The Jacksonville Jaguars didn't finish last in the AFC South last year, but only because the Houston Texans imploded; the Jags still managed only four wins. The Philadelphia Eagles, meanwhile, won 10 games to finish first in a weak NFC East. The two teams start their season Sunday in a 1 p.m. ET game in Philadelphia, and predictably, the fantasy intrigue is one-sided:
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 1: Jaguars vs. Eagles
One team won its division, while the other barely won any games. Will the Jaguars and Eagles be closer to each other this season?
Maddie Meyer
Jaguars
Start in every league: ...
Start if you're desperate: Toby Gerhart, Cecil Shorts
Bench: Chad Henne, Jordan Todman, Marqise Lee, Marcedes Lewis, Josh Scobee, Defense/special teams
New Jaguar Gerhart is interesting after his years backing up Adrian Peterson in Minnesota, but you don't want to rely on him if you have a choice. ... Shorts has been battling a hamstring injury in the days leading up to the game, so keep an eye out; if he's active, he's not a bad option for a low-end play.
Henne isn't actually an awful play (he's definitely a better option than Tim Tebow), but if you're stuck with Chad Henne in Week 1, things have gone horribly wrong somewhere. ... If Gerhart hadn't ended up in Jacksonville, Todman might have been interesting, but such is life. ... Lee is going to have to prove himself before he can be trusted in any kind of fantasy matchup. ... Lewis is one of those tight end fillers -- use him on a bye, but don't ever get into a situation where you're counting on him. ... Scobee might be a fine kicker, but he's on a team where we don't get the opportunities to find out. ... The Jaguars' defense ought to improve this year, but it's still subpar and gets a strong Philadelphia offense.
Eagles
Start in every league: Nick Foles, LeSean McCoy, Cody Parkey
Start if you're desperate: Darren Sproles, Jeremy Maclin, Zach Ertz, Defense/special teams
Bench: Riley Cooper, Jordan Matthews, Brent Celek
The stars aligned for Foles in 2013 and he might not be able to recreate that crazy year, but the Jags matchup ought to help him get close in Week 1. ... Can’t think of any reason to even consider not using McCoy. ... Parkey won the job late, but for a team that should score a lot of points, even a late job makes for a usable kicker.
Sproles is very interesting in Philadelphia -- even moreso in PPR -- but I’d prefer to wait a week and see how that “interesting” actually plays on the field. ... Maclin is back, but he’s another guy who it might be prudent to wait and see on after a yearlong absence. ... Ertz is a popular up-and-coming pick, but there are a lot of mouths to feed in Philadelphia. ... The Eagles’ defense is nothing special -- in fact, it’s pretty bad -- but if the Jaguar offense is as bad as it was a year ago, that won’t matter.
There are some who are much higher on Cooper, but I’m out since the good games in 2013 look too fluky. ... Matthews has a lot of potential, but it’s unlikely he’ll get there this quickly. ... Celek is the old reliable, and will get a few passes, but his days of fantasy relevance have passed.
