Every Saturday morning, I'll take a quick look at all the week's games, offering my own brief take on what I think will happen, as well as touching on significant injury news since our Weekly came out. I'll check in over the course of the day to answer questions, too.
The official rankings are the ones in the Weekly. Those take precedence. But sometimes players are very close, and in those cases I'm glad to offer opinions on how I'd approach those situations. If I don't answer your question, either I missed it (it happens) or the rankings are very clear.
Welcome to Year 17 of Snapshot Previews! To be perfectly honest I have no idea how many years it's been, but 17 sounds about as accurate as anything else. An important note: I have more agency with the rankings than in the past. What this means is that if one guy is ranked 4-5 spots over another, it's very unlikely I'll sabotage the rankings by recommending the lower player. But I will offer thought processes on why one guy is higher or lower. OK, on to the games!
Bears at Panthers: Matchup of former No. 1 overall pick quarterbacks. I like the Bears and Caleb more than Panthers and Bryce. In on Burden/Loveland, staying clear of Odunze until he's proven healthy (and he might not play). Panthers committee backfield worries me some. Tet McMillan, sure.
Bucs at Bengals: No reason to think this won't be higher-scoring. Maybe Cincy D improved and Burrow starts slow, but I'll bet on the points in this game. Egbuka healthy, thumbs up. Godwin too. I'm expecting a Tampa committee backfield. Chase and Higgins both healthy and good to go.
Saints at Lions: Should be some points here too. Key Lions, yes. Etienne, Olave, Juwan, yes. Vele in deeper leagues, Shough should be decent too.
Bills at Texans: You drafted Josh Allen three rounds before any other quarterbacks went, and in Week 1 Fantasy Index ranks him behind 5 other quarterbacks. Sorry about that. I love Allen but expecting this to be more of a defensive encounter seems fair, it has been two years in a row. But it's not like Allen or Cook or Moore have do not start labels on them either. Montgomery a little low in the rankings but could be fine. Nico should be heavily targeted.
Ravens at Colts: I've been cool on Lamar compared to most, here's where we'll start to see if that was a grave mistake. I do like Derrick Henry and think he and Taylor will be the main players for both teams. Steering clear of Colts wide receivers for the moment, fine with Ty Warren, and Zay Flowers for Baltimore. Seems Mark Andrews will have to be involved.
Browns at Jaguars: I do not have much enthusiasm for the Browns offense. Not here, not this season. I mean, they'll certainly try to feature Quinshon Judkins, but a tough matchup. Oh yeah, I'll talk about my Survivor Pool some in the column. Jaguars my top choice this week. Betting against Deshaun Watson doing well or even finishing the game doesn't seem particularly bold. Hoping for a good game out of Bhayshul and Parker Washington.
Falcons at Steelers: As it happens, this is my other Survivor pick. Only slight reservation is that with rookie preseason performer Jack Strand now Atlanta's No. 2 quarterback, there's more chance of him getting on the field and making things interesting. But the Steelers should do well offensively, and since I have Rico Dowdle on literally every team, I'm hoping he makes me look good. Metcalf also should be good. Drake London and Kyle Pitts, sure, someone has to catch passes.
Jets at Titans: A shame the Jets can't wear their throwback Titans jerseys for this one and we'd get a Clash of the Titans. Maybe one day. Interesting game actually that could go either way and should be a better than usual offensive outing for both, although Week 1, you never know. But neither defense seems great. Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, and maybe Wan'Dale or Pollard, but hard to get excited about Titans skill guys.
Cardinals at Chargers: The Chargers were the other Survivor favorite for many. I shied away out of respect for Jacoby and his solid receiving corps making things higher-scoring. But the Chargers offense should be very good. I expect Jeremiyah Love to play, but I think he'll be limited and there will be more Tyler Allgeier than usual. A little risky I think investing in the Cards backfield this week. Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey and maybe Quentin Johnston. If you're in need of a TE and have a bench spot, maybe pick up Charlie Kolar, who was a pretty easy last-round pick for me in many leagues. I'm not saying start him in Week 1, but if there is a relevant TE for LA this year, should be him.
Dolphins at Raiders: Ashton Jeanty good to go. Seems like only yesterday people were talking about prayer circles as he got helped off the field. Instead it's Brock Bowers out multiple weeks. I would use Michael Mayer as ranked. No he's not Bowers. But the Vegas wide receivers certainly don't inspire confidence. Achane and Jeanty and Mayer look best.
Packers at Vikings: Feels lower-scoring to me, but maybe Kyler Murray has a nice game, his wide receivers do big things, and the Packers have to keep up. I'm low on MarShawn Lloyd this week just out of respect for Minnesota's defense. In general I think Lloyd will be OK as the starter.
Commanders at Eagles: I don't want to spend any more time ripping the Commanders, I've done plenty of that. Jayden Daniels is a talent and he's got two good wide receivers. But I do respect the Eagles' roster and would much rather use their key players here. Definitely avoiding the Washington backfield if I can, at least until the division of labor is clearer and the matchup is better.
Cowboys at Giants: The availability of Malik Nabers is in question, and his usage if he plays. I'm assuming he's playing, he practiced fully all week, but I could see limited snaps, accounting for his slightly lower ranking. And if I planned to use him, I'd make sure I had an alternate choice in this game or Monday's just in case he decides to sit out, or there's a pregame report saying very limited snaps. Game should be higher-scoring with some good fantasy choices.
Broncos at Kansas City: As some know, my son is a big-time Broncos fan. So I root as well, though it's not going to affect my day. I think this game will be lower-scoring, given that both defenses are really good. Especially Denver. Will be interesting to see how the Broncos use their running backs and Kansas City uses its wide receivers. In general I think the players I'd be using here are rivalry newcomers Walker and Waddle, and perhaps Rashee if I'd drafted him anywhere, which I didn't. Big game in the AFC West I guess, but it is just one game.
As noted, I will check in on occasion and answer questions, at least by the end of the day. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the games.
--Andy Richardson
