Week 1 is tough.  So much hype leading up to the season can make for some very difficult roster decisions in the first week of the season.  Everyone wants to get off to a fast start and not fully understanding the direction the 2010 season will take can be very frustrating.  Stick with your Beasts for sure.  Read on for some other Start - Sit options you may (or may not) want to consider.

Note* - Always start your Beasts.  For the best (and worst) of the rest, read on:

Quarterbacks

Start
Carson Palmer has been a shell of his former Beastly self these past two seasons. Can he rebound? Well, he does have a few more weapons at his disposal this season with Jermaine Gresham, Jordan Shipley and Terrell Owens in the mix. Regardless of whether or not Carson can capture his pre-2008 magic, he is a good start against a porous Patriots defense in Week 1. Start him with confidence in a game that could end up a high scoring affair.

Kyle Orton is not flashy or exciting, both in real life football and fantasy football, but he is a gamer. He's got a nice matchup in Week 1 against the Jaguars, probably one of the worst defensive units in the NFL this year. Except Orton to pass for at least a couple TD's and have a solid yardage numbers. Start him with confidence this week.

Sit
A new team and a new scheme, combined with a shaky ankle makes Donovan McNabb a wait and see in Week 1. The Redskins did not show too much in the preseason and they face a formidable defense on Sunday night. They are at home and McNabb has had solid games against them in the past few years, but we'd let him ride the pine this week if similarly talented QB's are on your roster.

2010 may very well be his breakout season, but Joe Flacco starts off with a very tough Monday Night matchup at the New York Jets as they open their new stadium. Plus, if you haven't heard, Darrelle Revis has signed and will be on the field for Week 1. He has new receiving weapons to work with, but there are much better options out there than one of the best defenses in the NFL.


Sneaky Pick
He's a turnover machine, but Derek Anderson does have a strong arm and a very capable receiving corp. at his disposal. He locked up the Cardinals job with a solid preseason and should have a healthy Larry Fitzgerald as his main target. It would take some guts to start him in Week 1, but he's got an intriguing matchup against the lowly Rams. Those of you in deep or 2 QB leagues might want to consider it.

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Running Backs

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CJ Spiller - Are you having a difficult time deciding whether to start a rookie in Week 1?  We'll don't stress over this decision.  CJ Spiller is a Beast in the making and already the best player on the Bills offensive side of the ball.  He possesses a versatile skill set that will keep him on the field often and immediately.  As of this week he is listed as the Bills RB1 on the depth chart.  The Dolphins defense is solid, but not enough to shut down Spiller. He will have a big Week 1.

Ahmad Bradshaw - Bradshaw is an interesting prospect this year as he has finally passed Brandon Jacobs on the depth chart.  The Giants were embarrassed by the Panthers in their final home game in Giants stadium to close out the 2009 season.  Look for them to debut their 2010 season opener in their new digs (The New Meadowlands Stadium) with a charged effort and a big game on the ground from Bradshaw vs. the Panhters.

Ryan Mathews - Another rookie RB on the start list.  Mathews has a nice matchup this week vs. a soft Chiefs Defense to kick off his NFL career.  Mathews will get a heavy workload in this one, likely touching the ball 20+ times.  Feel very comfortable starting him as an RB2 with RB1 upside.

Sit
Knowshown Moreno - Moreno possesses the talent to be a top 10 back in the league. Unfortunately, he has been hampered by a bad hamstring injury and claims to only be at 80%.  An RB running at only 80% is going to have tough sledding vs. 8 man defensive fronts.  While Brandon Marshall is hanging out with LeBron and DWade in South Beach, the Broncos lack big time weapons at the WR position. Despite the nice matchup against what looks to be a weak Jags D (ranked 27th in '09), he shouldn't be started. He could still be a solid start this season, but not yet.

LeSean McCoy his matchup this week vs. the Packers is going to be a high scoring affair dominated by the passing attack.  If you don't need McCoy in your lineup this week, steer clear.  He reportedly is going to be a stronger inside runner in 2010 than he was in '09, but until we see it, he's difficult to trust to bring anything more than RB2-3 value.

Marion Barber - Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, Felix Jones, and more.... The question here is whether the Cowboys have enough footballs to go around? While Barber si still a name brand, the question marks surrounding him and his slide on the depth chart is concerning.  He is still a valuable commodity, but if he's in your starting lineup this week, you better hope the Cowboys are at the goal line, because if not, he will kill your lineup.

