The Best NFL Fantasy Picks For Week 1

Sep 13, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Michael Thomas (3) celebrates his touchdown against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

Best bets for your NFL fantasy football team.

The first week of college football being in the books means two things, 1) football is finally here! 2) the NFL season will start this week. And with the football season getting underway, the madness that is fantasy football ensues.

I will highlight some of the players that I like the most with either some salary value, or possible low ownership’s to hopefully help you gain an edge in your Daily Fantasy tournaments. All plays and salaries are based on DraftKing’s pricing and scoring format.

The first quarterback I like this week is Derek Carr ($7,300). Carr is coming off of an impressive rookie campaign in 2015 despite the Raiders still finishing under .500. With a year under his belt he will be looking to build on the chemistry he developed with Michael Crabtree, and Amari Cooper who had an impressive first season in his own right last year.

Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Carr and the Raiders offense will be facing a New Orleans Saints team which struggled to defend the pass last year, ranking 31st in total pass defense giving an average of 284 yards per game through the air, and the leagues longest pass play of 2015 to Blake Bortles and Allen Robinson. Although the Saints spent three of five draft picks on defensive players including former Ohio State Safety Vonn Bell, I am still expecting big things from Carr at a decent price, $100 cheaper than Tom Brady, who is obviously not playing this week.

The second QB I am interested in will likely be a stack I will be using to save salary and avoid high ownership, while maintaining some upside. Robert Griffin III ($5,600) is looking to get off to a good start with his new team the Cleveland Browns. I will be stacking RG3 with former Ohio State and NFL quarterback turned receiver, Terrelle Pryor ($3,000). Pryor and RG3 have shown the ability to hook up on the deep ball in the pre-season and are going against an Eagles D that ranked 28th in the NFL last year giving up an average of 264 yards per game through the air, and seems constantly plagued with injuries. With a combined salary of only $8,600 (only $100 more than Aaron Rodgers by himself) this stack will save some salary, as well as avoid high ownership percentages as people usually like to avoid Browns. (Maybe I’m foolish for this, but you’ve got to risk it to get the biscuit right?)

Other Options: Brock Osweiler($6,300), Jameis Winston($6,600),Dak Prescott($5,000)

The first running back I will be targeting this week is Doug Martin ($6,200). Although I do like a lot of the higher priced backs such as Adrian Peterson and former Buckeye Ezekiel Elliot, Martin offers a slightly cheaper option at running back. Martin finished last year second in total yards behind Peterson with a total of 1,402 yards. Martin will be facing an Atlanta defense that was not particularly bad against the run in 2015, but wasn’t particularly good either. Atlanta gave up an average of 105 yards per game on the ground and gave up a total of 20 rushing touchdowns. If Martin can reach the hundred yard mark and a score, he should be a solid play in week 1.

For my second play at running back I will turn back to Raider Nation and Latavius Murray ($5,600). On top of the Saints pass defense being one of the worst in the NFL last year, their rush defense wasn’t much better, giving up over 129 yards per game. I feel comfortable putting almost anyone playing New Orleans in my fantasy lineup until the Saints prove they can stop at least one aspect of an offense. Especially Murray who finished 6th in the NFL last year in rushing yards, ending the season with 1,066 yards.

Other Options: Eddie Lacy($6,700), Spencer Ware($4,400), Christine Michael($3,700)

The first wide receiver I am looking at this week is a guy Buckeye fans know all too well after he tore up the Ohio State secondary in the 2014 Orange Bowl. Sammy Watkins ($6,900) finished last season with just over 1,000 yards receiving, although that wasn’t at the top of the league, he finished with seven receptions of 40 yards or more, good for 3rd in the league. Big plays can pay off big in the fantasy world, and Watkins is facing a Baltimore defense which gave up an average of 33.19 fantasy points per game to receivers in 2015.

The next receiver I like this week is former Buckeye Michael Thomas ($4,000). I dont think

Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Thomas is a safe play in any way. But with the New Orleans defense likely giving up a lot of points, the offense will need to try to outscore the Raiders offense. That being said, Drew Brees and the Saints passing game plays better in the comfort of their own dome than they do on the road and a lot of people don’t trust rookie wide receivers. We might be able to find some value with Thomas in what could turn into a shootout.

Other Options: Larry Fitzgerald($6,300), Marvin Jones Jr.($4,600), Dez Bryant($8,500)

In the Tight End position, I am going with a couple of somewhat gut picks. The first guy I like is Eric Ebron ($3,900). With Calvin Johnson retiring, Matt Stafford will need to look other places for scoring. while guys like Golden Tate and Marvin Jones attempt to fill the void at receiver, Stafford

Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

liked to throw balls up to Calvin Johnson in the end zone because he was a big strong presence. That presence could be filled by an athletic tight end like Ebron.

The next tight end I will have some exposure to this week is Austin Seferian-Jenkins ($2,800). Jameis Winston will be looking to build on a good rookie year last year, one in which he liked to look Seferian-Jenkins way in the red zone. Also provides some multiple touchdown upside as he caught two touchdowns and over 100 yards in week 1 last season.

Other Options: Colby Fleener($4,900), Gary Barnidge($4,700), Julius Thomas($3,800)