Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Cory Steger
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

So you’ve drafted your team and you feel good about it. Now we’re about to enter Week 1, and suddenly you’re freaking out trying to determine which players you should start and which ones should be benched. No problem, that’s why we’re here. Our weekly Fantasy Football Sit ‘Em articles will let you know which players should be benched for the upcoming week whether they face a tough matchup, are dealing with injuries or are just in a bad situation.

You will notice that some players in our Week 1 Sit ‘Em article are big names; however, only one was drafted within the first four rounds of fantasy drafts this summer. It’s important to consider the matchup for each player. Just because the player is listed in a Sit ‘Ems article doesn’t mean they’re bad or destined for a bad season. It just means this week probably isn’t the best time to rely on them as your starter.

QUARTERBACKS - SIT ‘EM

Matt Cassel (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. San Diego

Some people are riding the Matt Cassel sleeper bandwagon because Charlie Weis is now the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. We’re not going to find out this week if Cassel is a sleeper because he and the Chiefs are facing a San Diego Chargers defense that shut them in 2009. In two games against the Chargers last year Cassel threw for a combined 275 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. Kansas City did get Cassel a few new playmakers in the offseason, such as receiver Dexter McCluster (doubtful for Week 1) and tight end Tony Moeaki, but not much work was done to an already bad offensive line. Stay away from Cassel at all costs this week.

Donovan McNabb (Washington Redskins) vs. Dallas

Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb insists he’s going to be good to go against the Dallas Cowboys; however, his ankle injury is definitely not 100-percent. That’s going to hurt more than McNabb. The Redskins need McNabb to be mobile within the pocket because their offensive line is patchwork at best. That ankle injury kept McNabb out for most of the preseason too, so he hasn’t had much time to fine tune his timing with his new offense. That wouldn’t be a big deal but Santana Moss and Chris Cooley are the only experienced pass catchers Washington has. Devin Thomas, Anthony Armstrong, Joey Galloway and Fred Davis are talented, but would’ve benefited from some extra time with McNabb in the preseason. Don’t expect a disaster of a week from McNabb; however, he won’t do enough for him to be your fantasy starter.

Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) vs. Baltimore

Let’s be honest, New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has looked pretty bad this offseason. Throwing into double and triple coverage, throwing behind his receivers, throwing picks, it just doesn’t appear he’s made the leap from his rookie season that we all thought he would. That’s OK because it’s only his second year in the league. At the same time, the Jets are supposed to be Super Bowl contenders, and the rest of the offense is very talented. It’s unfortunate Sanchez is taking a little more time to develop, and it doesn’t help matters that New York is playing against the Baltimore Ravens this week. Even without safety Ed Reed, the Ravens defense is frightening to play against.

RUNNING BACKS - SIT ‘EM

Michael Bush (Oakland Raiders) at Tennessee

Late in the preseason Oakland Raiders running back Michael Bush broke his thumb. It was rumored that the injury could cause him to miss as much as the first six weeks of the regular season, yet Bush had surgery on the thumb immediately and is trying to get on the field for Oakland’s week one game at the Tennessee Titans. This was already a bad matchup for Bush because of the Titans’ run defense and the game is at Tennessee, but now he faces an even tougher test trying to play with a broken thumb. Realistically, it makes much more sense for the Raiders to start Darren McFadden and limit Bush’s touches heavily because it’s only week one, and there’s no need to rush him back. Even if Bush does play, he’s still not a good start this week and likely won’t garner more than a handful of points.

Justin Forsett (Seattle Seahawks) vs. San Francisco

So the Seattle Seahawks made Julius Jones take a pay cut just to be the third string running back, made Leon Washington the backup and named Justin Forsett as the starter. So Forsett suddenly has value because he’s a starting running back, right? Well, not so fast. This week the Seahawks are playing against one of the league’s top defenses in the San Francisco 49ers, featuring linebacker Patrick Willis. Last year the 49ers ranked sixth in the league against the run and they may be even stronger this year. Meanwhile, there are a lot of questions about Seattle, including the offensive line. Forsett is a starting running back, but at least this week he does not hold much value.

Fred Jackson (Buffalo Bills) vs. Miami

Poor Fred Jackson. The Buffalo Bills running back has a career year in 2009, then sees the organization draft C.J. Spiller in the first round of the draft. If that wasn’t enough, Jackson then breaks his hand before the preseason and is questionable to play in the season opener against the Miami Dolphins. Adding to insult to injury, Buffalo head coach Chan Gailey named Spiller the starter for week one. The thing about Spiller is that he’s looked really good so far for the Bills. As for Jackson, in order to be considered to play in week one he’s going to have to wear a special pad around his hand. Though Jackson and Spiller may eventually split carries, this week will be all Spiller’s.

Clinton Portis (Washington Redskins) vs. Dallas

Aside from the aforementioned problems with the Washington offense, namely the offensive line, Portis is not a good play this week for a couple of reasons. First of all he’s dealing with a sprained ankle that he suffered late in the preseason. It caused him to miss just two practices, but that’s not all. Before that Portis was also dealing with a strained groin. We’ve seen Portis be limited by injuries before so this is no surprise, but it means he is not 100 percent healthy. Secondly, the Redskins are playing Dallas, which had the league’s fourth-best rushing defense last season. There’s a lot working against Portis this week, so it may be best to keep him on the bench for now provided you have better options.