Fantasy Football Projections Week 1: Stars with Best Matchups to Score Big

The moment is almost is here. All the hype and anticipation for the start of the NFL season and fantasy football has arrived. The start of a new year brings with it newfound optimism and the hope that this will be your year to win bragging rights. 

Getting those bragging rights is easier said than done. Despite what your friends may be like away from the fantasy realm, they clamp down when the games start. That means you have to be on your A-game each week. 

An easy way to do that is find the right matchups to exploit, allowing you to score a lot of points in a short amount of time. The more flexibility you have, the easier it becomes to avoid a sluggish start. Here are our projections for the top scorers in Week 1 in standard leagues, as well as the stars who have great matchups. 

Overall Rank	Player	Matchup	Projection
1	LeSean McCoy	vs. Jacksonville	29
2	Peyton Manning	vs. Indianapolis	28
3	Jamaal Charles	vs. Tennessee	26
4	Matt Forte	vs. Buffalo	21
5	Drew Brees	at Atlanta	20
6	Adrian Peterson	at St. Louis	19
7	Nick Foles	vs. Jacksonville	19
8	Colin Kaepernick	at Dallas	18
9	Andrew Luck	at Denver	17
10	Jimmy Graham	at Atlanta	16
11	C.J. Spiller	at Chicago	16
12	Calvin Johnson	vs. New York Giants	16
13	Cam Newton	at Tampa Bay	15
14	Montee Ball	vs. Indianapolis	15
15	Larry Fitzgerald	vs. San Diego	15

Best Matchups

Colin Kaepernick, QB, San Francisco 49ers (at Dallas)

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

There are a lot of questions for the San Francisco 49ers to answer throughout the season, particularly in the first half with Aldon Smith and NaVorro Bowman out of the lineup on defense, but Colin Kaepernick looks like fantasy gold in Week 1 against Dallas. 

Even though 2013 wasn't the breakout season for Kaepernick in the passing game that everyone was expecting, he was hardly useless in fantasy. The 49ers quarterback finished 10th in points among quarterbacks in ESPN standard scoring leagues, ahead of Tony Romo, Nick Foles, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger. 

Now, as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee noted in his roster breakdown, the 49ers have more weapons on the outside in 2014 than at any point in Kaepernick's career:

"

Last season, of course, Kaepernick’s toy chest was decidedly less full, one reason the 49ers finished the season ranked 30th in passing yards. The influx at wide receiver over the offseason is the biggest change from 2013, and it’s perhaps the team’s best hope for surviving what promises to be a challenging start to the 2014 season.

"

Combine an improved 49ers receiving crew that includes Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin, Vernon Davis, Steve Johnson, Quinton Patton and Bruce Ellington with a Dallas defense that was one of the worst in NFL history last season, and it's feast time for Kaepernick. 

Seriously, the Cowboys were terrible on defense in 2013. They allowed the second-most first downs and third-most yards in NFL history, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 

To upgrade their putrid defensive unit, the Cowboys let DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher go. Linebacker Sean Lee tore his ACL in training camp. Cornerback Orlando Scandrick is suspended for the first four games of the year. Defensive end Anthony Spencer has been ruled out this week with a knee injury. 

The 49ers didn't look up to snuff in the preseason, but there's nothing like going up against a depleted defense in the regular-season opener to make everyone forget what happens in exhibition games. Kaepernick is going to go off on Sunday. 

C.J. Spiller, RB, Buffalo Bills (at Chicago)

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

The volume of skill position talent on the field in Chicago when the Bears host the Bills is staggering. Most of it comes from Chicago's sideline with Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. The Bills counter with their own three-headed monster in the form of C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson and Sammy Watkins. 

Concerns about E.J. Manuel's development from last year, stemming from a mediocre preseason that saw him throw just one touchdown with two interceptions and get sacked seven times, make it hard to see big things for the Bills in 2014. 

However, when the quarterback isn't able to make plays with his arm, the running game has to shoulder the load. Fortunately, the Bills have one of the top rushing attacks in the NFL. Spiller is the feature back in a two-back system that also features Fred Jackson, assuming he can stay healthy. 

While a long-term health prognostication would be nice, our focus is on Week 1. Putting Spiller, who averaged 4.6 yards per carry in a down season last year, against a Bears defense that was last in rushing yards allowed in 2013 seems like a good way to get your groove back. 

Dustin Hockensmith of PennLive.com argues that Spiller's chances for a huge game are strong because the Bears didn't do anything substantial to upgrade their problems on the interior of the defensive line:

"

He gets a friendly opponent to begin that quest against a Bears defense that was steamrolled on the ground last season and ranked last in the NFL in both run defense (161.4 ypg) and opponents' rushing average (5.3 ypc). The interior of the unit went largely unimproved in the offseason, giving Spiller and Fred Jackson a shot to run wild.

"

Even if the Bears are able to load the box on Buffalo, waiting for Manuel to prove he can beat them down the field, Spiller is going to touch the ball a lot in this game. He's also going to return kicks in this game, so it would be an upset if he didn't have at least 12-15 points in standard scoring leagues.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals (vs. San Diego)

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Even though he's lost the consistent dominance that made him one of the most valuable fantasy players regardless of position in previous years, Larry Fitzgerald still ranks among the better wide receivers in the game. 

In a down 2013-14 season, the Arizona wideout still had 82 receptions, 954 yards and 10 touchdowns. While no one is calling for a return-to-prime year with 100-plus catches, 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns, everything lines up for him to get off to a strong start in 2014. 

Fitzgerald and Arizona's deep-passing game are going up against a San Diego secondary that lacks size and allowed the fourth-most passing yards in 2013. The Chargers enter this year that has four cornerbacks listed at 5'11" or shorter and weighing 201 pounds or less. 

By comparison, Fitzgerald is listed at 6'3" and 218 pounds. He doesn't even have to be precise running routes to get receptions in this game. All he has to do is wait for Carson Palmer to throw the ball up and outmuscle the smaller San Diego secondary. 

This is a matchup that should have fantasy owners salivating. You can worry about Fitzgerald in other games against better, physical defenses. This week, just sit back and reap the rewards that the Cardinals star wideout will provide. 

If you want to talk sports, hit me up on Twitter. 

Follow @adamwells1985