Fantasy football 2019: week 1 – BOOM or BUST
Fantasy Football 2019: Week 1 – BOOM or BUSTRejoice! The 2019 fantasy football season is finally here! Heading into Week 1, we’ve got the premier of our weekly, season-long series “BOOM or BUST…”
This week, we’ve got plenty of juicy match-ups to kick-off the year, including the Baltimore Ravens against what could be a league-worst Miami Dolphins defense, the Seattle Seahawks in a smash-spot against the Cincinnati Bengals, plus more! Also, If you want to catch up some fantasy “bold predictions” before the regular season is underway, be sure to check out the series here.
"DISCLAIMER: “BOOM or BUST…” isn’t exactly a “Start or Sit” column. I identify and provide analysis for players who aren’t a top-tier starting option that I believe will exceed expectations – and also those who will fail to meet them. It should be remembered that these picks are done at the beginning of the week, so better options may surface as the week progresses and we get a better idea on various injuries and player situations. Use your best judgement and keep tabs on news updates around the league up until kickoff on Sunday… Without further ado, let’s dive right into this week’s matchups!"
Fantasy football quarterback
BOOM:
Lamar Jackson, BAL @ MIA
After taking over as Baltimore’s starting quarterback in Week 11 last season, Lamar Jackson‘s 130.4 fantasy football points over that seven-week stretch ranked seventh among all quarterbacks, averaging 18.6 fantasy football points per game.
Jackson, while not an elite passer, is as good as they come at churning out yards with his legs, ending the season with 695 rushing yards (highest of any QB). While he should progress as a passer this year, the team’s running game may be even stronger this year thanks to the signing of Mark Ingram, who owns a 2.9 YPC after contact since 2014 (third-highest among RB’s)
If you drafted Jackson this year, you’ll be rewarded right off the bat in a beautiful match-up against the Miami Dolphins, who gave up the seventh-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks last season (19.9 FPPG).
More importantly, the Dolphins had a tough time stopping running QB’s in 2018, allowing the third-most rushing yards per game to the position. After impressing in a short window last year, expect Jackson to start 2019 with a bang.
BUST:
Aaron Rodgers, GB @ CHI
In 2018, Aaron Rodgers was very un-Aaron-Rodgers-like where he managed just six top-10 fantasy weeks at the quarterback position. While he turned-in an impressive 25:2 TD to INT ratio, his completion percentage (62.3) and total quarterback rating (56.8) were some of the lowest marks of his career.
Not entirely his fault, Rodgers was surrounded by a poor supporting cast and butted heads with ex-head coach Mike McCarthy most of the season, suggesting maybe he can return to form in 2019.
While Rodgers should bounce-back this season under new head coach Matt LaFleur, he’s going to have to wait until after Week 1, where he’ll face the dominant Chicago Bears defense on the road.
Last time Rodgers played his division-rival at Soldier Field, he managed just 13.5 fantasy points. Under new DC Chuck Pagano, the Bears are going to blitz Rodgers relentlessly. Throughout 2018, Chicago surrendered an average of just 14.5 FPPG to QBs (second-fewest in the league), making this a match-up to steer-clear of on opening week.
Sleeper:
Matthew Stafford, DET @ ARI
Giving Matthew Stafford the benefit of the doubt after playing most of 2018 with broken bones in his back, there’s a chance he can start this season off on the right foot against a mediocre Arizona Cardinals secondary that’ll be missing All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson.
Coming into the season, Stafford gets another year of Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. along with newly-added first-round pick T.J. Hockenson. Stafford’s not the sexiest choice, but you can definitely do a lot worse in Week 1.