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Bye Weeks: N/A
Opportunity has presented itself. Emannuel
Sanders should make some noise over next four weeks.
Grab a Helmet
Emmanuel Sanders v. IND: Wes Welker may or may not have
been dosed at the Kentucky Derby, but his alleged dalliance with
designer drugs definitely means one thing for sure: he’s done for
the first quarter of the season. That’s unfortunate if you ignored
the concussion risk and selected him anyway, expecting another WR2-esque
effort this season. It’s very fortunate, however, if you passed
on Welker and landed the Broncos’ Eric Decker replacement, Emmanuel
Sanders. The former Steeler almost overnight becomes a high-end
WR2 and maybe even a borderline WR1. Denver’s #2 receiver is more
valuable than most teams’ #1 receiver, after all, and Sanders brings
a little more scoot (albeit less size) to the position than Decker
did. There’s really no reason not to start him right out of the
gate and with confidence. The Broncos face Indy on Sunday night
in what promises to be a high-scoring affair.
Eric
Decker v. OAK: “Shot Caller” isn’t so much a nickname
as it is a title. Nicknames can’t be shared, after all, while titles
certainly can. That’s my way of announcing, I suppose, that I’ll
be sharing responsibility for the Report this season with FFToday
noob, Colby
Cavaliere. One thing Colby’s gonna learn right quickly is that
we don’t endorse Jets receivers. Like, at all. In fact, I don’t
think I’ve recommended a Jets wideout since the Bush administration…the
first Bush’s administration. The only reason I’m even considering
it now is because Decker possesses more ability than most Gang Green
wideouts of late. He’s also facing an Oakland defense that gave
up 33 passing TDs last year and allowed opposing QBs to notch a
105.1 QB rating. That’s tied for second worst and worst in the league,
respectively. Let’s call it a one-time exception and see where it
goes.
Brandin
Cooks @ ATL or Jordan
Matthews v. JAX: Colby’s also going to learn I’m a
bit of an exaggerator and a complete sucker for slot guys who
command a lot of targets, especially in PPR leagues. Conventional
wisdom tells us rookie wide receivers don’t win championships
and that’s one fantasy aphorism longer on wisdom, refreshingly,
than convention. However, Cooks and Matthews appear to be perfectly
positioned to matter in 2014, maybe even a lot. Both have joined
high-powered offenses. Both looked right at home in preseason
games. Both will work out of the slot from Day 1. Cooks, with
his jitterbug quicks, is my bet to lead all rookie receivers in
points, but Matthews has the decided advantage of being a bigger
target, meaning he could demand more red zone looks. Whatever
your preference, I think these are two rookie receivers you can
afford to start from the get-go.
Grab Some Wood
Mike
Evans v. CAR: I watched Cooks play plenty in college
since he was right down I-5 in Corvallis and I always came away
impressed by my archrival’s best player. That’s saying something,
too. He wasn’t the best college football player I watched last
season, however. Mike Evans was. Keep in mind that watching Mike
Evans meant watching Johnny Manziel, the 2013 Heisman recipient,
as well. So why am I recommending the diminutive Cooks and passing
on the gigantic Evans? Let’s just say he’s my wait-and-see special
for Week 1, meaning let’s wait and see how he’s going to fit into
the Tampa offense before trusting him in the fantasy regular season.
The Bucs are breaking in both a new coach, who famously fielded
some offensive offenses during his tenure in Chicago, and also
a new QB, who’s only started about a season’s worth of games the
last six years.
Miles
Austin / Andrew
Hawkins @ PIT: No team suffered a bigger loss this
offseason, IMHO, than Cleveland when Josh Gordon’s year-long suspension
was upheld. That’s left the Brownies’ cupboard almost completely
bare at the receiver position, as evidenced by the fact only one
of them seems to be owned in any of my standard, non-dynasty leagues.
That would be Andrew Hawkins, by the way, and his proud owner
is none other than yours truly (in our FF Today staff league).
I guess I fell for the ol’ “somebody’s gotta catch passes for
(insert crappy team here)” rationalization, but I’ve actually
always kinda liked Hawkins (see previous discussion about slot
receivers who command mad targets). Regardless, and I realize
I’m rambling here, don’t start any Cleveland receivers this first
week. Brian Hoyer isn’t the answer (ever), Johnny Football isn’t
the answer (yet), and it’s gonna be a long season by Lake Erie.
Rob
Gronkowski @ MIA: Will he or won’t he? That’s
been the question on inquiring minds as we build up to Week 1
action. If you’re even considering using Gronk at TE, you’re
probably a riskier fantasy GM than myself…and I’ve
been known to take quite a few risks. He’s no sure thing
to play (I’m guessing he’ll end up the dreaded game-time
decision) and he’s only played in 18 regular season games
the past two seasons. Can’t you find a worthy replacement
for at least this first week until we all find out whether he’s
truly capable of being Tom Terrific’s favorite target again?
There seem to be plenty of TEs available on my various waiver
wires. Bill Belichick won’t sacrifice the long-term health
of the team and it’s not like Brady is completely bereft
of other options (Julian Edelman, Shane Vereen, Danny Amendola
until he gets hurt again).
Good luck, folks, and please welcome Colby to the team next week!
Quarterbacks 
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