Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings: Matchups and Projections for Players We Love

The factors demanding attention to win fantasy football games evolve alongside the league each year, but there is one constant: Matchups reign supreme as a key to success.

Owners can have great drafts, play the waiver wire well and understand the little things such as pass-catching backs vs. thumpers and target hogs vs. deep threats.

But such hard work and understanding don’t mean much if owners can’t pick the proper lineups based on matchups. The biggest name isn’t always the best name, with Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas proving that on Thursday Night Football this week by only scoring four points.

Here’s a look at the rest of the slate and the matchups we love.

Week 1 Schedule

Quarterbacks

The quarterback position stands as a solid example from the intro.

Of course Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers is a strong start most weeks, but owners might not expect the same from Derek Carr of the Oakland Raiders.

But Carr quietly finished as a top-13 scorer at the position last year, going for double-digit performances in all but three games.  He starts the season off with a bang this weekend, playing a New Orleans Saints defense that allowed the most points on average to opposing signal-callers last year.

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With Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree and others to work with, Carr looks like the surest lock for strong production this week.

Rodgers has an especially strong matchup, too. He’ll line up against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which almost writes itself. Their defense has improved over the years, but it still coughed up the sixth-most points to quarterbacks last season.

Keep in mind, too, that Rodgers will have Jordy Nelson back in the fray after he missed all of last season. On the chance the Jacksonville offense gets hot, a high-scoring affair means even more production for Rodgers.

Running Backs

Todd Gurley looks like the new face of running backs this year, especially with Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings perhaps slowed now that starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is out of the picture. 

The Los Angeles Rams’ lead man finished fifth among backs last year, thanks to 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie over just 13 games. Included in there is a 20-point outburst against the San Francisco 49ers.

The good news is that Gurley gets those 49ers again this week. San Francisco allowed the second-most points to backs last season, and one of the league’s biggest rebuilds doesn’t stand a …

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