a completely hit or miss fantasy option as it’s uncertain when his workload will be high enough to earn him a start on your squad. For now, patience.

Frank Gore has scored a rushing touchdown each of the five times he’s faced the Lions. He’s also averaged 118 yards a game on the ground. Gore is the only back worth owning at the moment with this team. He’s carried the ball at least 255 times each of the past five years and should touch the ball 15 times a week this season. Seems like Josh Ferguson is his backup, though the youngster certainly failed to impress anyone this summer.

T.Y. Hilton has averaged 16.4 yards a catch the last two seasons. He has caught 1,000 yards of passes for five scores in 3-straight seasons. Hilton caught only 30 passes on the road last season without a single touchdown.

Andrew Luck struggled with performance this summer, and he’s on the injury report. Doesn’t matter in this matchup. Luck should have success as long as he limits the turnover and the o-line gives him enough time to get the ball out. He was on pace for 4,300 yards and 34 scores last season when he really struggled.

Donte Moncrief will break out this season. Everyone knows it. Just the way it is. At 6’2”, 222 lbs, he could see a higher volume of work than Hilton. In this matchups he’s a solid WR2.

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New England Patriots

Danny Amendola (ankle, knee) should play this week, and he’s always a cheap option to turn to in lineups where there are injuries or bye weeks to consider. Hard to suggest that he’s a good play in Week 1 a year after he caught 65 passes for 648 yards.

Tom Brady is out the first four games of the season because of suspension. Jimmy Garoppolo takes on the offense that blitzed the most in football last season, in the Cardinal who blizted on more than half of their defensive snaps last season. Garoppolo looked solid in the preseason but this will be his first NFL start.

LeGarrette Blount scored six times last season with the Patriots on 165 carries that led to 703 yards. He would appear, no one knows with this team, to be the early down back and the goaline back. The Cardinals allowed just 91.3 rushing yards a game last season. James White would appear to have a shot to be the pass catching back, but who knows. D.J. Foster produced nine grabs for 110 yards in the preseason finally working a lot with Tom Brady which has to make you nervous if you’re thinking about starting White.

Julian Edelman (foot) should be fine. He’s scored seven times in eight games, with Brady of course. As long as he’s out there, even with the backup under center, you have to be thinking WR2.

Rob Gronkowski is the only tight end in NFL history with 10 touchdowns in five seasons. He and Martellus Bennett will look to cause havoc for the opposition. Bennett, who has the 4^th most receptions at the position since 2012 (263), is still a hard player to start with an inexperienced quarterback under center and since he posted those numbers with another club. Gronk’s not 100 percent at the moment though as he remains limited in practice with a hamstring issue.

Chris Hogan is a decent play this week, but only at a lower level – meaning no blowup should be expected. He will have a role with Amendola at less than 100 percent and Malcom Mitchell still limited with his injured elbow (he might not even play).

Arizona Cardinals

John Brown dealt with a concussion all preseason. He should be OK according to reports, but it’s a bit scary he continued to have headaches long after the concussion. He caught a career best 65 passes las season for 1,003 yards and seven scores.

Chris Johnson led this team last season with 814 rushing yards. However, he averaged 2.5 YPC in the second half and despite all this offseason talk that he will have a role this season there is just no way that he’s taking carries from David.

David Johnson forced 15 missed tackles from Week 13-17 on 90 attempts as a runner, and then added nine more as a receiver on 17 receptions. Johnson also led rookies last season with 13 total touchdowns. Johnson is a beast who can handle three downs with power, speed and hands. He’s an elite option.

Larry Fitzgerald caught 109 passes last season, a team record. He also went for 1,215 yards, his 7^th season with 1,000 yards. Fitz caught 55 passes in the first half and 54 in the second. His touchdown total dipped from seven to two however.

Michael Floyd did nothing in Week 17, but in games from Weeks 13 to 16 he caught at least five passes for 70 yards each week. He’s in line for a big season after producing so efficiently in the second half of the season.

Carson Palmer looked bad at the end of last season and this preseason. Still, he’s coming of a franchise record 35 touchdown passes and 4,671 yards. He posted a QB Rating of 100+ in 11 games last season, the most in football.

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Pittsburgh Steelers

Le’Veon Bell will miss the first three games of the season as a result of a suspension relating to recreational drugs.

Antonio Brown caught 136 passes last season, the second most even. He also set a franchise record with 1,834 yards. He has 110 receptions 3-straight years and his total of 265 receptions the last two years are the most in football history over two years.

Sammie Coates has fallen behind Eli Rogers and isn’t startable. With Markus Wheaton set to slide into the second wideout spot this season both Rogers and Coates are on the watch list at the moment but not on the start list. Wheaton has yet to live up to expectations, but all signs point to him being the second most targeted wideout on the team.

Ladarius Green has been placed on the reserve/PUP list. Is it his ankle or something else? We just don’t know at the moment. That means Jessie James is the guy to know. We realize that this offense and Big Ben had long used Health Miller so there is a spot in this offense for the tight end. James is 6’6” and 260 lbs, and given the lack of size for most of the wideouts on this team why wouldn’t James see some work in the red zone?

