Fantasy Football Week 1: The Ultimate Guide to Sunday's Action

When you're looking for fantasy points, look to the quarterbacks. Week 1 features some dandy duels, and we already had a good one Thursday night between Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson.

That was just an appetizer for the more bountiful games between Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos and Andrew Luck's Indianapolis Colts as well as Drew Brees's New Orleans Saints against Matt Ryan's Atlanta Falcons. The San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick and Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo should also light the fantasy scoreboard up in Dallas.

We are in for some fireworks, and Bleacher Report gets you ready for it all with The Ultimate Guide to Sunday's Action, where we break down the top plays, injury question marks, starts, sits, sleepers, busts and last-minute waiver-wire options.

Overall Rankings

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

We have just one game in the books for 2014, but the losses are already piling up for fantasy owners. First, Wes Welker (suspension) is gone for the first four games, then Eddie Lacy suffers a concussion in the season opener Thursday night, and news breaks that Andre Ellington (foot) might be out four to six weeks, according to Fox Sports Arizona's Mike Jurecki.

This is only the beginning, folks.

Fantasy football is a battle of attrition, and the start of legitimate contact will necessitate more and more replacements as we move on.

Ellington's foot MRI on Thursday hasn't officially taken him out of his Monday Night Football game against the San Diego Chargers, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, but we did drop him from our fantasy football rankings for Week 1. You just cannot start Ellington once lineups are locked Sunday before the 1 p.m. games. We won't have definitive information on Ellington's status for Monday night by that time.

In fact, we nearly ranked his potential fill-in, Jonathan Dwyer, in our Top 100 starts this week. Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic reported Dwyer would be the starter if Ellington cannot go. Consider him a potential sleeper regardless because it is clear Ellington is not 100 percent even if he does sneak into action. Stepfan Taylor is a deep sleeper now, too, as a flex back out of necessity.

Below is Bleacher Report's updated Top 100 rankings for fantasy Week 1. If you want a position-by-position look, reference B/R's Week 1 Big Board from earlier this week.

