Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 1: Studs You Must Bench to Open the Season

Whenever you draft a superstar for your fantasy football team, the natural instinct is to just put him in the lineup from Week 1 and never look back. 

You should know better than that.

This is the NFL, where nothing is ever as simple as it seems. When you think you have everything figured out, the league completes a Hail Mary at the buzzer and changes everything. 

As a new fantasy season approaches, here is a look at the biggest names that you need to keep on the bench. 

Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings

As if fantasy owners weren't concerned enough about Peterson coming back from a torn ACL, they had to hear Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier tell reporters that he is going to wait until Sunday to determine whether the star running back will play against Jacksonville. 

It is entirely possible that Peterson plays in this game, but given the injury he is returning from and the fact that the team is playing coy with his status, it does not give me much hope. 

Even if Peterson does play in this game, I can't imagine the Vikings will cut him loose right out of the gate with 20-25 carries. He would likely play sparingly, getting a handful of carries. 

Eventually, he will be fine and back to his normal tricks, but for right now, you should turn to your bench to find a running back. 

Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos

After a year away, fantasy owners finally get back arguably the most reliable quarterback in fantasy football for the last decade. But unlike previous years, when you could lock him in for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, no one knows what Peyton Manning they are getting. 

We have all sorts of analysis from the preseason, but at the end of the day, that's all it is: preseason. Trying to read anything into what you see in August is going to lead you to make a lot of mistakes. 

Another problem Manning faces this Sunday is the team he is going up against. The Pittsburgh Steelers boast one of the fastest, most ferocious attacking defensive teams in the NFL. They are going to send everything and the kitchen sink after him until he proves he can beat them. 

Having Ryan Clark sit out will make things a little easier on Manning, but he has to prove he is worthy of a starting job again before he gets back in fantasy owners' good graces. 

San Francisco 49ers Defense

The strength of the 49ers team is still going to be the defense. They have one of the best defensive front sevens in the NFL and should easily end up as one of the five best fantasy defenses by the end of the season. 

Much like Manning against the Steelers, there just isn't a lot to like about the 49ers going up against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. 

If there is one weakness to the 49ers defense, it is in the secondary. It was great at creating turnovers last season, but it finished in the middle of the pack with 231 yards allowed through the air. 

With Rodgers on the other side of the field, expect the 49ers to load the box and try to put pressure on him to try to force bad throws. The problem is, Rodgers is so good moving around and has so many weapons at his disposal that he can exploit that kind of defense. 

Wait for a more favorable matchup before putting the 49ers defense back in your starting lineup. 

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