Sneaky Starts: Week 1

Sep 05, 2014

All but the luckiest fantasy owners at some point need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough -- a waiver wire or bench player who is capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It's not pretty, but it's part of the game.

It’s only Week 1, but there are still dicey injury/suspension situations that will provide opportunity to otherwise under-the-radar players.

Let’s take a look at some of the best Sneaky Starts for Week 1:

Quarterbacks

Cardinals QB Carson Palmer (vs. SD)
Last year, Palmer finished strong and was the #6 quarterback from Week 10 to Week 17, after the team’s Week 9 bye. He said that the offense finally started to click during that stretch and that has continued into 2014. He should be able to post good numbers against a shaky San Diego pass defense (that gave up the 4th-most passing yards in 2013).

Jets QB Geno Smith (vs. OAK)
By most accounts, Smith has had a good offseason and with the added weapons in the passing game – namely Eric Decker, Jace Amaro and Chris Johnson – he should fare well against the Raiders, who were 5th in passing yards allowed and 2nd in pass touchdowns allowed in 2013.

Rams QB Shaun Hill (vs. MIN)
Many of Hill’s career numbers are better than the guy he replaced (Sam Bradford), so I’m not expecting a huge drop off in passing production. Hill will get to take his shots against the Vikings, who gave up the most passing touchdowns (37) last year.