Finally! The roster tweaking is done (unless you’re still waiting for Richard Seymour to show up), the rookies are establishing their roles, you’ve got all your starters named (unless you’re Eric Man-genius) and it’s time to play the games.
But now that your drafts are complete and the rosters are set, who should I play? And, perhaps more importantly, who shouldn’t I play? Let’s take a look at the matchups for the NFC North division in Week One of the NFL Regular Season.
Minnesota Vikings @ Cleveland Browns – Sunday 1:00 PM EST
Talk about an ideal situation for a team to put a tumultuous offseason behind them. The Vikings, with Brett Favre under center for real this time, get to invade Cleveland. Of course Browns coach Eric Mangini is refusing to name his starting quarterback until closer to game time, but thanks to Terrell Owens and the Cleveland media (with a little help from Captain Obvious), it appears Brady Quinn will be the man for the Browns.
Quarterback isn’t the only position in question for the Browns, though. Jamal Lewis failed to clearly identify himself as the top running back, and could lose carries to rookie James Davis. The Browns are also in search of consistency from their receivers as well, with Braylon Edwards coming off a miserable season. With Kellen Winslow now in Tampa, there will be even more emphasis on Edwards and Joshua Cribbs contributing.
The Browns also had defensive issues last year. They were in the middle of the NFL in points allowed per game last year (21.9), but allowed a ridiculous 151.9 rushing yards per game.
On the other side of the ball, the Vikins are almost the same across the board from last year with two significant exceptions: Favre and rookie Percy Harvin. If Mangini hasn’t cleaned up the run defense, and Minnesota’s elite run defense shuts down the backs the Browns bring to the table, Quinn could have more pressure on him than he might want for the first week of the season.
Who to Play – Definite:
Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
Josh Cribbs, WR, CLE
Who to Play – Maybe:
Bernard Berrian, WR, MIN
Brett Favre, QB, MIN
Visanthe Shiancoe, TE, MIN
Who to Avoid:
Brady Quinn, QB, CLE
Jamal Lewis/James Davis, RB, CLE
SLEEPER ALERT: Percy Harvin, WR, MIN
Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints – 1:00 PM EST
This could be a very entertaining game, and fantasy gold for owners with players hitting the turf in New Orleans. The Saints defense hasn’t been very good in years, but the Lions will stick a rookie under center. Turnover heaven for the (few) owners of the Saints defense? Or will Calvin Johnson tear up a questionable secondary for huge numbers?
The flip side of the coin is that the Lions were biblically bad in 2008, and the Saints offense, led by Drew Brees, was record breaking. Even without Deuce McAllister (Pierre Thomas will do just fine, thank you), the Saints should be able to put points on the board.
This could turn into a shootout.
Who to Play – Definite:
Drew Brees, QB, NO
Marques Colston, WR, NO
Calvin Johnson, WR, DET
Kevin Smith, RB, DET
Who to Play – Maybe:
Pierre Thomas, RB, NO
Who to Avoid:
SLEEPER ALERT: Matthew Stafford, QB, DET
Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers – Sunday 8:15 PM EST
Prime time, under the lights, with the whole nation watching, two of the best 25-year old quarterbacks the game has seen since the famous Class of ’83 will do battle as divisional foes for the first time. Not only is this the oldest, and best, rivalry in professional football, but now Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers will be the center of fantasy arguments for the next decade.
But there’s a lot bubbling under the surface with this game that should raise some eyebrows for fantasy owners. Will Ryan Grant be the Good Grant or the Mediocre Grant? How much will Rodgers pick on the Bears’ injured secondary? Will Matt Forte run wild against the Packers new 3-4 defense? How much will the Bears ask Cutler to do in the air?
This isn’t your father’s Bears-Packers game… this might be an aerial assault with significant fantasy points coming from any number of players.
Who to Play – Definite:
Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB
Greg Jennings, WR, GB
Matt Forte, RB, CHI
Greg Olsen, TE, CHI
Who to Play – Maybe:
Donald Lee, TE, GB
Ryan Grant, RB, GB
Jay Cutler, QB, CHI
Devin Hester, WR, CHI
Who to Avoid:
SLEEPER ALERT: Earl Bennett, WR, CHI
SLEEPER SPECIAL: Donald Driver, WR, GB
the who to play and who to avoid is some great stuff.. can’t say I agree with Grant since he busted the Bears butt last year with 145 yards on 25 carries and 1 TD.
In the Packers win over Chicago, Grant went off for 145 on 25 carries.
In the Packers loss to the Bears, Grant had 25 carries again, this time for 61 yds.
He’s a MAYBE because Grant has never been consistent enough to know if you’re getting 5 or 2 yards per carry… but yeah, I’m sure the Packers hope he shows up big out of the gate this year, too.
Good stuff. I think Vinsanthe Shiancoe is a must play this week. Favre will look his way often, and he’s playing a week defense. Sleeper in the Saints/Lions game is Mike Bell. If Thomas can’t go, or if he’s not 100%, Bell could eat up a lot of yards and a lot of clock. I definitely agree on the RBs in brown this week. Even if one was the go to guy, the Vikings rush defense is staunch.
The only reason I put Shiancoe as a MAYBE is because he might get you a TD and 20-30 yds… if Cleveland’s defense is as bad as it was last year, the Vikings won’t have to throw the ball more than 15 times to walk away w/ a big win. AP vs their defense might be the strongest overall fantasy play in Week One.
Great call on Mike Bell… I’ve read conflicting stuff about Pierre Thomas, which is why he was the maybe. LIke I say in the write up for that game, it could become a shoot out, which would minimize the RBs value.