Sneaky Pick
Jerrome Harrison - Harrison is in line to carry the workload this weekend with incumbent rookie Montario Hardesty sidelined for the season with a torn ACL.  Harrison will look to continue the ridiculously high level of productivity he displayed late season '09.  While ironic, as the Browns drafted his replacement in this years draft - a clear endorsement they don't trust him - he recieved an endorsment from HC Mangini this week stating Harrison is ready to "seize the opportunity."  Harrison's high upside this week vs. a weak TB defense outweighs the risk of him laying a dud.  At the very least he should get a high volume of carries.

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Wide Receivers

Start
A breakout candidate just a year ago, everything went wrong for Dwayne Bowe in 2009. That obviously did not happen, but Bowe could make for a reliable fantasy option once again. After a tremendous training camp and working his way out of Todd Haley's doghouse, Bowe is primed for a big year and he should start right out of the gate in Week 1 against the Chargers on Monday Night Football.

Jeremy Maclin is no better than the third option in the Eagles passing game, but with a potential shootout against the Packers, he is starter material. He is looking to take a step forward in 2010 and Kevin Kolb could look at him early and often as DeSean Jackson and Brent Celek garner all of the attention from the defense.

Michael Crabtree barely practiced at all last year and still ended up producing solid WR3/4 numbers in the second half. Now he has had an entire offseason to prep for the season and he could make the leap to solid WR2 option. Against a weak Seattle team, Crabs could be poised for a big day.

Sit
Anquan Boldin was going to be on our Sit list for Week 1 with or without a Darrelle Revis signing. Going up against an elite defense in his first game in a new system, Boldin is not a great bet for a Beastly beginning. Throw in a newly paid Darrelle Revis that could be blanketing him and we'll take our chances on a comparable player with a better matchup.

Santana Moss has been dependant on the deep ball and big play for most of his career. The veteran has sneaky WR3 value this season, but he has a tough matchup against the Cowboys in Week 1. Let him get a few games under his belt with Donovan McNabb before he becomes a solid play. He's not likely to bust loose this week, it might be best to leave him reserved.

Hines Ward has been a reliable fantasy option for the past 8 seasons and even as he entered his 30's, he's remained on top of his game. He had the second most catches and yards of his career last season, but Big Ben won't be under center for the first 4 Steeler games this seaosn. That means a lot of Rashard Mendenhall and not a lot of passing. Dennis Dixon has a big arm, but struggles with decision making and accuracy at times. Dixon could lean on Ward as a crutch, but after only 3 catches for 47 yards in Week 12 last year (Dixon's only career start), we are not optimistic.

Sneaky Picks
Mohamed Massaquoi has the potential to be a WR1 in this league, but that is not likely to happen this season with Jake Delhomme throwing him the ball. That being said, Massa could have a big game against a porous Bucaneers defense.

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Tight Ends

Start
Jermichael Finley - Unfortunately you will not find Finley as part of this article often moving forward.  He is a monster and will soon warrant every week starter status.  Week 1 of the 2010 season he will establish himself  as such.  Both the Packers and the Eagles are going to come out throwing this weekend, and we anticipate Finley to be a major contributor right out of the gate.  Triple digit yardage and a TD is entirely likely.

Kellen Winslow - A home game vs. a Browns Defense that was horrible last year, puts Winslow in a nice spot in Week 1.  Surrounded by a generally unknown WR group, Winslow will serve as a solid security blanket for an injured Josh Freeman. 

Zach Miller - Miller is one of our favorite emerging players in 2010.  Look for him to establish a large role in Week 1 with a receiving corps that is somewhat limited to due an injury to WR1 Chaz Schilens and a RB committe that is surrounded by question marks, opportunity knocks at the TE position.  Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey are both emerging deep threat type players which should open up some underneath routes for Miller.

Sit
John Carlson - This Seattle offense has some major question marks surrounding them.  First off, who will be chucking the football?  John Carlson is coming off a hugely disappointing sophomore campaign, and while his upside is intruiging his opportunity is greatly lacking again in 2010.  There are better opportunities at the TE position at this point in the season.

Heath Miller - Mr. Reliable has a tough road ahead of him until the return of Big Ben.  Dennis Dixon is the starter and the Steelers will rely heavily on the run.  While you may expect the hugely consistent Miller to be a nice security blanket for Dixon, he will likely be relegated to run support for the first quarter of the football season.

Sneaky Pick
Jermaine Gresham - Rookie Tight Ends rarely make an impact.  There are a few this season that we like to have a role in their respective offenses.  Gresham is one of those players.  With little tape on the talent rookie that many say have as great or higher upside than J. Finley, we like Gresham to maybe have a few catches this weekend as New England's poor Defense will look to shut down the many established offensive weapons on the Bengals roster.  On the flip side of the ball, pay attention to the utilization of Patriots Rookie TE Rob Gronkowski this weekend as well.  He had a nice preseason and looks to have good chemistry with Tom Brady.