Now that all of your fantasy football drafts are likely in the books, you can do more than just sit back and see what happens the rest of the season. Snapdraft is back! Snapdraft is a weekly game in which you select a team that fits under a $27 million salary cap. There’s a wide variety of league sizes, and while each league costs at least $1, there are cash prizes as well. Each week I’ll take a look at the matchups and the salaries and put together a winning combination. Since there’s a salary cap, you can’t just stack your team with a bunch of studs, so finding some bargains will be key. Here’s the Week 1 squad.
Sign up for Snapdraft
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford, Lions, $3,740,000, at Bucs
The big question that usually surrounds Stafford is whether he can stay healthy, so what better time to use him than in Week 1? The only person to fear in the secondary is Aquib Talib, but even if he does a nice job on Calvin Johnson, Stafford can still put up some great numbers. At $3.74 mil, he’s a nice value pick to allow you to go with some studs at other positions.
Other value picks
Rex Grossman, Redskins, $2,060,000, vs. Giants – The Giants’ defense is practically a M.A.S.H. unit right now, so Grossman could put up some nice numbers at a bargain basement price.
Mark Sanchez, Jets, 3,200,000, vs. Cowboys – The Jets like to pound the ball, but the Cowboys’ secondary is a glaring weakness for Big D.
Running back
Frank Gore, 49ers, $3,930,000, vs. Seahawks
Much like with Stafford, most of the concerns surrounding Frank Gore is about durability, and that won’t be an issue in Week 1. He has a juicy matchup against a Seattle team that seems to be a mess in all facets of the game. If the 49ers can get a lead early, San Francisco may rely even more heavily on the run.
Brandon Jacobs, Giants, $2,670,000, at Redskins Here’s another great value pick. There is always some risk involved with taking part of an RB committee, but all reports out of camp had Jacobs showing signs of his formally dominant self. Combine that with the fact he’ll get most of the goal line opportunities, and he could be in line for a couple of TDs.
Other value picks
Reggie Bush, Dolphins, $2,860,000, vs. Patriots – Even if the Dolphins get down big against the Pats, Bush will likely be a big part of the passing game as well.
Jahvid Best, Lions, $3,520,000, at Bucs – With so much attention going to Calvin Johnson, things could open up in the running game for Best.
Wide receiver
Vincent Jackson, Chargers, $3,710,000, vs. Vikings
With Philip Rivers now one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, Vincent Jackson should be in line for a monster season. The Chargers love to sling the ball around, and Jackson, along with TE Antonio Gates, will be the main beneficiaries. The Vikings defense is another year older and doesn’t have the same reputation it used to. You take the value picks when you can, so you can lock up a sure thing like VJax.
Santonio Holmes, Jets, $2,890,000, vs. Cowboys The Jets might not have the most explosive offense in the NFL, but the Cowboys’ have a pretty poor secondary. With a full year under their belts together, the Sanchez-to-Holmes combination could be a fairly prolific one this season. In the right matchups, this offense can put up some serious numbers, and this is that matchup.
Other value picks
Kenny Britt, Titans, $2,880,000, at Jacksonville – Britt may be a headcase, and he is coming off a hamstring injury, but his talent is undeniable and he’s in a decent matchup here. He could easily outproduce his salary.
Nate Burleson, Lions, $1,970,000, at Bucs – Most of the attention on defense should be going to Calvin Johnson, which could open up plenty of opportunities for Burleson.
Now that all of your fantasy football drafts are likely in the books, you can do more than just sit back and see what happens the rest of the season. Snapdraft is back! Snapdraft is a weekly game in which you select a team that fits under a $27 million salary cap. There’s a wide variety of league sizes, and while each league costs at least $1, there are cash prizes as well. Each week I’ll take a look at the matchups and the salaries and put together a winning combination. Since there’s a salary cap, you can’t just stack your team with a bunch of studs, so finding some bargains will be key. Here’s the Week 1 squad.
Sign up for Snapdraft
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford, Lions, $3,740,000, at Bucs
The big question that usually surrounds Stafford is whether he can stay healthy, so what better time to use him than in Week 1? The only person to fear in the secondary is Aquib Talib, but even if he does a nice job on Calvin Johnson, Stafford can still put up some great numbers. At $3.74 mil, he’s a nice value pick to allow you to go with some studs at other positions.
Other value picks
Rex Grossman, Redskins, $2,060,000, vs. Giants – The Giants’ defense is practically a M.A.S.H. unit right now, so Grossman could put up some nice numbers at a bargain basement price.
Mark Sanchez, Jets, 3,200,000, vs. Cowboys – The Jets like to pound the ball, but the Cowboys’ secondary is a glaring weakness for Big D.
