The college football season has officially started, and the NFL is coming right around the corner. It’s fantasy football time, and today we are going to be talking about weekly strategies, player insights, rankings, and projections. The main premise here is that you should be taking into account all of your player analysis, but also combining it with insights, rankings, and projections. You never want to leave out information in favor of another, just take it all in and make the best-educated decisions you can make on each roster choice. Let’s get right into it by starting with something that many fantasy managers use these days, rankings, and not just generic rankings, but rankings for the season opener.
Weekly Rankings
Weekly rankings are awfully important to figure out the correct rosters to play each week in fantasy football, especially a Campus to Canton league.
College And NFL Rankings
College:
- Ashton Jeanty – Running Back
- Tetairoa McMillan– Wide Receiver
- Jaxson Dart – Quarterback
- Brant Kuithe – Tight End
NFL:
- Christian McCaffrey – Running Back
- CeeDee Lamb – Wide Receiver
- Bijan Robinson – Running Back
- Sam LaPorta – Tight End
Strategic Insights
Let’s start with Ashton Jeanty. Ollie Gordon came in as the top-ranked running back, ran for 110 yards and three total touchdowns, yet he fell in the rankings. Yes, that is how great a week Jeanty had. Jeanty rushed for 267 yards and six touchdowns in Week 1. That’s enough to get anybody ranked at the top of the list for the following week. We all knew he was a great player; we just didn’t know he could be on pace for a year like THIS.
Going over to the NFL, nothing really changes here from a week ago. So, Christian McCaffrey remains the same. McCaffrey had only three games all season where he didn’t score a touchdown. He had 272 carries for 1,459 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. He also had 67 receptions for 564 yards and seven more touchdowns. There is no better fantasy football option in the NFL than McCaffrey right now. The opening week matchup isn’t easy against the New York Jets, but McCaffrey has scored so many touchdowns in the last few seasons that it’s impossible not to have faith that he’ll do it again.
Next, comes Tetairoa McMillan. McMillan had himself a monstrous night, far better than any other wideout in Week 1. He had 304 receiving yards and four touchdowns, with 10 receptions on 15 targets. Some had McMillan very high up on the rankings coming into the season, and he proved that he belonged in the season opener. This was a school record type of performance, and we’re already hearing whispers about a possible Heisman run in 2024. There is no other receiver in a better spot than him as we approach the second week of the season.
We had Justin Jefferson here last week, but it should be CeeDee Lamb now. Lamb finally locked down his contract issues with the Dallas Cowboys and is not going to be missing any time due to a contract holdout. This is probably the best case-scenario for everybody involved, and likely puts him in the conversation of best receiver in the league. Why? Because Justin Jefferson, despite all of his talent, can’t play quarterback. The Minnesota Vikings have Sam Darnold, who isn’t nearly as talented as Dak Prescott is for Lamb and the Dallas Cowboys. This difference allows Lamb to produce consistently at a high level on a potent offense, while Jefferson needs to try and get on the same page with an underwhelming quarterback.
I want to talk about Jaxson Dart also. Dart, the quarterback at Ole Miss, had an unbelievable start to the year. He completed 22 of his 27 pass attempts for 418 yards and five touchdowns. That’s not all, his team went on to win by a score of 76-0 against Furman. Dart and his team had the advantage in the matchup and steamrolled their way to a victory. Given that they match up with Middle Tennessee State next week, Dart might be in line for a second straight dominant performance. He should be on everybody’s radar moving forward.
Bijan Robinson also stays the same on this list. Robinson was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons last season, and many were upset that he wasn’t the three-down workhorse back that he could have been. Atlanta chose to operate more in a committee, though Bijan still received the most touches. He had 214 carries for 976 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. He also had 58 receptions for 487 yards and four more touchdowns. In 2024, with a brand-new head coach and quarterback taking over, Bijan could double those numbers. He could be transitioned into an every-down back, he could be utilized in the passing game more than ever, and the threat of an air attack could open even greater gaps for Bijan to run through on the ground. All signs point towards a massive year for Robinson, and he opens the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team with good defense but one that has been beaten by strong ground attacks before.
As for the tight end positions, Brant Kuithe takes over as number one in college football. In the season opener, he had four receptions for 69 yards and three touchdowns. Yes, you read that correctly. He scored three touchdowns on four catches in what was a blowout victory. Kuithe also has significant chemistry with quarterback Cam Rising, so he should continue to be at the top of this list.
For the NFL, that top tight end is Sam LaPorta. LaPorta had one of the best tight-end seasons that we’ve seen in quite some time as a rookie. He’s coming back with more experience and chemistry with Jared Goff. Nothing, outside of any injury, is holding LaPorta back from being the top tight end for a second straight season in fantasy football. Great situation, great player, there’s nothing else you can really ask for.
Jersey And Bench (Start/Sit)
You all know the drill here, each week there will be players that you want to start, and players that you want to sit. Below are a couple of options and some background information on why you should do either of the following.
Jersey/Bench Picks
Jersey:
- Anthony Tyus
- Jerome Ford
- Najee Harris
- Chandler Morris
- Damon Ward
Bench:
- Tahj Brooks
- JK Dobbins
- Aaron Rodgers
- Jordan Mosley
- KJ Jefferson
Strategic Insights:
Let’s start with the jersey picks and begin with Anthony Tyus. Against Syracuse, Tyus proved that the team needs to rely upon him throughout the season. He took 16 carries for 203 yards and two touchdowns. He gets another solid matchup in Week 2 and should be able to carry his momentum forward. Plus, the team is likely to feel even more confident in his abilities after the season opener, and there’s not much competition in the backfield now.
