With the NFL season rapidly approaching, you’ve probably already had your fantasy football draft. Now, the next step is to set your lineup for Week 1.
The easy way to do that is to follow the order in which you drafted your players. That makes sense, but it’s not always the best approach. You need to consider things like matchups and injuries and try to put the right players in the lineup in the right week.
There are always going to be sleepers because of injuries and matchups that are favorable or unfavorable. With that in mind, here is a list of the 11 biggest fantasy sleepers for Week 1.
11. Carlos Hyde, RB, Houston Texans
Hyde was acquired in a trade over the weekend and he instantly becomes Houston’s most viable running back option from a fantasy standpoint. Lamar Miller, last year’s feature back, will miss the season with an injury. At first, the Texans tried to make it sound like Duke Johnson, who was acquired in a trade with Cleveland at the start of training camp, would pick up Miller’s carries. But that just wasn’t realistic. In Cleveland, he was used primarily has a pass catcher. Johnson has only five rushing touchdowns in his career. Hyde has a lot more experience as a rusher and he has 26 career rushing touchdowns. Houston has a tough Monday night opener against New Orleans. But if the Texans get near the goal line, Hyde will be the one getting the carries.
10. Delanie Walker, TE, Tennessee Titans
Walker is 35 and hasn’t played in a regular-season game since suffering an ankle injury in last year’s opener. But he could be a good option to start in Week 1. That’s because the Titans open with the Cleveland Browns, who allowed tight ends to catch 100 passes last season. Yes, Cleveland has a new coaching staff, but that doesn’t necessarily mean problems with stopping tight ends are completely gone.
9. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Jackson has made only seven regular-season starts. So, he still has a lot to prove before he’s an every-week fantasy starter. But this is one week where you may want to start him. The Ravens open at Miami and many are saying the Dolphins will be the worst team in football. If that’s not enough to convince you, you might want to consider one other thing. This is a homecoming for Jackson. He’s a native of Pompano Beach, which is just up Interstate 95 from Miami. He’ll want to put on a good show for his family and friends.
8. Dallas Cowboys defense
In reality, the Cowboys had a good defense last year. But that didn’t translate into them scoring a lot of fantasy points. That may or may not change over the course of this season. But if you have the Dallas defense, it would be wise to start it in Week 1. That’s because the Cowboys are playing the New York Giants, who don’t have much on offense besides running back Saquon Barkley. Although Barkley probably will get his share of yardage, this matchup is tilted heavily in favor of the Dallas defense. With rookie Daniel Jones waiting in the wings, New York quarterback Eli Manning could be only one bad game away from losing the starting job, so that puts added pressure on Manning. The Dallas defense already has shown it can put pressure on Manning. In a Week 2 matchup against the Giants last year, the Cowboys recorded six sacks.
7. Darren Waller, TE, Oakland Raiders
Waller had only six receptions last year after the Raiders signed him off Baltimore’s practice squad in November. But Waller should be taking on a much bigger role with Jared Cook gone to New Orleans. Yes, receiver Antonio Brown will be the focal point of Oakland’s passing game. But quarterback Derek Carr also likes to throw short passes. Cook was targeted 105 times last year and Waller will inherit some of those targets. In a Monday night opener, Waller could have a coming-out party in front of a national audience against Denver.
6. Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers
Logic says you probably shouldn’t start a quarterback who is coming off an ACL injury and looked rusty in parts of the preseason. But take that logic a little deeper and there’s a good reason to start Garoppolo. Just look at who he’ll be facing. The 49ers open on the road in Tampa Bay. The Bucs will be without two of their best defensive players in end Jason Pierre-Paul and tackle Vita Vea. It’s hard to imagine Tampa Bay generating a strong pass rush without those two and the Bucs have a secondary that’s unproven.
5. Matt Bryant, K, Atlanta Falcons
There’s a chance Bryant isn’t in your league at the moment because there is a chance your draft was held before the Falcons re-signed their all-time leading scorer Saturday. If Bryant’s available grab him. He’s not only a solid starter for Week 1 against Minnesota. He’ll be a solid starter all year. With an offense that features Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, Bryant will get plenty of chances to score points.
4. Frank Gore, RB, Buffalo Bills
Gore is a guy that might have been selected late in fantasy drafts, if he was taken at all. That’s because the Bills did a good job of making it sound like LeSean McCoy would be their feature back. Then, they abruptly turned around and cut McCoy on Saturday. Gore is 36 and probably isn’t a guy you want to start all season. Rookie Devin Singletary probably will take on an increased workload as the season goes on. But Gore should get the bulk of the carries in the season opener against the New York Jets. Ride him while you can.
3. Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Miami Dolphins
If you drafted Fitzpatrick, you probably did so with the intention of using him as your backup. But check out the matchup for the guy you plan on using as your regular starter. If that matchup appears unfavorable, you might want to take a shot and start Fitzpatrick, who’ll be facing a Baltimore defense that’s not what it once was. He’s not a long-term solution by any means. But the guy has shown he can at least start a season on fire. While playing for Tampa Bay last year, Fitzpatrick opened the season by becoming the first player in history to pass for 400 yards in three consecutive games.
2. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Starter Melvin Gordon sat out the entire preseason in a contract dispute, and it doesn’t appear the Chargers are inclined to get anything done before the start of the season. In fact, the team gave Gordon’s agent permission to seek a trade. That’s why fantasy owners would be smart to start Ekeler, who will be in the starting role when the Chargers host Indianapolis on Sunday. Ekeler is a career backup, but the Chargers have confidence in him. Keep in mind that Gordon missed four games last season, and the Chargers went 4-0 in those games.
1. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys
There have been reports the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott have made some progress toward a contract, and it’s possible the running back could end up signing and playing in the opener against the New York Giants. But would the Cowboys instantly put Elliott into his old workhorse role after he missed all of training camp and the preseason? Probably not. That’s why it makes sense to start Pollard in fantasy for at least one game. The rookie had an impressive preseason, at one point prompting Dallas owner Jerry Jones to say, “Zeke who?’’ Jones was only joking. But fantasy owners that start Pollard might be smiling – at least for one week.
Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
