Fantasy Football Week 1: 5 Players Who Can Win Your Matchup on Monday Night

Monday Night Football games provide fantasy owners with one more opportunity to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Big games from players on a national stage also increase their fantasy value a lot more rapidly than lesser-viewed players.

The following players have the ability and the opportunity to shine on the stage of Monday Night Football while carrying fantasy owners to a win in Week 1.

This Monday, two divisional games will take place. The teams involved are obviously very familiar with each other, so there is plenty of recent history to use as informational ammunition for who to start in fantasy football.

Here are five players that can help you win your matchup on Monday Night in Week 1 of the NFL season.

5. Kickers

These all count as one, OK?

If you’re a fantasy player who likes to track his players during games, playing against a kicker on Monday night is a terrible situation. The early part of Monday is spent hoping that the kicker doesn’t cover whatever lead you may have, or make it too tough a task for your team to overcome that same evening.

Conversely, having a kicker on your side on Monday night is a great, great thing. You’ve got guys in your back pocket that can potentially swallow up a deficit you’re facing or put things out of reach for your opponent.

With two games on Monday night, there are four kickers who can help your psyche between the end of Sunday Night Football and the beginning of Monday’s games:

Mike Nugent, Cincinnati Bengals

Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland Raiders

Nate Kaeding, San Diego Chargers

Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens

4. Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland Raiders

Darren McFadden actually has very little career history against the Chargers, considering he plays in the same division as the Bolts. Entering his fifth career season, he has only faced San Diego four times.

He only carried the ball 44 times in those games, collecting a total of 185 yards and one touchdown in the process.

McFadden will be looking to reverse his trend of lacking productivity against the Chargers.

When healthy, he is a tough, explosive runner who can put the Raiders (and fantasy teams) on his back. In his first appearance last season (at the Broncos), he rushed 22 times for 150 yards, adding a six-yard reception en route to a Raiders win.

After averaging 3.94 yards per carry in his first two years in the NFL, it's clear that McFadden has improved as his career matures. The fifth-year back has averaged 5.27 yards per carry in the last two seasons.

Also, gone are the days of backup Michael Bush in Oakland. Bush was a tremendous backup for McFadden and was even a solid fantasy starter in periods of absence for Run DMC.

A good No. 2 RB option in Oakland might keep McFadden fresh and healthy. But until Mike Goodson or Taiwan Jones steps up to accept that role, McFadden looks like a featured back for the Raiders. Expect numbers that resemble his season debut last year more than his career history against San Diego.

3. Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers

For the San Diego Chargers to experience success Monday night, Philip Rivers is probably going to need to provide a big game.

Mike Tolbert is gone to the Carolina Panthers and Ryan Mathews may miss the game due to a broken collarbone. Without their preferred options at the running back position, San Diego is going to throw the ball in order to move it.

The Chargers split the season series with the Raiders last year. Rivers threw for 584 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions in the two games.

San Diego's quarterback had issues with turnovers last season, throwing 20 interceptions in 2011. Expect a motivated Rivers to look more like the guy who threw three picks in the final six games than the one who threw 17 in the first 10.

2. Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers

The player who should be most often on the receiving end of Philip Rivers’ passing strikes on Monday night is Antonio Gates. Gates looks very healthy and ready to go this season, and should start the season off right against the Oakland Raiders.

In two games against the Raiders last season, Gates tallied 10 receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he outperformed those numbers on Monday night alone.

Philip Rivers is going to have to lean on Gates to put points on the board in San Diego. The Chargers will be without their No. 1 WR in 2011 in Vincent Jackson, who departed for Tampa Bay. They’ve also placed second-year Vincent Brown on the IR due to a broken ankle. 

Gates should be Rivers' primary target on Monday, and throughout the 2012 NFL season.

1. Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore Ravens

The first of the two games on Monday night features the AFC North matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Just how Ray Rice likes it.

He's experienced a lot of recent success against Cincinnati. Two of his top five fantasy performances last season came against the team with the orange-and-black striped helmets. In the two times Rice faced the Bengals in 2011, Rice exploded for 346 total yards and four touchdowns on 51 touches.

Rice should be ready to provide fantasy owners with the return they were hoping for when they dropped all of those auction dollars on him or drafted him in the first round. Baltimore's offense runs through him. In each appearance against the Bengals, Rice totaled at least two receptions and 20 carries.

There's little reason for that pattern to change on Monday night. Expect a big game from Rice in the Ravens’ opener.