QBs
1.Tom Brady
2.Aaron Rodgers
3.Drew Brees
4.Matt Ryan
5.Russell Wilson
6.Derek Carr
7.Cam Newton
8.Ben Roethlisberger
9.Jameis Wintson
10.Kirk Cousins
11.Marcus Mariota
12.Philip Rivers
13.Carson Palmer
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14.Matthew Stafford
15.Tyrod Taylor
16.Alex Smith
17.Dak Prescott
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18.Eli Manning
19.Andy Dalton
20.Sam Bradford
Last week I was high on Marcus Mariota (ESPN #10, ME #5) and down on Matthew Stafford (ESPN #8, ME #13). While I certainly missed the mark with Stafford (he ended up as the #2 fantasy QB after Alex Smith), I feel like I still did well with my Mariota call. Did you notice I said ALEX SMITH was the #1 fantasy QB in Week 1?!? Some other top-10 fantasy QBs were Sam Bradford, Trevor Siemian, Carson Wentz, and DeShone Kizer. Who saw that coming? I think for Mariota to finish as the #13 fantasy QB in a crazy first week ain't bad. He finished ahead of guys like Rodgers, Brees, Cam, Brady, Wilson, and others. I moved him down slightly this week, but I think he'll still be a top-10 fantasy QB by the end of the year. Try not to overreact!
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I'm high on: Ben Roethlisberger (ESPN #13, ME #8)
I realize Minnesota has a good defense, but I'm going with Big Ben at home and somewhat dismissing the Vikings here. His home/road splits were significant last year, so I'm saying he'll easily be a top-10 fantasy QB for the second week in a row.
I'm down on: Carson Wentz (ESPN #19, ME NOT RANKED)
It may seem like I'm splitting hairs here, but I had a hard time finding a QB I was down on versus the ESPN experts this week. If I ranked 25 QBs, Wentz might've made the list. But he wasn't that close to my top-20, so I'll mention him here. He had a good looking stat line against my Redskins in Week 1, but one of his TDs was a 1 yard pass to Blount and the other was kind of a weird play that Carson kept alive while Washington failed to bring him down in the pocket after what felt like an eternity. This week he'll travel to Arrowhead, which is always a tough place to play. And while the absence of Eric Berry certainly helps, the fact that KC is coming off 10 days rest after a Thursday night game doesn't. I don't think Philly will do much in this game, and I don't like Wentz as a fantasy option in Week 2.
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RBs |
1.Le'Veon Bell
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2.Ezekiel Elliott
3.LeSean McCoy
4.Melvin Gordon
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5.Kareem Hunt
6.Todd Gurley
7.Devonta Freeman
8.Jay Ajayi
9.Leonard Fournette
10.Marshawn Lynch
11.Lamar Miller
12.DeMarco Murray
13.Ty Montgomery
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14.Dalvin Cook
15.C.J. Anderson
16.Mike Gillislee
17.Jordan Howard
18.Terrance West
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19.Carlos Hyde
20.Isaiah Crowell
21.Jacquizz Rodgers
22.Kerwynn Williams
23.Ameer Abdullah
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24.Jonathan Stewart
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25.Frank Gore
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26.Christian McCaffery
27.Tarik Cohen
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28.Rob Kelley
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29.Bilal Powell
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30.Paul Perkins
31.LeGarrette Blount
32.James White
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33.Thomas Rawls
34.Mark Ingram
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35.Javorius Allen
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36.Theo Riddick
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37.Tevin Coleman
38.Adrian Peterson
39.Andre Ellington
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40.Matt Forte
41.Shane Vereen
42.Giovani Bernard
43.Darren Sproles
44.Chris Thompson
45.Alvin Kamara
46.Charles Sims
47.Jamaal Charles
48.Jeremy Hill
49.Duke Johnson
50.Derrick Henry
I definitely whiffed with my Frank Gore call versus the experts (ESPN 26, ME #15). I guess I didn't consider the Rams blowing out the Colts and Gore being a non-factor in the game, but that's exactly what happened. However, I cautioned you against two rookies in Christian McCaffery (ESPN #14, ME #24) & Joe Mixon (ESPN #31, ME #46). While I certainly like McCaffery in the long term (not so sure on Mixon), I didn't really like either in Week 1. In fact, I said Jonathan Stewart would have a better day than McCaffery, and that's exactly what happened. Christian ended up outside of the top-25 RBs in Week 1, and Mixon was outside of the top-50.
