Fantasy Football: Week 1 Starts And Sits For Seahawks-Packers Opener

The NFL season will kick off with a bang Thursday night. Will your fantasy team follow suit?

The 2014 campaign officially begins at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, when Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers head to CenturyLink Field to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

Not only is Seahawks-Packers an awesome NFL matchup, it’s also a great way to start the fantasy season, as the game will feature a number of players expected to be fantasy stars.

Most of those players are on the Packers’ offense, though, and Seattle owns the best defense in the league. On Thursday night, something’s gotta give.

Here’s who you should keep an eye on while setting your Week 1 roster.

SIT
Jarrett Boykin, WR, Packers: Remember when Boykin put up solid numbers as a legitimate threat in Green Bay’s offense? Those days are gone. Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb are both healthy, bumping Boykin to the third option on an offense squaring off against the best defense in the NFL. No thanks.

Eddie Lacy, RB, Packers: All signs point to Lacy having a monster season in 2014, but he’ll have his work cut out for him Thursday. The Seahawks allowed just four rushing touchdowns in 2013 and held entire teams to 100 rushing yards or less in eight of their 16 games. Lacy still might be a must-start, but temper your expectations.

START
Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seahawks: To say Green Bay’s run defense is worse than Seattle’s is an understatement. The Packers allowed 2,000 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground in 2013, and Julius Peppers alone won’t change that. The Seahawks will look to establish the run early and often at their home field, so start Lynch with confidence.

Russell Wilson, QB, Seahawks: If you’re not happy with your current starting quarterback, you might want to consider going with Wilson. The Packers allowed the fifth-most passing TDs (30) in the NFL in 2013 and kicked off last season by allowing Colin Kaepernick to throw for 412 yards and three scores.