With the 2012 NFL season already in swing, I’m sure plenty of you have squared away your fantasy lineups for the weekend. If you need some extra help, however, I’m here to provide you with some insight on who will be having a big Week 1.
Quarter Back: Matt Schaub. Week 1 is always one of those rare occasions when everyone on the Texans is healthy. They also happen to be playing the Dolphins’ depleted secondary, which doesn’t hurt. I would advise you to get the most out of this offense while you can.
Running Back: Rashad Jennings. Oh, Maurice Jones-Drew. With two years left on your contract, you decided to hold out for more money, and now you will be riding the pine for most of week 1. All of this is good news for back-up Rashad Jennings. Jennings will be thrust into this rush-heavy offense against the measly Vikings. I would expect big numbers.
Wide Receiver: Andre Johnson. Did I mention that the Dolphins were bad? Even with a secondary that was frequently torched in 2011, the fish managed to trade away their best cover cornerback. Buy high on the Texans.
Tight End: Owen Daniels. I feel like a broken record. You want Texans Week 1. I don’t know any other way to explain this, so I wrote a little rhyme: “When the Dolphins are in town, throw to anyone, easy touchdown.”
Kicker: Jay Feely. The best fantasy kickers are on teams that fail to move the ball after passing the opponent’s 35-yard line. While I have plenty of confidence in Beanie Wells, the Cardinals’ quarterback situation scares me. His is an offense that was born to stall.
Defense: Kansas City. The Chiefs have a lot of upside this season, with plenty of players coming back from injury. The most important addition will be safety Eric Berry, who made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season. Couple that with the fact that Kansas City is now coached by defensive genius/teddy bear Romeo Crennel, and things are looking up for the Chiefs.
As much as we love to laud over the statistics of winners, there also has to be a loser this weekend.
Loser: BenJarvus Green-Ellis. The Law Firm — formerly Boston Legal — is a decent enough running back. He is mostly proficient around the goal line. The problem for Mr. “look-at-me-I-have-four-names” is that he will be going up against the Ravens defense on Sunday. While Baltimore may not have a great pass rush anymore, they can still stop the run. Green-Ellis will not fumble, he never does, but he will be served a face full of Haloti Ngata every play inside.