15 bold predictions for Super Bowl 51
By John Buhler
10. The first guy to score a touchdown won’t be a fantasy darling
With two MVP-level quarterbacks and strong running games, we’ve assumed that there will be a ton of points to be had in Super Bowl 51. While that could be the case, would it be all that shocking if somebody got into the end zone first that you’ve never heard of?
It’s not going to be players like Edelman, Jones, Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman, LeGarrette Blount, Martellus Bennett, or even Mohamed Sanu that scores the first touchdown. In all likelihood it will be some guy that would have gotten your fantasy team zero points this season because he was irrelevantly hanging out on waivers.
We’re looking at a third-string tight end, a fullback, or a team’s No. 6 wide receiver getting the first touchdown of Super Bowl 51. Diehards of the respective fanbases may have heard of the first guy to find pay dirt, but the rest of the country will ask the same rhetorical question, “Who???”
Don’t rule out the possibility that the first touchdown comes from either the defense or the special teams. A pick-six from a dime back or return touchdown from the special teams can be on the table. The stars will be out on Super Bowl Sunday, but some dude you’ve never heard gets his team on the board first.