I'm high on: Kerwynn Williams (ESPN #36, ME #22)
Yeah, the Cardinals signed Chris Johnson when they realized they'd be without David Johnson for pretty much the whole regular season. But keep in mind they cut CJOK and kept Kerwynn Williams when they had to get down to a 53-man roster a couple of weeks ago. This will likely be a committee, but I like for Kerwynn to lead it and get the goal line work. I think that could mean for a nice fantasy day against the Colts this week.
I'm down on: Mark Ingram (ESPN #23, ME #34)
I'm still down on McCaffery & Mixon this week. In fact, I'm not even ranking Mixon in my top-50 (ESPN still has him at #34). The main reason for that is the Bengal backfield looks like a 3-headed monster right now. Until Mixon starts getting a good chunk of the touches, I don't see how you can rank him that high. I think the same can be said for Ingram and the Saints backfield. Peterson and Kamara will both be heavily in the mix, and if the Saints play from behind in this game, it could be a lot more Kamara than either veteran. I think Ingram falls outside of RB2 territory in Week 2, and I'd try to hold off on starting any New Orleans running back until it gets a little more clear on who will be getting those fantasy points.
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WRs
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1.Antonio Brown
2.Julio Jones
3.Brandin Cooks
4.Mike Evans
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5.Jordy Nelson
6.Amari Cooper
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7.Odell Beckham, Jr.
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8.A.J. Green
9.Doug Baldwin
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10.Michael Thomas
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11.Tyreek Hill
12.DeAndre Hopkins
13.Larry Fitzgerald
14.Keenan Allen
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15.Michael Crabtree
16.Demaryius Thomas
17.Tyrrelle Pryor
18.Stefon Diggs
19.Jeremy Maclin
20.Kelvin Benjamin
21.Golden Tate
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22.Dez Bryant
23.Davante Adams
24.Alshon Jeffery
25.Sammy Watkins
26.T.Y. Hilton
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27.Emmanuel Sanders
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28.DeVante Parker
29.Adam Thielen
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30.Ted Ginn
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31.Martavis Bryant
34.DeSean Jackson
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36.Tyrell Williams
37.Chris Hogan
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38.Pierre Garcon
39.Cooper Kupp
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40.Jordan Matthews
41.Corey Coleman
42.Kenny Golladay
43.Corey Davis
44.Brandon Marshall
45.Marqise Lee
46.John Brown
47.Mike Wallace
48.Rishard Matthews
49.Jermaine Kearse
50.Paul Richardson
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I had high expectations for Martavis Bryant in his first game in a year (ESPN #28, ME #18), but he didn't do much in Cleveland in Week 1. Maybe he'll knock the rust off this week, but we might have to wait a little while for him to produce again. Week 1 was all Antonio Brown for Pittsburgh, and I'm hoping that doesn't continue because I'd sure like to see a little more out of Le'Veon...
I nailed my pick in being down on Kenny Britt though (ESPN #33, ME #47). With Kizer being named the starter, I mentioned how I actually had Corey Coleman ahead of Britt. It seemed to me that Coleman had more chemistry with the rookie QB, and that proved right as the two connected on the only passing TD for the Browns on the day. As for Britt, he ended up with one catch for 13 yards. You would've been better off starting about 75 other WRs in Week 1.
I'm high on: Jeremy Maclin (ESPN #29, ME #19)
I realize most of his fantasy points against the Bengals was on one big play, but I think the volume will be there this week against the Browns. As I mentioned, Antonio Brown had a huge game in Cleveland last week. And while Maclin is no Brown, he could do his best impression of him in Week 2.
I'm down on: Jarvis Landry (ESPN #21, ME #33)
I don't expect much out of Cutler in his first start for Miami, but I do expect him to connect with Parker more than Landry. Hence, I have Landry ranked a bit lower than the ESPN experts. I'll trust him more next week if I see some stats, but I'm not trusting Cutler to Landry just yet.
