Fantasy Football 2014: Week 1 Skill Position Rankings and Projections

True fantasy football is nearly here. Thursday night was a nice little teaser, but Sunday provides the first true taste for owners everywhere.

After doing mock drafts until your fingers bled, countless actual fantasy drafts and debating difficult starting spots, it's time to play. With the season still fresh, not every top pick looks like a surefire star due to difficult matchups.

For those who already started Marshawn Lynch or Russell Wilson, the week had a great start. Aaron Rodgers and Eddie Lacy owners, however, are in need of a rally. While Lacy suffered a concussion on Thursday, he has 10 days before his next game, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com points out:

Whether or not the week started well, owners still have more decisions ahead. Before the Sunday slate begins, here's a look at the Week 1 skill position rankings and projections.

Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
Pos.	Player	Team	Opponent	Projections
1	Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos	Indianapolis Colts	37
2	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints	Atlanta Falcons	34
3	Matthew Stafford	Detroit Lions	New York Giants	31
4	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts	Denver Broncos	29
5	Colin Kaepernick	San Francisco 49ers	Dallas Cowboys	27
6	Tom Brady	New England Patriots	Miami Dolphins	26
7	Matt Ryan	Atlanta Falcons	New Orleans Saints	25
8	Nick Foles	Philadelphia Eagles	Jacksonville Jaguars	23
9	Jay Cutler	Chicago Bears	Buffalo Bills	23
10	Tony Romo	Dallas Cowboys	San Francisco 49ers	20
Pos.	Player	Team	Opponent	Projections
1	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles	Jacksonville Jaguars	26
2	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	Tennessee Titans	25
3	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings	St. Louis Rams	25
4	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	Buffalo Bills	23
5	Arian Foster	Houston Texans	Washington Redskins	21
6	Frank Gore	San Francisco 49ers	Dallas Cowboys	18
7	Montee Ball	Denver Broncos	Indianapolis Colts	17
8	DeMarco Murray	Dallas Cowboys	San Francisco 49ers	15
9	Alfred Morris	Washington Redskins	Houston Texans	15
10	Zac Stacy	St. Louis Rams	Minnesota Vikings	14
Pos.	Player	Team	Opponent	Projections
1	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions	New York Giants	23
2	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys	San Francisco 49ers	21
3	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos	Indianapolis Colts	20
4	Brandon Marshall	Chicago Bears	Buffalo Bills	18
5	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals	Baltimore Ravens	17
6	Julio Jones	Atlanta Falcons	New Orleans Saints	17
7	Alshon Jeffery	Chicago Bears	Buffalo Bills	15
8	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cleveland Browns	14
9	Michael Crabtree	San Francisco 49ers	Dallas Cowboys	14
10	Andre Johnson	Houston Texans	Washington Redskins	13
Pos.	Player	Team	Opponent	Projections
1	Jimmy Graham	New Orleans Saints	Atlanta Falcons	17
2	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots	Miami Dolphins	14
3	Julius Thomas	Denver Broncos	Indianapolis Colts	13
4	Jordan Cameron	Cleveland Browns	Pittsburgh Steelers	11
5	Vernon Davis	San Francisco 49ers	Dallas Cowboys	10
6	Greg Olsen	Carolina Panthers	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	9
7	Jason Witten	Dallas Cowboys	San Francisco 49ers	9
8	Dennis Pitta	Baltimore Ravens	Cincinnati Bengals	8
9	Jordan Reed	Washington Redskins	Houston Texans	7
10	Zach Ertz	Philadelphia Eagles	Jacksonville Jaguars	7

Breakdown of Projections

Obvious options like Peyton Manning and Drew Brees at quarterback can't be questioned. But Colin Kaepernick is a little high on the list this week thanks to his matchup.

The San Francisco 49ers travel to take on the Dallas Cowboys this week, meaning Kaep will face a decimated defense. In 2013, the Cowboys allowed the most yards per game in the NFL with 415.3 per game.

This season, Dallas has already lost Sean Lee, and DeMarcus Ware is now a member of the Denver Broncos. Given that type of matchup, Kaepernick has a great chance to put up huge numbers.

While Dallas was losing members of the defense, the Niners were adding more components to the offense like Stevie Johnson. Kaep spoke about the new-look offense during the offseason, via Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee:

"

We have more weapons on offense, we’re more experienced on offense, and at this point we feel that we should be able to put up more points in each game. Now, it’s a matter of going out and doing that.

...

We’re excited about it. And we want to get on the field, get [Johnson] the ball and allow him to keep having those big games.

"

As for his No. 1 target, Michael Crabtree should put up huge numbers if he gets the start. After suffering an apparent calf injury earlier in the week, Crabtree is expected to play against the Cowboys.

While his status for Sunday is still unknown, he has stated he plans to play against his hometown team, per Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News. Ahead of the opener, Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle provides his take:

On the running back front, Arian Foster comes into the year with plenty of question marks after an injury-riddled 2013 season. But in Week 1, he might be able to answer some of those worried about a dip in production.

The Houston Texans lead back faces a Washington Redskins defense that was awful last year. Washington allowed an average of 110.6 yards on the ground last year and a league-high 23 rushing touchdowns.

That earns Foster the "Start of the Week" honors from Michael Fabiano of NFL.com:

"

I'm on the record as being scared of Foster for the duration of this season, but that doesn't change the fact that this week's matchup against the Redskins is quite favorable. In fact, their defense allowed the fourth-most fantasy points (21.79 PPG) to opposing running backs in 2013. Foster, who missed the preseason with a bum hamstring, also said he feels "wonderful" physically for Week 1.

"

For fantasy owners that earned low point totals earlier in the week, Foster might heal some of those wounds.

It's not a guarantee that Foster can remain healthy or equal his production from years ago, but he has a favorable Week 1 matchup to exploit. With games against the Oakland Raiders in Week 2 and the New York Giants the following week, Foster has a chance to get off to a hot start.

And with a questionable quarterback situation, Foster will be leaned upon heavily on offense. Whether or not he can carry that load is a different question entirely.

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