Fantasy Football Week 1: Starts, Sits For Patriots Vs. Chiefs ‘Thursday Night Football’
The fantasy football season kicks off with a bang Thursday night.
The first game on the NFL’s 2017 slate is a doozy, as the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium. The Chiefs face a tough task in trying to upend the Patriots on the same night they raise banner No. 5, but from a fantasy perspective, there might be winners on both sides.
Tom Brady is a fantasy stud who raises the stock of (almost) everyone in his offense, while Kansas City boasts a traditionally strong running game that could make a fantasy star out of rookie Kareem Hunt.
Not everyone is worth starting Thursday night, though. Here’s who you should start and sit in Patriots vs. Chiefs.
STARTS
Tom Brady, QB, Patriots. If Brady is on your roster, you’re starting him every week. Plain and simple. Week 1 is no different.
Mike Gillislee, RB, Patriots. New England’s backfield might give fantasy owners nightmares this season. That said, the 220-pound bruiser should see early-down and red zone touches, and we like his chances of compiling decent yardage and at least one score against a Chiefs defense that allowed 121.1 rushing yards per game last season.
Kareem Hunt, RB, Chiefs. This is a pretty rough matchup for a rookie making his NFL debut. But the Patriots are a bit thin in their front seven after losing Rob Ninkovich (retirement) and Derek Rivers (torn ACL) this preseason, and Hunt is a good play regardless of matchup as the lead back on a conservative offense that loves to get its running backs involved.
Brandin Cooks, WR, Patriots. Julian Edelman’s ACL injury installs Cooks as New England’s No. 1 receiver, and while he didn’t get much burn in the preseason, the speedy wideout should factor into this offense in a big way. The Chiefs are susceptible to the big play, too, having surrendered 11.8 yards per catch last season, 23rd in the NFL.
Chris Hogan, WR, Patriots. Cooks is the shiny new toy, but Hogan arguably is Brady’s most trusted target with Edelman out of the mix. His two-touchdown performance in Week 3 of the preseason suggests he’s a strong candidate to hit paydirt in the season opener.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Chiefs. Again, the matchup isn’t ideal, as New England boasts a stout secondary. But Hill now is Kansas City’s top wide receiver with Jeremy Maclin out of the picture, and the Chiefs will do everything they can to get the explosive wideout touches.
Rob Gronkowski, TE, Patriots. See Brady, Tom.
Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs. See Gronkowski, Rob. This should be quite the battle between the top two tight ends in fantasy football.
SIT
Alex Smith, QB, Chiefs. Smith’s already-low ceiling will be even lower in a road matchup against the Patriots’ revamped secondary. If you’re looking for a solid QB2 or a waiver wire starter, Smith isn’t it.
Dion Lewis and James White, RBs, Patriots. Both Lewis and White have big-play potential as receivers out of the backfield. But that’s the problem: We have no clue who will get the ball. There simply are too many mouths to feed here, so we’re avoiding Lewis, White and Rex Burkhead.
Phillip Dorsett, WR, Patriots. Slow your rolls, fantasy owners. Dorsett is an intriguing waiver wire pickup who could be a factor in deeper leagues this season, but there will be an adjustment period following his trade from the Indianapolis Colts. Give him a few weeks.
Chiefs D/ST. Kansas City should be one of the best units in fantasy this season. Just not this week. The Patriots averaged nearly 27 points per home game last season, and Brady has a loaded arsenal of weapons at his disposal entering Week 1. If you have the Chiefs, go out and snag a waiver wire replacement.
Thumbnail photo via Aaron Doster/USA TODAY Sports Images
