A tough day for the big names translated into the quarterback realm in week 1 of the fantasy football season.
Alex Smith led all quarterbacks in fantasy points with more than 30. Yes, you read that right. The king of dink and dunk totaled 13 more points than the third-best fantasy quarterback from the majority of action in week 1.
It’s only week 1, though, so it’s not fair to rush into any rash judgments. Smith will not be that type of player for the remainder of the season. And some of those quarterbacks we hyped up in the preseason will get better.
Here’s my best bets for the week 2 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em guide for quarterbacks.
Start
Carson Palmer vs. Indianapolis Colts
I’m doubling down on Palmer.
The Cardinals weren’t very good in week 1 and let the game completely go into meltdown mode in the fourth quarter. Many of those problems rested on Palmer’s shoulders.
Palmer misfired way too often and the weapons around him didn’t look good. David Johnson’s injury doesn’t help, but that may put some pressure on some of these other wide receivers and skill position players to step up.
Arizona is going to offer volume in the passing game. That’s been seen time and time again, and it was on display in week 1 with Palmer attempting 48 passes. The Lions should have been a good matchup and the Colts also provide a nice window for Palmer to have a highly productive day.
Indianapolis was completely manhandled by Jared Goff in week 1. Palmer’s week 1 performance worries me, but the NFL is a week-to-week league for a reason. I’m expecting a bounce-back performance from the veteran signal-caller.
Marcus Mariota vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
You may have some pause in starting Mariota after week 1.
The Titans weren’t as good as everyone was predicting them to be and the Jaguars looked like the 1985 Bears against the Texans.
I didn’t believe Tennessee would just automatically be able to compete with a Super Bowl-level team in week 1 and the Jaguars defense is good. But slow down on both overreactions.
Mariota will be a consistent starter in fantasy football. He can run and pass, and he’s a much better option than the Texans trotted out in week 1. Jacksonville won’t be able to just pin their ears back and rush the passer this week. The game-flow worked in their favor in week 1 after building such a big lead.
That won’t happen in week 2. Mariota is easily a top-12 quarterback and should be in the running for top-seven production.
Carson Wentz vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Normally I don’t take too much stock in week 1. Just look at Alex Smith’s numbers if you believe in week 1 results.
But I can’t ignore Wentz’s performance and the Eagles’ inability to run the football.
We heard all preseason about the progress Wentz made. Then, he went on the road in week 1, threw all over the place, and won. He finished third in fantasy scoring among quarterbacks and threw for more than 300 yards.
He’s going to have some inconsistent weeks, but the Eagles need him to throw the football. The good thing about Philadelphia, though, is that it will keep trying to run the football, allowing Wentz some room to pass.
He threw it 39 times in week 1, and I believe that volume will continue during the season. Don’t underestimate Doug Pederson’s return to Kansas City, with a Chiefs defense missing its best player in Eric Berry.
Sit
Matthew Stafford vs. New York Giants
Week 1 didn’t go my way in the Arizona vs. Detroit game. So like anybody who was proven wrong, I’m going with the same prediction.
Stafford was really good against a pretty decent Arizona team. It took him awhile to get going, but once the Lions train got moving, Stafford was able to move them down the field effectively, throwing three touchdown passes.
But the majority of that action happened in that late third quarter/fourth quarter realm when the game was getting out of hand. And Stafford on the road is a much different player than at home.
He’s 14 games under .500 on the road in his career. His completion percentage, yards per attempt and touchdowns all go down on the road by a decent margin in his career. And he plays a New York team that should be better than it showed in week 1.
I was anticipating a much better Giants defense this season. I’ll still go with that and back that happening in week 2.
Kirk Cousins vs. Los Angeles Rams
I promise, this isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to week 1.
I was down on Cousins heading into the season and high on the Rams defense. It just so happened that I won on both of those points in week 1.
The loss of Sean McVay is real for Cousins. Losing your coach who helped mold you into the dink and dunk master is a major blow. Cousins doesn’t have the supporting cast around him anymore and he doesn’t have his coach.
And that coach just so happens to be on the other sideline for the Rams, which also has Wade Phillips running its defense.
Los Angeles has always been good on the defensive side of the ball, so I wasn’t sure why we were lumping them in with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns before the season started. The Rams are good and can rush the passer on defense.
That won’t change in week 2, giving way to another rough outing for Cousins.
Andy Dalton vs. Houston Texans
Remember when Dalton was a pretty decent fantasy option?
He had a pretty good run last year, only to fall off the wagon, where he landed in week 1 against a Baltimore defense that is scary. Dalton was so bad, he registered negative points.
Now, he must square off against a Texans defense, that while it wasn’t great in week 1, is still only a year removed from being statistically the best defense in the NFL.
Dalton is a regular backup in fantasy football and seemed to have some value heading into this season in certain situations. The loss of Hue Jackson can’t be overstated for this offense and the Bengals just aren’t a playoff-caliber team anymore.
Dropping Dalton is a wise decision in your fantasy league.
