'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After months of waiting, the 2018 NFL season is finally here! We have spent countless hours deliberating about which players are going to do well, and which ones are going to fail. Tonight sees the reigning Superbowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles host the Atlanta Falcons in a juicy matchup to start the season.
In this week's round of games, there will be players that surpass expectations, as well as those that fail to deliver the fantasy points that their owners expect of them. Here I take a look at the latter. Some call it ‘Start or Sit’, I call it Studs or Duds.
Jimmy Garoppolo
The much-hyped Jimmy G has a tough start to the season, as he takes his San Fran 49ers to Minnesota to face the Vikings. The Vikings had a very strong defensive unit last season, which has been strengthened even further through the draft and free agency.
The Vikings D/ST is projected to be the number 2 scoring fantasy D this season. Jimmy G had a TD to INT ratio of 7:5 in his 6 games last season. Those kind of numbers are not going to be enough to get it done for the fantasy owners that drafted him as a top 10 QB.
Amari Cooper
Amari Cooper is a strange one. There was so much hype surrounding him after he was drafted with the 4th overall pick in 2015, yet he hasn’t quite lived up to most people’s expectations. That is despite recording back to back 1000 yard receiving seasons in 2015 and 16.
Last year Cooper struggled with injury and was the recipient of some poor QB play from Derek Carr, culminating in Cooper recording just 680 receiving yards. So he could do with a nice easy start to the season, right? Well unfortunately for Cooper, he gets to play the LA Rams, who boast possibly the best CB unit in the league.
They recruited both Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters who can shut down any top-class receiver on their day. This could be a rough start for Cooper and the whole Oakland team.
Robby Anderson
Robby Anderson had a breakout campaign in 2017. He forged a great rapport with Josh McCown that resulted in 63 receptions for 941 yards and 7 TDs. This season though, it’s a completely different set up in New York.
The 3rd overall draft pick was used to select QB Sam Darnold, who will lead out the Jets for a week 1 matchup against the Lions. One reason I have Anderson on this list is that I think it will take a few weeks to build a genuine rapport with Darnold. The other is that Anderson is likely to be covered by Lions CB Darius Slay, who led the league in interceptions in 2017 with 8. It could be a tricky matchup for Anderson this week.
LeSean McCoy
Shady has had an eventful offseason in Buffalo, but let’s focus on what has happened with the Bills offense. The Offensive Line has been torn apart due to the departures of Cordy Glenn, Richie Incognito and Eric Wood. This has made the O Line one of the weakest in the league, on paper.
We caught a glimpse of that in the preseason when Josh Allen was sacked 5 times in the first half by the Bengals. McCoy will still receive a great volume of rushes and receptions, but it may be tricky getting anything going behind a woeful line, just ask the 2017 Seahawks RBs. He also gets a tough matchup against the impressive Baltimore Ravens D, who will look to make it a rough day for Shady and Nathan Peterman.
Carlos Hyde
It looked as though Carlos Hyde had landed in a decent spot this offseason, when he signed with the Cleveland Browns. His only competition was Duke Johnson, who is a passing down specialist and no real threat to Hyde’s early down work.
Then the Browns went and drafted Nick Chubb in the second round of the draft. Chubb comes into Cleveland with a lot of hype after a stellar few years in college. Hyde should be locked in for the early down work in the first few games, but after then I’d expect Chubb to really eat into his work.
With a week 1 match against the Steelers, Hyde’s work could be limited due to the Steelers being in the lead for the majority of the game. This could force the Browns to throw more, meaning Johnson could get more playing time than Hyde. I am steering clear of Hyde in week 1.
