Fanduel’s Sunday Million

 
Tony Romo, Philip Rivers start the 2014 NFL season with a difficult fantasy matchup. The Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback is set to make his first full start since recovering from back surgery that caused him to miss the team’s last game of the 2013 NFL season.

The twelfth year veteran took some plays during the preseason but nothing like he will face when he squares off against the San Francisco 49ers. Romo and the entire Cowboys offense could be in for a long day against one of the NFL’s top defenses.

Typically Romo would be on our start list against almost any defense but not knowing how he will handle being hit we would pass on him in week 1. Last season Romo threw for over 300 yards in four games and finished with at least two touchdowns in ten games.

The other fantasy matchup that stands out is Philip Rivers going against the Arizona Cardinals defense. Last season Rivers put together one of the best seasons of his career thrown for 4,478 yards, 32 touchdowns and completed nearly seventy percent of his passes.

The key concern heading into this game is how will the veteran play without offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. The Cardinals are also a very good defense with one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL in Patrick Peterson.

These are just two of the fantasy matchups to stay away from. Here are the top 10 fantasy players to stay away from in week one of the 2014 NFL season.

1. Tony Romo, Quarterback: Romo is a fantasy quarterback but the uncertainty of his back has us worried. If it wasn’t for this the Cowboys quarterback could have plenty of opportunities on offense as the Cowboys defense will struggle to slow down opponents.

2. Philip Rivers, Quarterback: Has Philip Rivers really figured out how to be a consistent quarterback? Guess we will see on Monday Night Football against a solid Arizona Cardinals defense.

3. Jordy Nelson, Wide Receiver: Nelson received the big paycheck this off-season but will the Green Bay Packers star wide out show up against Richard Sherman and the Seattle Seahawks defense? The entire Packers offensive team will be hard to pick in this game.

4. Mike Wallace, Wide Receiver: The Miami Dolphins host the New England Patriots to start the season. We expect the Patriots to slot Darrelle Revis against the team’s number one wide out Mike Wallace. We suggest staying away from him but you could turn your attention to Jarvis Landry as a sleeper.

5. Doug Martin, Running Back: All signs point to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers using a split back committee to open the regular season against the Carolina Panthers. It could be a long day for Martin against the second best run defense in 2013.
 

 
6. Atlanta Falcons Defense: The Falcons defense will have their hands full in week one against Drew Brees and the New Orleans offense. The Saints offense has a ton of weapons including Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston and a new weapon in Brandin Cooks.

7. Baltimore Ravens Defense: The team has to many concerns in the secondary as Jimmy Smith, Lardarius Webb and Asa Jackson all have missed time this season. The three cornerbacks are expected to play against one of the NFL’s top wide receivers in A.J. Green.

8. Buffalo Bills Defense: The loss of Jairus Byrd could show up in week one as the team takes on the Chicago Bears. The Bears have one of the NFL’s top wide receiver tandems in Alshon Jeffery’s and Brandon Marshall.

9. Alfred Morris, Running Back: The off-season buzz has been about how bad the Houston Texans team has looked. We suggest staying away from Morris in this matchup against a very talent filled defense that includes J.J. Watt and Brian Cushing.

10. Geno Smith, Quarterback: Smith has the opportunity to have a break out fantasy season but so does the Oakland Raiders defense. The New York Jets lack talent opposite of Eric Decker at the wide receiver position. If Jace Amaro can emerge as a breakout rookie at tight end Smith might surprise some people.