As most football fans wrap up their fantasy football drafts and as the season approaches, many players go undrafted in leagues that turn out to be fantasy stars.
Today, we will review players/defenses that are rostered by less than 55% of fantasy football leagues (stat from Yahoo Sports) that should be claimed for your week 1 matchup. Let’s go:
1) Los Angeles Chargers Defense at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 1 Matchup: @Cincinnati Bengals
The Chargers have one of the top defenses in football. Their monstrous pass rush, headlined by Joey Bosa, who signed a record-breaking contract this offseason, paired with their amazing secondary is a combination that is unmatchable.
In week 1, the Chargers face off against rookie QB Joe Burrow. This is not a delightful matchup for Burrow. He will be harrassed behind the Bengals subpar offensive line, and will be throwing the ball against one of the best secondaries in football. Lucky for Burrow, Derwin James is out, but the Chargers still got plenty of other options. This game will not be a very nice welcome for Joe Burrow.
A top-tier defense against a rookie QB. What more can you ask for? Expect plenty of sacks, some interceptions, and possibly some forced fumbles. This defense is a must-start.
Only rostered by 46% of leagues (According to Yahoo Sports)
2) QB Derek Carr vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 1 Matchup: @ Carolina Panthers
Carr is a high-end QB 2, and a possible QB 1 this week. Carr is going up against a Carolina defense, who has Donte Jackson starting at CB 1, Tre Boston at FS, and not much more secondary depth with experience and talent. Henry Ruggs, Darren Waller, and many other Raiders receivers should have a field day in his first career game against this atrocious secondary.
On top of this, the Panthers have 2 rookies on their defensive line. Now, I’m not saying this is a bad thing, as Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos are great players, but you can’t expect them to be pass-rush stars off the bat. The Raiders offensive line is one of the league’s best, and will be a very difficult task for the Panthers new rookie defensive linemen. The loss of the defenses leader, Luke Kuechly, doesn’t help either.
Carr completed 70% of his passes in 2019, and finished as QB14 in fantasy. If Carr can limit his amount of turnovers, which shouldn’t be much too ask for considering his matchup, Carr can put up mid-QB 1 numbers this week. I could see Carr having a similar number of points to guys like Kyler Murray, who plays San Francisco this week. Add him to your team if you need a QB, it’ll be worth it.
Only rostered by 17% of leagues (According to Yahoo Sports)
3) WR Desean Jackson at Washington Football Team
Week 1 Matchup: @ Washington Football Team
Desean Jackson is not only a waiver wire pickup you should be making for week 1, but rather for the entire season.
As many may know, the Eagles are very limited at the WR position. Their depth only goes as far as guys like Jalen Reagor, Alshon Jeffery, Marquise Goodwin, and of course, Desean Jackson.
Desean Jackson should have better seasons than all of these guys. For starters, him and Alshon Jeffery were the only 2 on the team last year, and understand the system while having chemistry with Wentz. Desean had 2 TDs in 3 games, while Jeffrey had 4 TDs in 10 games. Jackson was clearly much more efficient. You can expect a lot of balls from Carson Wentz thrown to Jackson.
Jackson should have a high-TD year in 2020, and can bring weekly low-end WR2 to high-end WR3 appeal to your team. Jackson’s match-up against the Washington Football Team also helps with his week 1 appeal, as Washington isn’t very strong at CB. If you’re in need of a WR, Desean Jackson is the way to go.
Only rostered by 52% of leagues (According to Yahoo Sports)
4) RB Nyheim Hines at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 1 Matchup: @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Hines is in for a solid amount of snaps and a good fantasy week against Jacksonville.
Since 2018, Hines has had the 8th most receptions amongst all NFL running backs, with 107. With the Jaguars new defense, you can’t expect them to stop much of that.
Many may be scared of the Colts 3-RB backfield, but I’m a fan of Hines this week. As it is only week 1, you can expect significantly fewer snaps for Jonathan Taylor, as they will need to work him into the system. Meanwhile, Mack will lead the running game, as Hines will dominante receptions out of the backfield. We all now Philip Rivers loves his receiving backs. Just look at Austin Ekeler from 2019!
Hines should be a consistent option, and could even line up as a slot WR for some snaps. Hines will have plenty of snaps, and will be very efficient in PPR leagues. Hines has a very high ceiling against this terrible Jacksonville team. If you plan to gamble on him, there is a possibility he has a 15-20 PPR point game this week
Only rostered by 17% of leagues (According to Yahoo Sports)
