Quarterbacks
Drew Brees vs. Tampa Bay
In a season where Covid-19 will play a major part of every teams offseason preparation, teams that have veterans and continuity have a major advantage. Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints have nine returning starters on offense. This allows the Saints to just continue the success they had last season on offense, with little if no worry for a “slow start”.
Last season Tampa Bay was one of the better defenses against the run, but gave up plenty of points in the passing game. The Bucs gave up 21.84 points to quarterbacks, and 45.39 points to wide receivers in 2019. I’m expecting Brees to take advantage of this, and would not be surprised if we get a 4-5 touchdown game from him in week one.
Philip Rivers vs. Jacksonville
Another veteran quarterback, another easy start decision. Even though Rivers is on a new team and a new coaching staff, I’m expecting Sunday’s game against potentially the worst team in the NFL to go pretty smoothly. There’s a realistic chance that the Colts just destroy the Jaguars this week, and that means plenty of fantasy points to be had for Indy’s skill positions.
Last season Rivers threw for three touchdowns against Jacksonville and had his highest fantasy scoring week with 29.56 points. He did that on only 22 attempts. I don’t see any reason why he can’t repeat that performance this season. I love starting Rivers this week as my superflex or my second quarterback in 2QB leagues.
Running Backs
Austin Ekeler vs. CincinnatiÂ
Going into 2020, Ekeler is one of the more controversial running backs fantasy owners had to choose in their drafts. Even though I can see some risks, I love Ekeler for fantasy this year. And going into week one, he has a fantastic matchup against Cincinnati. The Bengals have an unproven group of linebackers that Ekeler will get to go up against. I’m expecting Tyrod Taylor to use Ekeler as his saftey net in week one.
Cincinnati gave up 26.62 fantasy points to running backs last season, and with Mike Williams most likely missing week one, I’m expecting the Chargers to rely heavily on Ekeler and his pass catching. Ekeler is a high upside play, with a very safe floor.
James Connor vs. New York
When healthy, Connor is a stud. The problem is, he never seems to be fully healthy. Well, he’s going into this season at 100%, and his first matchup is against a struggling New York Giants football team. If Connor gets the majority of the carries, which I’m projecting to happen, he should have a great game.
In 2018, Connor scored 30.7 fantasy points week one against the Browns. There is a good chance that he reaches that number again. A good running back + a great matchup = a great fantasy performance.
Wide Receivers
D.J. Chark vs. Indianapolis
The same reason I’m starting Rivers is mostly the same reason I love Charknado this week. The Jaguars are projected to be down against the Colts. This gives Chark, the Jaguars #1 wide receiver, plenty of opportunity to snag a lot of points. Add to the fact that the Jaguars cut Leonard Fournette, I’m seeing this game being a blowout.
But this doesn’t mean that Chark is only looking at garbage time points. We could see Chark get over 13 targets, and that’s not really a stretch. If Chark can catch 10 balls and score once, that’s a really solid afternoon and would be a big help to fantasy teams.
Allen Robinson vs. Detroit
There are very few certains in the world right now, but one thing that is certain is Mitchell Trubisky throwing targets to Allen Robinson. And in week one he gets to face the Lions, who on average gave up 42.14 fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. Robinson should eat this week, and won’t be surprised if he finishes as a top five wide receiver this week.
Tight Ends
Zach Ertz vs. Washington
For some reason, fantasy owners have been fading Ertz as a top-three tight end for 2020. This makes zero sense to me. And going into week one I am all aboard the Zach Ertz train. The Eagles have had the injury bug hit them again this year, and once again Ertz is gonna see plenty of targets because of this.
Going into this game the Eagles have Alshon Jeffrey most likely not playing, rookie Jalen Reagor fighting through a shoulder injury, and Miles Sanders could be limited for week one. This leaves Carson Wentz with very little to work with, so I’m expecting Wentz to pepper Ertz with plenty of targets. We should see Ertz score at least one touchdown, and could see him reach over 100 yards receiving.
Jack Doyle vs. Jacksonville
When deciding on what sleeper tight end to start on a given week, you want to look at who has the best probability of scoring touchdowns. Doyle has a great chance, and its likely that he’s on your waiver wire right now. With this being Philip Rivers first game under center for the Colts, it’s very possible that he relies on a veteran presence in the red zone. Doyle is a very safe play, and has a decent ceiling if he can grab eight cathes with a touchdown.