The NFL is back and despite all that work you put into drafting the right players for the season, week 1 offers some intrigue on the best players to start and sit in fantasy football.
The quarterback position is ripe with mixing and matching on a weekly basis. Week 1 is always tough to navigate, especially with little to go on in terms of concrete evidence.
But it’s still worth investigating which quarterbacks offer you the best chance at winning your week.
Here’s the first installment of start ’em, sit ’em for quarterbacks in week 1.
Start
Cam Newton vs. Denver Broncos
It doesn’t take a brain-dead fantasy owner to realize Newton is a starter every week. However, I’ve seen some experts wondering it Newton is a good play in week 1 against the Broncos.
I get the apprehension. It’s been seven months since we saw Denver’s defense shred Newton and the Panthers’ offense. Newton completed 43 percent of his passes, mixing in one interception and no touchdowns, while getting sacked a season-high six times in the Super Bowl.
Denver’s defense didn’t lose its ability to play defense during the offseason, so it’s logical to believe Newton will struggle once again. But this is the NFL and every matchup is not created equally.
I expect Newton to come out with a chip on his shoulder from last year and prove his worth. And besides the motivation, Newton proved to still be solid against the best defenses in the NFL last year.
Including Denver, the Panthers played four of the five top teams in terms of total defense last year. In the games other than Denver, Newton totaled eight touchdowns compared to two interceptions. He finished with over a 60 percent completion rate and tallied more than 270 yards per game.
Don’t abandon Newton against the top defense in the NFL. He will deliver and still offers quality value for fantasy owners.
Derek Carr vs. New Orleans Saints
Only one team was worse than the New York Giants in passing defense last year and the emerging Carr will get a crack at it.
I’m a fan of Carr showing even more improvement in his third season. He was a late QB1 selection and may even be a backup on some fantasy teams’ rosters depending how their league’s drafts took shape. Regardless of where he sits on your roster, he’s a top-five option this week.
The Saints were atrocious against the pass last season, surrendering 284 yards per game and allowing a league-worst 68.4 percent completion percentage.
Carr has a revamped offensive line and the weapons around him to exploit the Saints. Don’t worry about this being a road game. Carr will show why he deserved to be drafted higher in fantasy drafts this season with a solid performance against the Saints.
Robert Griffin III vs. Philadelphia Eagles
This is a flier, but I have a hunch.
Trading away its starting quarterback shows me that Philadelphia’s season is what I perceived it to be weeks ago. It’s a lost cause.
And that attitude will show in week 1 against the Browns. The Eagles struggled mightily against the pass last season, allowing the fifth-most passing yards of any team in the NFL.
The Browns have some weapons around RGIII that should be enough to allow him to have success against Philadelphia. During his career, he’s played well against Philadelphia and that will likely continue this week.
He’s not going to be top-five by any means, but he should have an opportunity at producing top-10 numbers. If you have a difficult situation at quarterback, consider giving RGIII a chance in week 1.
Sit
Ryan Tannehill vs. Seattle Seahawks
Under no pretense whatsoever should you start Tannehill. Don’t even think about it.
Pretty much every quarterback in the NFL offers a better chance at survival in week 1 than Tannehill. His supposed No. 2 receiver DaVante Parker hasn’t developed into that role yet. The running game will take a step back with Arian Foster. That doesn’t matter anyway since the Dolphins refuse to run the ball anyway.
Tannehill will try to dink and dunk his way to a victory and that won’t work against the Seahawks. Seattle is the second-best defense in the NFL and it won’t allow Tannehill to have room to maneuver in the confines of their home stadium.
He’s a decent QB2 for your team based on the amount of volume he’ll produce this season. But Tannehill has no business in your starting lineup this week.
Marcus Mariota vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings quarterback position may be in shambles. But their defense is anything but.
The Vikings were a top-10 passing defense last season. They also got after the quarterback as well as almost any team last season, ranking in the top-seven in sacks.
That won’t change this season, meaning Mariota and the Titans are in for a long day. Mariota gained some momentum in fantasy drafts, ranking in the top 15 in some fantasy platforms. He will be a decent play at some points this season, but this isn’t the week for Mariota.
Bench him for this week, but don’t lose sight of him for the duration of the season.
Andy Dalton vs. New York Jets
I’m down on Cincinnati’s ability to pass the ball this season. Losing Marvin Jones and Tyler Eifert will have more of an effect on the Bengals than many believe.
That will hurt Dalton’s ability to put up numbers similar to last season. And in week 1 , those deficiencies will be on full display.
Regardless of how bad the Jets have been in recent years, the defense has always been a strength. That won’t change this season.
New York was a top-five pass defense last season and was the best in the NFL at limiting opposing quarterbacks’ completion percentage. The Jets stymied opposing quarterbacks to a 57 percent completion rate last year.
I’m expecting Dalton to reduce his output from a year ago and that will start in week 1.
