Philadelphia and Atlanta got things started on Thursday night, but speaking for fantasy managers everywhere -- we want more. We are ready for some football.
Yes, the long wait is finally almost over, as Week 1 of the NFL season continues Sunday. We know you're ready to watch some games, but how prepared are you to field the best fantasy lineup?
The ESPN+ cheat sheet provides a rundown of the greatest tips from all of our ESPN+ fantasy football content. You'll find answers to the biggest questions of the week, along with injury updates, matchup advantages and wild-card plays from Eric Karabell, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Mike Clay, Al Zeidenfeld and KC Joyner. It's all the best advice in one handy article.
Here's what our experts are saying about Week 1 in the NFL:
Top tips
A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
One of the game's most talented receivers faces an Indianapolis defense that looks to be one of the weakest in the league. That, Zeidenfeld points out in his Daily fantasy best buys column, makes for a golden opportunity for Green.
"We picked on the Colts' secondary last year as they were one of the worst teams in terms of defending the deep ball both in terms of volume and efficiency," he writes. "That doesn't look like it's going to change at all this season and the Bengals have a tasty matchup against them in Week 1. When we factor in AJG's fast starts in each of the past three seasons (fourth, third and seventh in receiving yardage in the first four games, respectively), and his market share of overall and red zone targets for Cincinnati on top of the deep ball upside, he provides one of the highest floor and ceiling combos on the slate."
Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Like Zeidenfeld, Clay also listed Green as his top matchup this week in his column on the best and worst receiver matchups of the week. Next on his list is Allen, a slippery option who always seems to be open for Philip Rivers.
"The Chiefs traded away Marcus Peters and struck out on David Amerson during the offseason, leaving them with Kendall Fuller (who was terrific in the slot for Washington last season, but is unproven on the perimeter), Orlando Scandrick (who was waived by cornerback-needy Washington earlier this year) and Steven Nelson (the Chiefs' primary slot man when they allowed the second-most fantasy points to slot receivers in 2017)," he explains. "This obviously sets up very well for Allen, who should be upgraded in Week 1. The snaps and targets are trickier to figure out behind Allen, with Williams, Benjamin and Mike Williams competing for that work. All have nice matchups but still are risky plays."
Since the time Clay wrote this, the Chargers also signed Antonio Gates, but he isn't expected to play too many snaps after missing all of the preseason.
Los Angeles Rams offense
"The Rams bring back all five starters from an offensive line that placed third in the league last season in my good blocking rate (GBR) metric that measures how often an offense gives its ball carriers quality run blocking (49.1 percent)," Joyner writes in his weekly breakdown of offensive line rankings. "That gives Todd Gurley II elite production potential, but don't overlook the pass-blocking edge the Rams have against an Oakland defense that ranked 27th in pass-pressure rate (PPR) last season (26.3 percent) and recently traded Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears. That should give Jared Goff ample time to see how much Brandin Cooks can improve this offense's vertical passing game and make both players quality start candidates this week."
Playing the matchups
Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
The veteran is widely available in most leagues that don't require two quarterbacks in the starting lineup, yet perhaps no quarterback has as favorable of a matchup in Week 1 as Dalton. Cockcroft explains why it's worth jumping at the opportunity to get him into your lineup.
"It's conceivable that fantasy managers will need a Week 1 streaming candidate -- Carson Wentz's (knee) ongoing recovery from surgery and Jameis Winston's suspension are two obvious situations that demand it -- and Dalton is easily the strongest choice from those available in more than 50 percent of leagues," he writes. "He was the No. 17 scorer among quarterbacks last season, but much more importantly, he averaged 18.39 fantasy points in his five games against bottom-eight defenses (using the 2017 full-season Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed numbers in the chart below to define them), illustrating his strength exploiting matchups. The Colts, a team in clear rebuild mode, sport one of the game's weakest units, a 4-3 defense lacking an elite pass-rusher or a shut-down corner, which is a dicey combination. ..."
Alex Collins, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Zeidenfeld envisions a game in which the favored Ravens take the lead against the Bills and feed the ball to Collins, a running back who still tends to get overlooked despite a breakout 2017 campaign.
"Collins is fairly priced and sitting as the workhorse back, at home, with what should be a favorable game flow against the Bills as the Ravens are seven-point favorites at the time I'm writing this," he writes. "The Bills have tried to fix their leaky run defense through the draft but it's still a very similar unit to the past two years in which they have allowed the most DraftKings points to opposing running backs (24.99 PPG). Collins is a tough runner who should be able to take advantage of the Bills tackling issues as well making him a very easy play where all the puzzle pieces fit together. ..."
Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints
Thomas is another young and rangy receiver whom Clay believes in this week thanks to a matchup against a Tampa Bay secondary that could struggle just as much as it did last season.
