Week 1 of the NFL season is finally here and the AFC North will again be one of the most entertaining divisions to watch. This division has news stories, ex Super Bowl champions, and Super Bowl hopefuls. Not to mention these four teams absolutely HATE each other taking professional sports rivalries to another level. To make it just that much better the action will get kicked off here in week 1.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens, Sunday 1PM ET
It’s almost like a passing of the flame as the Bengals the new top dog in the North take on the Ravens who have been dominate in the division with the Steelers for the past decade. In the case of Cincinnati its obvious the focus fantasy wise will be on A.J. Green and his quarterback Andy Dalton. These two have become one of the top fantasy duos in the league since 2011. They will look to start the year off right in Baltimore and are both must starts in fantasy.
Another player to lookout for is second year running back Giovanni Bernardout of North Carolina. In his first season with the Bengals Bernard earned a starting spot and won the hearts of “Hard Knocks” fans and fantasy owners. Bernard is such a dynamic running back with the ability to run between the tackles and hurt defenses catching the ball out of the backfield. This makes him one of the most dangerous running backs in fantasy football, another must start.
The Ravens will be without one of their top fantasy threats in Ray Rice for the first two games of the season. This is very concerning for the Ravens with back up Bernard Pierce having injury and durability concerns. Without the running game at full strength the load will rest on quarterback Joe Flacco and his top three targets, Steve Smith, Torey Smith, and Dennis Pitta. Unfortunately I’m not as confidant in this trio as I am in the Bengals.
Pitta will get lots of plenty of targets especially when the team makes it to the red zone especially if Pierce struggles. I’m concerned about the defenses ability to sit back on the Smith brothers however. Will they have a chance to make plays with the defense guessing pass each play? I wouldn’t start them at receiver but they might be a decent flex option.
Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday 1 PM ET
The Steelers are the favorites in this game as they face the weaker division opponents. On offense these aren’t your dad’s Steelers that will run the ball every play. Ben Roethlisberger is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL and is coming off a pretty good season, even though it didn’t show in the record. Roethlisberger isn’t going to light up the fantasy scoreboard but he’ll consistently get you a decent amount of points. But this week him and his offensive weapons will be in for a big test.
The Cleveland Browns have one of the best defenses in the NFL and their top defender cornerback Joe Haden has shown how he can shut down top receivers including Antonio Brown. The Steelers want to get the ball to Brown who is one of the best receivers after the catch, but that might not be possible with Haden across the field. expect the Steelers to lean heavily on the running game and Le’veon Bell. When the Steelers get to the red zone expect to see number 26 pound the ball between the tackles.
The top fantasy choice in this matchup however will be the Steelers defense. The Steelers have playmakers that can create turnovers and score off the turnovers. This week they face a Browns offense that looked terrible in the preseason. Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel looked shaky at best and without Josh Gordon the offense greatly struggle.
This will make the Steelers job easy as they can focus on running backs Ben Tate and Terrance West. Even though the Steelers aren’t the best defense in the league, you're brave and a little crazy to start anyone on this Cleveland offense this week.