Week 1 Top 100 Eric Mack

Rank	Flex Rankings	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Peyton Manning	Den	vs. Ind	1	0
2	Drew Brees	NO	at Atl	2	0
3	Andrew Luck	Ind	at Den	4	+1
4	LeSean McCoy	PHI	vs. Jac	5	+1
5	Jamaal Charles	KC	vs. Ten	9	+4
6	Matthew Stafford	Det	vs. NYG	3	-3
7	Colin Kaepernick	SF	at Dal	6	-1
8	Jimmy Graham	NO	at Atl	30	+22
9	Demaryius Thomas	Den	vs. Ind	20	+11
10	Matt Forte	Chi	vs. Buf	12	+2
11	Adrian Peterson	Min	at StL	14	+3
12	Montee Ball	Den	vs. Ind	17	+5
13	Frank Gore	SF	at Dal	36	+23
14	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	vs. GB	18	+4
15	Dez Bryant	Dal	vs. SF	23	+8
16	Brandon Marshall	Chi	vs. Buf	26	+10
17	Calvin Johnson	DET	vs. NYG	19	+2
18	Julio Jones	ATL	vs. NO	28	+10
19	Alshon Jeffery	Chi	vs. Buf	34	+15
20	Alfred Morris	Was	at Hou	46	+26
21	Zac Stacy	StL	vs. Min	41	+20
22	Julius Thomas	Den	vs. Ind	42	+20
23	C.J. Spiller	BUF	at Chi	60	+37
24	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	vs. Cle	45	+21
25	Vernon Davis	SF	at Dal	71	+46
26	DeMarco Murray	Dal	vs. SF	25	-1
27	A.J. Green	Cin	at Bal	32	+5
28	Doug Martin	TB	vs. Car	49	+21
29	Antonio Brown	Pit	vs. Cle	35	+6
30	Aaron Rodgers	GB	at Sea	11	-19
31	Victor Cruz	NYG	at Det	47	+16
32	Matt Ryan	Atl	vs. NO	8	-24
33	Nick Foles	Phi	vs. Jac	7	-26
34	Michael Crabtree	SF	at Dal	50	+16
35	Pierre Garcon	Was	at Hou	57	+22
36	Jay Cutler	Chi	vs. Buf	10	-26
37	DeSean Jackson	Was	at Hou	78	+41
38	Eddie Lacy	GB	at Sea	31	-7
39	Michael Floyd	Ari	vs. SD	54	+15
40	Roddy White	Atl	vs. NO	44	+4
41	Toby Gerhart	Jac	at Phi	61	+20
42	Tom Brady	NE	at Mia	13	-29
43	Chris Johnson	NYJ	vs. Oak	75	+32
44	Russell Wilson	SEA	vs. GB	15	-29
45	Jason Witten	Dal	vs. SF	84	+39
46	Jordy Nelson	GB	at Sea	38	-8
47	Larry Fitzgerald	ARZ	vs. SD	43	-4
48	Robert Griffin	Was	at Hou	21	-27
49	Percy Harvin	SEA	vs. GB	55	+6
50	Giovani Bernard	Cin	at Bal	40	-10
51	Arian Foster	HOU	vs. Was	22	-29
52	Keenan Allen	SD	at Ari	53	+1
53	Eric Decker	NYJ	vs. Oak	69	+16
54	Marques Colston	NO	at Atl	62	+8
55	Torrey Smith	Bal	vs. Cin	64	+9
56	Rashad Jennings	NYG	at Det	68	+12
57	Julian Edelman	NE	at Mia	77	+20
58	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	vs. Jac	73	+15
59	Greg Olsen	CAR	at TB	85	+26
60	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	vs. Ind	58	-2
61	Cam Newton	CAR	at TB	27	-34
62	Randall Cobb	GB	at Sea	52	-10
63	Tony Romo	DAL	vs. SF	16	-47
64	Reggie Bush	Det	vs. NYG	65	+1
65	Kendall Wright	Ten	at KC	81	+16
66	Jordan Reed	WAS	at Hou	89	+23
67	Andre Johnson	Hou	vs. Was	37	-30
68	Shane Vereen	NE	at Mia	72	+4
69	Carson Palmer	Ari	vs. SD	29	-40
70	Vincent Jackson	TB	vs. Car	48	-22
71	Eli Manning	NYG	at Det	83	+12
72	Cordarrelle Patterson	Min	at StL	59	-13
73	Jordan Cameron	CLE	at Pit	70	-3
74	Ryan Mathews	SD	at Ari	76	+2
75	Golden Tate	Det	vs. NYG	86	+11
76	Zach Ertz	Phi	vs. Jac	99	+23
77	Ben Tate	CLE	at Pit	63	-14
78	T.Y. Hilton	Ind	at Den	74	-4
79	Philip Rivers	SD	at Ari	24	-55
80	Ben Roethlisberger	Pit	vs. Cle	33	-47
81	Mike Wallace	Mia	vs. NE	82	+1
82	Joique Bell	Det	vs. NYG	80	-2
83	Andy Dalton	Cin	at Bal	39	-44
84	Bernard Pierce	BAL	vs. Cin	88	+4
85	Rueben Randle	NYG	at Det	100	+15
86	Trent Richardson	Ind	at Den	107	+21
87	Carlos Hyde	SF	at Dal	148	+61
88	Kyle Rudolph	Min	at StL	94	+6
89	Steven Jackson	ATL	vs. NO	91	+2
90	Terrance Williams	DAL	vs. SF	92	+2
91	Rob Gronkowski	NE	at Mia	56	-35
92	Cecil Shorts	JAC	at Phi	112	+20
93	Riley Cooper	PHI	vs. Jac	111	+18
94	Dennis Pitta	Bal	vs. Cin	95	+1
95	Lamar Miller	MIA	vs. NE	121	+26
96	Knowshon Moreno	MIA	vs. NE	115	+19
97	Brandin Cooks	NO	at Atl	101	+4
98	Stevan Ridley	NE	at Mia	105	+7
99	Kelvin Benjamin	Car	at TB	103	+4
100	Fred Jackson	Buf	at Chi	90	-10

