Fantasy Football Week 1: Big Board and Advice for Thursday Night Football
You know, I can't wait to write an article in which my opening line doesn't pertain to a "countdown" to the fantasy football season.
With that said, the NFL season kicks off in under 24 hours (from the time you read this).
The two teams that will be taking the field? The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots. These are two teams that have a plethora of players who will be starters on your fantasy team not only for this week but pretty much the entire season.
So let me just say this—if you're going into tomorrow night with any questions or concerns, you're reading the right article.
The big board, a fantasy breakdown of each player, sleepers, injury report, start or sit, what each player had for dinner. OK, not that, but you get it—we've got you covered.
Let's start with the big board.
Top-10 Big Board
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Here's your top-10 big board for Thursday Night:
| Rank | Player | Pos. | Team |
| 1 | Antonio Brown | WR | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2 | Rob Gronkowski | TE | New England Patriots |
| 3 | Tom Brady | QB | New England Patriots |
| 4 | Ben Roethlisberger | QB | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 5 | Julian Edelman | WR | New England Patriots |
| 6 | Dion Lewis | RB | New England Patriots |
| 7 | Heath Miller | TE | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 8 | Markus Wheaton | WR | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 9 | Danny Amendola | WR | New England Patriots |
| 10 | DeAngelo Williams | RB | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Starting Quarterback
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Heading into Week 1, "Big" Ben Roethlisberger will be without two top playmaking options—Le'Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant. While he won't have those two to throw (or hand the ball off) to, he still has the 2014 No. 1 overall wide receiver in Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and ol' reliable—tight end Heath Miller.
Besides all the off-field drama that has been going on with the New England Patriots, let's face it—they lost some key defensive playmakers. Who, you might ask? You know, just both their starting cornerbacks—Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner. With them departing, this presumably leaves the Patriots with Logan Ryan and Superbowl 49 hero Malcolm Butler starting. Not exactly Revis and Browner, right?
Given that he is without two big weapons—and oh, you cannot forget his center, Maurkice Pouncey—Roethlisberger won't be the highest-scoring fantasy quarterback (but not by much) in this game.
However, what both quarterbacks have going for them is that this game should be a bit of a shootout.
Projections: 26-of-36, 285 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT
It's hard not to like Tom Brady this week. Whether it be for analytical reasons or just the narrative of "Oh no, like, look out, I bet he's mad."
Besides all of that, looking at the Steelers depth chart on defense, you'll quickly recognize this team won't feature the same hard-nosed Steelers defense we're used to seeing. The Pittsburgh Steelers' presumed starting corners are Cortez Allen and William Gay, but newly acquired Brandon Boykin will play a role.
This is also a team that has lost a ton of leadership—specifically safety Troy Polamalu. Taking Polamalu's place will be Syracuse University product Shamarko Thomas.
Now, I know it was the preseason, but it's hard to ignore just how badly Thomas performed. I could be wrong, but you tell me—is being targeted five times, not defending a single pass and giving up three touchdowns good? No, I didn't think so.
Another player to keep in mind is my No. 6 player overall for this game—New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis. He'll provide Brady with a lot of easy completions and be a very valuable passing-game asset with LeGarrette Blount, the other Patriots running back, being absent due to suspension.
Say what you want about Tom Brady, but he's going to pick this defense apart even without one of his top wide receiver options in Brandon LaFell.
Brady will shine bright like a diamond on Thursday Night Football.
Projections: 32-of-43, 325 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT
Running Backs
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Pittsburgh Steelers Starter: DeAngelo Williams
Well, I'll never write DeAngelo Williams as the Pittsburgh Steelers' running back ever again, so that was kind of weird and cool to write.
Let's be real here—temper expectations for Williams. How many carries do we really expect him to get? As I said before, this game will be a shootout, which will really limit the ground game for both teams since, let's be honest, neither team has the greatest ground game going into this contest.
DeAngelo Williams hasn't seen 15 carries in a game since Week 15 of the 2013 season, when he got exactly 15.
For what it's worth, the New England Patriots ranked fourth this preseason in terms of run defense.
Don't expect a ton from Williams Thursday night.
Projections: 11 carries, 41 yards, 0 TD; 1 reception, 6 yards
Pittsburgh Steelers Backup: Dri Archer
Honestly, he could potentially have more fantasy points than DeAngelo Williams because of his ability in the passing game.
This guy had 10 carries all of 2014. Don't expect much from him.