Ben Roethlisberger led the league last season with 328.2 passing yards a game, the third highest mark in NFL history. OF course, he only appeared in 12 games as he’s continually hurt. He has gone 9-2 in his last 11 MNF games. Washington picked off 11 passes last season while being lit up for 30 passing scores.

DeAngelo Williams led the NFL with 10 scores inside the five-yard line last season. He tied for the NFL lead with 11 rushing scores and he was third amongst AFC running backs with 1,274 yards from scrimmage last season. The Skins’ allowed 123 rushing yards on the ground last season, the 7^th most in football. Whomever starts at RB for the Steelers is always an RB1.

Washington Redskins

Kirk Cousins, according to PFF, was a negative passer last season on passes over 20-yards in the air. Cousins was one of the best in the game at home last season with 16 touchdowns passing, four rushing scores, and just two picks. He also finished last season with a QB Rating of 100 in 6-straight games.

Jamison Crowder caught 59 passes last season for 604 yards and two scores. He’ll catch passes out of the slot, but there is little in the way of upside.

Josh Doctson was limited in individual drills Wednesday as it simply appears that he’s not physically able to perform at the moment as he works his way back from a nagging Achilles issue.

Matt Jones should be the lead back in Week 1 for the Redskins after spraining the AC joint in his shoulder this preseason. Jones shed his non-contact jersey Wednesday in practice. Rob Kelley and Chris Thompson will likely have roles in Week 1 as well. Thompson will catch a few passes and isn’t worth a look. However, the workload on the ground is a total crapshoot at the moment with Jones and Kelley very likely to split the workload.

Pierre Garcon caught 72 passes for 77 yards last season, both improvements over his totals in 2014. He also saw his touchdown total double from three to six. However, is there more to give here from Garcon? At the moment the answer is no.

DeSean Jackson is the speed burner of the group, and he’s looking for a big payday as a free agent after the year. The 29 year old appeared in only 10 games last season with 30 receptions and four scores. In 2013 and 2014 he produced at least 1,150 yards each season and as long as he can stay healthy he should be able to produce, albeit with his trademark inconsistency week to week.

Jordan Reed led the team with 87 receptions, 952 yards and 11 scores last season. Over his final four games he was dynamic with 29 receptions, 94.5 yards a game and five touchdowns. It’s highly unlikely he will be able to match any part of that pace this season.

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Los Angeles Rams  

Tavon Austin is not someone you can trust at all which I wrote about in Why the Interest in Tavon Austin? He caught passes totaling 45 yards just twice all season long. Austin carried the ball three times or less in eight games, or half the season. His quarterback play is gonna stink.

Kenny Britt cannot be trusted for a variety of reasons, all extremely good reasons, even though he has scored or had 80 receiving yards in 3-straight games.

Pharoh Cooper will miss a few weeks with a shoulder injury.

Todd Gurley ran for 10 scores and 1,106 yards last season. He ran for 133 yards and a score on 20 carries in his lone matchup with the Niners last season. It would be an upset if he’s not touching the ball 20-times this week. He’s the only startable piece on this roster that you can feel confident about.

Lance Hendricks has never caught 45 passes and the last three seasons he’s failed to reach 260 receiving yards.

Trumaine Johnson has an interception in 4-of-5 games.

Case Keenum will start as Jared Goff will be inactive in Week 1, the first time a #1 pick has been active in Week 1 since Jamarcus Russell. Keenum stinks and his ability to even move the football through the air with any remote level of effectiveness is in doubt. Keenum is limited physically and all he will be asked to do is to hand the ball off.  

Robert Quinn has three sacks and a forced fumble in the last two matchups.

San Francisco 49ers

Blaine Gabbert has a QB Rating of 85 or better in 5-of-7 games. In his last start versus the Rams he lit them up for 354 yards and a score. However, that’s not who he is. Gabbert did complete 63.1 yards a game last season with 10 scores and seven picks. He’s not very good, Chip Kelly offense or not, a situation exacerbated by the lack of quality receiving options for him to throw too. Colin Kaepernick will continue to sit on the sidelines.

Shaun Draughn has averaged 73 yards from scrimmage his last six games and he will be the third down, pass catching back in Kelly’s offense. Shaun will have a role and could be a very sneaky play in PPR setups as Gabbert is a fan of the checkdown. He’s not likely to do much on the ground though as Carlos Hyde should play though he dealt with a concussion this preseason (he’s been cleared for football activity). Hyde has produced 60-yards from scrimmage in 5-of-7 games. The duo will face arguably the deepest D-line in football in the Rams, a club that allowed only seven rushing scores this season.

Jeremy Kerley will likely work out of the slot despite his late addition to the roster. He could end up being the target of plenty of passes for short-armed QB Gabbert.

Vance McDonald has produced 60 yards and a score in 3-of-6 games. Gabbert loves his checkdown.

Torrey Smith is the only wideout that can be trusted here. Trust might be the wrong word as he really can’t be trusted. He’s the best of a poor group, better way to say it. Smith’s game is really the deep ball and that simply isn’t Gabbert’s game.