Fantasy Football – Week 1 Start ’em Sit ’em

Here is your fantasy football Week 1 Start ’em Sit ’em list of bold predictions. Every week Fantasy Couch will give you players to start and players to bench for your fantasy football league. Proper maintenance and being aware of your weekly matchups is key to winning the championship. Use this as a guide to help you with your setting your lineup but make sure you keep up with all our most recent fantasy football articles to really be prepared for Week 1 of the 2011 NFL season!

Matthew Stafford DET

Is their any other player that is entering this season with as much fantasy hype as this guy. I’m hearing predictions that he will be a number 1 fantasy quarterback by the end of the year, while I think that that might be a bit of a stretch, I do think he will be a solid number 2. Stafford will have his good weeks but also some horrible weeks and that won’t be good enough to be a true number 1 QB. But lucky for us, this will be one of his good weeks. He has looked real good in the preseason and will continue that success against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. He has plenty of weapons to throw to in Calvin Johnson, Jahvid Best, and Brandon Pettigrew; which the Bucs don’t have the talent to cover. Expect him to be throwing often, finishing the game with 310 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Ryan Mathews SD

Last year this guy was not the guy we thought he was going to be, this year he will be that guy. In the last four games of the 2010 season he scored 5 touchdowns and averaged 74 rushing yards. In the final two preseason games of 2011 he scored one touchdown and averaged 73.5 rushing yards. The sophomore running back finally understands what he’s suppose to do. His week one matchup against the Minnesota Vikings will definitely be the launching pad for a very productive 2011 NFL season. The Vikings no longer have the two Williams’s to clog the lane. Expect Mathews to have a great first game rushing for 92 yards and one touchdown. He will aslo help out in the passing game with 4 catches for 42 yards.

Brandon Lloyd DEN

I bet you were just as surprised as I was last year on the season this guy had. He was an afterthought in many drafts last year, you may have been mad that you even drafted this guy, but boy was he fantasy gold. He had career numbers all across the board in catches, receiving yards, touchdowns, and yards per catch. Don’t hesitate to start Lloyd as he looks to continuing that success in week one against the Oakland Raiders. Lloyd will make the Raiders miss Nnamdi Asomugha, the only reason the Raiders defense ranked no. 2 in against the pass. Lloyd will shred the Raiders secondary and prove that he is no one year wonder. He will end the game with 9 catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

Joe Flacco BAL

What a way to start your season, facing the vaunting Steel Curtain. I don’t see Flacco having much success against the Steelers defense. In six career regular season games he is averaging only 214 yards and one touchdown versus this defense. Very little will change this time around, especially with a healthy Troy Polamalu roaming in the secondary, and those linebackers coming up the middle and around the edges. Expect Flacco to throw for 189 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

Maurice Jones-Drew JAC

Since 2009 when MJD became the starting running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars he has had a difficult time facing the Tennessee Titans at home. In 2 career games in Tennesse, Jones-Drew has amassed a total of 71 rushing yards and one touchdown. Another factor working against MJD is the fact that he is coming off major knee surgery. I expect coach Del Rio to limit MJDs carriers to start the season so that those knees will hold up all season. Lastly, let’s not forget that Luke McCown is starting so expect the Titans to load the box and force McCown to beat them rather than MJD. This week MJD looks like a bust racking up only 55 yards and no touchdowns.

Reggie Wayne IND

He was a must start until news broke that Peyton Manning will be missing the first game in his career. This will hurt Wayne in week one because he is facing a new look Houston Texans secondary. They added a couple of new pieces with CB Jonathan Joseph and S Daniel Manning and new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips who will game plan to shut down Wayne. Since, Peyton will not be behind center, I expect a long and frustrating day for Wayne; 5 catches for 49 yards and no touchdowns.

Arrelious Benn TB

Josh Freeman’s favorite targets are WR Mike Williams and TE Kellen Winslow, but keep a close eye on Benn as defenses may start to pay more attention to Mike Williams this year.