Fantasy Football Week 1: Sam Bradford and 3 Sleepers Who Will Struggle

The start of the regular season means one thing: Fantasy Football is officially underway.

Okay, it means a lot more than that, but the fantasy season means a lot, to a lot of people.

If you're anything like me, you've spent many hours trying to sort out the top names in the fantasy football world.

But, you've also probably spent time trying to find some good fantasy sleepers. It makes sense; your roster can't be filled with preseason studs if you're in a league with any depth at all. 

But let's take a look at some of those sleepers that need to be avoided in the opening week.

Sam Bradford: I've read a lot of people predicting a shootout in this one. Honestly, I just don't see it.

The Rams don't have the receivers to compete with the Philadelphia secondary. What does that mean for Bradford?

Well, it means that his receivers are going to have a hard time getting open. In turn, he's going to have a hard time throwing for many yards.

Bradford is not a Mike Vick type, he can't beat anyone with his legs. If his receivers aren't open, then he's not going to have a great day.

Steve Smith: If you're not a running back, then you are going to be dependent on another position. Even running backs are dependent, but quarterbacks and receivers are like peanut butter and jelly.

The Panthers have a lot of issues right now at the quarterback.

Cam Newton may go on to have a fine NFL career, but he looks overwhelmed in the game right now. Even if they end up moving to Jimmy Clausen or Derek Anderson, where does that leave Smith?

That's not exactly a strong group of quarterbacks that could be throwing Smith the ball.

The Cardinals don't have a great secondary or anything, but I don't see a big game coming from Smith in this one.

To be fair, I don't expect anyone on the Carolina offense to do much. But to the extent that they will, look for the Panthers to rely a lot on their running attack.

Felix Jones: The Jets defense has proven itself to be very tough in the Rex Ryan era.

I think that will end up hurting the passing attack of Dallas more than the running attack, but I don't see a big game from Jones here.

He's also a quarterback that's reliant on receiving yards. That's where the swarming pass defense will hurt Jones.

If you're in a league that counts return yards, he still may be a viable option, especially in a deep league. But in a 10 or 12 team league with normal rosters, keep him on the bench.