We’re two games into Week 1, and I’m ready to start calling to the masses to bring me your tired, your poor, your weary—etc. The fantasy football community has dealt with enough injury frustration, injury-reporting sketchiness, injury volume, and general personnel/roster mess-abouts that it already feels like setting a lineup is a vaudevillian event. Circus type stuff out there, right now, guys. A silly kind of bad.
So no pageantry this week, and even less so as we go throughout the season. It’s Friday, and Five Lists of Five is back like baggy jeans, man.
Soundbite-length blurbs with advanced analysis on my favorite plays of the week. We begin now with my Top five D/ST plays for fantasy football Week 1. Here are my other offerings for the week:
- Top five must-start wide receivers for fantasy football Week 1
- Top five must-start RBs for fantasy football Week 1
- Top five FLEX plays for fantasy football Week 1
- Top five players to stash ahead of fantasy football Week 1 (TK)
Fantasy football Week 1: Top five D/STs to start
Jacksonville Jaguars D/ST (vs. Cleveland Browns)
I’m smash-starting Jacksonville against Cleveland, whose projected total sits around 16 points, lowest on the slate. I’ve got zero faith in that offense: Deshaun Watson starts behind a rebuilt line with young receivers still establishing themselves under a brand new head coach in Todd Monken. I expect Josh Hines-Allen to hurry a few throws while Watson waits for somebody to separate. I expect a pick or two.
The Jaguars finished fifth in fantasy scoring last season, aided considerably by 31 takeaways. I’m not projecting another season with turnovers at such an outlandish rate. Cleveland may have to keep throwing, though, particularly if Trevor Lawrence gives Jacksonville an early lead. That would put more of the afternoon on Watson and his protection. Jacksonville went around DST10 in drafts; I have it inside my top three for the opener.
Los Angeles Chargers D/ST (vs. Arizona Cardinals)
Jacoby Brissett took over in Week 6 last season, and Arizona allowed pressure at the league’s second-highest rate from there. Now comes a road opener against the Chargers, who finished seventh in sack rate. I’d expect Brissett to spend another afternoon getting rid of the ball earlier than he’d prefer.
Trey McBride will catch plenty underneath. If Los Angeles builds the lead its roughly 10-point spread suggests, though, Brissett will have to look for longer, more difficult completions. Those routes take time, of which Brissett’s protection has given him precious little.
Chris O’Leary is calling his first regular-season game as defensive coordinator, so there will be some rust. I’m starting the Chargers with Arizona’s blocking problems giving their new play-caller an accommodating first opponent.
Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST (vs. Atlanta Falcons)
Tua Tagovailoa’s oblique injury leaves Cooper Rush starting for Atlanta against Pittsburgh, and I’ll happily take the Steelers’ veteran unit against that mess. Rush’s two starts for Baltimore last season saw him throw four interceptions without a single touchdown pass. Atlanta’s likely just shoving him in there for handoff-to-Bijan duty.
Pittsburgh will need to be stout in the run game.Should they let Robinson keep finding five or six yards, Rush can throw selectively, and the defense still worried about the run. Any frequent third-and-long scenarios would require considerably more than we’ve seen out of him, especially with the Steelers’ pass rush free to attack.
Drake London and Kyle Pitts can help a backup, too. Still, forcing Rush to beat them through the air should be Pittsburgh’s aim.
Philadelphia Eagles D/ST (vs. Washington Commanders)
Commanders tackle Brandon Coleman gets Philadelphia in his first assignment replacing Laremy Tunsil, who’s out with a torn triceps. Vic Fangio should test that side of Washington’s protection early. Keeping a back in to help Coleman would leave Jayden Daniels one fewer receiver to find. This Commanders offense can’t afford that.
Of course, Daniels can take off and avoid the rush himself. I’d expect Philadelphia to be careful about rushing past him and leaving an enormous escape route outside. Making him hold the ball won’t accomplish much if he promptly runs for 20 yards.
I’m starting the Eagles anyway. Washington has to solve a problem at left tackle against one of the best fronts in the league. I expect a few possessions to end with Daniels getting sacked.
Tennessee Titans D/ST (vs. New York Jets)
I’m starting Garrett Wilson and Tennessee’s defense in the same week without feeling especially conflicted about it. Wilson can catch seven passes while Geno Smith takes several sacks. Over the past two seasons, Smith has taken 105 of them and committed 33 giveaways.
New York’s line should help Smith more than Raiders protection did, and Robert Saleh’s defense still has to prove itself while its offense focuses on doing the same. With the total around 39, I expect punts to conclude quite a few possessions. A couple of sacks can produce a useful fantasy score in a game like that, and I project the Titans to get exactly that.