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Injury Report

USA TODAY Sports

The list of unavailable fantasy options will grow as the weeks pass, but Week 1 has already given us some huge pieces of news on the injury front. Before we go in-depth on the players officially listed as questionable on the NFL's injury report, the following players are listed as probable and therefore are all right to start in fantasy as needed.

Note: All practice participation information comes from the official NFL injury report provided by NFLmedia.com (credentials required):

Probables

Quarterbacks

• Tom Brady, New England Patriots (calf): He is always "questionable," but he always plays. Start him.
• Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (back): He is a solid play against a banged-up San Francisco 49ers defense at home.

Running Backs

• Knowshon Moreno, Miami Dolphins (knee): We know he will be playing, but it is uncertain he starts over Lamar Miller still.
• Bernard Pierce, Baltimore Ravens (concussion): With Ray Rice suspended, expect the run-heavy Ravens to feature Pierce in a slobber-knocker AFC North tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Wide Receivers

• Keenan Allen, San Diego Chargers (ribs): The matchup isn't ideal, but keep him active.
• Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (knee): That Chargers secondary is a great matchup for him out of the gate.
• Terrance Williams, Dallas Cowboys (back): He participated in practice Friday, so consider him fine.
• Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos (thigh): The loss of Wes Welker (suspension) makes him extremely important here.
• Riley Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles (ankle): The Jacksonville Jaguars matchup makes him a must-start option.
• Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts (knee): The oldest starting wide receiver in the NFL figures to need some time before he is considered 100 percent coming off reconstructive knee surgery.
• Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills (ribs): The Chicago Bears secondary isn't threatening, but neither is sophomore quarterback EJ Manuel.

Tight Ends

• Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins (thumb): That Houston Texans matchup is just too juicy to sit him.
• Charles Clay, Miami Dolphins (knee): Perhaps an alternative for Rob Gronkowksi (knee) owners.
• Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals (shoulder): He will be more important to fantasy lineups down the road.

Kickers

• Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland Raiders (quad): You shouldn't own this guy because of an expected shaky offense.
• Caleb Sturgis, Miami Dolphins (groin): He is a solid young kicker, but the matchup isn't great against what should be a shutdown Patriots defense.
• Josh Scobee, Jacksonville Jaguars (quad): You cannot trust his offense to position him to score at this point.

Question Marks

TE Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots (knee)

Gronk looks headed for action, even if limited, after he made the team's trip to Miami, according to Jeff Howe and Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. Gronk will still need to be cleared before game time, so expect to have to wait until the 11:30 a.m. ET inactives are out. If Gronk is active, he should play for fantasy owners since it will take just a short touchdown pass for him to be better than your alternatives at tight end.

Andre Ellington, Arizona Cardinals (foot)

No matter what his status winds up being for Monday Night Football, you should not trust him in fantasy lineups before Sunday's deadline unless you own Jonathan Dwyer or another MNF back to replace him.

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers (ribs)

He was a full participant in practice, so you should expect him to play. This is not an injury to mess with if you have a solid alternative to start in his place, though, particularly on the road against a rugged Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that can get after him.

Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers (calf)

He was limited in practice Friday, but Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News tweeted he is expected to play. That matchup against a woeful Dallas Cowboys defense is just too enticing to sit him.

Cecil Shorts, Jacksonville Jaguars (hamstring)

He is too big of a question mark to trust in lineups at this point. Even if he plays, his hamstring isn't 100 percent.

"I don't want to jump too far ahead of ourselves and says it's a strained hamstring or he's out for two weeks," head coach Gus Bradley told ESPN.com's Michael DiRocco. "It was brought to my attention [Thursday] he has some tightness, so until we get all the faces we'll [wait to] decide."

Kenny Stills, New Orleans Saints (quad)

He was limited in practice Friday, so expect him to be a true 1 p.m. ET game-time decision. That is an intriguing matchup, but you should have a safe alternative to use in most leagues.

De'Anthony Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs (hamstring)

The rookie speedster was listed doubtful, and you shouldn't need him in fantasy until the bye weeks anyway.

Start 'Em

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

You shouldn't be overrating the matchups too much in Week 1 because we just cannot be sure which matchups are truly favorable and unfavorable until things begin to unfold this season. The players you drafted to be your starters should be active in fantasy lineups out of the gate.

Below is a matchup-based play at each position. If you want more in-depth analysis, check out B/R's Week 1 Predictions.

QB Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers

The Dallas Cowboys defense was the second-worst of all time a year ago and suffered heavy losses that should make it even more favorable for their fantasy opponents this season. Kaep and the 49ers didn't have a great preseason, but this matchup is too good to ignore. Expect huge numbers from him this week.

RB Chris Johnson, New York Jets

Forget the timeshare with Chris Ivory. Johnson should be a productive fantasy option in his Jets debut at home against the Oakland Raiders, a West Coast team playing on the East Coast at 1 p.m., which tends to be a tough thing for those from the Pacific time zone. The Raiders were a bottom-five defense against fantasy running backs a year ago, per FFToday.com.

WR Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers

Just like with Kaepernick, this matchup makes most of your 49ers no-brainers. As noted in the injury report slide, Crabtree should play despite a calf issue. He should be good for five catches for 80 yards and a touchdown.

TE Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers

Tyrann Mathieu, aka the Honey Badger, is going to play in his return from reconstructive knee surgery, but you have to like Gates' size advantage if Mathieu tries to match up with him down the seam and in the red zone. Mathieu is 5'9" while the future Hall of Famer Gates is 6'4". The Cardinals were by far the worst team in fantasy against tight ends a year ago, per FFToday.com, perhaps because of Mathieu's size at safety.

New York Jets D/ST

This might be Rex Ryan's least impressive Jets defense in his regime, but this matchup makes this unit a great play, particularly with rookie Derek Carr making the start in his NFL debut. The Oakland Raiders and Carr figure to struggle here, particularly with Ryan dialing up confusion.

Sit 'Em

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

The only way you should use matchups to decide your Week 1 lineup is if you have a number of viable options from which to choose. Here is one player at each position to be wary of this week.

QB Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

The New England Patriots figure to be one of the most improved defenses in football this season, particularly in the secondary with the addition of Darrelle Revis. You might like Tannehill's 2013 performances against the Pats, but this is a new year, and Revis changes a lot of things. You shouldn't be starting Tannehill outside of deeper, two-quarterback formats this week.

RB Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers

The Arizona Cardinals run defense is one of the NFL's best, finishing No. 1 against the run last year. The Cardinals were the toughest in fantasy against running backs last year, per FFToday.com. You might want to avoid Mathews if you have a viable alternative.

WR Mike Wallace, Miami Dolphins

He should be better in his second season with the Dolphins, but you cannot like his prospects against Revis and the Pats. We should fully expect Revis to keep Wallace out of the end zone and limit him to single-digit points in fantasy.

TE Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears

The Buffalo Bills don't have safety Jairus Byrd any longer, but they should still be a tough matchup for opposing tight ends. The Bills allowed the second-fewest receptions (57) and fewest yards (595) to the position last year, per FFToday.com.

New Orleans Saints D/ST

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and the aforementioned Byrd make the Saints defense intriguing in fantasy, but this unit is a better play at home. We should fully expect a shootout between Drew Brees and the Atlanta Falcons' Matt Ryan here.

