Niner Noise
FanSided

Fantasy football: 5 must-start players for Week 1

By Aaron Tan

OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 03: Marshawn Lynch #24 of the Oakland Raiders runs for a 51-yard touchdown against the New York Giants during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 3, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 03: Marshawn Lynch #24 of the Oakland Raiders runs for a 51-yard touchdown against the New York Giants during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 3, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
fantasy football 2018 mock draft
CARSON, CA – OCTOBER 01: Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers throws a pass during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at the StubHub Center on October 1, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Quarterback Philip Rivers (vs. Kansas City)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers’ age is going up, but the always reliable signal-caller is not slowing down anytime soon.

I apologize for continuing to pick on the Chiefs defense, but the unit is simply looking very subpar this year. The only notable players I see on it are defensive end Chris Jones, linebacker Justin Houston and safety Eric Berry, who is dealing with a heel injury. The defense clearly needs improvement, but they won’t be getting reinforcements before Week 1 when they fly west to Los Angeles.

This game could very easily turn into a shootout, which excites me about the fantasy prospects of the entire Chargers and Chiefs’ offensive players. For quarterback, I had to go with Rivers over Chiefs second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes, because this will be the first real game action of the latter’s professional career (don’t count the meaningless game he played last year in Denver). Mahomes is a risk, and Rivers is again the reliable option.

Historically, Rivers hasn’t done well against Kansas City, but that should change in the first week of the 2018 NFL season.

Rivers will feast on the Chiefs.