Running back
Frank Gore, 49ers, $3,930,000, vs. Seahawks
Much like with Stafford, most of the concerns surrounding Frank Gore is about durability, and that won’t be an issue in Week 1. He has a juicy matchup against a Seattle team that seems to be a mess in all facets of the game. If the 49ers can get a lead early, San Francisco may rely even more heavily on the run.
Brandon Jacobs, Giants, $2,670,000, at Redskins Here’s another great value pick. There is always some risk involved with taking part of an RB committee, but all reports out of camp had Jacobs showing signs of his formally dominant self. Combine that with the fact he’ll get most of the goal line opportunities, and he could be in line for a couple of TDs.
Other value picks
Reggie Bush, Dolphins, $2,860,000, vs. Patriots – Even if the Dolphins get down big against the Pats, Bush will likely be a big part of the passing game as well.
Jahvid Best, Lions, $3,520,000, at Bucs – With so much attention going to Calvin Johnson, things could open up in the running game for Best.
Wide receiver
Vincent Jackson, Chargers, $3,710,000, vs. Vikings
With Philip Rivers now one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, Vincent Jackson should be in line for a monster season. The Chargers love to sling the ball around, and Jackson, along with TE Antonio Gates, will be the main beneficiaries. The Vikings defense is another year older and doesn’t have the same reputation it used to. You take the value picks when you can, so you can lock up a sure thing like VJax.
Santonio Holmes, Jets, $2,890,000, vs. Cowboys The Jets might not have the most explosive offense in the NFL, but the Cowboys’ have a pretty poor secondary. With a full year under their belts together, the Sanchez-to-Holmes combination could be a fairly prolific one this season. In the right matchups, this offense can put up some serious numbers, and this is that matchup.
Other value picks
Kenny Britt, Titans, $2,880,000, at Jacksonville – Britt may be a headcase, and he is coming off a hamstring injury, but his talent is undeniable and he’s in a decent matchup here. He could easily outproduce his salary.
Nate Burleson, Lions, $1,970,000, at Bucs – Most of the attention on defense should be going to Calvin Johnson, which could open up plenty of opportunities for Burleson.
Tight end
Lance Kendricks, Rams, $1,230,000, vs. Eagles
It’s been no secret that one of the biggest question marks on the Eagles is the linebacker position. What better way to exploit that than with an explosive tight end like Kendricks. With Josh McDaniels calling the plays, Sam Bradford should have plenty of passing opportunities, and Kendricks’ impressive preseason has him looking like one of this season’s best sleeper candidates.
Other value picks
Zach Miller, Seahawks, $1,620,000, at 49ers – With a brutal offensive line, Tarvaris Jackson may be forced to check down early and often, and Miller could reap the benefits. Aaron Hernandez, Patriots, $1,500,000, at Dolphins – Hernandez could easily turn into Tom Brady’s favorite deep threat, which may be odd for a tight end, but could give you a nice reward on a low salary.
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Team defense/special teams
Cleveland Browns, $1,420,000, vs. Bengals While the Browns might not have one of the most feared defenses in the league, they’re extremely solid, and they’ll be facing the Bengals in the opener. With rookie Andy Dalton under center, Cleveland could be in line for several turnovers. Not to mention, they have one of the most explosive returners in the game in Josh Cribbs.
Other value picks
Houston Texans, $1,180,000, vs. Colts – No Peyton Manning makes this a great value pick. A revamped defense should be able to take advantage of seeing Kerry Collins under center.
Arizona Cardinals, $1,380,000, vs. Panthers – They’re playing against rookie QB Cam Newton, which is enough reason to think they could force a few turnovers.
Kicker
Ryan Longwell, Vikings, $2,170,000, at San Diego
This position is such a crap shoot, that it usually doesn’t make any sense to go with a pricey guy. The Vikings should be able to move the ball enough where Longwell will provide value at his salary.
Other value picks
Lawrence Tynes, Giants, $2,290,000, at Redskins – Tynes is coming off an injury, so there is some risk involved here, but he appears to be ready to go.
Phil Dawson, Browns, $2,250,000, at Bengals – While the Browns don’t boast an explosive offense, they should be able to get in scoring range enough for Dawson to provide some value here.
Flex (RB/WR)
LeSean McCoy, Eagles, $5,100,000, at Rams
I like to try and get some value picks when filling out the rest of my team, so I can fill in the flex last and splurge a little. With all of the questions surrounding the Eagles’ offensive line, Mike Vick may be forced to dump off to McCoy an awful lot. It’s not a stretch to think he’ll be the leading receiver in the opener, plus he should put up some nice yards on the ground as well.