Detroit Lions

Fantasy Football: Which QBs Should You Start or Sit In Week 1?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Finally, fantasy football season is here!

Now let the headaches of trying to figure out who to start and who to sit begin!

Luckily this can help. Let’s find out which QBs you should start and sit in week 1.

START THESE QBS…

Matthew Stafford, DET (@ IND)

Aug 27, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws during the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Stafford could be this year’s Blake Bortles – someone who was drafted late, or not at all, who turns into a top 5 fantasy QB. Even with Calvin Johnson retired, the pieces are there for Stafford to succeed. Offensive Coordinator Jim Bob Cooter revitalized the Lions’ offense late last year and looks to implement a no huddle offense this year, which will give Stafford plenty of opportunities to sling the ball all over the field. This week’s matchup against the Colts should be quite the high scoring affair and it just so happens that the Colts’ #1 shutdown corner, Vontae Davis, isn’t going to play. The Colts defense just isn’t really that good anyways. If you need more convincing about Stafford, how about the fact that he averaged 20.1 fantasy points on the road last year, including at least 20 points in each of his last 8 games to finish the season. Stafford is in for a huge week.

Eli Manning, NYG (@ DAL)

Simply put, the Giants offense looked horrendous during the preseason and Manning failed to throw a touchdown in the two games he played. Also, Manning flat out stunk in his last game at Cowboys Stadium where he only managed 8.36 fantasy points. However, that was last year, and this year the Cowboys are already looking like they have a shaky pass defense. They allowed Ryan Tannehill to throw for 162 passing yards and two touchdowns in week 2 of the preseason and in week 3 Russell Wilson threw for 193 yards and two touchdowns. That is a trend that is going to continue this week as Manning should have no problem putting up 20+ fantasy points against the Cowboys.

Aug 27, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) looks to throw a pass against the Tennessee Titans in the first quarter at Oakland Alameda Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Derek Carr, OAK (@ NO)

Last year it was easy to pick on the Saints defense because they were terrible against the pass. They surrendered more touchdown passes (45) and fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks (23.98) than any other team in the league. That bodes well for Carr, who was excellent on the road last season, throwing for multiple touchdowns in six of eight games and scoring 20 or more fantasy points in four of eight road games. This is going to be a fun game to watch and both Drew Brees and Derek Carr should be going back and forth all game.

Tyrod Taylor, BUF (@ BAL)

Aug 20, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) throws a pass during the first half against the New York Giants at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

If you’re a fan of narratives, this is the game for you as Taylor faces the team that gave up on him and dumped him off to the Bills a year ago. So Taylor should have plenty of revenge on his mind. Last year, Taylor was a pleasant surprise as he showed flashes of brilliance both as a passer and rusher. He averaged the third-most fantasy points per touch among quarterbacks. Taylor also scored at least 20 fantasy points in standard leagues in four of his final six games last year, including three with at least 30 fantasy points. Taylor also averaged 22.6 fantasy points in seven road games last year and he should keep it rolling in week 1 against the Ravens.

SIT THESE QBs…

Aug 13, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) passes against the Tennessee Titans during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Philip Rivers, SD (@ KC)

Rivers might have the best year of his career this year with offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt back with the team, but Rivers’ week one matchup against the Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium is going to be tough. Rivers has averaged just nine fantasy points per game in his last four games against the Chiefs, throwing only two touchdowns compared to five interceptions. It’s week 1 and the Chiefs are without standout pass rusher Justin Houston and safety Eric Berry is just getting back from a hold out, but in Arrowhead, another nine-point fantasy game isn’t out of the question for Rivers.

Andy Dalton, CIN (@ NYJ)

Andy Dalton was on fire last year before a season-ending thumb injury in week 14. This will also mark the first real game that Dalton plays without Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Tyler Eifert to throw the ball too. Jones and Sanu left in free agency and Eifert is injured. The good news is that Dalton still has A.J. Green to throw the ball to. The bad news is that Jones and Sanu have been replaced with Patriots cast-off Brandon Lafell and rookie Tyler Boyd. The last time Dalton played with a scaled down receiving corps was in 2014. That year, he really struggled with only five games with more than 20 fantasy points. You might want to keep Dalton on your bench, at least until Eifert comes back.

Ryan Tannehill, MIA (@ SEA)

Aug 25, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) throws a pass over Atlanta Falcons defense end Jonathan Babineaux (95) during the first half at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

So you’d probably only consider starting Tannehill in two quarterback leagues this week anyways because he’s going up against the Seahawks defense in Seattle. Even though Tannehill is a prime breakout candidate and should have a very good year with new head coach Adam Gase running the offense, this is not the week to start trusting Tannehill. Maybe week 3 against the Browns in the Dolphins’s home opener.

Blake Bortles, JAC (vs. GB)

By now we all know that Bortles was an amazing fantasy quarterback last year. Many owners got him off the waiver wire and used his insanely high pass production to help them into their fantasy playoffs. Remember, Bortles did finish with 4,428 passing yards and 37 total touchdowns racking a whopping 316.12 fantasy points. Of course if you drafted Bortles, all you’re asking for his for him to just repeat last year’s numbers. Unfortunately, the regression monster is coming for Bortles as the Jaguars don’t want to get into an air-it-out game vs. the Packers and will likely use their two-headed running back combo of T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory a lot in this game. Hopefully you’ve got a better option on your bench that you can start this week like one of the guys suggested in the start section up above.

Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for our DFS lineups, college football picks, and the results of our Fantasy CPR expert draft!