Week 1 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Projecting Top 10 Studs at Each Position for Openers

After the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots provided a nice appetizer, Week 1 of the 2017 NFL regular season goes into full swing Sunday. 

This also means fantasy football is back in our lives. The beginning of the season is filled with hope and optimism for all 32 NFL teams and fantasy owners who believe they've already put together the best roster needed to win a championship. 

Heading into Sunday's schedule, here is the top-10 positional breakdown for the players who will have the most impressive performances. 

Top 10 QBs

1. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (at CLE)

2. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (at CHI)

3. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (at GB)

4. Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans (vs. OAK)

5. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers (at SF)

6. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints (at MIN)

7. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (vs. SEA)

8. Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins (vs. PHI)

9. Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (at TEN)

10. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (vs. AZ)

If you're a fantasy owner with Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback, it's hard not to salivate at the possibilities of what will happen in Week 1 at FirstEnergy Stadium. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers get first crack at the Cleveland Browns, who were the NFL's worst team last season with a 1-15 record. Cleveland's defense won't have Myles Garrett after he sprained his ankle during practice earlier this week.

The Browns did hold Roethlisberger in check last season. He threw for a season-low 167 yards with zero touchdowns in Week 11, and he sat out the regular-season finale against Cleveland. 

Don't let that performance scare you since Roethlisberger will have his full complement of weapons available. Martavis Bryant's return to the starting lineup after he was suspended for all of last season gives Pittsburgh a true home run hitter on the opposite side of Antonio Brown. 

Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota might be underrated at No. 4 because of how bad the Oakland Raiders defense has the potential to be—if you believe preseason stats. 

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff had a field day on the road against Oakland's defense Aug. 19, per Pro Football Focus:

Khalil Mack is awesome on the Raiders defensive line, but he can't play all 11 positions. Mariota has an assortment of playmakers at his disposal, including running back DeMarco Murray and tight end Delanie Walker, to post big numbers in Week 1. 

The health of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has been a hot topic basically since he had surgery on his rotator cuff in March. He's officially listed as questionable against the San Francisco 49ers, despite being a full participant in practice all week. 

Barring some last-minute change in his status, there's no reason to think Newton won't be as close to full strength as possible by game time on Sunday. 

Newton torched the 49ers' defense with a season-high 353 passing yards and four touchdowns in a 46-27 win over them in Week 2 last year.

Top 10 RBs

1. Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers (at CLE)

2. David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals (at DET)

3. LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills (vs. NYJ)

4. DeMarco Murray, Tennessee Titans (vs. OAK)

5. Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons (at CHI)

6. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers (at SF)

7. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys (vs. NYG)

8. Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams (vs. IND)

9. Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers (at DEN)

10. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings (vs. NO)

One reason Roethlisberger only threw for 167 yards against the Browns last season is because Le'Veon Bell ran for 146 yards on 28 carries. The Steelers running back also had eight receptions for 55 yards, so there's no reason to think he won't be the top-ranked player at his position coming out of Week 1. 

Carolina Panthers rookie Christian McCaffrey isn't lacking for praise heading into his first career game. ESPN's Dianna Russini reported the former Stanford star has his own playbook with "a large part of this offense devoted to him."

McCaffrey is starting his career against a San Francisco 49ers defense that was dreadful against the run last season. The 49ers allowed an NFL-high 2,654 rushing yards—371 more yards than any other team—and 25 rushing touchdowns. 

San Francisco does have a new defensive scheme under defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and a talented young line that features three first-round picks with Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Solomon Thomas. 

It's difficult to imagine the 49ers will be worse against the run than they were in 2016, but they have to prove how much better they will be before they raise expectations. 

Top 10 WRs

1. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers (at CLE)

2. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (at CHI)

3. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals (vs. BAL)

4. Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders (at TEN)

5. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (at DET)

6. Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks (at GB)

7. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints (at MIN)

8. Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings (vs. NO)

9. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys (vs. NYG)

10. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers (vs. SEA)

At 34 years old, Larry Fitzgerald remains one of most valuable wide receivers in fantasy football. The Arizona Cardinals star has posted back-to-back seasons with at least 100 receptions and 1,000 yards, and he has 15 total touchdowns during that span. 

