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Even if Zach Ertz is a go for Week 1, which we still don't know as he recovers from offseason groin surgery, I'm not sure I start either of them. Brent Celek has a "good chance" to lead the Eagles tight ends in snaps, while Eric Ebron is at best third-fiddle in his offense behind Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate. Ertz has a potentially juicy matchup against the Falcons if healthy, but I would be leary about starting the second string or 1B tight end as opposed to a starter with a better matchup. Names to look at on the waiver wire would be Richard Rodgers or Crockett Gillmore. Rodgers has become a favorite red-zone target of Aaron Rodgers this offseason, and plays the Chicago Bears in Week 1, a team that gave points away to fantasy tight ends like Oprah gives away cars. Gillmore will be the starting tight end for the Ravens in Marc Trestman's system that has been kind to tight ends recently. With no one emerging as the second wide receiver behind Steve Smith, Gillmore could see a healthy amount of targets against the Broncos in Week 1. I'd consider dropping either Ertz or Ebron (probably Ebron) for either of these other options in Week 1.
Please, for the love of all that is holy in fantasy football do not cut Allen Robinson. Yes, Devin Funchess will be forced into a more prominent role and should get a fair amount of looks, but even with Kelvin Benjamin on IR, Robinson will likely command more targets than Funchess. And he'll do more with them. Robinson and quarterback Blake Bortles now have two seasons of work together, and 2015 could be when they blossom into one of the hottest young WR-QB tandems in fantasy football. Funchess still needs to learn to play at the NFL level and barely has any reps with Cam Newton after missing practices and preseason games with a string of injuries. Funchess is the one to drop. I'm pretty sure Matt Harmon would have a heart attack if you dropped Robinson over Funchess.
The Tom Brady-Anquan Boldin side of this trade is arguably the safer of the two, but who plays fantasy football to be safe? Ben Roethlisberger's stock took a hit with the suspension of Martavis Bryant, but once he comes back his offense will return to it's prolific status, and John Brown's ceiling is miles higher than Boldin's for 2015. The Cardinals offense will be much better with Carson Palmer back under center, while the 49ers roster looks like the aftermath of some sort of football rapture. Shoot that trade down and roll with the guys you drafted.
Ugh, this one pains me to write about, because I've never been a fan of Bishop Sankey, but David Cobb hasn't done enough yet this offseason to win the starting job outright. Unfortunately, Sankey will in all likelihood be the opening day starter, so if you're desperate -- and I mean desperate -- for RB production early on, he's the one. But, if you can weather the storm and stash Cobb on your bench for several weeks, the reward could be many sunny fantasy afternoons. Long story short, you can use Sankey in the interim, but I think Cobb has better season-long upside. However, if you can avoid this backfield for the time being, that'd probably be the best course of action. I'd rather roll the dice with Denard Robinson, Matt Jones or Danny Woodhead if he's somehow miraculously available. Those guys all have a quicker path to fantasy paydirt than Cobb.
A lot of Joseph Randle questions came flooding into my mentions when I put out the call on Friday. I've been on the record saying I'm avoiding the Dallas backfield (which could get even murkier if the team acquires Montee Ball, a real possibility), as I'd prefer for these headache-inducing situations to be on the minds of my opponents. But, nevertheless, I'm happy to help all of you out. As for Murray-Randle, I'd lean Murray in this one. The Bengals were gashed on the ground a season ago, and while Geno Atkins is back to his old form, he can't do everything on his own. Murray's combination of size, speed and the fact that he doesn't have Darren McFadden stealing carries should allow him to post a solid fantasy total. As for if I'm comfortable enough to start Randle in the flex, absolutely. I haven't finalized my Week 1 rankings yet, but I imagine Randle will be firmly in the flex-range. He has a nice matchup against a Giants defense that has been decimated by injuries this preseason, making me feel more comfortable about starting an RB who will clearly be in a committee situation.
Absolutely. You'll still have two surefire top-10 (although likely higher) QBs on your roster, and gain one of the most electric players in the NFL. We get a lot of questions regarding trades on Twitter, and what I always try to tell people is that you want to make a trade to better your team, not just for the sake of making a trade. This is one of the cases where you're team is clearly getting better swapping Russell Wilson for Odell Beckham Jr. I'd do that trade in a heartbeat.
The smart answer is a bit of both. And who says you have to wait to pick up a "hottie" on waivers? There are plenty of players I'd swipe right for available in the vast majority of NFL.com leagues, and I listed 15 of them RIGHT HERE. It's better to buy-in early on a potential stud player than waiting around and trying to get him when his stock has risen from a strong early-season performance. Trade-wise, if you drafted the best players available and have a wealth of talented options at one position, then look for someone who has a need at that position (from injuries or poor drafting). They'll be more likely to jump at a trade offer knowing they're already in potentially hot water. This is how I recently flipped LeSean McCoy for Amari Cooper in our NFL Dynasty League. The Cooper owner was very weak at running back, so I took advantage of the situation to get my team a WR1 for the next several years.
The second most asked about player for this mailbag was Sam Bradford. Bradford or Tony Romo? Bradford or Tom Brady? Bradford or Russell Wilson? As for Colton's question, I'd definitely side with Bradford over Cam Newton. As much as I like Cam, he lost his top wideout this offseason and his team could be relying on the run even more. Bradford will be playing the porous Atlanta secondary in the Georgia Dome, which should suit the Eagles' fast-paced offense. Plus, the Eagles defense isn't without holes either, meaning this could easily turn into a shootout. As for the rest of the questions, I'd probably start Bradford over Romo and Wilson for Week 1, too, but can't start him over Brady. Tom Terrific will likely be angry, and I feel for the poor Steelers cornerbacks who are going to have to pay for the troubling offseason Brady endured.
I love Bridgewater as a starting quarterback, and own him on several teams. I think he's going to jump into the top 15 at his position, and has top-10 upside if the touchdowns fall his way and don't all go to Adrian Peterson. If you wait on drafting a quarterback, Bridgewater is a great late-round target who should offer a safe weekly floor. You can also pair him with a high-upside play, such as Sam Bradford, which is exactly what I did in my League of Record. As for Gurley, I thought he was the best back in the 2015 class, and don't mind drafting him and stashing him on my bench. His offensive line is kind of a mess, but he has the talent to overcome that hurdle once he finally sees the field. As for that part ... I know as much as you right now. We're in wait and see mode until further notice.
Look, I know opportunity plays a big part in fantasy football, but let's not overthink things here. When drafting and figuring out starts/sits, the deciding factor should be the more talented player. And in this case, that is far and away Jonathan Stewart. I know, I know, he's been injured! News flash: This is the NFL, people get injured running routes in practice. Drafting and setting your lineup out of fear is never a wise decision. Stewart is a phenomenally talented back who was running as well as any body down the stretch last year. Over the Panthers final seven games (including the postseason), he averaged 5.3 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns. The team won five of those games, and was likely going to be more run-focused in 2015 even before they lost Kelvin Benjamin for the season. Stewart has a very favorable matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars as well, while Alfred Blue will be running on a bad team against the vaunted Chiefs defense. Start Stewart and never look back.
"Hey Arnold!" is definitely the way to go, but there's no need for self-flagellation. Seeing as Harmon and Marcas Grant remain in the dark on the underlying greatness of "Hey Arnold!" I present this excellent think piece from The AV Club. Give it a read and get educated.
Alex Gelhar is a fantasy football writer/editor for NFL.com and lover of cartoons. Talk to him about your favorite animated shows or hit him up with fantasy questions @AlexGelhar.