Next is Jerome Ford. Nobody was quite sure what to make of the Cleveland Browns backfield, but it’s obvious that Nick Chubb isn’t ready to return from his gruesome injury. Ford has been the best running back on the roster and it’s shown in training camp, so expect him to get the majority of the touches in Week 1. Cleveland has a tough matchup going up against the Dallas Cowboys defense, however, that defense is difficult to go up against due to how they force turnovers and attack the pass. Dallas has been a little weaker when defending against the ground attack, which leaves hope for Ford in fantasy. It’s a risk, but one worth taking given his average draft position.
Then we got Chandler Morris. Morris completed 31 of his 41 passing attempts for 415 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-38 victory against South Alabama. It is clear that this team’s defense is not very good, and Morris will be tasked with throwing 30+ passes a game to keep them competitive. This bodes well for him in terms of fantasy football production, and it’s hard to bench him with a plus matchup next week with Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football.
Next is Damon Ward. If you didn’t know, Ward is Morris’ top option. Given all of the information we just gave about how Morris will need to throw the ball, this directly impacts Damon Ward. Ward had 12 receptions on 15 targets for 230 yards and two touchdowns last week. He and Morris will form a great tandem all season long, especially when they get great matchups like they have in Week 2.
And the last of the jersey picks is Najee Harris. The Pittsburgh Steelers LOVE to run the football, and they just got a new offensive coordinator who, historically, LOVES to run the football. It’s a perfect match, and Najee will be the direct recipient of it. To make this pick better, his backfield mate Jaylen Warren is dealing with a hamstring injury. If he’s limited in any way, Harris takes over the backfield in a run-heavy offense against a workable Atlanta defensive line.
Flipping over to the bench picks now, the first is Tahj Brooks. Brooks is listed as questionable to play but SHOULD get out on the field for the second week of the season. He had 27 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown last weekend. Here’s the catch, the Texas Tech Red Raiders scored 52 points and only won by a single point against Abilene Christian. Now, he gets to meet with Washington State, a significantly tougher matchup. On top of that, the team’s defense doesn’t look very great, and if they fall behind, the run game could be out of the window.
Then we got JK Dobbins. Dobbins is healthy again and ready to make a name for himself on the Los Angeles Chargers. I love the fit between him and the Chargers here and believe that this Los Angeles team is going to run the ball a significant amount. HOWEVER, there are so many backs on the Chargers who will get involved. Gus Edwards, Kimani Vidal, and possibly Jaret Patterson too. At least to start the season, no matter the matchup, hold off on Dobbins until we know what this backfield looks like.
Then, we have KJ Jefferson. Jefferson, the quarterback of the UCF Knights, started slow but found a rhythm late in the game. UCF didn’t end up needing much passing yardage during a blowout victory, though you can bet that they’ll eventually call upon more production. I wouldn’t get too hasty with Jefferson; he shouldn’t be in many lineups this next week until we know what we might get from him.
We also need to talk about Jordan Mosley. Mosley had five receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown, but most of that yardage came on a 65-yard completion in the first quarter. It might be easy to get excited and throw him in your lineup after a week like this. However, this was the first 100-plus-yard receiving game that he’s had in his collegiate career. Wait another week before throwing him into your lineup.
Lastly, we have Aaron Rodgers. This is a bit of an easy one. Rodgers got injured just a few snaps into his New York Jets debut last season, and we haven’t seen him since. It’s not worth taking the risk on a player we haven’t seen in over a year, playing on his first new team since being drafted. On top of that, the matchup is horrible. The Jets face the 49ers, one of the best defenses in the league and one that Rodgers in particular has severely struggled against. Fade Rodgers in the season opener, but there is still a shot for him to be fantasy-relevant later on.
Projections
Projections are numbers that estimate how many fantasy points a specific player might get in a given week. They can vary depending on the situation or matchup and need to be monitored weekly to get a good understanding of what experts think of them.
Weekly Projections
College:
- QB – Kaidon Salter – 36.79 points
- RB – Ollie Gordon – 28.86 points
- WR – Evan Stewart – 17.31 points
- TE – Caden Prieskorn – 10.54 points
NFL:
- QB – Josh Allen – 23.60 points
- RB – Christian McCaffrey – 17.0 points
- WR – Tyreek Hill – 13.30 points
- TE – Sam LaPorta – 9.0 points
Strategic Insights
These are the players who are projected to garner the most fantasy points at their position in both college and the NFL. These numbers are calculated by basically estimating the stats that a player might have given their track record and upcoming matchup. If they have an easier matchup and are historically good against that specific team, the projections will be a little higher. If it might be a blowout, the projection might be even higher than that. The reason why it is important to understand these projections is that if you’re ever stuck wondering what to do, they could give you an idea of how a player might perform. Let’s say you can’t decide who to start between two wide receivers, but one is estimated to be 10 points more than the other. That number alone can indicate that the higher projected receiver could be in line for a significantly better day, and you can feel comfortable starting them over your other option. They aren’t guaranteed to be accurate every week, and they do change quite often, because, at the end of the day, they are simply projections, but it’s a good place to start making lineup decisions.
Conclusion
With all of that being said, it is critical to stay on top of your weekly strategies and pay close attention to rankings, and player insights. You never know when you might be caught up between two players and need to figure out how to break the tie in your mind. That is exactly where rankings and projected points play a factor, in helping lay all of the information out for you in an easy-to-read format. Each week is going to be an exciting time for everybody, so before we get ahead of ourselves, just remember to double-check your starting lineups and make sure that you’re happy with the players you have locked in at the moment. I heavily recommend you take some of our listed rankings into consideration, and also for you to check out other projections and rankings as well to get a clear vision of how each week might play out in both college and the NFL. .