Who To Start And Sit In Week 1 Of The 2017 Fantasy Football Season

Apologies to all for offering no preseason fantasy football content this year. I was rather tied up with a whole getting married thing. As JCamm can vouch, the whole planning process is rather time-consuming. I had to move all six of my drafts (and one college draft) before the last week of August so as to keep the schedule clear. It’s not ideal, but you do what you gotta do to play in all the leagues you need to play in. So, all you readers had to take a back seat as I dealt with those and the wedding plans. But now football season is here and my wife knows what she signed up for. She will therefore, put up with me during football season and I’m back to give you all some advice and insight. We’ll keep things short this week, but know that the thought is behind all the answers…

Below is a list of guys I’m focused on for one reason or another this week. They’re especially important in daily fantasy sports (DFS). I never highlight your stars because you’re obviously starting them unless I tell you otherwise. If you’re curious about guys you don’t see listed here or have specific lineup questions, you can always find me on Twitter (@MrT_BroBible) to ask questions, but remember to mention league specifics like PPR. You can always ask about trades as well.

You Know Who You Should Start?

Carson Palmer (QB – Arizona)
Detroit gave up the third most points to opposing fantasy quarterbacks last year. They specifically have trouble defending the slot where old man Larry Fitzgerald can still be successful.

Bilal Powell (RB – N.Y. Jets)
The Jets will likely be trailing most of this game against Buffalo, but Powell should see plenty of touches and numerous dump offs. The workload should be enough to make him viable, especially in PPR scoring.

Tevin Coleman (RB – Atlanta)
This game should be a cake walk for Atlanta, so look for a lot of rushing attempts. Coleman should get his fair share since Devonta Freeman is working his way back from a concussion.

Eric Decker (WR – Tennessee)
Oakland’s secondary is in shambles right now and Decker should be the primary target for Mariota for the time being. He loves to find the end zone and this should be a high scoring affair.

Stefan Diggs (WR – Minnesota)
Everyone performs well against the Saints and Diggs should be no different. He’s healthy to start the season and should receive plenty of targets against a typically terrible Saints secondary.

George Kittle (TE – San Francisco)
Need a tight end flyer for Week 1? Try out Kittle. Kyle Shanahan needs options for Brian Hoyer and has been known to use a tight end or two in the past. The Panthers also aren’t great at defending the position.

Other guys you should start: Tyrod Taylor (QB – Buffalo), Eli Manning (QB – N.Y. Giants), Carson Wentz (QB – Philadelphia), Sam Bradford (QB – Minnesota), Christian McCaffery (RB – Carolina), Todd Gurley (RB – L.A. Rams), Rob Kelley (RB – Washington), Wendell Smallwood (RB – Philadelphia), Michael Crabtree (WR – Tennessee), Sammy Watkins (WR – L.A. Rams), Brandon Marshall (WR – N.Y. Giants), Pierre Garcon (WR – San Francisco), Adam Thielen (WR – Minnesota), Rishard Matthews (WR – Tennessee), Torrey Smith (WR – Philadelphia), Zay Jones (WR – Buffalo), Paul Richardson (WR – Seattle), Kendall Wright (WR – Chicago), Zach Ertz (TE – Philadelphia), Charles Clay (TE – Buffalo), Jason Witten (TE – Dallas)

You Know Who You Should Sit?

Philip Rivers (QB – San Diego)
The Chargers have a ridiculously hard start to the season and Rivers will feel that pain in Week 1. He struggled against Denver in his last four outings against them and enough is back from Denver’s defense to hold Rivers down again.

Thomas Rawls & Eddie Lacy (RBs – Seattle)
Unless you’re incredibly desperate this weekend, it’s best to see how the Seattle backfield plays out before you dive in feet first. It’ll likely be a committee to start and Green Bay is a top-half run defense.

Joe Mixon (RB – Cincinnati)
Like with Seattle’s backfield, Cincinnati’s will be a committee to start. It’s hard to bench Mixon since you probably drafted him in the first six rounds, but he could end up with less than 10 touches. You’re better off going with a better bet for touches.

Keenan Allen (WR – San Diego)
If Rivers is going to struggle then his receivers are going to struggle as well. Note also that Denver’s offense isn’t that explosive, so this likely won’t be a high scoring game.

T.Y. Hilton (WR – Indianapolis)
I can’t start a wide receiver who has Scott Tolzein throwing to them. I just can’t! We all need to see how Hilton does without Luck before proceeding.

Other guys you should sit: Kirk Cousins (QB – Washington), Andy Dalton (QB – Cincinnati), Leonard Fournette (RB – Jacksonville), C.J. Anderson (RB – Denver), Ameer Abdullah (RB – Detroit), Paul Perkins (RB – N.Y. Giants), Allen Robinson (WR – Jacksonville), Emmanuel Sanders (WR – San Diego), Tyrell Williams (WR – San Diego), Jeremy Maclin (WR – Baltimore), Marvin Jones (WR – Detroit), Eric Ebron (TE – Detroit), Martellus Bennett (TE – Green Bay), Jack Doyle (TE – Indianapolis)