Week 1 Rankings Update

Week 1 remains my favorite week of the season. We have the most football ahead of us and everything is possible. After the offseason we just endured, opening week feels extra sweet.

Everything was different this offseason, but we’re back to normal now. I’ll be posting Goal Line Stand with rankings and notes every Thursday by 1 p.m. ET. Same as it ever was, since 2003. I’m getting old.

You’ll notice that Chris Wesseling is sharing the byline this year. We combine to put the rankings together and it only felt fair. Wesseling is a huge part of what we do at Rotoworld on the free side and on our Season Pass. You can get the rankings early each week (Tuesday at noon) at Season Pass, along with a ton of other exclusive stat tools, analysis, weekly projections, and top 200 rankings.
 

Let’s get on to the good stuff. It’s been too long. 

Week 1 Quarterbacks

QB Notes: This is a week where you shouldn’t play the matchups too much. We don’t know what we don’t know yet. We don’t know what teams are truly different or what matchups are truly advantageous. Expect your assumptions to get rocked. In general, that’s why I recommend just playing the guys you drafted to start. You took them early for a reason. Look to the matchups and other factors only when a decision is truly close.

Matthew Stafford and Josh Freeman got slight bumps this week. Detroit’s offense couldn’t have looked any better in the preseason. The Bucs offense couldn’t have looked much worse, but this game has the potential to be high scoring. … I don’t trust Michael Vick’s protection at all. That is more of a concern long-term than it is this week, but this is a great test against a vastly underrated Rams front.

I am looking forward to seeing Drew Brees against a top-notch defense Thursday night. Brees got a pass last year for uneven play. He’s safe in fantasy leagues, but people seem to ignore that his 2010 season was a step back from the previous 2-3 years. … The Cowboys defense is banged up. In a perfect world, that would mean Tony Romo plays comeback all night against the Jets and throws 50 passes. Unfortunately, Dallas is without their right tackle and the Jets could control the clock all night. He’s a good, but not great play.

Like Kyle Orton last year, Sam Bradford figures to be a volume thrower. I’m going to rank him as a high QB2 most weeks until he proves me wrong. … Orton is ranked ahead Kevin Kolb because Orton knows the Broncos system down cold. And because I’ve watched the Raiders secondary. Kolb remains a work in progress, even in a good matchup on paper. … Colt McCoy is available in a lot of leagues and could be an interesting spot starter in the right matchup during the year. The same goes for Cam Newton. Love those rushing yards.

Week 1 remains my favorite week of the season. We have the most football ahead of us and everything is possible. After the offseason we just endured, opening week feels extra sweet.

Everything was different this offseason, but we’re back to normal now. I’ll be posting Goal Line Stand with rankings and notes every Thursday by 1 p.m. ET. Same as it ever was, since 2003. I’m getting old.

You’ll notice that Chris Wesseling is sharing the byline this year. We combine to put the rankings together and it only felt fair. Wesseling is a huge part of what we do at Rotoworld on the free side and on our Season Pass. You can get the rankings early each week (Tuesday at noon) at Season Pass, along with a ton of other exclusive stat tools, analysis, weekly projections, and top 200 rankings.
 

Let’s get on to the good stuff. It’s been too long. 

Week 1 Quarterbacks

QB Notes: This is a week where you shouldn’t play the matchups too much. We don’t know what we don’t know yet. We don’t know what teams are truly different or what matchups are truly advantageous. Expect your assumptions to get rocked. In general, that’s why I recommend just playing the guys you drafted to start. You took them early for a reason. Look to the matchups and other factors only when a decision is truly close.

Matthew Stafford and Josh Freeman got slight bumps this week. Detroit’s offense couldn’t have looked any better in the preseason. The Bucs offense couldn’t have looked much worse, but this game has the potential to be high scoring. … I don’t trust Michael Vick’s protection at all. That is more of a concern long-term than it is this week, but this is a great test against a vastly underrated Rams front.

I am looking forward to seeing Drew Brees against a top-notch defense Thursday night. Brees got a pass last year for uneven play. He’s safe in fantasy leagues, but people seem to ignore that his 2010 season was a step back from the previous 2-3 years. … The Cowboys defense is banged up. In a perfect world, that would mean Tony Romo plays comeback all night against the Jets and throws 50 passes. Unfortunately, Dallas is without their right tackle and the Jets could control the clock all night. He’s a good, but not great play.

Like Kyle Orton last year, Sam Bradford figures to be a volume thrower. I’m going to rank him as a high QB2 most weeks until he proves me wrong. … Orton is ranked ahead Kevin Kolb because Orton knows the Broncos system down cold. And because I’ve watched the Raiders secondary. Kolb remains a work in progress, even in a good matchup on paper. … Colt McCoy is available in a lot of leagues and could be an interesting spot starter in the right matchup during the year. The same goes for Cam Newton. Love those rushing yards.

