Fantasy football: 5 must-start players for Week 1 of 2018

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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) /

No. 2: Running Back Marshawn Lynch (vs. Los Angeles Rams)

Most people don’t know this, but Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch was putting up solid RB2 numbers in the second half of the 2017 season.

And that was with a defunct offense around him.

Personally, I loved the head coach Jon Gruden hire for the Raiders. The coach is incredibly intelligent and knows his stuff, especially on offense. Gruden runs an old-school offense — the one thing that he wants to do is run the ball, which bodes extremely well for Lynch’s fantasy situation.

The Los Angeles Rams are probably the most talented team in the league on paper, but the one thing that they lack is linebackers. The team’s linebacker corps is dangerously weak, with Corey Littleton and Mark Barron (hybrid safety/linebacker) manning the inside.

So what will Gruden naturally do? Run the ball with Lynch (ahem, Pete Carroll) down the Rams’ throats!

Taking advantage of the Rams’ seemingly only weakness is the only reasonable thing to do and may be the key to the Raiders’ winning, perhaps, their last season opener in Oakland.