Tony Cutillo
It’s Week 1 and we are back for our weekly-through-the-fall fantasy football excitement. I will again be bringing you the Stars and Stiffs Report, but this year I will doing it for Philly Influencer to keep the trend continuing to move in an upward direction.
For those that are new to my Stars and Stiffs Report, I promise you will find it easy to decipher. One thing you will come to find out is that I am not a huge fan of positional rankings, as I feel they really do not serve a solid purpose. Does it really matter if you have the 14th ranked receiver and the 5th ranked running back? What kind of advantage does that pose?
Fantasy players want to know who they can feel safe about starting, not where they fall on a ranking chart. In the end, stats aren’t the only saving grace when it comes to fantasy sports. There are many factors that coincide with the decisions of start versus sit. We could look at quarterback play, weather, coaching ability, key play injuries, player development, etc. All these things [and more] come together to help us make an educated decision on who to start.
All that being said, Week 1 may be the hardest week to pick after all. Preseason to me means squat and defensive rankings are only what is written on paper. Week 1 is the first unveiling of the true offense and defense for each team. The most common answer I give to my Twitter questions is to go with who you drafted. I am a firm believer that you should roll with the starters you drafted for Week 1. If they don’t work out, you still have 12 weeks to clean it up. Now it’s ready to see your team perform!
The world of sports media is a beautiful thing when all parties are involved and engulfed in a stern debate. As always, I look forward to your opinions and feedback. You can tweet me (@TCutillo23) with any questions and leave your comments below. Here are my picks for Week 1:
Stars
QB: Derek Carr (@NO), Matthew Stafford (@IND), Russell Wilson (vs. MIA)
RB: DeAngelo Williams (@WAS), Ryan Mathews (vs. CLE)
WR: Marvin Jones (@IND), Brandon Cooks (vs. OAK), Sammy Watkins (@BAL)
Stiffs
QB: Alex Smith (vs. LA)
RB: Justin Forsett (vs. BUF), Jeremy Hill (@NYJ)
WR: Stefon Diggs (@TEN), Torrey Smith (vs. LA), Travis Benjamin (@KC)
Sleepers: Chris Hogan (@ARZ), Willie Snead (vs. OAK), Sterling Shepard (@DAL), Deandre Washington (@NO)
Bust Alert: Larry Fitzgerald (vs. NE), Tyrod Taylor (@BAL)
Week 1 Triple Threat Picks
Matthew Stafford (@IND) – The Lions lost a Hall of Fame receiver in Calvin Johnson, but they also gained a much underrated receiver in Marvin Jones. Stafford is in line to have one of his best seasons to date and is averaging a mere 643 pass attempts per season since 2011. He is facing a defense that has more holes in it than a soft-tip dartboard and is without its top CB Vontae Davis. A line of 300 yards and three TDs is just a starting point for Week 1.
Todd Gurley (@SF) – We all know about the slow progression of Jared Goff, but slow doesn’t enter the vocabulary of Mr. Todd Gurley. In bringing home the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, he established himself a force to be reckoned with between the tackles. His Week 1 opponent in the San Francisco 49ers has recently gone through an identity crisis and their defense is going to need a few extra timeouts just to keep up with the anemic offense it now follows. Yes, NaVorro Bowman still mans the middle, but the rest of the 49ers’ defense continue to show up on the milk carton as missing with each passing week. The Gurley Show will overshadow The Chip Show in 49erville and will make the Colin Kaepernick media circus look like a second-rate event.
Mike Evans (@ATL) – Last year, we saw the growth of the new Tampa Bay duo. This year it will be even better. Sure, Mike Evans had a down year with only three TDs, but he also had 147 targets. Fantasy success isn’t always predicated upon by the almighty touchdown. A consistent 8 for 100 gets you 18 points a week and can be a nice consistent piece of your championship puzzle. Evans is one of those highly touted third-year receivers and is working with a QB in Jameis Winston who looks to be ready to take his next step to superstardom. I truly believe Evans will take his spot in the top five receivers this year and Week 1 will be his first step.
As always, you can stop by my Facebook page (Fantasy Sports Addiction) or tweet me (@TCutillo23) for questions or some nice fantasy debates. I can also be heard weekly via the internet stream live at WENG RADIO every Monday at 4:00 P.M. ET for a weekend sports wrap. But most importantly, you can catch me here at Pi!
For fantasy purposes, all my articles are predicated upon a PPR-based system.