Week 1 Running Backs

RB Notes: Early signs aren’t great for Arian Foster. We’ll update all week on Rotoworld. If he plays, just put him in your lineup. Don’t get cute. Derrick Ward would likely start if Foster is out. Ben Tate will still be ranked higher because of his explosive ability. Expect those two to split carries. They both would be fine RB2/flex options if Foster is out. … Maurice Jones-Drew gets the benefit of the doubt despite his knee surgery and Luke McCown starting. It could take him some time to round into form.

Evan Silva didn’t like what he saw out of Steven Jackson in August. It’s hard to disagree. The burst appears to be waning faster than people realize. Hopefully he’ll get enough carries to make up for it. … Michael Turner is another guy to watch closely this week. It’s a tough matchup on paper against the Bears. Atlanta has more options than ever behind Turner. … The injury to Brandon Jackson could get Peyton Hillis on the field more on third downs early in the year. The question is whether he’ll hold up all year.

DeAngelo Williams may be underrated in these rankings, but the Panthers offensive line looked terrible in the preseason. They couldn’t pass protect, which will create short drives. … LeGarrette Blount won’t be on the field as much as his owners want. He’s poor in pass protection. Blount and Michael Turner have similar profiles as late RB2s that may have been overdrafted.

Both Chargers running backs make good options in this matchup. It’s easy to see San Diego rolling up a big early lead. … James Starks gets the edge over Ryan Grant. Starks is more likely to get catches and big plays. … Michael Bush isn’t a bad deep sleeper for a flex in a great matchup against Denver’s awful banged-up defensive tackles. … I’m very curious to see how the Panthers use Johnathan Stewart after a quiet camp. You get the sense it may be less of a committee with Ron Rivera in town. Stewart’s struggles on passing downs could keep him off the field.

Week 1 Wide Receivers 

WR Notes: We’ll get to see where Marques Colston is in his recovery from knee surgery. This should be a Colston game. Lance Moore is out, while Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson could struggle with Green Bay’s physical press coverage. Silva and Wesseling don’t feel me on my Colston love, but I suspect he’ll provide solid top-15 value like he always does. … Mike Wallace would show me something with a strong game against Baltimore. I love the kid, but he was essentially shut down in the AFC playoffs against physical teams like the Ravens and Jets.

Miles Austin figures to draw Darrelle Revis most of the night, although that could change if Dez Bryant does damage to Antonio Cromartie. …I’m convinced Vincent Jackson can finish as the top-ranked WR in non-PPR leagues. He starts with a decent test against Antoine Winfield, but the Chargers are terrific at creating advantageous matchups. … Kenny Britt is safe to play. The matchup looks good on paper, but there is some concern because it’s a new offense and he has to prove he can stay healthy. … I’m a lot higher on Wes Welker this year than Wesseling. Chad Ochocinco will be the Patriots’ No. 3 receiver for a while; Welker is the No. 1. It’s a tough matchup against Miami’s cornerbacks, though.

Perhaps Brandon Lloyd can light up the Raiders on the last game of Week One like Eddie Royal did a few years ago. Oakland’s secondary is shaky. … Plaxico Burress’ size could be a problem for Dallas’ depleted secondary. … I don’t trust Jeremy Maclin this week. He just started practicing and hasn’t taken a hit yet. The team may be conservative with his snaps.

The Colts receivers have obviously been knocked way down without Peyton Manning. None of them are must starts, but I’d still play Reggie Wayne and Austin Collie as WR3s. … Sidney Rice is highly uncertain to play. Stay away this week. … The Rams receivers will be tough to predict on a week-to-week basis. For now, we see Mike Sims-Walker and Danny Amendola as borderline options.

 Week 1 Tight Ends

TE Notes: Antonio Gates is healthy. As long as that’s the case, he’s my No. 1 tight end until proven otherwise. … Owen Daniels gets a bump this week against the small Colts secondary that is short on depth. … It’s strange to rank two tight ends from the same team in the top ten. But Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski may really be the No. 2 and No.3 receivers on one of the best offenses in football. I like Hernandez better long-term.

There isn’t much difference between tight ends No. 8-23. I’m not exaggerating. There will be disappointments and breakouts, but the TE2 crop this season ranks as the best ever. It’s staggeringly easy to fill the position. It’s almost like tight end is the new kicker; there will always be a guy available on the waiver wire. … The Evan Moore hype has made it to Rotoworld. He could easily lad the Brown in receptions.

Week 1 Team Defense

Week 1 Kickers