Thursday Night Football was a joy. The Buffalo Bills defense had a coming out party on the national stage as the number one ranked defense from 2021 showed just how dominant they can be when they add one of the best pass rushers of our generation. The fact that Tre’Davious White did not play should strike fear into every team without an exceptional offensive line. Von Miller racked up two sacks in his Bills debut while the defense as a whole had a whopping seven, the most ever allowed in the Sean McVay era (it looks like they will miss Andrew Whitworth. Bobby Wagner had five solos and a sack in his debut for the Rams, assuaging any fears anyone may have had about his move to an odd front. We will take a look at five players fantasy managers should do their best to plug into their lineups and five others, who are better left on benches for the opening week of the season. Let’s dig in.
Start em
C.J. Gardner-Johnson (S – PHI)
CJGJ is a talented, fiery competitor who was always a better prospect as a safety than as a full-time slot corner. Yes, he will still log a bunch of snaps in the slot but will now get to use his full range of talents more often by lining up in the box and around defensive line. The Eagles defense is suddenly studded, and CJGJ will be a major part of it. He should be a near every snap player who sees his fantasy value explode with the position change. He draws a tough on-paper matchup against a Detroit Lions team that allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to the position in 2021, but sitting him would be a mistake. Very active against the run as a safety, CJGJ should be able to rack up the tackles against an offense that will be running back and slot centric in Week 1. Start him with confidence as a DB2 with DB1 upside.
Keanu Neal (S – TB)
Keanu Neal is moving back to a full-time safety role now that he is with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Former backup Mike Edwards is currently listed as the starter but Keanu Neal being added to the team and immediately moved back to safety, was a direct response to losing starter Jordan Whitehead to free agency. Neal should log the bulk of the snaps in a revenge game versus his former team and should supplant the rookie as the official starter within a couple of weeks. Edwards has talent, but you don’t add Neal and move him back to safety if you don’t intend to play him in a heavy box role like they did with Whitehead. Logan Ryan is expected to be sidelined for Week 1, so there should be more than enough opportunity for both Neal and Edwards to rack up some tackles. The two are expected to share the field in nickel looks. Neal is a DB2 option with DB1 upside whenever he sees regular snaps, and for Week 1, it looks like he will. Start him where needed.
Jaelan Phillips (DE – MIA)
Phillips should have a big game against a Patriots offense that is struggling to move the ball in the passing game. He will be a DL2 most weeks but gets the bump to DL1 territory thanks to the plus matchup. Phillips is still looking for his first sack against New England and reported struggles could help him get home. He should be more of a full-time player this season and is strong against the run, which is important against a team that will try to run whenever possible in Week 1. The extra opportunities the run game should afford him buoys his floor enough to make him a strong DL2 option with DL1 upside against New England. Start him where possible.
Randy Gregory (DE/LB – DEN)
Randy Gregory is primed for a big game against a Seattle Seahawks team that was forced to insert Geno Smith under center. He will be a mid-tier DL2 most weeks but will be a high-end option when he gets plus matchups like this. Seattle has made some improvements to their offensive line (finally) but is going to have major problems contending with Bradley Chubb, Randy Gregory, Nick Bonitto, and Baron Browning. The stand up role will be new for Gregory in the NFL but is one he should have success with. He has been practicing this week and is expected to play, so for those in leagues where he is floating on the wire due to concerns over his Week 1 status, now is the time to make the add. Start him with confidence as an upside DL2 option.
David Long (LB – TEN)
David Long was excellent when healthy last season, grading out as the LB22 in fantasy points per game. He was the LB66 overall due to playing in just 10 games but was impressive enough to allow the Titans to move on from both Jayon Brown and Rashaan Evans, both of whom were starters in 2021. As mentioned in our waiver wire column earlier this week, Long averaged 4.6 solo tackles per game, a number that extrapolated over a full season would put him at 78 solos (which would have been more than Shaquille Leonard last season). Start him everywhere.
