Bye Weeks: N/A

Le'Veon Bell totalled 98 and 96 yards in his two meetings against the Cleveland Browns last season.

Grab a Helmet

Le’Veon Bell v. CLE: I was pretty high on Bell going into this season, if you’ll pardon the expression, until his recent pot-related arrest clouded his immediate future. I couldn’t actually care less what these guys do on their own time, naturally, but if it could possibly affect their on-field status…well, I mind. The Dude minds, man. Bell and his smoking buddy/backup, LeGarrette Blount, will not be formally penalized by the league, but the risk of them missing time has now been upped considerably. If the Josh Gordon case set any sort of precedent, a repeat offense could cause Bell’s stock to go up in smoke (can’t help myself). On the bright side, his shenanigans inspired perhaps the best fantasy FB team name of all time, For Whom the Bell Tokes (a league mate of mine). Get this three-down monster in your lineup but have a backup plan in place.

C.J. Spiller or Fred Jackson @ CHI: Doug Marrone’s going to drive everyone nuts again this year with a platoon situation in the Buffalo backfield. Though Spiller is easily the more dynamic of the two backs and, nominally, the starter, Jackson will see the majority of goal-line looks and, oddly, more targets in the passing game. I say “oddly” because it never really made sense to me why Spiller, an explosive player in space and an above-average pass-grabber in college, would be less utilized than the beefy and less nifty Jackson. Then again, the jury’s still out on Marrone as head man. Regardless what the long-term future holds, I think either back would make a good play against a Bears squad that gave up over 2,000 yards rushing in 2013. No other team did that. I own both players in separate leagues and will be starting them both on Sunday.

Reggie Bush v. NYG (Monday): Bush’s stock was trading at a heavy discount in recent drafts as more and more people jump on the Joique Bell bandwagon. I understand that to some extent and have, on several occasions, trumpeted the underrated Bell (including last August when nobody knew who he was). Nevertheless, I think the pendulum may be swinging a little too far in the other direction. Despite sharing carries almost equally with Bell last season, the former Saint/Dolphin somehow managed to gain over 1,000 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving. Only four other backs accomplished that and three of them (Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy, and Matt Forte) were likely selected in the top four overall in your draft. Bush, on the other hand, was going about 33rd. I smell value, people, and if you managed to snag him that late or later, consider Bush one of your wisest investments.

Grab a Gatorade

Maurice Jones-Drew @ NYJ: MJD’s former team, Jacksonville, will be really bad this year. So will the Browns (assuredly), the Bills (most likely), and the Texans (probably, unless my boy Fitzy shocks the world). Oakland, though, has a chance to redefine what “really bad” really means. The Raiders, inexplicably, have the league’s worst talent and also its oldest players. That’s no indirect knock on relative NFL old-timers such as Jones-Drew, either. It just happens to be a sad coincidence. And if you think things couldn’t possibly look less bleak, the Oakland shot callers decided to install one of the few youngsters they do have as the opening day starter at the game’s most important position (Derek Carr). MJD used to see plenty of stacked boxes in J-Ville, but I’m betting they’ll pale in comparison to what Rex Ryan’s Jets have in store for him. Keep MJD (and DMC) reserved Sunday.

Bernard Pierce v. CIN: Ray Rice’s two-game suspension for domestic violence, though laughably brief, still gives Pierce the spotlight in Baltimore to start the 2014 season. Rice’s 2013 act, moreover, isn’t exactly a tough one to follow. He averaged a paltry 3.1 yards/carry, 45th of 48 qualifying running backs. Just one problem, though: Pierce was actually worse (47th) with a microscopic 2.9 yards/carry mark. Gary Kubiak has joined the Ravens’ staff, bringing his highly successful zone-blocking scheme with him, and the preseason returns have been excellent. I’m not convinced that success will be instantly transferrable to the regular season, however. Only two teams were stingier against the run last year than the Bengals and not a lot has changed in the way of personnel. Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer has moved on to coach the Vikes, but Marvin Lewis ensures coaching continuity in the Queen City. Make Pierce prove it first.

Ryan Mathews @ ARZ (Monday): One of those two stingier teams was the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks, not surprisingly, who rode a stifling defense all year long. The other, very much surprisingly, was Arizona, making the NFC West, it would appear, the division where opposing rushing attacks officially go to die. In fact, the Cardinals yielded just 961 yards on the ground last season, fewest in the league and half as many as the once-proud Bears surrendered. They also allowed just a single 100-yard performance (Frank Gore by a nose with 101 in Week 6). It sure sounds as if Ryan Mathews et al. could struggle to get things going via turf on Monday night, no? If you insist on starting a Bolts RB for the opener, look to the more versatile Danny Woodhead. He’s probably the Chargers’ second most valuable pass-catcher and could be very busy Monday night.

Wide Receivers