Projections: 0 carries; 2 receptions, 17 yards
New England Patriots Starter: Brandon Bolden (maybe?)
Damn you, Patriots. It's hard to say who the starter will be, but Bolden seems to be the logical choice. Not to anyone's surprise, the starting running back for the Patriots will not have the most fantasy points at his respective position—that belongs to Dion Lewis.
Shootout. That's what I've been referring to this game as, and I'm going to stick with that. Bolden should see some carries, regardless if he is the starter. Focus on Dion Lewis this week—not Brandon Bolden.
Projections: 9 carries, 30 yards, 0 TDs
New England Patriots Backup: Dion Lewis
Finally! The man, the myth, the legend—Dion Lewis. If you're in a points-per-reception league, I fully expect him to help you win this week.
The New England Patriots lost a pivotal pass-catching option during the offseason in running back Shane Vereen, and per usual, they may have found a gem in Dion Lewis.
While I don't expect him to see a ton of carries, he'll make up for it in the passing game.
Obviously, you're playing your studs this week, but Lewis is intriguing.
Projections: 2 carries, 9 yards, 0 TDs; 5 receptions, 40 yards, 1 TD
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Wide Receivers
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I feel bad for whoever covers Antonio Brown Thursday night.
Even without fellow Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant and running back Le'Veon Bell, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will rely on this guy early and often.
Coming off a season in which he was targeted, like, a million times (actually, 192 times, which is insane), I expect Antonio Brown to pick up right where he left off—catching a ton of passes and scoring touchdowns.
Projections: 10 receptions, 130 yards, 2 TDs
Pittsburgh Steelers: Markus Wheaton
By far the lesser of the two evils (to opposing defenses) at the Steelers wide receiver position, Wheaton is no slouch.
Of course, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes that, regardless of Martavis Bryant's presence, Wheaton is the true No. 2 wide receiver in this offense.
Expect Wheaton to benefit from the double coverage that will be on Antonio Brown and have a fairly productive game.
Projections: 6 receptions, 65 yards, 0 TDs
Pittsburgh Steelers: Darrius Heyward-Bey
With Martavis Bryant suspended, DHB will be tasked with trying to somewhat fill those (big) shoes.
We didn't see much of Heyward-Bey last season, but what we do know is that he has been very underwhelming overall since entering the league in 2009.
I'm not sure how much I believe what Big Ben has said regarding Heyward-Bey, as reported by Ray Fittipaldo of the Post-Gazette (h/t NFL.com).
Projections: 2 receptions, 25 yards, 0 TDs
Pittsburgh Steelers: Sammie Coates
Welcome to the NFL, Sammie Coates.
The supposed deep-threat ability doesn't alter the truth about this guy: He's raw and not completely ready. During draft season, he had a hard time tracking the deep ball. He needs more polish (or numerous injuries/suspensions) before we can start talking about fantasy relevancy.
Projections: 1 reception, 12 yards, 0 TDs
During the time New England Patriots wide receiver Brandon LaFell is on the physically unable to perform list, Edelman should see ample opportunities to succeed.
The former seventh-round quarterback-turned-wide receiver prospect is coming off the season of his life in 2014 in which he saw just over 120 targets and over 90 receptions during the regular season. Edelman will produce mighty fine for your fantasy squad Thursday night.
Projections: 8 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD
New England Patriots: Danny Amendola
Danny Amendola is in a really good spot. Not only is LaFell hurt, but he's coming off one heck of a playoff run in which he was thrown at 16 times, hauling in 11 of those for 137 yards and three scores.
Amendola will prove to be a solid points-per-reception player in LaFell's absence.
Projections: 5 receptions, 45 yards, 0 TDs
New England Patriots: Aaron Dobson
After being stuck in the Twilight Zone in 2014, the Patriots have seemingly no choice but to play Dobson. In terms of "pecking order," however, I can't see Dobson being high on that list.
You probably don't own him, which is logical.
Projections: 1 reception, 10 yards, 0 TDs
New England Patriots: Matthew Slater
We're digging deep here, and we're going to find nothing.
He's a fantastic special teams player but hasn't been targeted in the regular season since 2011. Need I say more?
Projections: 0 receptions
Tight Ends
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Pittsburgh Steelers Starter: Heath Miller
Coming off a 2014 season in which he finished 11th in terms of fantasy points in points-per-reception leagues, don't take Heath Miller for granted.