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TEs
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1.Rob Gronkowski
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2.Travis Kelce
3.Greg Olsen
4.Jimmy Graham
5.Jordan Reed
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6.Zach Ertz
7.Kyle Rudolph
8.Delanie Walker
9.Coby Fleener
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10.Tyler Eifert
11.Martellus Bennett
12.Austin Hooper
13.Charles Clay
14.Jason Witten
15.Jared Cook
My tight end rankings are usually pretty similar to ESPN's, and Week 1 of the 2017 season was no different. However, I did point out that I was quite a bit higher than the experts on Charles Clay (ESPN #21, ME #13). I said I could see Clay ending up with 75 yards and a TD against the Jets. He fell 18 yards short, but he did find the endzone and finished as a top-5 fantasy tight end. This week I didn't adjust my top-10 much, and my top-15 is essentially the same as ESPN's. No big difference to really point out, so I'll move on to the defenses.
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DEF
1.Seahawks
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2.Ravens
3.Cardinals
4.Raiders
5.Panthers
6.Chiefs
7.Steelers
8.Giants
9.Bucs
10.Texans
11.Rams
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12.Broncos
I think a lot of people were surprised at the outcome of the Patriots/Chiefs game, and I was one of them. I was high on the Patriots defense (ESPN #12, ME #3), but they gave up 42 points and were the second-worst fantasy defense to the Saints. Ugh. Bad call.
However, I was down on the Bengals (ESPN #10, ME NOT RANKED). I pointed out how they would be without Burfict and Pacman due to suspensions, and I thought Baltimore would put up some points on them. The Ravens shut out the Bengals 20-0, and Cincy was in the bottom half of fantasy defenses in Week 1.
I'm high on : Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ESPN #15, ME #9)
Mike Glennon is back in town and faces his old team, who missed Week 1 due to a hurricane. This unit is going to be hungry and probably a little mad they had their bye week already. I think they'll win big against the Bears at home, and their defense will make some plays.
I'm down on: Cincinnati Bengals (ESPN #4, ME NOT RANKED)
Uhhhhhh...what? I'm doubling down this week on the Bengals NOT being a top-12 defense. I'm not sure what they did in Week 1 to make people think they're going to be so great tomorrow night, especially since they'll still be without their leader (Burfict, who is still suspended). I actually think Deshaun Watson will manage the game well and not turn the ball over like so many rookies tend to do. I don't think the Texans will win this game, but I also don't think the Bengals will be anywhere near a top-5 fantasy defense.
Good luck to everyone in Week 2!
(Except you, Tommy...)
Cheers,
Bart
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OK. If you own David Johnson, I give you permission to freak out a little. Otherwise, relax. Hell, I kept Jordan Howard and I'm remaining calm...ish. Tarik Cohen outplayed him and now Howard is dealing with a hurt shoulder. But I'm keeping the faith, at least for now. Sure, I put in a waiver wire claim for Cohen. Didn't get him, but that's how it goes. Do I kind of wish I'd kept Ty Montgomery instead of Howard after seeing both performances in Week 1? Maybe a little. But I also started to regret drafting Kareem Hunt after he fumbled on the first play in the NFL (after not losing a fumble in his entire college career at Toledo). But we saw how that worked out. At least we saw how that worked out IN WEEK 1.
OK. If you own David Johnson, I give you permission to freak out a little. Otherwise, relax. Hell, I kept Jordan Howard and I'm remaining calm...ish. Tarik Cohen outplayed him and now Howard is dealing with a hurt shoulder. But I'm keeping the faith, at least for now. Sure, I put in a waiver wire claim for Cohen. Didn't get him, but that's how it goes. Do I kind of wish I'd kept Ty Montgomery instead of Howard after seeing both performances in Week 1? Maybe a little. But I also started to regret drafting Kareem Hunt after he fumbled on the first play in the NFL (after not losing a fumble in his entire college career at Toledo). But we saw how that worked out. At least we saw how that worked out IN WEEK 1.
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