There’s a bit of game theory in this advice. With Marlon Mack most likely out for Week 1, Robert Turbin suspended, and Nyheim Hines struggling mightily in the preseason, the Colts will lean primarily on Wilkins and Christine Michael, who is somehow still roaming around. The Colts face a Bengals team in Week 1 that is better against the pass than the run, and will have Andrew Luck back on the field for the first time since 2016. Bet on them easing their star quarterback back into action, meaning more work for Wilkins. Pick him up this week in your season-long leagues, use him, and then capitalize on the hype that develops afterward by trading him before Mack, Turbin, Hines, and Luck all conspire to render him unhelpful.<doc-sep>Need Fantasy Football lineup advice? Talk to CBS Sports on your Google Assistant to get insights on the best sleepers and to help decide between players. Just start with, "Hey Google, talk to CBS Sports." Editor's note: Welcome to Week 1! We're handling Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em column a bit differently this season. You're still getting the same in-depth analysis as always, we're just presenting a bit differently, in an effort to get it out to you earlier in the day. This column takes a long time to write, and in the past, we've usually gotten it out to you in the evening. This year, we're going to publish it position-by-position, to get it into your hands quicker. Here's Jamey's take on tight ends, kickers, and DSTs for this week. Don't worry: If you want the classic Start 'Em & Sit 'Em, we'll still be publishing that at the end of the day with every position included. For now, here's tight ends, kickers, and DSTs. Tight ends Note: Projections are provided by SportsLine. Start 'Em 11.5 projected points Trey Burton Chicago Bears TE Burton should be considered a must-start Fantasy tight end, but I just wanted to write about him in his first game with the Bears. I'm expecting Mitchell Trubisky to lean on Burton quite a bit, and he looked good in his third preseason game against Denver with four catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. Chicago is going to move Burton all over the offense, and he should have the chance for plenty of positive performances, including this week against the Packers. Burton is headed for a big year and a big week at Green Bay. 10.2 projected points Jordan Reed Washington Redskins TE Reed is healthy for the first time since Week 8 of last season, and hopefully he won't have any setbacks with his toe injury all year. When healthy, Reed is among the best Fantasy tight ends, and he should see plenty of targets from Alex Smith this week. We have yet to see how Smith and Reed will look on the field together in game action since Reed didn't play in the preseason, but Smith has a good track record with his tight ends (see Vernon Davis in San Francisco and Travis Kelce in Kansas City). This could be the start of Reed re-establishing himself as a premier tight end in the NFL. 8.1 projected points Tyler Eifert Cincinnati Bengals TE Let's hope Eifert stays healthy all season because it would be fun to see him perform as he did in 2015 when he had 52 catches for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns in 13 games. He's healthy now, and he's worth using as a streaming option in Week 1 at the Colts. As always, Eifert will likely be touchdown or bust, but I like the Bengals passing game in this matchup behind Dalton, who likes leaning on Eifert when he plays. Consider Eifert a No. 1 Fantasy tight end this week. Sleepers Eric Ebron (vs. CIN): I like both Colts tight ends this week with Ebron and Jack Doyle, and Andrew Luck should lean on these guys as primary targets behind T.Y. Hilton. Rookie safety Jessie Bates could be someone Luck tries to pick on if he's in coverage, and the Bengals are without linebacker Vontaze Burfict (suspension). Ebron could come up big in his first game with the Colts at home. Antonio Gates (vs. KC): Gates is back with the Chargers as the replacement for Hunter Henry (ACL), and he should benefit if Berry is out. He will likely need to score to help your Fantasy team, and he does have two touchdowns in his past three games against the Chiefs overall. Dallas Goedert (vs. ATL): With Alshon Jeffery (shoulder) out, look for the Eagles to be creative and use plenty of two tight-end sets with Zach Ertz and Goedert. He had a strong preseason with nine catches for 149 yards and a touchdown and is worth using as a streaming option in deeper leagues. Sit 'Em 7.6 projected points David Njoku Cleveland Browns TE Njoku should have the chance for a big season in 2018, but he could struggle this week against the Steelers. Pittsburgh was fantastic against tight ends in 2017, allowing the fewest touchdowns to the position with just two. Njoku, in a limited role with a worse quarterback situation, only had four catches for 58 yards on five targets against the Steelers as a rookie last year, but don't expect a quality performance this week. He's a No. 2 Fantasy tight end in Week 1. 