Week 1 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Projections for Top 10 Players at Each Position

After months of meticulous planning, practice runs and more, fantasy football drafts are in the books and all that remains is to set the Week 1 lineup—the easy part, right?

Think again.

Initial roster construction is but a blip on the radar compared to day-to-day lineup management. What to actually do with a full roster can be a daunting task.

Look at it this way. That sleeper an owner just drafted? It hurts, but maybe it's best to cut them before they ever play a down in favor of a potential starter with a great matchup. That starter an owner drafted and hoped would be a shoo-in each week? Sorry, the Week 1 matchup is a mess, better hit the waiver wire.

The point is, the start 'em, sit 'em aspect each week is a joyless ride, especially if the end result is a loss. Below, let's take a look at each position and highlight some great plays and pitfalls to avoid.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Peyton Manning	DEN	IND	26
2	Drew Brees	NO	at ATL	25.5
3	Nick Foles	PHI	JAC	24
4	Colin Kaepernick	SF	at DAL	23.5
5	Matthew Stafford	DET	NYG	22
6	Jay Cutler	CHI	BUF	20
7	Andrew Luck	IND	at DEN	18
8	Cam Newton	CAR	at TB	17
9	Philip Rivers	SD	at ARI	15
10	Andy Dalton	CIN	at BAL	15

Start 'Em: Colin Kaepernick, SF (at DAL)

Normally Colin Kaepernick is not such a sure thing or ranked so highly, but a matchup that screams major production has presented itself to start the season.

Dallas is a miserable mess once more, due to a combo of iffy roster building by the front office and the injury bug that never seems to leave the city. But most of all, the Cowboys surrendered 20.3 points per game to quarterbacks last season, the second-worst mark in the league.

So while Michael Crabtree had himself a bit of an injury scare earlier this week, the matchup nullifies his potential absence. Remember that Kaepernick can assault defenses on the ground and scored the ninth-most points at the position last season.

As far as sure things go, at least for this week, Kaepernick is up there with Peyton Manning.

Sit 'Em: Cam Newton, CAR (at TB)

Look, even if Cam Newton is in the lineup come Sunday, he remains a rather risky play as he and the Carolina Panthers hit the road to take on Tampa Bay.

As Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer illustrates, owners won't know Newton's status until the last second:

This immediately means Newton will not be 100 percent even if he does suit up, and if that happens, he'll be greeted by a defense with a number of elite players, a coach in Lovie Smith who can get the most out of the them and a new-look wideout corps he has had limited time to work with—steer clear.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	LeSean McCoy	PHI	JAC	24
2	Jamaal Charles	KC	TEN	23
3	Montee Ball	DEN	IND	22.5
4	Adrian Peterson	MIN	at STL	20
5	Matt Forte	CHI	BUF	18
6	Arian Foster	HOU	WSH	16
7	Giovani Bernard	CIN	at BAL	14
8	Zac Stacy	STL	MIN	14
9	C.J. Spiller	BUF	at CHI	12
10	DeMarco Murray	DAL	SF	12

Start 'Em: Arian Foster, HOU (vs. WAS)

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

It is so easy to forget about Arian Foster in the grand scheme of things. He missed eight games last season and his quarterback is Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Yet the situation under center was not all that thrilling in each of the past three seasons prior to 2013 either, which saw Foster rattle off a minimum of 1,224 yards and 10 scores with a high of 1,616 and 16.

Foster seems risky because he missed most of the preseason, but it seems more likely that the sixth-year veteran was simply saving himself for when it matters. Coach Bill O'Brien confirmed the Tennessee product will see plenty of chances Sunday, per James Palmer of CSN Houston:

Touches equal production, and remember that Foster has been very successful as a receiver through the years, too. He's a surefire top-10 back this week against a defense that ranked in the top five in points surrendered to the position last season.

Sit 'Em: Ben Tate, CLE (at PIT)

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It seems Ben Tate has been one of the more popular "sleepers" this year thanks to his status as an every-down back in Cleveland.

The news at face value, which comes right from the coaching staff, sounds great.

"He’s been solid in protection. I think he does a nice job catching the ball," coach Mike Pettine said, per Scott Petrak of the Chronicle-Telegram. "Probably the guy you can trust the most right now would be Ben."

But in this case, touches may not actually equal notable production, not against a Pittsburgh defense that looked sound against the run last season. With only Brian Hoyer to challenge the Steelers defense on a regular basis, the unit will be able to stack the box and shut down Tate with relative ease.

For now, Tate needs to ride the fantasy bench.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Calvin Johnson	DET	NYG	18
2	A.J. Green	CIN	at BAL	16
3	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	IND	16
4	Dez Bryant	DAL	SF	14
5	Julio Jones	ATL	NO	13.5
6	Victor Cruz	NYG	at DET	13
7	Cecil Shorts	JAC	at PHI	12
8	Andre Johnson	HOU	WSH	12
9	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	SD	11
10	Brandon Marshall	CHI	BUF	10

Start 'Em: Victor Cruz, NYG (at DET)

John Minchillo/Associated Press

A No. 1 wideout who has a propensity for jaw-dropping lines mired in a contest that will be a pass-happy affair?

