The Yahoo Sports fantasy football season for 2014 is just days away from starting and in Week 1 there are a number of players to keep an eye on to start to try and win the opening matchup, as players like Brandon Marshall, Rob Gronkowski, Ben Tate, Khiry Robinson, Andrew Luck, Alfred Morris, Eli Manning and Andre Ellington could be very good in the first game of the year.
Brandon Marshall is a player to start in the first week of the season because he is a fantastic fantasy player, but he Bears are also facing off against the Bills at home, which should be a favorable matchup with Chicago. Jay Cutler is coming back after dealing with injuries last season and if he can remain healthy through the year he should put up some great numbers. Last season Marshall had 100 catches for nearly 1300 yards and 12 touchdowns and the game against the Bills is a chance to get on that pace again from the start of the season.
Gronk is a player that is risky to start, but he is expected to be healthy for the beginning of the season and for fantasy owners, for all they know that'll be the only game he plays. When Gronk is on the field he usually produces and if he is ready to start the season, he should be in the lineup. Last year Gronkowski had 592 yards on 39 catches in seven games and that came after he played in 11 games in 2012, but he scored 11 touchdowns that year. Gronk said that he is aiming to play the full season schedule and as long as he remains healthy he should be a top performer.
This is more of a gut feeling, but Khiry Robinson is a good start for the first week of the season for any teams that are without a top running back. There always is one player in week 1 of the season that comes out of nowhere to have a big game and Robinson could be the one this year. Robinson is expected to have more of a role in the offense after Darren Sproles was traded and if he plays well, he will take some carries away from Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas, who is expected to be the starter.
Andrew Luck and Alfred Morris also have favorable matchups in Week 1 and they are good players to start as well. Going with your gut can be a smart move in Week 1 and opening with a win is always nice to get the fantasy football season going.
Eli Manning had a very disappointing year last season and while many have given up on him, he could actually be a great start in Week 1. The Giants play on Monday night football, meaning he will be a late boost to a team that starts him, and it's against the Lions, a team that was not very good against the pass last season. The Giants offense has been mostly a mess this summer, but they have the chance to be very good, as Eli now has Andre Williams, Rashad Jennings and rookie Odell Beckham to join Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle.