Fantasy football advice, Week 1: Who to start/sit for Buccaneers vs. Falcons
Dan Ciarrocchi reviews who needs to be in your fantasy lineup or on the bench for an NFC South showdown
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Start ‘em
Fantasy owners should be cautioned to not put too much stock into preseason results, but it’s hard to not get excited about what Jameis Winston did in his preseason dress rehearsal. If the Buccaneers continue to thrive in this up-tempo attack, Winston could enjoy monster numbers at the expense of a suspect Falcons secondary. Winston deserves low-end QB1 consideration for Week 1.
Game flow could potentially sap Doug Martin’s upside, but he’s a worthy talent capable of dismantling a middling Falcons run defense. He’s squarely in the RB1 conversation.
Start ‘em?
Mike Evans has one of the highest ceilings in fantasy football, but it’s his floor that leaves owners concerned after he experienced somewhat of a sophomore slump. He draws a tougher matchup with cornerback Desmond Trufant, but the Falcons don’t boast much in their secondary aside from him. The Buccaneers will find ways to get Evans the ball, but this may not be the picnic his owners are imagining at first glance.
Charles Sims deserves flex consideration in PPR leagues after touching the ball nine times in each of these team’s last two meetings.
Sit ‘em
Austin Seferian-Jenkins presents tantalizing upside, but as long as he’s sharing snaps with Cameron Brate, neither can be considered worthy lineup options. Vincent Jackson presents upside in this matchup, but the 33-year-old receiver likely isn’t a top-three option on fantasy teams in 10 or 12-team leagues.
Atlanta Falcons
Start ‘em
There continues to be murmurs of a timeshare between Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, but until that manifests on the field, fantasy owners who invested a high-round pick in Freeman need to put the No. 1 running back of 2015 into their lineups. Additionally, Julio Jones is Julio Jones, which is all the reason required for him to be in lineups this week.
Sit ‘em
Matt Ryan has the yardage and volume to eventually reenter the QB1 conversation, but until the touchdowns get back to appropriate levels, he can safely remain on benches across the board. Mohamed Sanu is an option to cash in on this volume, but deserves consideration only in deeper leagues.