If those numbers aren't good enough to convince you Fitzgerald will be one of the top performers in Week 1, Daniel Kelley of the Washington Post offered this nugget:

"In Weeks 1-8, 2015, he averaged 13.0 fantasy points a game. In Weeks 10-17, 2015, he averaged 7.5 fantasy points a game. In Weeks 1-8, 2016, he averaged 11.6. In Weeks 10-17, 2016, he averaged 6.0. Fitzgerald is aging, and the primary way that is manifesting is in a lack of season-long stamina. Against a poor Detroit passing defense, here's betting he starts hot in 2017 again."

The Lions had the NFL's worst pass defense by opponent completion percentage (72.7) and finished 31st with 33 passing touchdowns allowed. 

Not included here is Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants. The team's injury report listed him as questionable for Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys after he didn't practice this week.

Unless the Giants release word that Beckham will play, it would be smart to reach into your depth and put someone else into his spot in your lineup card. 

Top 10 TEs

1. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers (at SF)

2. Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins (vs. PHI)

3. Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans (vs. OAK)

4. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings (vs. NO)

5. Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals (vs. BAL)

6. Martellus Bennett, Green Bay Packers (vs. SEA)

7. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys (vs. NYG)

8. Coby Fleener, New Orleans Saints (at MIN)

9. Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions (vs. AZ)

10. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (at WAS)

Jordan Reed of the Washington Redskins is the kind of player who could easily end up as the top-ranked fantasy tight end by season's end. He just has to stay healthy, which has been a significant problem throughout his career. 

Entering his fifth NFL season, Reed has only reached 14 games once in the past four years. In just 12 games last year, he finished tied for sixth among all tight ends with six touchdowns and 10th with 686 receiving yards. 

Per John Paulsen of Sports Illustrated, Reed has trailed New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski in standard fantasy points per game among tight ends since 2015, but no one has scored more points in points-per-reception formats over the past two seasons than the Washington tight end.

Though he's susceptible to injuries, Reed is healthy and ready to take on an even bigger role in Washington's offense with DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon leaving as free agents in the offseason. 

Martellus Bennett continues to make his own life easier. After catching passes from Tom Brady as a member of the New England Patriots last season, the 30-year-old will get to play with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2017. 

If the Packers weren't going up against a ferocious Seattle Seahawks defense in Week 1, Bennett would place much higher on the tight end top 10. 

One reason to stay optimistic about Bennett's ability to post solid numbers against the Seahawks is his knack for tossing off defenders trying to tackle him, per Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus:

Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron has seemed to be on the verge of a breakout over the past two seasons. He set career highs in receptions (61) and receiving yards (711) in 2016, but having just one touchdown reception dragged down his value. 

The Lions no longer have wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who led the team with eight touchdown catches. Ebron's role should continue to expand, making him a Week 1 fantasy sleeper against the Cardinals defense. 

Top 10 Kickers

1. Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons (at CHI)

2. Dan Bailey, Dallas Cowboys (vs. NYG)

3. Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers (vs. SEA)

4. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens (at CIN)

5. Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts (at LAR)

6. Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers (at CLE)

7. Will Lutz, New Orleans Saints (at MIN)

8. Blair Walsh, Seattle Seahawks (at GB)

9. Dustin Hopkins, Washington Redskins (vs. PHI)

10. Matt Prater, Detroit Lions (vs. AZ)

Top 10 D/ST

1. Houston Texans (vs. JAX)

2. Buffalo Bills (vs. NYJ)

3. Los Angeles Rams (vs. IND)

4. Carolina Panthers (at SF)

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (at CLE)

6. Atlanta Falcons (at CHI)

7. Los Angeles Chargers (at DEN)

8. Arizona Cardinals (at DET)

9. Seattle Seahawks (at GB)

10. New York Giants (at DAL)

There's no sense sweating over which kicker and defense to start in your fantasy lineup. Defense especially is about finding the most appealing matchup on a week-to-week basis. 

The Houston Texans boast one of the top defenses in the NFL, featuring a front seven that includes a healthy J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus, and they are facing Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles. 

It would be an upset if the Texans didn't finish Week 1 as the No. 1 fantasy defense. 

The Steelers and Buffalo Bills are facing arguably the two worst teams in the NFL. Pittsburgh has the honor of welcoming Browns rookie DeShone Kizer to the league. The Bills are facing a New York Jets offense with journeyman Josh McCown at quarterback and a receiving corps featuring Jermaine Kearse and Robby Anderson. 

If you want to put some more thought into kickers, the main distinction to make is figuring out which ones might get a chance for field goals instead of extra points. 

Assuming that's the case, Dan Bailey of the Cowboys or Mason Crosby of the Packers could be more appealing because both have difficult matchups against defenses that don't figure to give up a lot of touchdowns.