Week 1 Fantasy Rankings

By Ryan Lester, LestersLegends.com

Football and whitetail hunting kind of go hand in hand. You think about both all summer long and can't wait for the fall for their respective seasons to begin. While I don't share my brother's passion for deer hunting, I do share his passion for football. Knowing that many deer hunters also are avid NFL fans, and presumably fantasy football fans, he asked me to post some fantasy information to help make Monster Raxx your one-stop fall sports shop. Without further ado, here are my Week 1 fantasy football rankings.

QBs

1. Peyton Manning – 276.3 ypg, 37 TD, 8 INT lifetime vs. Houston
2. Drew Brees – Vikes want revenge, but secondary is a question mark.
3. Aaron Rodgers – The start of what could be a MVP season.
4. Jay Cutler – Had 6 TDs to 0 INTs against Detroit last year.
5. Philip Rivers – 292.5 ypg, 5 TDs, 0 INTs vs. Chiefs last year.
6. Tom Brady – No run game means tons of passes.
7. Carson Palmer – New England secondary in shambles
8. Tony Romo – 200.6 ypg, 12 TDs, 7 INTs in seven games against Skins.
9. Brett Favre – Favre wants revenge. He’ll get it.
10. Alex Smith – 310 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs against Seattle last year.
11. Matt Schaub – 253.5 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs vs. Colts last year.
12. Kevin Kolb – Pack are tough, but playing at home should help.
13. Eli Manning – Won’t be the same without Peppers.
14. Donovan McNabb – Ankle is sore, but has 26 TDs to 13 INTs vs. Dallas.
15. Derek Anderson – St. Louis good way to start DA’s resurrection.
16. Kyle Orton – Jags ranked 27th in passing yards and 26th in TDs.
17. Joe Flacco – Revis signed, but could be rusty.
18. Matt Ryan – Should have hands full against Pittsburgh.
19. Vince Young – He’ll need his feet to get him points against Oakland.
20. Matthew Stafford – Urlacher and Peppers are cause for concern.
21. Matt Cassel – Could be higher if Chargers can’t mount a pass rush.
22. Josh Freeman – Injury concerns are high.
23. Jason Campbell – Ditto.
24. David Garrard – He’s playing at home so there’s a chance he’ll be OK.
25. Dennis Dixon – I’m expecting production with his feet and arm.

RBs

1. Chris Johnson – #1 runner vs. #29 run defense.
2. Adrian Peterson – Wants revenge against Saints.
3. Frank Gore – 308 total yards and 2 TDs against Seattle last year.
4. Maurice Jones-Drew – MoJo faces 26th ranked run defense.
5. Ryan Mathews – Rookie opens against KC’s 31st run defense.
6. Ray Rice – Jets are different unit Pace and with a likely rusty Revis.
7. Steven Jackson – Bradford will lean heavily on S-Jax.
8. Arian Foster – Should be active in what should be a shootout.
9. Rashard Mendenhall – Without Big Ben Pitt will run more against ATL.
10. Michael Turner – Tough draw against Pitt, but is a beast.
11. Beanie Wells – Should light up St. Louis’s 27th run defense.
12. Joseph Addai – 194 total yards and 2 TDs against Houston last year.
13. Jamaal Charles – Will he pick up where he left off. Faces SD.
14. Matt Forte – Great draw against Detroit.
15. Ronnie Brown – Faces 30th ranked Bills run defense. Fast starter.
16. Ryan Grant – Steady production. Faces Philly.
17. Cadillac Williams – Faces Cleveland’s 28th ranked run defense.
18. LeSean McCoy – Should be active in passing game.
19. Jerome Harrison – Faces the Bucs, who were last against the run.
20. Pierre Thomas – Tough draw against Vikes.
21. Cedric Benson – Will Bernard Scott take some of his work?
22. DeAngelo Williams – Will the RBBC with Stewart still be productive?
23. Jahvid Best – Big play potential vs. Bears.
24. Jonathan Stewart – Finally at 100 percent?
25. Shonn Greene – Greene will test whether Baltimore still has it.
26. C.J. Spiller – Could break a long one against Miami.
27. Ricky Williams – There will be plenty for Ricky too.
28. Ahmad Bradshaw – RBBC with Jacobs. I’ll take yardage guy vs. CAR.
29. Tim Hightower – Should be a factor vs. St. Louis.
30. Brandon Jacobs – More likely to score a TD than Bradshaw.
31. Darren McFadden – Should get his chance to shine against Tennessee.
32. Clinton Portis – Tough match-up against Dallas.
33. Felix Jones – Will share with Barber.
34. Thomas Jones – Does the old man still have it?
35. Marion Barber III – Sharing with Felix.

