By Gene Lesser & Chris Dell
QUARTERBACKS
Rostered in less than 40% of leagues
STREAMER Ben Roethlisberger: Steelers (34.9%) - You know what you’re going to get from this wiley veteran, and that's a man who has the chance to lead the league in pass attempts yet again. Big Ben adds a top tier rookie RB into the fold this season in Najee Harris, a guy who caught 43 passes himself last year at Alabama. In Week 1 the Steelers will need to keep pace with the Bills' high-tempo offense and and get three straight and potentially even juicier matchups after that with back to back home games against the Raiders and Bengals before traveling to face the Packers in Week 5 in another potential shootout. You can wind up streaming Big Ben for longer than you think and receive borderline top 10 numbers in return simply due to the sheer number of pass attempts he will throw up with better health/weapons in 2021.
SLEEPER Ryan Fitzpatrick: Football Team (23.6%) - Fitzmagic comes over to a very talent-laden offense with notable young wide receivers and two running backs that can catch the ball out of the backfield. It’s a recipe for success for the gunslinger against a defense that finished in the bottom third of the league last year in Week 1 against the L.A. Chargers but also an opponent that should keep the Football Team honest with an explosive offense in Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen & Co. Has Fitzpatrick ever had anything close to a receiver as talented as Terry McLaurin, or a running back like Antonio Gibson? The answer is no, and with a defense that will not force Fitz to press the issue and limit his turnovers, the ceiling is certainly there.
STASH Trey Lance: 49'ers (32.1%) - The rookie signal-caller is dealing with a minor finger injury but was still seen throwing with ease during warmups at practice late this week. The rookie had moments where he flashed major upside during the preseason and is in the perfect situation/scheme with Kyle Shanahan. Lance's last full season of football, albeit at North Dakota State, saw him throw for 2,786 yards (28 TD's, 0 INT's) and 1,100 rushing yards (14 rushing TD's). When he gets the starting gig he'll be one of the hottest QB commodities off the waiver wire in quite some time. Add him now - for free - if he's still available on your waiver wire for a future QB1 stud who has a cupcake schedule down the stretch of the fantasy football playoffs.
Rostered in less than 20% of leagues
Zach Wilson (15.8%)
Rostered in less than 10% of leagues
Carson Wentz (7.0%)
Rostered in less than 5% of leagues
Teddy Bridgewater (4.7%)
Tyrod Taylor (3.5%)
RUNNING BACKS
Rostered in less than 30% of leagues
SLEEPER Tevin Coleman: Jets (23.2%): The newly-anointed starter in New York will likely get the early down work and the goal line carries against a middle of the pack defense in the Panthers, one that ranked near the bottom of the league in defending the run in 2020. Coleman's durability is a concern, sure, but for one week in a plus matchup he should definitely be able to return a solid floor in your flex as an RB3
STREAMER Ty’Son Williams/Latavius Murray: Ravens (22.0%/14.3%): The Ravens lost their top two RB's over the last two weeks, leaving Williams as the clear-cut starter for Week 1 against a one of the worst defenses in the NFL in a primetime television spot. Williams is a big-bodied back with above-average athletic talent. In this scheme, with this offensive line, and added opportunity, we could see Ty'Son emerge as a borderline RB1 not just this week, but also in Week 3 against a pamper soft Detroit Lions defensive line. Start him with confidence in your RB2 or flex this week no matter who the Ravens sign off the street, as we expect it to be at least another week or two until a guy like Le'Veon Bell or Latavius Murray can carve out a significant role in this offense. We're adding Murray over Bell here as a back who has hyper-efficient over the last few seasons and can instantly carve out a fantasy-friendly role for the Ravens.
STASH Malcolm Brown/Rhamondre Stevenson: Dolphins/Patriots (21.5%/20.1%): We still don’t know how the Dolphins backfield will play out this season, leaving Brown with a chance to vulture goal-line carries and establish himself as the number one guy in the Dolphins backfield. He may not be worth a start just yet, but a stash is warranted for a guy who was brought in and paid this offseason by the current regime and is playing behind an unproven seventh-round pick who hasn't showed (yet) that he can withstand the workhorse grind of a full season in Myles Gaskin. A similar situations bears monitoring in New England, where Stevenson was the star of the team' s offseason party and and there's simply no guarantee Damien Harris secures a full workload in this offense. The fact New England let go of Sony Michael so fast is a testament to their confidence in Rhamondre and he's (that close) to his chance.
Honorable Mention: Le'Veon Bell 20.3%, Chubba Hubbard 14.6%, Tony Jones Jr. 11.3%
Rostered in less than 10% of leagues
Devontae Booker - Giants (9.2%)
Justin Jackson - Chargers (8.7%)
Darrel Williams - Chiefs (8.1%)
Damien Williams - Bears (6.5%)
Wayne Gallman - Falcons (6.4%)
Ty Johnson - Jets (5.5%)
Rostered in less than 5% of leagues
Kenneth Gainwell - Eagles (3.6%)
Boston Scott - Eagles (3.0%)
Cordarrelle Patterson (2.4%)
Jerick McKinnon - Chiefs (1.8%)
Rostered in less than 1% of leagues
Alex Collins - Seahawks (0.9%)
Larry Roundtree - Chargers (0.9%)
Chris Evans - Bengals (0.7%)
Elijah Mitchell - 49'ers (0.6%)
Jermar Jefferson - Lions (0.4%)
Kylin Hill - Packers (0.4%)
WIDE RECEIVERS
Rostered in less than 40% of leagues
SLEEPER Russell Gage: Falcons (33.4%) - He flashed at the end of the year after Julio Jones’ injury, and now he’s thrusted into the number two wide receiving role in Arthur Smith’s offense. This bodes well for the young receiver who will be going up against a suspect Eagles secondary in a game that has shootout written all over it. Gage's familiarity with Ryan and this offense will be enough to give him high floor in Week 1 as the rookie TE Kyle Pitts gets better acclimated to the offense as well.
