The Week 1 matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and the Buffalo Bills features two teams that upgraded their running games in the offseason. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 1: Colts-Bills featuring Frank Gore, Andrew Luck and LeSean McCoy
We break down the Week 1 matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and the Buffalo Bills.
Indianapolis Colts
If the Indianapolis Colts had a weakness last season on the offensive side of the football, it would have been the running game. Ahmad Bradshaw, Trent Richardson and others did the best they could, but this year the team’s backfield belongs to Frank Gore. Gore joins the team after spending the first 10 years of his career with the San Francisco 49ers. He is coming off four straight seasons of at least 1,100 rushing yards. In Week 1, Gore faces a tough Bills defense that will make him work for yardage. That being said, he should be able to find open space against the Bills considering he has the benefit of one of the league’s best passing games around him.
The biggest reason for that prolific passing game is quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck proved that he’s a fantasy superstar last season. He finished 2014 with a career-high 40 touchdown passes and 4,761 passing yards. Luck will undoubtedly face his share of challenges in Buffalo, but there really isn’t a defense in the league that can stop him consistently. He’ll be locked and loaded to dominate the entire season for fantasy owners, and it all starts with Week 1.
Buffalo Bills
If the Bills are going to compete with the high octane offense of the Colts on Sunday, wide receiver Sammy Watkins needs to have a big day. Last year he impressed people in training camp and the preseason with one-handed catches, and he carried that buzz into the regular season. The Bills quarterback situation has been unsettled for a number of years now. The potential of Tyrod Taylor under center this season has Watkins fans hoping for a strong connection between the two players.
When Watkins isn’t busy trying to catch bombs, the ball will likely find itself in the hands of running back LeSean McCoy. McCoy had a solid year with the Philadelphia Eagles last season, but it was a decline from his dominant 2013 season. He gets to play in front of a better offensive line in Buffalo, which should help him get off to a better start this year. McCoy is dealing with a hamstring injury, but the coaching staff expects him to play in Week 1.
