Forget Labor Day; this is the real holiday for fantasy football
owners: Opening Night of the NFL. To mark the occasion,
I humbly offer this gift — lineup picks for every game of Week 1.
GAME / START / SLEEPER
N. Orleans at Indianapolis
Reggie Bush RB, Saints – Like there’s ever a reason not too.
Anthony Gonzalez WR, Colts – Meet the Week 1 out-of-nowhere breakout.
Baltimore at Cincinnati
Willis McGahee RB, Ravens – Jamal Lewis paved the way. No excuses, Willis.
Mark Clayton WR, Ravens – He won’t be the center of attention.
Arizona at San Francisco
Edgerrin James RB, Cardinals – Now’s the time for the Cards’ new rushing scheme.
Alex Smith QB, 49ers – Weapons, opponent and home field = perfect timing.
Philadelphia at Green Bay
Donovan McNabb QB, Eagles – Talk of his career’s demise should fuel him.
Brandon Jackson RB, Packers – Have Eagles found a run defense? Prove it.
Kansas City at Houston
Ahman Green RB, Texans – You might not see me say this too often.
Jacoby Jones WR/KR, Texans – Chiefs vulnerable in both areas.
Tampa Bay at Seattle
Joey Galloway WR, Bucs – It’s a new day with Jeff Garcia at the wheel.
D.J. Hackett WR, Seahawks – Bucs may be too physical for Deion Branch.
GAME / START / BENCH
Denver at Buffalo
Travis Henry RB, Broncos – Bills gave up 140 ypg. on ground last season.
Lee Evans WR, Bills – A nasty pass defense just got nastier.
Pittsburgh at Cleveland
Jamal Lewis RB, Browns – Traditionally, Lewis does well against the Steelers.
Braylon Edwards WR, Browns – The Browns just settled on a QB.
Tennessee at Jacksonville
Maurice Jones-Drew RB, Jaguars – This could be a slaughter.
Vince Young QB, Titans – Not the right defense to test a new cast.
New England at N.Y. Jets
Thomas Jones RB, Jets – The Jets will push to establish ball control.
Randy Moss WR, Patriots – Missed too much preseason. Wait and see.
Carolina at St. Louis
DeAngelo Williams RB, Panthers – Rams gave up most rushing TDs in ’06.
Isaac Bruce WR, Rams – Let’s see if the old man can hold off Drew Bennett.
Miami at Washington
Ronnie Brown RB, Dolphins – Plenty of times to hold back. This ain’t one of them.
Jason Campbell QB, Redskins – Expect bigger days down the road.
Chicago at San Diego
Bernard Berrian WR, Bears – He’ll surprise everyone outside of Chicago.
Cedric Benson RB, Bears – Controversial, but Bears may be playing catch-up.
GAME / SLEEPER / BENCH
Atlanta at Minnesota
Adrian Peterson RB, Vikings – It’s a tough matchup, but I just have a feelin’ …
Warrick Dunn RB, Falcons – Minnesota was too tough against the run in ’06.
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plthompson@tribune.com
