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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) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 18: Joe Mixon #28 of the Cincinnati Bengals carries the ball against the Dallas Cowboys in the first quarter at AT&T Stadium on August 18, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 18: Joe Mixon #28 of the Cincinnati Bengals carries the ball against the Dallas Cowboys in the first quarter at AT&T Stadium on August 18, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Running Back Joe Mixon (at Indianapolis)

When my fantasy player’s schedule has the letters “IND” on it, a smile naturally grows on my face.

Indianapolis may just have the worst defense in the league, and the Colts have been at that for a while. For the past two to three years, an IND on the schedule meant that you were probably going to score a lot of fantasy points that week.

That trend should continue this year — the return of quarterback Andrew Luck only helps the Colts offense.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Mixon was a RB3 last year, but that was when Jeremy Hill was stealing snaps away from him. Now Hill is gone and Mixon is the team’s bell-cow running behind an improved offensive line. His fantasy situation is very good and should make him into another breakout candidate for this year.

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And what better way to start this breakout year off than playing the Colts defense? Mixon has a real shot to be a top-five fantasy running back this week.