6.4 projected points George Kittle San Francisco 49ers TE Kittle isn't even guaranteed to play coming off his preseason shoulder injury, although the early practice reports are positive. However, he might want to sit this one out against the Vikings, who were dominant against tight ends last year. Only three tight ends scored against Minnesota in 2017 and none in the final 11 games. This defense will be difficult for most tight ends again this season, and Kittle at less than 100 percent isn't worth the risk of starting in most leagues. 8.1 projected points Charles Clay Buffalo Bills TE We'll see how the Bills do with Peterman starting, but I don't have much confidence in any of Buffalo's players in this matchup on the road at Baltimore. Clay comes into this game with a 10-game streak without a touchdown. Now, he is more viable in PPR leagues since he should see plenty of catches, and he had four receptions for 24 yards on six targets in the third preseason game against Cincinnati. But that's the typical stat line for Clay, so start him at your own discretion in Week 1. Bust Alert Evan Engram NYG • TE • 88 Projections WEEK 1 PROJECTION 9.7 View Profile Engram is expected to play this week after dealing with a concussion in the preseason, and we'll finally get to see how this Giants offense looks when everyone is healthy.<doc-sep>Our long wait has ended. The seemingly interminable preseason is over. Week 1 has arrived. It’s time to plant our first flags of the regular season with our Week 1 rankings. We’re going to do something a little different this season. Before getting into the weekly rankings this year, 4for4’s John Paulsen and I will have a quick series of debates about a few players on whom our rankings differ for the week ahead. Rankings are great, but you should have the thinking behind them, as well. We’ll give you that every week to help you make your decisions this season. If you want just want to get straight to the rankings, they are immediately after the debates. Matt Ryan, Falcons (Paulsen: QB17, Beller: QB11) Paulsen: Despite my ranking, I’m not super down on Ryan this week. He plays pretty well on the road and all of his weapons are healthy, so he should produce decent numbers in Philly on Opening Night. However, the matchup isn’t good, so his ceiling seems low. Last season, the Eagles were 25th in fantasy points allowed per pass attempt, they yielded the third-lowest yards per attempt and were fifth in interceptions. Ryan offers next to nothing as a runner, so he’s not going to be able to score fantasy points if his receivers can’t get open. Beller: For me, this comes down to a belief that the Falcons are going to win this game. Now, of course, quarterbacks can play poorly in a team win, especially from a fantasy perspective. I don’t think that’ll be the case on Thursday, though. Ryan’s a pretty clean quarterback, and he has the right weapons to counteract the Eagles’ strong YPA stats from a year ago. I like him as a low-end QB1 this week, and would roll with him confidently if I drafted him to be my regular starter. Peyton Barber, Buccaneers (Paulsen: RB22, Beller: RB31) Paulsen: Despite their improvements on defense, the Saints still yielded 4.4 yards per carry last year and gave up 11 rushing touchdowns. Barber is going to get the bulk of the touches after being named the starter during the preseason. He produced in that role last year, turning an average of 18.0 touches for 84 total yards in the final five games of last season, including 19 touches for 89 yards and a touchdown against the Saints in Week 17. Beller: John, I totally hear what you’re saying on Barber handling a full workload against the Saints. Chances are if I drafted him, I’d be playing him this week. I just wouldn’t be all that confident. Again, this comes down to my expected game result, which is a comfortable Saints win. They’re favored by 9.5 points at press time, and I think the Buccaneers are going to struggle to keep it near that number, let alone within it. Barber is a fine player capable of holding off Ronald Jones all year, but game script is going to be his enemy in this one. The Buccaneers won that Week 17 game from last year that you mentioned. They’re not going to win on Sunday. Robert Woods, Rams (Paulsen: WR29, Beller: WR39) Paulsen: Woods posted a top 20 per game average and surprisingly became the clear No. 1 target for Jared Goff in 2017. Including the playoffs, he averaged 5.0 catches (on 7.6 targets) for 71 yards and 0.38 touchdowns per game. That works out to 14.4 PPR fantasy points, which would be good enough to finish in the top 12 when prorated over a full 16-game season. Yes, Brandin Cooks is likely to gobble up more targets than Sammy Watkins did, but a great Week 1 matchup against the Raiders means that fantasy points should be easy to come by. Week 1 Fantasy Football Streaming Options Beller: I agree that the Week 1 matchup with the Raiders is a great one, and I don’t think Woods is a total stay-away. I just think there are more unknowns that most Woods or, for that matter, Cooper Kupp drafters want to admit. Look at what the Rams did with Brandin Cooks this year. They traded a first-round pick to get him, and then signed him to a huge extension before he played a down for the team. Forget about last season. This team is going to have more of a No. 1 than it did at any point last year, and it’s not going to be Woods or Kupp. That will bring down the weekly floor those two enjoyed last season. 