Sit em
Dante Fowler (DE – DAL)
Fowler should be left on fantasy benches, even as a DL3 until we see what the snap rotation looks like opposite DeMarcus Lawrence. Fowler has the name and past production, but there are some other intriguing names competing for snaps that could leave Fowler as more of a part-time player than one with a full-time role. Also competing for snaps on the edge will be superstar Micah Parsons, who will continue to be given opportunities to rush the passer off the edge, rookie Sam Williams, Tarell Basham, and the man listed as the starter ahead of Fowler in Dorance Armstrong. The hope is that Fowler (or possibly Williams) supplants Armstrong as the starter eventually, but for now, Fowler needs to be left on benches, even in deeper leagues.
Rasheem Green (DL – HOU)
Rasheem Green has received a lot of IDP hype this offseason, and it is not unwarranted based on his 2021 play. However, what role he plays now that he is with the Houston Texans is in question. Green played the bulk of his snaps on the right side for the Seahawks but now may be blocked by the likes of Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison. Jonathan Greenard is locked into a high snap role, and Addison and Hughes are capable vets. For what it’s worth, the Texans have listed Hughes as the starter opposite Greenard, with Addison as Hughes’ backup and Green behind Greenard. All of this is to say that without a defined role and with snap count uncertainty, the defensive end (who appears on more Yahoo rosters than DL1s like Brian Burns and Montez Sweat) should be left on fantasy benches until further notice.
Divine Deablo (LB/S – LV)
Deablo is set to play more of a full-time linebacker role this season and has been practicing with the position. Deablo played most of his snaps in the box or on special teams last season, but there was some hope with the Raiders not picking up Jonathan Abram’s fifth-year option that Deablo would increase his weekly snap count by seeing more time at safety. That is not the case. The Raiders will be starting Denzel Perryman in the middle, and after adding Jayon Brown this offseason, there is some well-founded concern about how many snaps Deablo will see in nickel looks. Brown did not sign the contract of a star but was a locked-in starter for the Tennessee Titans’ formidable defense for the past few seasons. It is okay to maintain hopes that Deablo scratches the surface of his true potential this season, but for Week 1, fantasy managers should plug in another option and evaluate the Raiders usage of the talented second-year man.
Isaiah Simmons (LB/S – ARI)
Simmons is transitioning to the STAR role in the Cardinals defense, a role that calls for him to play more of a hybrid linebacker/safety role, similar to what we saw from Jalen Ramsey most of last season and what Derwin James plays. This means that instead of soaking up tackles as a traditional middle linebacker that he will be tasked with heavy coverage snaps on Travis Kelce. He will also likely see snaps as a pass rusher sprinkled in throughout the game. Simmons has the talent to flourish in this role as it is more akin to how he was used in college (and what helped make him a top-10 pick in the first place). Full-time off-ball linebacker never made much sense for a talent like Simmons. His role last season was closer to what got him drafted out of Clemson. With that said, Simmons is expected to see his weekly tackle upside take a hit and is now more of an LB2 option than an LB1. He will be an elite DB option if granted eligibility this season, but a wait-and-see approach is recommended for those who have designs on him being their LB1.
For those who want to know a little more, here is what Vance Joseph had to say about the STAR role
““A ‘star’ linebacker is a guy that plays a little linebacker, a little safety, a little dime,” Joseph said. “In this scheme it can be a lot of places. … They are ‘star’ players. Big, fast guys who can cover, play halves (half-field safety coverage) and blitz.”
T.J. Edwards (LB – PHI)
Edwards is set to open the season as the starting middle linebacker but is expected to cede snaps to rookie Nakobe Dean. It remains to be seen whether Dean will take more snaps from Edwards or Kyzir White, but with Shaun Bradley also in the mix to see snaps in the middle on Sunday, Edwards falls from potential LB2 consideration to more of an LB4. Dean, who many have high hopes for, also needs to be left on benches as he did not earn a starting role this offseason.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.