In 2014, quarterbacks targeted him almost 90 times. Miller will see an uptick in production, targets, receptions and pretty much every statistical category as we await the returns of wide receiver Martavis Bryant and running back Le'Veon Bell.
Right now, he's in the driver's seat to be the third pass-catching option, and he'll run with that opportunity and produce.
Projections: 3 receptions, 30 yards, 1 TD
Pittsburgh Steelers Backup: Matt Spaeth
Primarily a blocking tight end, Spaeth will see little to no action in the passing game. He's more valuable helping an offensive line that is without center Maurkice Pouncey.
Projections: 0 receptions
New England Patriots Starter: Rob Gronkowski
I'm not even sure what kind of a breakdown is needed to describe this guy. It honestly doesn't matter how good the opposing team is against tight ends or anything like that. This guy is matchup-proof.
See what he's doing in the picture? Well, that's how he celebrates touchdowns. He'll be doing that Thursday night, too.
Projections: 10 receptions, 140 yards, 1 TD
New England Patriots Backup: Scott Chandler
There's a lot of love for Scott Chandler, and rightfully so.
After catching nearly 50 balls in 2014 during his time with the Buffalo Bills, and scoring a touchdown in the preseason, many people are speculating the New England Patriots will return to optimizing two tight ends. It seems that's where they are headed.
Projections: 3 receptions, 40 yards, 0 TD
Defense/Special Teams
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Pittsburgh Steelers' Defense/Special Teams
I Have to return to the term "shootout."
That's exactly what this game will be. Neither team will be particularly active (statistically) on the defensive side of the ball—especially the Steelers.
With the new additions and new roles on defense, the Steelers will hope to come out of this one with a win—but not because of their defense.
Projections: 30 points allowed, 2 sacks, 0 INT, 0 FF
New England Patriots' Defense/Special Teams
While their secondary is questionable, this front seven is pretty darn good. They'll give the Steelers fits on the ground game, but it's hard to see a pick-six or anything exciting like that happening.
This will be a close game, but the Patriots defense will hold on long enough to come out with the win.
Projections: 21 points allowed, 3 sacks, 0 INT, 1 FF
Best Sleeper Adds
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I'll make this clear: These are long shots. However, as previously mentioned throughout this slideshow, this game could turn into a shootout. If these secondaries produce how we expect, we could see a freak touchdown.
1. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers (Owned in 0.2 percent of ESPN leagues)
With fellow wide receiver Martavis Bryant and running back Le'Veon Bell out, Heyward-Bey may need to get involved. I don't have him projected well, but in a game that could be a high-scoring affair, Heyward-Bey has a (very small) chance of finding pay dirt.
2. Aaron Dobson, Wide Receiver, New England Patriots (Owned in 1.5 percent of ESPN leagues)
Like Heyward-Bey, Dobson will be expected to step in for injured Patriots wide receiver Brandon LaFell. Yeah, I'm probably digging deep on both guys, but hey, isn't that the definition of a sleeper?
Injury Report
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Heading in to the 2015 season, we are hoping the majority of injury reports are minimal. A number of players seem to find the preseason as a great time to deal with lingering injuries, so we hope that very few of those injuries carry over into Week 1. Here's the injury report for the first game of the year. The entire injury report can be found here.
Player | Status | |
Landry Jones | QB | Out |
Fortunately for the Steelers, they head into Week 1 with minimal injuries. Landry Jones isn't Ben Roethlisberger's direct backup anymore. That job belongs to Michael Vick.
Player | Status | |
Bryan Stork | C | Out |
Travaris Cadet | RB | Questionable |
Tavon Wilson | S | Questionable |
Trey Flowers | DE | Questionable |
Heading into this game, the biggest injury between both teams is center Bryan Stork. Not only is he out for this game, but Stork has been placed on short-term injured reserve with a concussion, according to Doug Kyed of NESN.
Sit or Start
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You're obviously starting New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, but like every week, there is always a few guys you may be on the fence about. Here's a bit of help.
TE Heath Miller (Steelers): I have him projected to score a touchdown in what is going to be an entertaining game. He's likely your backup, so don't overreact here, but he's a solid option if you're struggling between a few guys or like to stream the tight end position.
Verdict: Start
RB DeAngelo Williams (Steelers): The Patriots should be a threat to ground games this season, and I think both quarterbacks are going to need to throw to keep up. Opportunity doesn't always equal immediate production.
Verdict: Sit
Follow me on Twitter: @RichardJanvrin.
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