Fantasy Football: 5 Major sleepers with tasty Week 1 matchups

Five fantasy football sleepers that you should consider for your Week 1 lineup.

Chances are, most fantasy football managers are not looking to take a huge risk in NFL Week 1. But while it is important to not get too cute and start the studs you drafted, there are still many managers that may find themselves in a tough spot post-draft.

Whether you find your roster stacked with unproven rookie talents such as Colts running back Jonathan Taylor or Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow or left the draft with a late-round quarterback or tight end as your starter, there are still many opportunities for managers to set the tone for the season with these sneaky spot starts in Week 1.

These are the fantasy football sleepers to target for your Week 1 matchup should you need them. (Note: All fantasy stats and ADP info via Fantasy Pros.)

Fantasy Football Sleepers No. 5: QB Philip Rivers, Colts (vs. Jacksonville)

After a rocky 2019 season where long-time Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers finished with a 23-20 touchdown-interception ratio, he signed with the Indianapolis Colts in the offseason. Lucky for Rivers, his first matchup on his new team comes against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who most have already locked into the No. 1 draft pick in 2021.

Rivers’ fantasy value for the whole year is not something I’m exactly excited for, though his current average draft position of QB25 makes him an appealing late-round flier for Week 1 where Rivers looks to set the tone for the season under his leadership.

Fantasy Football Sleeper No. 4: RB Antonio Gibson, Washington (vs. Philadelphia)

Early in the 2020 offseason, Antonio Gibson was nothing more than a late-round bet against Derrius Guice and Adrian Peterson, who were the RB1 and RB2 on the Washington Football Team. However, with Guice’s arrest and release and then Peterson being cut, Gibson immediately has burst into fantasy relevance.

Peterson was given 499 touches since 2018 with Washington and, with little in the way of competition, Gibson should see a similarly high workload in 2020, starting in Week 1.

Fantasy Football Sleeper No. 3: RB Marlon Mack, Colts (vs. Jacksonville)

Marlon Mack has had a solid NFL career thus far, finishing as the RB21 and RB20 in his two seasons as a starter. However, his 2020 fantasy outlook is grim with the offseason addition of Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor with their second-round pick.

Even though Taylor will likely take over the majority of the work by season’s end, Mack should still see enough touches in the opener against a pitiful Jacksonville defense to warrant FLEX consideration.

Fantasy Football Sleeper No. 2: WR Desean Jackson, Eagles (vs. Washington)

The Philadelphia Eagles have a wide receiver problem, so much so that their WR1 is being picked as the WR54 in fantasy drafts, around players like Justin Jefferson and Preston Williams .

However, Desean Jackson is a proven talent and with Carson Wentz throwing him the ball, he should be a lock for 6-8 targets with at least a few deep looks. Jackson is one of the few players going in the 10th round who you can confidently plug into your lineup Week 1.

Fantasy Football Sleeper No. 1: TE Blake Jarwin, Cowboys (vs. LA Rams)

The Dallas Cowboys have received a lot of offseason hype for their offense and, naturally, Blake Jarwin has been apart of that. Despite that, he still falls into the streaming tier for tight ends.

With the Dallas vs Los Angeles game projected to be close yet also having the second-highest over-under of the season-opening slate, Jarwin should be heavily involved in a shootout, making him one of the more appealing tight end streaming options for Week 1.