2010 Fantasy Football Week 1: Start ‘Ems
Published by Allie Fontana - Bruno Boys on September 11, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The 2010 NFL season kicks off on Thursday night with a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship Game, and fantasy football owners also hope to get off to a fast start this season. No one has a proverbial “stud” at every position, therefore a couple of well-chosen starters can often lead to victory in certain weeks. On that note, here are the Bruno Boys’ “Start Ems” for Week 1.
QUARTERBACKS-START ‘EM
Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) @ Kansas City
Despite the current absence of wide receiver Vincent Jackson and offensive tackle Marcus McNeill, Rivers still has plenty of weapons at his disposal, most notably star tight end Antonio Gates and wide receiver Malcom Floyd. Newly acquired wide receiver Patrick Crayton could also help some, while running back Darren Sproles, who has a great track record against Kansas City, is a swing pass option for Rivers out of the backfield.
The Chiefs added playmaking safety and first-round pick Eric Berry to bolster their weak secondary, but not much else. Kansas City’s front seven has had trouble generating much of a pass rush, and the Chiefs have a lot of young, unproven talent in key spots on the defense. Rivers owned the Chiefs in two games last season, throwing for 585 yards and five touchdowns. His Week 1 matchup against the Kansas City makes Rivers a must start and his production should make his fantasy owners happy.
Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears) vs. Detroit
New Bears’ offensive coordinator Mike Martz brings his pass-happy scheme to the Windy City in 2010, and Cutler stands to benefit. Cutler threw 26 interceptions in his first season in Chicago, which overshadowed his 3,666 passing yards and 27 touchdowns. He gets a favorable matchup in Week 1 against a Lions’ defense that ranked dead last against the pass and intercepted just nine passes in 2009. Sunday could be the start of a happy and productive marriage between Cutler and Martz, which is something that Cutler’s fantasy football owners would gladly celebrate.
Kevin Kolb (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. Green Bay
Kolb takes over as the Eagles’ starting quarterback and on field leader of Andy Reid’s pass-heavy offense. The Green Bay Packers have a tough defense overall, however, their secondary will take the field without two starters, cornerback Al Harris (knee) and safety Atari Bigby. Kolb has a nice array of weapons at his disposal including wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, tight end Brent Celek, and playmaking running back LeSean McCoy out of the backfield. He could find success in the air provided the Eagles’ offensive line does a good job of protecting him. Philadelphia may struggle to move the ball on the ground against a Packers’ defense that ranked first in the NFL against the run in 2009. That should lead to plenty of pass attempts from Kolb this week, and he could be forced to throw the ball more often than not should the Eagles fall behind.
See the rest of our 2010 Fantasy Football Week 1 Start Ems here…2010 Week 1 Start Ems
Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com
