Seth Vigdor
The wait is finally over. Fantasy Football is back. This Thursday, the season officially kicks off with the Pittsburgh Steelers traveling up to Foxboro to play the New England Patriots. It’s certainly an exciting, and interesting, way to start the season off with the defending champions and all the controversy surrounding them kicking off the season at home. Let’s take a look at the some of the key stories to watch this week in the league.
Tom Brady returns to the field without serving a suspension
Speaking of the Thursday night game, is there a more intriguing storyline right now than Tom Brady not having to serve his suspension? Brady was looking at a four-game suspension prior to a judge overturning the NFL’s ruling. Are you surprised by the judge’s decision? I’m not. The NFL got what they deserved for handling all player matters very poorly to date. However, the fact that the player that got away with cheating [again] just happens to be Mr. Privilege himself, Tom Brady, irks the hell out of me. I could write a whole article on this, but let’s take a look at the Fantasy ramifications here. Tom Brady generally starts off the year slow, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Brady comes out slinging with a chip on his shoulder. The Patriots know how to play the victim for team motivation. No team does it better. If you managed to draft Brady in the seventh round on, you have a steal on your hands. Brady returning boosts the value of Julian Edelman, who I wanted no parts of prior to the suspension being overturned. But, the player whose value sky rockets even more is Rob Gronkowski. I’ll touch on Gronkowski more later.
Sam Bradford’s health
If there is one team that sky is the limit for it is the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles’ Super Bowl hopes fall on the shoulders – or in this case – the legs of Sam Bradford. Bradford has looked very sharp in the preseason games that he’s played in so far. The Eagles open on the road on Monday Night Football in Atlanta. It should be a high scoring affair and as long as the O-Line protects Bradford this year, this Eagles team is going to look unreal. History isn’t on Bradford’s side with his health, but he also never had an offensive line like the Eagles do, plus all the weapons that he has at his disposal this year.
The DeMarco Murray-less Cowboys
The Cowboys had a decision to make in the offseason and that was to decide which franchise star they wanted to keep. They couldn’t keep both Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray and by now you know that they chose to keep Dez Bryant. DeMarco Murray signed with the Eagles in the offseason and that left the Cowboys with Joseph Randle. The Cowboys signed Darren “Noodle Knees” McFadden in free agency as some insurance, but no matter what, Randle and McFadden are no Murray. The Cowboys’ running game will be key in keeping Tony Romo healthy. If they can’t run then look for Romo and Bryant to put up big numbers this year, provided Romo doesn’t get squashed.
The Indianapolis Colts Offense 2.0 Reloaded
As if Andrew Luck needed it, the Colts went out in the offseason and signed Frank Gore and Andre Johnson. They already had T.Y. Hilton, who’s dealing with a concussion, but the fact that they replaced Trent Richardson with Frank Gore and added to their receiving core with Andre Johnson is a very scary thought. There can now be balance to the Colts offense and now they can kill you in the air or on the ground. The first test for this new offense will be up against a tough Buffalo Bills defense. I still expect the Colts to put up some points this week, but don’t expect a 30+ point output just yet.
Can the Packers be an elite team without Jordy Nelson?
In case you’ve been living under a rock, let me notify you that Jordy Nelson is out for the season with a torn ACL. Randall Cobb is dealing with a shoulder injury, though all indications point to Cobb playing this week. If you’d like to know who I think stands to benefit the most from the Nelson injury, you can read my article about key injuries and their affect on Fantasy Football right here. In the meantime, as long as the Packers have Aaron Rodgers at the helm, their offense should perform at a high level. The Packers travel to Chicago this week to play their division rival Bears. It’s certainly no gimme for the Pack, so it’ll be interesting to see how things play out.
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Each week I will present what I think are the juiciest fantasy matchups at each position. Let’s hit ’em:
Quarterbacks
Tony Romo (DAL vs NY Giants)
I touched on Romo earlier and the Cowboys draw a division matchup against the Giants in Week 1. The Cowboys’ running game is suspect at this point and usually when these teams meet early in the season, these are high scoring games. I like Romo for three TD’s here in a back and forth shootout.
Sam Bradford (PHI vs ATL)
I spoke briefly about Bradford above and I love this matchup for him and the Eagles’ offense. I think Chip’s gonna unleash offensive hell on the Falcons’ defense. I like Bradford here for at least two TD passes, but I expect he’ll have more.
Philip Rivers (SD vs DET)
Philip Rivers finally got his contract extension from the Chargers, and now that that’s out of the way he can go back to slinging the football. Rivers is generally good for two to three touchdowns a game, and with the Lions losing Ndamukong Suh in the offseason to the Dolphins, that will undoubtedly help Rivers in his season opener. I expect a big game from Rivers here.
