Not happy with your fantasy football draft? Looking through countless of undrafted players can be pretty jarring, especially if you don’t know much about them. Thankfully, the experts are here to give you a clue on which players to add to your fantasy teams right before Week 1 of the 2015 NFL Season. Take a look as the experts touch on each position from quarterback to defense.
Fantasy Football Expert Guide Pickups for Week 1 of the 2015 NFL Season
Bleacher Report
Position
Pick 1
Pick 2
Pick 3
Quarterback
Tyrod Taylor
Joe Flacco
Marcus Mariota
Wide Receiver
Brandon Coleman
Rueben Randle
Phillip Dorsett
Tight End
Heath Miller
Brent Celek
Larry Donnell
Running Back
Christine Michael
Matt Jones
Josh Robinson
Defense
Indianapolis Colts
Minnesota Vikings
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kicker
Brandon McManus
Josh Lambo
Mike Nugent
Matt Camp of Bleacher Report walks us through his top pickups for the first week of the 2015 NFL Season. He touches on everything from quarterback to kicker as well as the defense. Camp is high on a couple of dual-threat quarterbacks in Week 1, going with Tyrod Taylor of the Buffalo Bills as well as rookie and last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Camp expects Taylor and Mariota to put up 220-230 passing yards in Week 1, with one or two passing touchdowns. The two should also manage to run for 40-50 precious rushing yards against some weak defenses in Week 1 to help give you plenty of fantasy points. Speaking of rushing yards, Camp also gives us three viable running backs in Christine Michael, Matt Jones and Josh Robinson. The three may not put out plenty of yardage (if at all) right now, but should be solid in the long run.
If you’re looking to boost your team’s performance in Week 1, then Rueben Randle of the New York Giants deserves a look at wide receiver. Victor Xruz is out, so the Dallas Cowboys will be focusing much of their attention on Odell Beckham Jr. Thus, Randle will be given an opening to light up the scoreboard. Camp has Randle finishing Week 1 with six receptions for 72 yards and a score.
Camp is also pretty high on the Jaguars’ defense against a beat up Carolina side. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton will be without top wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, thus being forced to throw to less-talented players in Ted Ginn and Philly Brown. A banged-up Carolina offensive line should also mean a handful of sacks for the Jaguars.
FanSided
Position
Pick 1
Pick 2
Pick 3
Quarterback
Carson Palmer
Running Back
Ronnie Hillman
Dion Lewis
Josh Robinson
Wide Receiver
Stevie Johnson
Leonard Hankerson
James Jones
Tight End
Tyler Eifert
Kyle Rudolph
Defense
Indianapolis Colts
Unlike Camp, FanSided’s Zachary Thompson is going for a proven arm at quarterback in Carson Palmer. The Arizona Cardinals signal caller should be a solid starter for your fantasy team if he remains healthy. Palmer threw for multiple touchdowns and at least 249 yards in games that he didn’t leave prematurely due to injury.
Thompson also gives us three viable sleepers at wide receiver in Stevie Johnson, Leonard Hankerson and James Jones. Johnson racked up three straight 1,000-yard seasons before failing to get even 600 yards in each of his last two seasons. A move to San Diego’s pass-heavy offense should help revitalize his career. Philip Rivers and coach Mike McCoy were high on Johnson this offseason. He should be a solid No. 3 receiver for the Chargers (and maybe your team’s as well).
Hankerson was solid in the preseason for the Atlanta Falcons, showing some rapport with quarterback Matt Ryan as they connected on seven catches for 78 yards. He should be a steal, especially with Roddy White battling injuries. Jones was just another flier on the waiver wire after being cut by the Giants, but Green Bay took him back into Cheesehead nation. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be thrilled to have him back, and you know that could turn any receiver at his disposal into a star.
NFL.com’s Alex Gelhar sure loves them Jaguars as fantasy waiver-wire sleepers. He has a Jaguar in all offensive positions except for tight end, in which he went for Baltimore’s Crocket Gillmore and Green Bay’s Richard Rodgers.
Gillmore should have some success against the Broncos by giving quarterback Joe Flacco a big red zone target standing at six-foot-six. Rodgers should also be solid for Green Bay as one of Aaron Rodgers favorite red zone targets. With Jordy Nelson out for the season due to an ACL injury, Rodgers (the tight end) should have a bigger role in the Packers’ offense. Plus, he has an added edge of catching passes from arguably the best quarterback in the league.
Back to the Jaguars. Gelhar is liking quarterback Blake Bortles, running back Denard Robinson and wide receiver Allen Hurns to have some success this season. Bortles is looking much more comfortable entering this season, especially with some actual NFL-level talent around him like Julius Thomas (when he returns from injury). He has also flashed some of his underrated athleticism, rushing for 42 yards on five carries in the preseason.
Robinson may become the Jaguars’ starter in Week 1, especially with rookie running back T.J. Yeldon missing most of the preseason with a finger injury. Denard looked strong in the preseason and is already an established veteran in the league. If he happens to give way to Yeldon, though, he can still be an efficient third-down back for some goal line snaps.
Hurns should make a big splash much like he did in Week 1 last season when he finished with 110 yards and two touchdowns. He may be up for another explosive start to the season with Thomas out of the lineup for a few weeks and Marqise Lee struggling. The Jags’ No. 1 receiver Allen Robinson should also get more attention from defenses, thus leaving Hurns open for some passes.
