The 2010-11 NFL season is only a day away, and that means one thing: fantasy football.
Are you looking for week one success? Look no further than my start ’em and sit ’em picks for this week.
Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler struggled in his first year with the team. The Bears have a solid receiving corps, though, and with the addition of running back Chester Taylor, who is an excellent passing option out of the backfield, Cutler will have a litany of targets around him this season.
Of course, Chicago is playing Detroit in week one, which would help any quarterback’s numbers. I see Cutler throwing for 325 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception.
Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Harrison broke onto the NFL scene last season with huge rushing games against Kansas City, Oakland and Jacksonville. With his main competition, Montario Hardesty, out for the season with a torn ACL, Harrison will take the bulk of the carries this season and continue his success.
The Browns play Tampa Bay in week one, which had the worst run defense in the NFL last season. Look for Harrison to get around 150 yards and two touchdowns.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard has been fairly consistent over the last two seasons. He doesn’t throw for a lot of yards, but he is also usually immune to the turnover bug. In week one, he goes up against the Denver Broncos, who had the third-best pass defense in the NFL last year.
Champ Bailey, Andre Goodman, Brian Dawkins and newcomer Perrish Cox will give him fits all day. I think Garrard will end the day with about 250 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has been wreaking havoc in the NFL since he came into the league. He can run as well as catch out of the backfield, and teams simply haven’t been able to stop him.
In week one, the Ravens will play the New York Jets, who touted the league’s eighth-best rush defense and best pass defense in the NFL. Kris Jenkins, Bart Scott, Antonio Cromartie and Darrelle Revis will be a tough matchup for the Baltimore offense, and I believe they will focus on shutting Rice down.
He will accumulate 60 rushing yards, 25 receiving yards and won’t see the end zone this Sunday.