STREAMER Randall Cobb: Packers (30.6%) - Reunited with his long-time quarterback, Cobb will fill the slot role on a high octane Packers offense and that familiarity should produce some solid numbers for the veteran against a now shaky Saints secondary that will be busy worrying about stopping both Davante Adams and Aaron Jones. Don't be afraid to stream Cobb this week in full PPR formats given Rodgers' tendencies to stick with the guys he trusts, especially early in the NFL season.
Rondale Moore: Cardinals (20.1%) AND Terrance Marshall: Panthers (21.1%) - The pair of rookie WR's are criminally underowned in fantasy football leagues both shallow and deep this year to start, but they won't be for long. Marshall's reunion with Joe Brady in Carolina instantly gives him the trust factor and opportunity for a massive role playing the slot for the Panthers while Moore steps into a similar situation with 103 targets vacated from Larry Fitzgerald and Kenyan Drake. Both teams went out of their way to draft these guys and have shown in the preseason that they expect big roles for each in their respectively offenses. Don't be surprised for either to challenge for WR2 ranks by the end of the year.
BONUS STASH AJ Green: Cardinals (30.4%) - Coming off an abysmal year in Cincinnati, Green will look to resurrect his career in this high-powered, pass-happy offense and if you're going to stash someone based off talent alone you're practically getting a free square in Green for someone who maybe - just maybe - still has something left in the tank
Rostered in less than 20% of leagues
Emmanuel Sanders - Bills (15.4%)
Bryan Edwards - Raiders (15.3%)
Amon-Ra St. Brown - Lions (11.8%)
Rostered in less than 5% of leagues
Nico Collins - Texans (4.6%)
Marquez Valdes-Scantling - Packers (4.0%)
Desean Jackson - Rams (2.8%
Joshua Palmer - Chargers (2.8%)
Darius Slayton 2.1%
Quez Watkins - Eagles (1.4%)
Dyami Brown - Washington (1.0%)
Rostered in less than 1% of leagues
Deonte Harris 0.8%
TIGHT ENDS
Rostered in less than 40% of leagues
SLEEPER Eric Ebron: Steelers (31.8%) - He faces a defense that allowed the fifth most points to tight ends last year in a matchup that should see plenty of points and red zone opportunities, plus lets not forget Ebron was a borderline top 10 TE all of last year and was drafted around TE20 or later in a lot of fantasy drafts. This guy is still young, was drafted in the first round and is playing for a QB who might lead the league in pass attempts. He could vie for borderline top 10 numbers yet again with just few touchdowns going his way.
STREAMER Zach Ertz: Eagles (26.0%) - It was a forgone conclusion that Ertz would be traded this offseason, but it never came to fruition. The guy is still talented as veteran route runner and saw a lot of targets in the preseason in this new offense. He should see plenty of targets in a game that screams shootout and can provide a safe floor for those who waited in the late rounds of their fantasy football drafts to snag a TE.
STASH Jared Cook/Donald Parham: Chargers (22.5%/0.4%) - With Hunter Henry in New England, it’s the Cook show in Los Angeles, right? He has a tough matchup against a stout Football Team defense, but the targets should be there in a game that could end seeing more points scored than the total would suggest. But let's not forget about former XFL star Donald Parham either, a physical freak with long arms and a massive red zone presence who flashed upside late last year and could usurp the aging Cook as the season progresses. Whichever TE assumes lead duties will have upside in this offense with Herbert under center.
Rostered in less than 20% of leagues
Anthony Firkser - Titans (13.7%)
Gerald Everett - Seahawks (10.2%
Rostered in less than 5% of leagues
Tyler Conklin 3.5%
Dawson Knox 2.9%
Juwan Johnson 1.2%
Chris Herndon 1.2%
Dan Arnold 1.0%
Mo Alie-Cox 0.3%
D/ST
Rostered in less than 40% of leagues
STREAM Miami Dolphins (38.8%): Flores has drastically improved this defense in a little more than one year, taking it from a bottom third unit two years ago to a top-10 unit last year. This defense has talent, especially in its secondary, and they get to welcome a rookie quarterback with limited action to the league in Mac Jones. Start Miami with confidence in this Week 1 road tilt and keep your eye on them for a favorable spot at Las Vegas in Week 3 as well, another stream spot.
STASH Green Bay Packers (22.6%): This defense has the luxury of facing one of the most turnover prone quarterbacks in Jameis Winston, who might be forced to go throw for throw with Rodgers and offer this defensive unit plenty of opportunities for turnovers, not to mention that Green Bay plays the division rival Detroit Lions in Week 2 in a matchup in which they could be ranked easily inside top 5 of fantasy rankings.
Honorable Mention:
Panthers 19.8%
Chiefs 10.2%
Seahawks 7.0%
Giants 7.0%