New Season Means New Hope For Fantasy Owners. It Also Means Another Year Of The Pug Helping You Make Tough Lineup Decisions.
A new season of fantasy lies ahead and The Pug is here to help you dominate your league. Pay attention to the waiver wire pickup of the week as The Pug had no issues finding fantasy gems on the waiver wire last season. Never to early to build depth as the draft euphoria of ‘I have the best team’ will begin to fade over the next few weeks. Always room for improvement. Here we go
Must Starts
Ryan Mathews- RB- Philadelphia Eagles- The Eagles as a whole are still in disarray after Chip Kelly all but tore the team apart. Things aren’t going to be pretty for them this year, especially with a rookie QB, but Ryan Mathews should find success against a weak Browns defense this week. You should start Mathews this week, because if Carson Wentz struggles, teams in the future will stack the box and dare the Eagles to beat them through the air.
Blake Bortles- QB- Jacksonville Jaguars- The Packers pass defense isn’t a slouch, but in order to win the game, chances are this will be a offensive battle. Coming off a great year and with many weapons at his disposal, Bortles is well equipped for a shootout which will bode well for his numbers this week.
Golden Tate- WR- Detroit Lions- Golden Tate has the chance to be a fantasy gem this year. With the retirement of Calvin Johnson, Tate is the main man in the Motor City. Combine his new found job with the fact the Lions are squaring off against a weak Colts secondary, and Tate will look to leave his mark in week 1.
High Risk, High Reward
C.J. Anderson- RB- Denver Broncos- C.J. Anderson is destined to have a better season this year after a semi-disappointing season in terms of fantasy production. With Ronnie Hillman gone, Anderson is the bell cow, and the Broncos are going to have to be successful running the ball this year if they want any chance of a repeat. This isn’t exactly a good matchup, but Anderson may be the sparkplug in the Broncos offense tonight and could be the recipient of decent fantasy production. The Risk here is obvious, the Panthers defense is good.
Tavon Austin- WR- Los Angeles Rams- Tavon Austin has been a mixed bag from a fantasy perspective. His inconsistency drove his fantasy owners mad last year. With Joe Haden likely to cover Austin, the risk lies there as Haden is one of the few skilled players the Browns kept around this year. He has enough speed to break off big plays however, and could be in store for a huge game against an overall bad defense in the Browns.
Alex Smith- QB- Kansas City Chiefs- It isn’t very often you see a ‘safe’ player on the high risk high reward side of town, but this week with Jamaal Charles in line to miss week 1, the game may lie on the shoulders of Smith. Smith risk is minimized by the fact that he does a great job of controlling the football, keeping turnovers to a minimum, but if the Chargers find a way to get their offense firing on all cylinders, Smith will need to be productive for the Chiefs to avoid an 0-1 start.
Players To Avoid
Kelvin Benjamin- WR- Carolina Panthers- Although the Pug believes Benjamin will have a productive year, it won’t start in week one. Coming off a major knee injury and having to face the stout Broncos defense isn’t exactly the friendliest welcome back for Benjamin. If you have the depth store Benjamin away for the week.
Arian Foster- RB- Miami Dolphins- Foster is another guy that The Pug believes could be a prime candidate for comeback player of the year, but much like Benjamin before him, he won’t have an easy task ahead of him in Seattle. Chances are you drafted Foster as a backup, and he should remain on your bench this week.
Mark Ingram- RB- New Orleans Saints- The Raiders made a lot of improvements to their defense this offseason, and I think it will show most against the run. Ingram may find production as the checkdown back, but relying on his running game isn’t going to do you any favors. Also, the Raiders offense should torture the Saints defense, so Brees may be throwing the ball a lot in this contest as they will probably be playing from behind.
Waiver Wire Gem of the Week
Tajae Sharpe- WR- Tennessee Titans- You may not have heard of Tajae Sharpe before, but after an impressive offseason for the rookie, the Titans felt comfortable enough to trade Dorial Green-Beckham to the Eagles. Yes, the Vikings pass defense is good, but most defenses will look to shut down Delanie Walker, and you should pick him up if your team needs wide receiver help before he blows up on the waiver wire.
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