NFL Week 1 Fantasy QB POV: Start Jackson, Prescott; Sit Murray, Jones

After seeing two starting quarterbacks shine in the NFL week 1 opener Thursday night, fantasy football and DFS participants should expect equal or better performances in week 1 from quarterbacks Lamar Jackson of Baltimore, Dallas’ Dak Prescott and Drew Brees of New Orleans.

This season positional talent on fantasy football teams will be categorized as:

• Surefire Starters
• RIding the Bench
• Underrated QB
• Overrated QB
• Sleeper QB of the Week

Surefire Starters

• Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens QB,  was consistently selected as the No. 2 quarterback in the NFL in draft forecasts and fantasy football drafts and he will play well in the home opener against Cleveland.  Jackson may be more successful running rather passing the football as the Browns rated No. 30 in rush defense in 2019.
• Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys QB, is primed to showcase his ability at quarterback this season. He ranked No. 6 in preseason polls and fantasy football drafts.  Expect Prescott to roll out and throw more under new head coach Mike McCarthy.
• Drew Brees, New Orleans QB, faces Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a game where two quality quarterbacks and head coaches match wits.  Tampa Bay’s pass defense was No. 30 last season, so unless they’ve improved the secondary a lot during the off-season, Brees will be able to comfortably throw passes to wide receiver Mike Thomas, running back Alvin Kamara and tight end Jared Cook..  Plus remember that the Saints signed wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders during the off-season.

Riding the Bench

• Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals QB, ranked No. 4 behind quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson, but he and the Cardinals start their season in a road game against the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.  The 49ers defense at home should give Murray a hard time, especially since San francisco’s secondary was No. 1 in pass defense in 2019.
• Ryan Fitzpatrick, Miami Dolphins QB, faces 2019’s second-best pass defense in a road game against the New England Patriots.  New England will start QB Cam Newton who hopes to get off to a strong start on a new team.  Expect the Patriots to rely more on their running attack in this game.
• Daniel Jones, New York Giants QB, finished in the middle of the pack among quarterbacks in draft forecasts and fantasy football drafts.  He starts game #1 of the 2020 season against the stellar PIttsburgh Steelers defense.  For Jones to do well, running back Saquon Barkley has to be productive running the ball and catching passes.

Underrated QB

• Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions QB, has a history of accumulating volumes of fantasy football points.  The problem is he plays for the Detroit Lions who ho have had difficulty surrounding Stafford with quality personnel.  Before being knocked out of ihe 2019 season due to injury, the Stafford-to-Golladay passing combination was getting a lot of attention.  The Lions could reap plenty of benefits if both players stay healthy this season.

Overrated QB

Sleeper QB of the Week

• Mitch Trubisky, Chicago Bears QB,has a 3-0 record as a starter against the Detroit LIons.  Last year he threw for 511 yards and six touchdowns.  Unless Matt Patricia’s revamped Lions defense has a way to shut down the Bears’ offense, Trubisky will remain undefeated in four starts against Detroit.