2018 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ - Expert Consensus Rankings<doc-sep>After months of ranking, debating and drafting, Week 1 is finally upon us. The first start/sit of the season generally gives us one of our easier sets of decisions. There are few injuries and no byes. There are a few suspended players, but anyone who owns them likely planned for that during their drafts. In short, every fantasy owner is playing with a full roster this week, making Week 1 one of the most plug-and-play weeks of the year. Later in the season, we’ll devote this space to a particularly interesting player just barely on either side of the start/sit divide. For Week 1, though, we’ll get right to the meat of the column. Here are the most intriguing borderline players for Week 1, and whether they belong in your lineup or on your bench. Quarterbacks Start Andy Dalton, Bengals (at Colts) The Bengals are three-point underdogs in Indianapolis this week, and the game comes with an over/under of 48, one of the highest on the board. That suggests a good passing environment on both sides, and Dalton should take advantage. The Bengals’ passing attack looked strong in the preseason, with Dalton getting on the same page as John Ross, adding his speed to the all-around dominance of A.J. Green. The surprisingly high game total makes both sides of this game attractive for fantasy purposes. And with that in mind… Andrew Luck, Colts (vs. Bengals) …of course Luck is in the quarterback start section, too. He’s not quite the slam dunk Dalton is because of lingering shoulder issues, but he did enough this summer to give the fantasy community the necessary confidence that he can be a productive quarterback again. Even if he isn’t quite all the way back, he has regained enough of his arm strength to be a dangerous thrower. The expected offensive environment in this game makes both quarterbacks QB1 material. Jared Goff, Rams (at Raiders) The Raiders spent all summer feuding with their best player, who happens to double as one of the two or three best defensive players in the league, before trading him to the Bears for two first-round picks. What Khalil Mack left behind isn’t exactly the type of defense I trust to slow down one of the most innovative offenses in the league. Rating Goff a starter is as much an endorsement of the Rams’ offense collectively as it is of Goff individually. The Rams are favored by 4.5 points and the game total is 49.5, giving the Rams an implied total of 27 points. Superflex Special Mitchell Trubisky, Bears (at Packers) The Bears are one of the most interesting teams heading into the 2018 season, with a completely different look from the coaching staff, to the offense, to the former Defensive Player of the Year added just one week ago. And yet, it can’t all come together if Trubisky doesn’t live up to the team’s expectations for him. The Packers made some major improvements in the secondary this offseason, but this remains a matchup that Trubisky and head coach Matt Nagy should be able to exploit. He’s an easy QB2 this week. Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings Sit Alex Smith, Redskins (at Cardinals) Washington is a textbook wait-and-see offense this season. As great as Smith was this year, where’s his new Travis Kelce? Where’s Tyreek Hill or Kareem Hunt? Jordan Reed can be Kelce when he’s healthy, and Jamison Crowder has his charms, but Smith suffered a significant downgrade in offensive weapons by going to Washington from Kansas City. Going on the road in Week 1 against a defense that includes Chandler Jones, Patrick Peterson and Deone Bucannon, among others, isn’t how I want to start my fantasy season. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (at Chargers) Like Smith, Mahomes may have to be a wait-and-see guy this season, especially since it isn’t hard to find a quarterback to like in any week, let alone Week 1. Mahomes has all those weapons Smith left behind, but we’re not 100% certain he has the toolbox to use them. On top of that, he’ll have to deal with Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, Casey Heyward and Derwin James in what amounts to the first meaningful start of his career. Mahomes could prove to be one of the breakout stars of this season, but I think most fantasy owners could do better at the quarterback position in Week 1. Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers (at Vikings) One of the easiest calls of Week 1. There’s good reason for all the optimism in San Francisco, but I do not want to bet on this team getting its first real game action without Jerick McKinnon in Minnesota. The Vikings still boast one of the league’s best defenses, with a fearsome pass rush led by Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter, and an elite secondary featuring Harrison Smith and Xavier Rhodes. This is a brutal Week 1 test for Garoppolo, and while he may pass it, there’s no reason to take it with him in fantasy leagues. Running Backs Start Carlos Hyde, Browns (vs. Steelers) This is one of my favorite Week 1 plays. As I wrote multiple times this summer, the Browns did not treat Hyde like a guy who would be splitting early-down work with Nick Chubb. The backfield belongs to Hyde until third down or obvious passing situations, and he’s going to get an even larger share of those than people expect. Remember, he caught 59 passes for 350 yards last year. He’s not some hapless receiver coming out of the backfield. Hyde should take control of Cleveland’s backfield in what’s a very winnable game against the Steelers on Sunday. Jamaal Williams, Packers (vs. Bears) This is a pretty simple volume bet. Aaron Jones is out the first two weeks, and Ty Montgomery is dealing with a foot injury he suffered late in the preseason. The latter should play Sunday, but Williams will have every opportunity to dominate Green Bay’s backfield. The Packers are favored by 7.5 points, and the game has an over/under of 48, giving the team an implied total of 27.75 points.<doc-sep>
Need Fantasy Football draft advice? Talk to CBS Sports on your Google Assistant to get insights on the best sleepers and to help decide between players. Just start with, "Hey Google, talk to CBS Sports." You may be taken aback by the very idea of this column. I get it. Streaming in Week 1? Isn't that what the draft is for? But I'm assuming if you're thinking that way you didn't draft Patrick Mahomes, Jimmy Garoppolo or Carson Wentz as your lone quarterback. You clearly didn't pass on a defense or kicker in the draft to stockpile more upside at running back and receiver. For those of you who did? We've got Week 1 streamers and there are plenty of under-owned options for Week 1. Quarterback Andy Dalton CHI • QB • 14 Week 1 Projection 23.2 FP Ownership 32% View Profile It's been a rough couple of years for Andy Dalton, but historically when he's had weapons he's performed very well. This is especially true when he's played Sunday afternoon games against terrible defenses that aren't in his division. In Week 1 he'll face the Colts (quick, name three of their defensive starters) with A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert, Joe Mixon, John Ross and Giovani Bernard all healthy. Dalton may just be an average talent, but he's surrounded by a good supporting cast against a terrible defense. This is exactly what you should look for in a streaming quarterback. I would start him over Mahomes, Garoppolo and even Russell Wilson in Week 1. Tyrod Taylor HOU • QB • 5 Week 1 Projection 22.9 FP Ownership 18% View Profile Regardless of how we're going to pronounce his first name, you need to get used to seeing Tyrod Taylor in this column. Because at his current ownership, I'd imagine he'll be available for a while. Or maybe after he produces like a No. 1 quarterback in Week 1, more people will take notice. Taylor has a star-studded cast around him and one of the best offensive coordinators in the league in Todd Haley. His matchup isn't great, but I'm not sure it's difficult either, and the Steelers figure to score enough to keep Taylor passing. I'd rank Taylor as a top-10 option this week in leagues that reward only four points per pass touchdowns, but even in a standard CBS league he's a better start than Mahomes, Garoppolo or Wilson. Sam Bradford ARI • QB • 9 Week 1 Projection 21.5 FP Ownership 8% View Profile Sam Bradford is not quite on the Dalton/Taylor level, but he's not that far behind either. Bradford isn't someone who got drafted in most leagues because of his injury history and the presence of Josh Rosen. But injury isn't near as big a risk over one week, and I don't expect Rosen will get on the field against Washington. In Bradford's lone full game of 2017 he threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns. In 2016 he played 15 games and threw for nearly 3,900 yards. He's an above averaged quarterback when you take his injury history out of the equation, and his matchup isn't a terrible one. I'd start him over both Mahomes and Garoppolo. Tight End Eric Ebron PIT • TE • 85 Week 1 Projection 6.2 FP Ownership 52% View Profile Some people view Eric Ebron as the second tight end in Indianapolis. I'm not so sure he's not the second receiver. Behind T.Y. Hilton this receiving corps is pretty unappealing, so I expect the Colts will use both Ebron and Jack Doyle heavily in the passing game. For the same reasons I like streaming Dalton this week, I expect the Colts are going to have to attempt a ton of passes in Week 1. If Andrew Luck isn't quite ready to throw the deep ball that could mean even more action for the tight ends. Ebron is a top-12 option for me in both formats. Benjamin Watson NE • TE • 84 Week 1 Projection 6.1 FP Ownership 42% View Profile You get to a certain point in the tight end rankings where you're essentially saying "hope he falls into the end zone". If that's where you are this week you should strongly consider Benjamin Watson. His Saints have the highest implied point total (29.5) from Vegas this week, meaning they're the team Vegas expects to score the most points.