Week One Of The New Fantasy Season Stayed True To It’s Normal Ways, Providing Many Surprises. The Pug Will Guide You Through It To Win Fantasy Gold.
Hopefully your draft went well and you started off on the right foot.
Week one if anything was interesting for the fantasy world here is what sparked The Pug ‘s interest:
Arizona Cardinals RB Situation
The Arizona Cardinals did nothing to prove their worth in the fantasy world on Sunday. David Johnson going down with an injury made people who used their first pick on him wonder who to pick up from the Cardinals off the waiver wire. The answer?
No one.
Sure, the owners who used an early pick are going to be scrambling for a replacement, but the answer isn’t in Arizona where there are too many mouths to feed. Johnson IS heading to the IR, so Kerwynn Williams, Andre Ellington, and Chris Johnson will all command work.
Trusting any of them is not in your best interest. There are better options available.
The QB Board Was Shook Up In Week 1
In case you missed it, there was an unusual cast of characters that lit up the fantasy scoreboard this week. Usually it’s your Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady’s that are on top of the list, but this was no ordinary week.
The top three rated quarterbacks this week were Alex Smith, Sam Bradford and Jeff Goff.
Chances are none of these quarterbacks made it anywhere near your fantasy roster. Which one of the three are worth picking up? The Pug has the answer below…
Rookies Rule The Roost
On the running back front, the rookies stole the show. From Kareem Hunt showing the world he has what it takes against the world champions, to Florida State standout Dalvin Cook having a good game, there were many rookie backs who made a name for themselves in week one. Leonard Fournette, Tarik Cohen and Christian McCaffrey all made noise in their respective match ups.
There was plenty of buzz surrounding the rookie backs heading into week one, and the young bucks did a great job backing up the hype surrounding them.
Moving on to week two:
Must Starts
Jameis Winston– Tampa Bay Buccaneers- QB vs. Chicago Bears- After missing out on the opportunity to show off his new weapons thanks to Hurricane Irma, Winston is foaming at the mouth to get on the field and prove to everyone the hype is real.
Matt Stafford– Detroit Lions- QB @ New York Giants- This may seem like a rough starting position given the Giants defense and the fact that he is on the road, but don’t sleep on Stafford. A solid performance last week proves he is looking to earn his fat contract. Imagine if Calvin Johnson was still around…
Kareem Hunt– Kansas City Chiefs- RB vs. Philadelphia Eagles- Call The Pug a believer, this kid is for real. Look for him to make an impression in front of the home crowd, after stunning the world champions.
Dalvin Cook– Minnesota Vikings- RB @ Pittsburgh Steelers- Another guy The Pug can get behind, his workload will be steady all season long. The Steelers run defense also provides an enticing match up for Cook to bust out an even better game than last week.
DeAndre Hopkins-Houston Texans- WR @ Cincinnati Bengals- A young rookie quarterback is always going to find a sure-fire guy to latch on to. That guy will be Hopkins, and as of right now should be considered a must-start every week after being a fantasy -dud a year ago.
Tyreek Hill- Kansas City Chiefs- WR vs Philadelphia Eagles- His big play ability gives his owners a chance for a big game, even if he is quiet for most of the game. He is one of the most explosive players in the league right now.
Zach Ertz– Philadelphia Eagles- TE @ Kansas City Chiefs- The Chiefs defense should, and more than likely will, focus on pass rush after it was almost absent against the Pats. If that happens, look for young Carson Wentz to dump the ball to his TE often.
Players To Avoid
Kirk Cousins- Washington Redskins- QB- Rough week one outing doesn’t get any eaiser against a tough Rams secondary. There are better options available.
Tyrod Taylor- Buffalo Bills- QB- The Panthers looked pretty good on defense a week ago, and the Bills didn’t exactly overwhelm the lowly Jets. Avoid Taylor this week if possible.
Le’Veon Bell- Pittsburgh Steelers- RB- Call it a hunch, but The Pug believes this will be a slow start to the season for Bell. Keep in mind he isn’t used to playing this early in the season.
Adrian Peterson- New Orleans Saints- RB- This call will probably stick for the season. He isn’t the featured back in New Orleans and spent a lot of big moments in his Saints debut watching from the sidelines.
Eric Decker- Tennessee Titans- WR- Three catches for ten yards last week. Decker seems to struggle anytime he is thrust into the number one receiver role. Look for that to continue this week
Jordan Matthews– Buffalo Bills- WR- Same as with Taylor. Not sold on this offense, don’t get stuck on any Bills
Hunter Henry– Los Angeles Chargers- TE- Looks like the Chargers will use him for blocking, at least for now. Hunter wasn’t targeted once.
Waiver Wire Gems
Adam Thielen– Minnesota Vikings- WR- Minnesota Vikings- Sam Bradford used Thielen often, and if Bradford can build of his fantastic game, Thielen could be the steal of the season.
Alex Smith- Kansas City Chiefs- QB- Alex Smith looked great against the defending world champions, and appeared to have the long ball working for him. That is what has held back most owners from going after him. Smith is worth stashing on your bench in case of a break out year.
Tarik Cohen– Chicago Bears- RB- ‘The Human Joystick’ as he is known, made a name for himself breaking 100 scrimmage yards in his debut. Another guy worth stashing, since Jordan Howard is still starter. Cohen could be a flex and is an excellent handcuff.
Javorius Allen- Baltimore Ravens- RB- He was already looking like a waiver wire chance player with rising stock, but the injury to Danny Woodhead in week one just made him that much more valuable.
Corey Coleman- Cleveland Browns- WR- The Pug drafted Coleman in most of his leagues, looking towards him as a break-out candidate, much like Terrelle Pryor did just a season ago. Five catches for 53 yards and a score is a good start, and The Pug believes he will only get better as the season progresses and he develops chemistry with his young QB.