Wide Receivers
Antonio Brown (PIT vs NE)
No Le’Veon Bell for the Steelers this week, no problem. Though I don’t expect the Steelers to win against the Patriots this week, I do expect the Steelers to be able to put some points up against the Pats. Antonio Brown was a PPR monster last year and he’ll start out the season where he left off. Le’Veon Bell is suspended for the first two games this year, so expect double digits in receptions this week for Brown and perhaps a touchdown to go along with plenty of receptions and a 100+ yard game.
And because this play never gets old…
https://vine.co/v/Oza1K63wXpd
You’re welcome!
Brandon Marshall (NY Jets vs CLE)
The Browns are a very bad team and while their defense is solid at times, I expect a bounce back year for Brandon Marshall in a Jets uniform. I said as much right here. He’s going to be a go-to guy for Ryan Fitzpatrick and there’s no better way to start a bounce back year than a game against the Browns.
Dez Bryant (DAL vs NY Giants)
I wrote earlier how I think the Cowboys/Giants game will be a shootout. There’s one receiver on the Cowboys that will benefit the most from a shootout and that’s Dez Bryant. I expect at least one touchdown from him along with 100+ receiving yards.
Running Backs
Latavius Murray (OAK vs CIN)
If there’s one young running back that I love along with Ameer Abdullah this year in Fantasy, it’s Latavius Murray of the Raiders. The Raiders open against the Bengals and their offense is starting to see some nice pieces come together with David Carr at quarterback and rookie receiver Amari Cooper beside him. Murray will get his chance to shine this year and I think we’ll see some explosive plays from him in this game and during the course of the year.
DeMarco Murray (PHI vs ATL)
I wrote earlier that I think the Eagles come out on fire this week against the Falcons. Part of the reason for my thinking is DeMarco Murray. Clearly Murray won’t be used as much as last year with Cowboys, but the guy will still be a huge part of the Eagles offense this year. His running style fits Chip’s offense perfectly, so look for at least one rushing touchdown from Murray this week, as well as a few receptions to pad his overall stats.
Doug Martin (TB vs TEN)
I love Doug Martin to rebound this year from a terrible 2014 season and what better way to start the year off with a matchup against the Titans? I expect Tampa’s coaches to make sure that he’s an integral part of their offense. Get ready to join the hype train and look for one touchdown from Martin this week in his redemption year.
Tight End
Rob Gronkowski (NE vs PIT)
I’m aware that I’m not going out on any limb here, but Rob Gronkowski is primed for another big season. There’s nothing like a prime time Thursday night matchup against the Steelers for Gronk to start his 2015 party off with a bang. Brady is back and there’s not a thing that the Steelers can do to stop Gronk. I’m thinking at the very least we see a touchdown from him this week, but it wouldn’t shock me at all if he double dipped in this one. The Patriots win a high scoring game here.
Greg Olsen (CAR vs JAC)
I wrote about it before, so I’ll keep on beating the Greg Olsen drum. Cam Newton has no one to throw to now that Kelvin Benjamin is lost for the season due to a torn ACL. Olsen will be thrown to until he pukes. This week against Jacksonville will be no different. He should find the end zone quite frequently this year.
Kickers
Brandon McManus (DEN vs BAL) – High scoring game here and McManus will be very busy.
Mason Crosby (GB vs CHI) – Any Aaron Rodgers led team will score points. Crosby will be a solid play all year long.
Matt Bryant (ATL vs PHI) – Though I love the Eagles in this one, the Falcons should put up 20+ points. That should mean that Bryant will be good for at least 10 Fantasy points.
Defenses
Miami (vs Washington) – The Dolphins will have a dominant defense this year and there’s nothing like a date against the Redskins to start the season off on the right foot.
Jacksonville (vs Carolina) – This could be an ugly game. Don’t be surprised if the Jags finish the season with a top 10 defense.
Minnesota (vs San Francisco) – Minnesota’s D has been improving the last couple of years. I think the 49ers will be terrible and I think the Vikings shut them down on Monday Night Football and pull the upset.
N.Y. Jets (vs Cleveland) – The Jets play Cleveland. That’s all that you need to know.
Don’t forget to set your lineups because the time for talking is over. All that matters now is what happens on the field.
You can stay up to date with everything fantasy football related by following me on Twitter (@ViggieSmalls765) and Instagram. I’ll be available on Twitter for upcoming Twitter Chats and to give out advice to help guide you through your fantasy season.