Fantasy Football Mailbag: Answering NFL Week 1 Start/Sit Questions And More

Fantasy football begins Thursday night when the 2015 NFL season kicks off with the New England Patriots hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium.

There are 16 games on the Week 1 schedule, including two Monday night matchups, so lineup decisions need to be made soon. You asked plenty of good “who do I start” questions on the NESN Twitter and Facebook pages this week, and we’re here to answer them.

Thanks to everyone who sent in a question. Let’s look at some of the best.

Twitter Questions

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Garcon is difficult to start because the Washington Redskins’ quarterback situation is so bad. Neither starter Kirk Cousins nor backup Robert Griffin III are worth playing in any fantasy league.

Wheaton has a great opportunity to be the Steelers’ No. 2 wide receiver with Martavis Bryant suspended for the first four games. Wheaton proved his durability last season by playing in all 16 games. He’s going to play a lot of snaps, and it helps to have an elite quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger — who led the NFL in passing yards in 2014 — throwing him the ball.

Wheaton also has a favorable matchup against a Patriots secondary that lacks elite talent and experience following the offseason departures of Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Kyle Arrington. The Patriots likely will turn most of their attention to Antonio Brown and Heath Miller in pass defense situations.

Start Wheaton over Garcon.

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Matt Ryan is playing against a Philadelphia Eagles defense that gave up the second-most pass yards in the league last season. He also has one of the best — if not the best — receiver in pro football in Julio Jones.

Cam Newton is playing against a mediocre Jacksonville Jaguars defense, but his lack of quality targets in the passing game is a huge concern. Kelvin Benjamin’s season-ending ACL injury has vaulted Ted Ginn Jr. and Devin Funchess to the top of the Carolina Panthers’ receiver depth chart. That’s a little scary for fantasy owners. Tight end Greg Olsen is the only reliable target for Newton, and he’ll probably see a lot of double teams.

Unless Newton scores a rushing touchdown or has a few big plays in the run game, he isn’t likely to outscore Ryan in Week 1.

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The term “sleeper” doesn’t mean what it used to because there’s so much fantasy football coverage, but here are my top five for each position (for the whole season, not just Week 1).

QB: Blake Bortles (JAC), Tyrod Taylor (BUF), Colin Kaepernick (SF), Eli Manning (NYG), Sam Bradford (STL)
RB: Devonta Freeman (ATL), Alfred Blue (TEN), Reggie Bush (SF), Doug Martin (TB), LeGarrette Blount (NE)
WR: John Brown (ARI), Allen Robinson (JAC), Jarvis Landry (MIA), Charles Johnson (MIN), Brian Quick (STL)
TE: Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TB), Eric Ebron (DET), Delanie Walker (TEN), Larry Donnell (NYG), Richard Rodgers (GB)

Facebook Questions

Agholor has the potential to be a very productive player after dominating at USC last season. He runs great routes, has excellent speed and can make tough catches in traffic. He could be the Eagles’ No. 1 receiver this season and should be started over a lot of guys, including Doug Baldwin. Baldwin and the Seattle Seahawks are playing a very good St. Louis Rams defense in Week 1.

Yes, trade Calvin Johnson to acquire other players. Megatron is among the league’s most productive receivers, but he has missed five games over the last two seasons and tallied fewer than 10 touchdowns in two of the last three campaigns. Depending on what offers you can get, trading Johnson certainly is worth exploring.

If you play in a PPR league, Forte is the easy choice. In addition to Forte’s ability to excel in the run game, he also was the best receiving running back in the league last season with 102 receptions (fourth-highest among all players).

It also should be noted that Anderson and the Denver Broncos have a tough matchup against a Baltimore Ravens defense that allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game last season.

Thumbnail photo via Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports Images