You risked a decent pick on Jameis Winston because you believe he will have a breakout year. I did it. Several others did it based on his average draft position.
Now that he’s done for week 1, it’s time to panic…or not.
I’ve been saying for weeks that Minnesota quarterback Sam Bradford has an enticing fantasy football week 1 matchup against a New Orleans team not known for defending the pass well. And he’s owned in less than 20 percent of leagues on Yahoo.
It’s tough to shake that memory of Bradford on Monday Night Football for the Eagles two years ago. I’ll do my best to erase that disaster from my brain in order to focus on this week.
The Vikings will dink and dunk all over a New Orleans team still searching for pass rushing help. The Saints did improve in their secondary last year, but it’s still not at a level where I should be scared away.
Bradford is a sneaky backup play all year anyway based on his full year of being with the Vikings and his knack for not turning the ball over. He’s going to complete passes at a high rate. If he can sneak in a few touchdown passes, that won’t hurt my feelings either.
Jay Ajayi and Mike Evans impact
The main other weapons in fantasy impacted by the postponement of the Tampa Bay versus Miami game in week 1 are Ajayi for the Dolphins and Evans for the Buccaneers.
You probably have some depth on your roster anyway, but just in case you’re slim in those departments, there are a few options to target in week 1.
Matt Forte may still be on your waiver wire and I’m high on his week 1 capabilities. The Jets square off against a Buffalo team that allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to running backs in 2016.
Forte is fresh and healthy, meaning he should shoulder much of the burden when it comes to running the football, too. That won’t be the case for the majority of the season, but this matchup makes sense for people who have Forte on their roster.
He’s not a RB1 this week, but there’s definitely RB2 value for him.
The wide receiver department offers more options, especially since your roster depth is likely better in that position. If you’re looking for a guy who won’t likely be around the whole year, but may have an impact in week 1, take a look at Paul Richardson for Seattle.
Richardson is listed as a starter on the depth chart released this week. The Seahawks play a Green Bay team unable to stop the pass, so Richardson should have some manageable situations, especially with Doug Baldwin commanding most of the defense’s attention.
My guess is that both offenses will need to score points, so having a starting wide receiver in this matchup could pay major dividends. Richardson is readily available, with an ownership value of six percent on Yahoo.