WRs

1. Andre Johnson – Best WR in the game.
2. Reggie Wayne – Still Peyton’s favorite toy.
3. Larry Fitzgerald – Should torch St. Louis.
4. Greg Jennings – I’m expecting big thing from Jennings, starting Week 1.
5. Randy Moss – Always a threat to score, especially at home.
6. Marques Colston – Faces Vikes who have issues in their secondary.
7. Calvin Johnson – Had 14 catches for 219 yards vs. Bears last year.
8. Chad Ochocinco – New England’s secondary is a mess.
9. Miles Austin – 13 catches for 139 yards vs. Skins last year.
10. DeSean Jackson – Stiff neck and facing Charles Woodson.
11. Roddy White – Faces Pitt, who should be better defensively.
12. Michael Crabtree – Should produce against Seattle.
13. Brandon Marshall – New start in South Beach vs. Bills.
14. Dwayne Bowe – Bounceback year starts vs. Chargers.
15. Percy Harvin – Favre will lean on Harvin vs. Saints.
16. Anquan Boldin – Revis is back, but he’ll likely be rusty.
17. Hines Ward – Mr. Dependable faces the ATL (28th vs. pass last year)
18. Steve Smith (CAR) – We’ll find out if the Giants secondary is back.
19. Pierre Garcon – Should be shootout against Texans.
20. Johnny Knox – Kick off Martz era with a bang (vs. Detroit)
21. Wes Welker – Amazing he’s playing already. Brady will use him heavily.
22. Robert Meachem – Brees will find him if he gets open.
23. Mike Wallace – Will stretch the field against Atlanta.
24. Malcom Floyd – Philip Rivers’ top WR facing KC.
25. Steve Smith – Carolina had 4th best pass defense last year.
26. Devin Hester – Faces Detroit
27. Jeremy Maclin – Should benefit by not facing Al Harris.
28. Hakeem Nicks – See Steve Smith (NYG)
29. Lee Evans – If he only had a QB.
30. Mike Sims-Walker – Draws Champ Bailey.
31. Jabar Gaffney – Look for a pile of receptions.
32. Bernard Berrian – Had 9 catches last time they faced the Saints.
33. Donald Driver – How much does the old man have in his tank.
34. Steve Breaston – Faces St. Louis.
35. Mike Williams (TB) – Takes on Cleveland’s 29th ranked pass defense.
36. Jacoby Jones – Houston will need to air it out to keep up with Colts.
37. Braylon Edwards – Will test the Ravens’ defense.
38. Devery Henderson – Big play on the big stage?
39. Devin Aromashodu – Faces Detroit
40. Austin Collie – Manning should feed Collie as well.

TEs

1. Dallas Clark – Had 182 yards and TD against Houston last year.
2. Antonio Gates – Had 173 yards and 2 TDs vs. KC last year.
3. Vernon Davis – Had 143 yards and TD vs. Seattle last year.
4. Jason Witten – Had 160 yards against Skins last year.
5. Jermichael Finley – Monster last year & in preseason. Look out Philly.
6. Brent Celek – Kevin Kolb will use his safety net.
7. Tony Gonzalez – Pittsburgh blitzing should lead to Gonzo check downs.
8. Greg Olsen- 2 TDs vs. Detroit last year.
9. Visanthe Shiancoe – Top red zone target with Sidney Rice out.
10. Chris Cooley – McNabb will lean on Cooley in his Skins’ debut.
11. Zach Miller – Same goes for Cooley’s former QB Campbell in Oakland.
12. Kellen Winslow – Should do well against his old mates.
13. Dustin Keller – Can he build on his playoff success?
14. Heath Miller – Decent match-up against Atlanta.
15. Jeremy Shockey – TEs played well against Vikings last year.