Football is here! At 8:20 pm on September 5th, the 2018 season kicks off, and all the madness begins. The first week of the season is always unpredictable in the fantasy world, but each new week brings its own surprises. Week in and week out there are players that come out of nowhere to post huge numbers. There are also players that fall flat on their faces. This article aims to identify those surprises. Each week in this column you will find at least one bold prediction, and one "wildcard" player spotlighted. The wildcard player will be someone each week who isn't really on the radar who has the opportunity to return colossal value- if you have the guts to start him.
BOLD PREDICTION: VERITAS
Harvard has been fielding a football program since 1873. In that 145 years, the Crimson has produced precisely zero NFL Hall of Fame players. Ryan Fitzpatrick will not be their first. He crushed the Wonderlic though and, if you are streaming quarterbacks or have Carson Wentz on your roster, will be a Top-12 quarterback in week one. How's that for bold?
The oft-bearded Harvard alumn finds himself under center against one of the league's better defenses in the Saints, on their home field, to start off the season. While that isn't great for the Buccaneers, it IS great for Fitz. In his career, Fitzpatrick has averaged over 18 fantasy points per game. That is knocking on the door of being a Top-12 quarterback to begin with. Yes, the Saints are sound, and should easily win this game. That means big things for a Bucs passing offense that will need to air it out to keep up. Fitzpatrick will have a bevy of passing targets at his disposal and one of the most critical allies in all of fantasy football: garbage time. Fitzpatrick wioo be Fitzmagic one last time for fantasy players.
BOLD PREDICTION: GO MACK GO!!
Dateline: Monday the 10th of September 2018.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is once again telling Packers fan to R-E-L-A-X. They don't believe him. He doesn't believe himself, either.
Ok, it won't be that bad after Sunday night, but the Packers are going to lose their home opener against their oldest rivals. That is great news for Bears fans but bad news for fantasy owners of Packers players.
The reality is that McCarthy is a middling coach and his team is perpetually devoid of quality talent at the skill positions. Only Rodgers' immense talent and sheer will have kept them in the playoff picture over the past several years. Rodgers is older now, and full of fractured collarbones. He is throwing to Davante Adams, who has had one good season in his four-year career. The ghosts of Randall Cobb and Jimmy Graham will be roaming the field during Packers games, haunting the 34 rookie receivers the Pack drafted to address the fact that they don't have any good receivers. Aaron Jones is arguably their most talented running back, but he won't be playing in this game.
If this bunch were quarterbacked by Andy Dalton, they would be projected as a four-win squad. Rodgers is good enough to keep them competitive this season, but they face a stout challenge in week one against what should be one of the best defenses in the league. If newly acquired world-beater Khalil Mack is ready to go, Aaron Rodgers will have a very rough day.
You can't sit Rodgers or Adams, but I wouldn't be in a rush to play to Graham, or Williams, or Montgomery, or Allison, or Moore, or Valdez-Scantling, or St. Brown or anyone else on that offense.
WILDCARD!!!!
The Kansas City defense did not play well in the preseason. The secondary is dreadful when intact and they will be without Eric Berry for their season opener on the road against a potent Chargers offense. Philip Rivers should have no problem exploiting this KC defense.
The Chargers have a ton of fantasy weapons at their disposal, most notably Keenan Allen and Melvin Gordon. Many drafters were high on both Mike Williams this offseason as well. But what about the Chargers' forgotten deep threat, Travis Benjamin? The Chargers are paying Benjamin an outlandish $6 million a year to blast right by the kind of inferior corners and safeties that Kansas City will trot out on Sunday. We saw him torch the Raiders' laughable secondary for a 62-yard score in week 17 last year, and he had a good offseason. That was enough for the Chargers to keep him on the roster despite his costing $7 million against the cap.
Most weeks Benjamin won't be startable in your league, which is why he is available in 98% of Yahoo leagues right now. This is a home opener in week one, and the Chargers will be looking to make a statement over their divisional rivals, though, and his game is almost tailored for Benjamin's particular skill set. You better believe that he is looking to justify his place on this roster, too. Benjamin won't be a target hog, but he could catch three balls for 112 yards and two tds against this Chiefs defense and make you look like a genius for starting him.
