Fantasy Football 2018: 3 Quarterbacks with Favorable Matchups
By Bill Pivetz
Outside of the elite names, there are a few quarterbacks with favorable Fantasy Football match-ups that are worth starting in Week 1.
The start of the 2018 NFL season is right around the corner. There are 13 games scheduled to play on Sunday, including the Sunday night game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. There are some good Fantasy Football games that could see a lot of points and others that could end 10-9. Outside of the top names, there are a couple of other quarterbacks that could have their best game of the season.
Unless you own Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, you may be hesitant to start the quarterback you drafted. Depending on your league format, you could have two quarterbacks that could average 20-plus points per game this season. Which quarterback should you start with a favorable matchup in Week 1?
Marcus Mariota @ MIA
Mariota enters his fourth season with a young receiving corps and a lot of upside. Corey Davis and Rishard Matthews are atop the depth chart. Veteran Delanie Walker is still a red zone threat and Derrick Henry finally has the lead-back role while Dion Lewis will be the passing threat in the backfield.
The Miami Dolphins defense finished 25th in fantasy last season. Outside of Kiko Alonso and Cameron Wake, the front office didn’t do much to improve the defense.
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While Henry may get 20-plus carries, Mariota will feel no pressure in the pocket and throw 35 passes in this game. There is a chance of rain in Miami but the warm weather and number of offensive weapons make this a must-start for Mariota.
Andy Dalton @ IND
Dalton continues to get insulted and ignored. Many people feel he is not a good quarterback. In 109 games, he has just eight games with three or more interceptions in a game. Dalton had a 25-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio last season.
He has AJ Green, Tyler Boyd, John Ross and a healthy (for now) Tyler Eifert to catch the ball. Don’t forget about Giovani Bernard in the backfield.
The Indianapolis Colts were the 28th-ranked defense last season. The defense didn’t score more than 13 fantasy points in any game and gave up an average of 25.2 points per game. There is not a single cornerback that will be able to contain this group of receivers.
Dalton will be able to throw all over this defense in a dome.
Sam Bradford vs. WAS
Bradford is my darkhorse. He comes to Arizona with a pretty good offense around him. Veteran Larry Fitzgerald and running back David Johnson lead the way. Outside of that, though, the offense has some question marks.
The Cardinals lost John Brown and Jaron Brown to other teams and Jermaine Gresham retired. I do like Ricky Seals-Jones as a sleeper tight end.
The Washington Redkins defense allowed 24.2 points per game last season. While the defense recorded 42.0 sacks, the combination of Fitzgerald and Johnson will keep defenses honest. Playing at home will help Bradford as well.
Next. NFL FantasyDraft Week 1 GPP Targets. dark
These three quarterbacks will lead their team to either success or failure in Week 1. With their matchups and weapons around them, I think they will do the former. If you have them on your team, don’t hesitate to have them in your starting lineup.