"Despite failing to find the end zone, Thomas posted 14 catches for 159 yards and was the No. 5 scoring fantasy wide receiver during the two weeks New Orleans faced off with Tampa Bay last season," Clay writes. "A big reason for that was the Buccaneers' secondary woes, especially at corner, and a pair of draft picks were their only real attempt [to fix] the issue during the offseason. Brent Grimes, 35, took a step back last season and Vernon Hargreaves III has struggled on the perimeter thus far in his career. A pair of second-round rookies Carlton Davis and M.J. Stewart figure to make a sizable contribution this season, but both are unknowns until they get a few games under their belt."
Delanie Walker, TE, Tennessee Titans
As far as tight ends go, the list of impact contributors doesn't figure to be long this season, and Walker is one established veteran whom Cockcroft believes in as the Titans head to Miami for the season opener.
"Although he might draw a questionable listing on the weekly injury report, Walker's Week 1 matchup couldn't be much more favorable and makes him a strong play regardless of any concern about injury limitations (barring any late setback)," he writes. "This Dolphins defense afforded the position the most total fantasy points (257.4) and most Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed (plus-4.28 per game) last season and did little to upgrade outside of drafting safety Minkah Fitzpatrick."
Injury impact
Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia Eagles -- Jeffery sat out the opener against Atlanta, as he continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. There is a chance he could be back as early as Week 2, but a Week 3 or 4 return sounds more likely at this point.
Marshawn Lynch, RB, Oakland Raiders -- Lynch was limited in practice on Thursday due to a groin injury and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams. Even if fully healthy, Lynch could be a risky play against a Rams defense that's expected to be among the best in the game this season.
Will Fuller V, WR, Houston Texans -- The oft-injured home run threat is one of the few bigger names to be concerned about heading into the season. Fuller returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since sustaining a hamstring injury in training camp, but he is expected to start Sunday against the Patriots. He was limited to 10 games last season due to a broken collarbone and knee injury.
Jermaine Kearse, WR, New York Jets -- Kearse (abdomen) returned to practice on Friday but is listed as questionable for Monday's game against Detroit. Earlier in the week, it looked very unlikely that Kearse would play in the season opener, but his return to practice opens up the chance that he does just that. Stay tuned over the weekend for updates on Kearse.
Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis Colts -- Mack (hamstring) took part in Friday's practice but is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals. There is a good chance that rookie fifth-rounder Jordan Wilkins leads the team in carries in this game.
Vance McDonald, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers -- McDonald (foot) has been ruled out for this week against Cleveland. That opens the door for Jesse James to get the start in his place.
Lottery tickets
Anthony Miller, WR, Chicago Bears
"The 2018 rookie wide receiver class probably won't fill too many active fantasy lineup spots in the group's NFL debut week, but if there's one freshman worth the gamble -- accounting for both projected role as well as the matchup itself -- Miller is it," Cockcroft writes. "He's ticketed for slot receiver duty to begin the season, affording him the ability to let his speed rack up yards after the catch, and he's going up against a Packers defense that will have either second-year cornerback Kevin King or rookie Jaire Alexander matched against him. Ultimately, Miller's matchups come against a largely untested secondary, filled with mostly inexperienced players, and a team that afforded opposing slot receivers the 10th-most fantasy points last season. It only helps Miller's cause that the Packers' offense has some firepower that should keep the Bears in passing situations deep into the game."
Zeidenfeld has long been a believer in Taylor, and the change from the Bills to the Browns doesn't alter his thinking, even in a Week 1 matchup against the rival Steelers.
"First things first; Taylor is a good fantasy quarterback. Considering the guys he has at his disposal this season with the Browns in Jarvis Landry, Josh Gordon, David Njoku (who should play closer to 85 percent of snaps this year vs. the 46 percent he inexplicably played last season), Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde, Taylor should be more than able to pay off this extremely low salary in Week 1," he explains. "His ability to be efficient and the upside he brings with him with his legs sets him apart from the other cheap options for me this week. The Steelers return much of a defense that were the fifth least efficient red zone defense last season and the same unit that gave up six top 10 QB performances to the murderer's row of DeShone Kizer, Alex Smith, Matthew Stafford, Brett Hundley and Andy Dalton."
James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
"Nobody knows when the unfortunate Le'Veon Bell situation will end with him performing on a field, but Conner presumably gets his chance on Sunday," Karabell writes in his story on what to watch in Week 1. "He is the most added player in ESPN leagues for the past week for good reason, but if you have the room, consider Jaylen Samuels too."
Big question of the week
How well will Andrew Luck play against Cincinnati after missing all of last season due to a shoulder injury?
As many fantasy managers know from personal experience, Luck is capable of leading teams to the championship when he's at his best. It feels like forever since we've seen that version of him, though, and all eyes will be on the former No. 1 overall pick as he returns to the field for his first game since January 2017.
Will his arm be the same after surgery to his labrum, an injury that has ended the careers of many baseball pitchers? Karabell certainly will be watching intently along with the rest of us.
"Luck and his rejuvenated shoulder could play it safe against the Bengals and throw nothing but short, quick passes, but it sure would be nice to see T.Y. Hilton catch a deep pass or two," he writes. "Fantasy managers overreact to everything, and they have not seen Luck play in a long time. We know he boasts massive statistical upside, but we do not know if the shoulder is 100 percent."