Yes, please.

Eli Manning and the New York Giants travel to Detroit to start the season. In other words, Manning's defense is about to get torched and force him into a one-dimensional passing attack.

The winners are Victor Cruz owners. The former Massachusetts star had a bit of a "down" season last year and missed two games, but had a few games in which he scored 20 points or more. Against a secondary that gave up the third-most points to wideouts last year and did little to improve, Cruz figures to start off hot.

Sit 'Em: Mike Wallace, MIA (vs. NE)

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Perhaps no better fantasy player personifies the term boom-or-bust than Mike Wallace.

Last year he posted just five contests in double figures and seven with less than five points.

Owners will get defensive and point out his 17.8-point outburst against the New England Patriots in Week 15 last season, but one critical thing ensures that won't happen this time around—Darrelle Revis.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Jimmy Graham	NO	at ATL	18
2	Rob Gronkowski	NE	at MIA	16
3	Jordan Cameron	CLE	at PIT	12.5
4	Julius Thomas	DEN	IND	12
5	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	at STL	10
6	Dennis Pitta	BAL	CIN	10
7	Charles Clay	MIA	NE	8
8	Vernon Davis	SF	at DAL	6
9	Jared Cook	STL	MIN	5.5
10	Jason Witten	DAL	SF	5

Start 'Em: Rob Gronkowski, NE (at MIA)

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Don't hesitate, Rob Gronkowski owners.

The position is horrible as a whole, and those smart enough to take the dive on Gronkowski get a guy who has scored 42 touchdowns in 50 appearances.

Enough said.

But seriously, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes that, "Some in the Dolphins organization think the Patriots will pick their spots with Gronkowski."

Which is nothing but a good thing, hobbled Gronkowski or not. All that means is that he'll get his looks primarily in the red zone and probably wind up the top scorer at his position against a defense that gave up the fifth-most points to tight ends a year ago and are without two key players.

Sit 'Em: Heath Miller, PIT (vs. CLE)

Don Wright/Associated Press

Heath Miller is quite reliable at an unpredictable position outside of the top two—just not when he lines up against Cleveland.

Miller has four points or less in four of his last five encounters with the Browns defense and no scores to show for his efforts. As the Browns continue to improve on defense, expect Miller to have a quiet start to his season.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Justin Tucker	BAL	CIN	14
2	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	at MIA	13
3	Nick Folk	NYJ	OAK	12.5
4	Phil Dawson	SF	at DAL	12
5	Robbie Gould	CHI	BUF	10
6	Nick Novak	SD	at ARI	10
7	Kai Forbath	WSH	at HOU	10
8	Dan Carpenter	BUF	at CHI	9
9	Greg Zuerlein	STL	MIN	8
10	Cairo Santos	KC	TEN	8

Start 'Em: Robbie Gould, CHI (vs. BUF)

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

In theory, Chicago should be doing plenty of scoring against Buffalo, and really against most teams in the league for that matter thanks to the offensive genius of coach Marc Trestman.

If the wealth of weapons around quarterback Jay Cutler is not enough to convince owners on Gould, understand that Buffalo also gave up the third-most points to opposing kickers last year, too.

Sit 'Em: Adam Vinatieri, IND (at DEN)

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Yes, Adam Vinatieri is still in the NFL.

He was actually rather reliable last season, too, going for double-digit production in 10 games, five of those which came in a row.

But it is hard to see Indianapolis' offense finding a ton of success Sunday on the road against a retooled defense that features corner Aqib Talib and end DeMarcus Ware. For at least one week, throw Vinatieri on the shelf.

D/ST

Rank	Unit	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Panthers	at TB	12
2	Bengals	at BAL	11
3	Eagles	JAC	10
4	Lions	NYG	10
5	Patriots	at MIA	8
6	Chiefs	TEN	7
7	Rams	MIN	7
8	Jets	OAK	6
9	Steelers	CLE	6
10	Bears	BUF	6

Start 'Em: Lions (vs. NYG)

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Cruz will have a big play here and there, but a rush that includes Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley opens up the Lions defense to scoring opportunities if they can get a hit on Manning and jar the ball loose.

Defensive backs will also be afforded more risky maneuvers to force a turnover once the offense has put the team ahead.

Sit 'Em: 49ers (at DAL)

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Opposing defenses averaged all of 3.6 points last season against Dallas, a mark second only to Denver and New Orleans.

Now add in the fact San Francisco will be down two key players Sunday, and the once formidable 49ers fantasy defense has the look of a major pitfall this week.

Note: Green Bay/Seattle omitted due to Thursday Night Football. All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.