We’re looking at the best and worst options for the wide receiver position in fantasy football’s week 1 of the NFL season. Here’s our top four options to start and sit.
Start
Randall Cobb vs. Chicago
Aaron Rodgers will have a field day with the Chicago Bears defense. If Green Bay doesn’t call off the dogs, Cobb will be the primary benefactor from the good week 1 match-up.
The Bears didn’t do much to improve in the secondary, and it wouldn’t matter anyway. Rodgers has been untouchable against the Bears during his career, so this match-up should be a no-brainer as an opportunity to utilize Cobb as your primary fantasy football wide receiver.
With Jordy Nelson out for the year, Cobb will get the majority of the targets. As long as the Packers offense is just a bit revved up to its potential, fantasy football owners with Cobb should be in for a big day.
Damaryius Thomas vs. Baltimore
The usual vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense wasn’t so intimidating last season. The front seven was still a quality unit, but the secondary faltered, ranking toward the bottom middle half of the NFL in pass defense.
That doesn’t bode well against the Broncos. It’s no secret what we think quarterback Peyton Manning will do this season. He won’t be the same old Peyton.
However, we’re basing that opinion on Manning’s age and his susceptibility to injury. He’s healthy and the Broncos will use his arm plenty in week 1. And Thomas, with his ability to be a big target in the red zone, should get more looks with Julius Thomas now injured in Jacksonville.
He should be a good play this week and should compete with Cobb as netting the most points.
Julio Jones vs. Philadelphia
The Atlanta Falcons will likely torch Philadelphia’s defense through the air. That means Julio Jones should have a good start to the 2015 season.
This game will likely be a shootout and with the Falcons having too much youth to trust in the running game, they will likely take to the air. That means Jones will reap the benefits.
The Eagles allowed the most fantasy football points to wide receivers in 2014. Jones, who finished third in receiving yards last season, will be the primary target for Matt Ryan.
Julian Edelman vs. Pittsburgh
Normally, New England’s wide receiving corps isn’t the best option to consider when constructing the best weekly fantasy football roster.
But this week, Edelman should benefit from the Patriots using the pass far more often than the run. Without starting running back LaGarrette Blount in week 1, quarterback Tom Brady will have to find someone on offense other than Rob Gronkowski.
Edelman is the most likely target and with the Steelers not owning that vaunted defense anymore, he should garner several points. Edelman usually has a difficult time finding the end zone, but with a true starting running back, Brady may throw him a bone in this one, providing a good opportunity for Edelman owners to score some points.
Sit
Sammy Watkins vs. Indianapolis
If you have Watkins on your fantasy football roster, you better be prepared for a long year. Watkins has the talent to be a good wide receiver, but he’s in a bad situation.
Tyrod Taylor would have a difficult time being a backup on several teams and he’s the starting option for Buffalo. And worse for Watkins is that Percy Harvin will have set plays go to him and LeSean McCoy will get a bulk of carries in head coach Rex Ryan’s run-first approach.
The Bills defense is the calling card of that team. They’ll focus on defense first and won’t take too many chances with Watkins, who is a player who can make defenders miss in the open field.
In this match-up, Watkins also will square off against Colts cornerback Vontae Davis, who didn’t allow a touchdown in his direction last season and is considered one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Stay away from Watkins at all costs this week.
Brandon Marshall vs. Cleveland
Cleveland isn’t a team to pass against. We doubt the New York Jets will make that mistake.
Chris Ivory will get plenty of touches in the running game, so any wide receiver on your fantasy football team on the Jets should take the bench.
Ryan Fitzpatrick is starting, so the Jets likely won’t air it out against the Browns, which allowed the eighth-fewest passing yards in the NFL last season. Marshall won’t have much room to maneuver against the Browns secondary and the Jets offensive gameplan likely won’t call for it either.
Marshall is definitely the number one option for the Jets, but he won’t get many targets in week 1.
DeAndre Hopkins vs. Kansas City
Hopkins should have a good year, but we’re holding off on going with him in week 1 against the Chiefs.
Kansas City has the pass defense capable of confusing the best quarterbacks, and against the Texans, it will square off against one of the bottom 10 starting quarterbacks in the NFL in Brian Hoyer. It’s not just the second-best pass defense from last year that worries us with the Chiefs.
The front seven of the Chiefs also can get to the quarterback, as they notched the fifth-most sacks in the NFL last year. Neither offense likes to move the ball at a fast pace, so this could be a low-scoring contest with little opportunities to take chances downfield.
We’ll wait a week to see what the relationship is between Hopkins and Hoyer. If he’s on your fantasy football team, you likely have to start him based on what else is available. If you’re in a one-week league, take the wait-and-see approach.
Ted Ginn, Jr. vs. Jacksonville
Ginn may be the best option at wide receiver for Carolina, but he’s hardly worth a start in week 1.
The Panthers will attempt to run against the Jaguars, especially since Jacksonville struggled against the pass last season. And if the Panthers aren’t trying to run the ball, they will likely look at tight end Greg Olsen for the majority of targets.
Ginn is a boom or bust receiver anyway, so he shouldn’t see much starting time on fantasy football rosters, unless there are no other options. This is definitely not the week to roll the dice on him.