Sleepers and Busts

USA TODAY Sports

We already warned fantasy owners of those Green Bay Packers playing on the road against the Seattle Seahawks' Legion of Boom in B/R's Week 1 Predictions and recommended some matchup-based sits in the previous slide, so this week's Ultimate Guide is going to focus more on the sleepers than busts.

Here are a few nuggets from those predictions that might help fantasy owners fill out lineups in deeper leagues:

Five Week 1 Lineup Sleepers

• WR Stevie Johnson, San Francisco 49ers: Load up against the Dallas Cowboys defense this year. Johnson might get more looks with Michael Crabtree (calf) at less than 100 percent, too.
• TE Ladarius Green, San Diego Chargers: The Arizona Cardinals were so bad against tight ends last year, you have to like even Antonio Gates' backup as a breakout candidate this week.
• RB Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers: Frank Gore isn't injured...yet...but the matchup makes Hyde a solid flex play in his debut.
• RB C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills: The Bears might be better against the run, but they were so bad last year (dead last), Spiller should be considered a must-start option.
• WR Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles: We expect a productive return from reconstructive knee surgery, particularly against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that was in the bottom 10 against the pass a year ago.

Five Week 1 Lineup Busts

• QB Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins: A marginal option against Darrelle Revis? No, thanks.
• QB Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers: A rib injury, game-time decision and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should be enough reasons to find an alternative.
• RB Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers: See Sit 'Em slide.
• WR Mike Wallace, Miami Dolphins: Welcome to Revis Island.
• WR Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Panthers secondary is not a great one to debut against.

Last-Minute Waiver Options

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

We couldn't even get to Sunday of Week 1 before running backs off the waiver wire became all the rage in fantasy football. First, Eddie Lacy's concussion Thursday night might make James Starks a popular addition off waivers next week, then the aforementioned reports of doom for Andre Ellington led to Jonathan Dwyer being the most-viewed player in fantasy, per CBSSports.com's roster trends.

Here are some of the best fantasy additions to consider from the news of the last 48-72 hours leading up to Sunday's 1 p.m. kickoffs:

• RB Jonathan Dwyer, Arizona Cardinals: Even if Ellington plays, which NFL insider Ian Rapoport tweeted is still a possibility, Dwyer is going to get carries and perhaps goal-line chances.
• WR Stevie Johnson, San Francisco 49ers: As stated in previous slides, Michael Crabtree's calf and the Dallas Cowboys' woeful defense make Johnson's 49ers debut a lot more intriguing in fantasy.
• RB Benny Cunningham, St. Louis Rams: ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner is among those rekindling the Zac Stacy bust talk. Cunningham might be getting a bigger piece of the St. Louis Rams' run-heavy offense than originally planned.
• WR Josh Gordon, Cleveland Browns: He won't be reinstated this year in our opinion, but ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold is stirring up talk that might be a possibility if the NFL hammers out a new drug policy soon. It is a Hail Mary for the long run, but might as well stash Gordon on your bench...again.
• RB James Starks, Green Bay Packers: ProFootballTalk.com's Mike Florio reported Lacy is already past the first step of the NFL's concussion protocol, but Starks still will be an important handcuff in fantasy. Lacy has proved to be a weekly injury risk.
• TE Tim Wright, New England Patriots: Even if Rob Gronkowski plays Sunday and all 16 games, the pass-catching Wright is going to be a burgeoning threat in Tom Brady's historically tight end-friendly attack.
• K Shayne Graham, New Orleans Saints: He was released and then re-signed to collect the kicking points for one of the NFL's most productive offenses. You should consider him a solid start in all leagues for as long as he holds down the Saints kicking duties.

Follow @EricMackFantasy

Eric Mack, one of the giants among fantasy writers, is the Fantasy Football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, where you can ask him endless questions about your team, rip him for his content and even challenge him to a head-to-head fantasy game.