Love & Hate: Fantasy WRs Week 1

So some time ago the great Matthew Berry closed up shop about his Love and Hate column. Myself as well as other people felt intense sadness about hearing this. Why? Well, it is because Berry’s Love and Hate column was right for the most part and it has helped me and friends to many many wins and one championship win.

The sadness that it was gone was one of disbelief and wondering who would take up the newest mantle, and while I am no Matthew Berry, I will give it a shot while he continues with a different style of Love and Hate but that is too confusing and we need the go-tos and the do-not-gotos.

So the new Madden came out some time ago and it has been a success releasing newer and better players throughout the entire NFL timeline, from Legend players from some time ago like Brian Dawkins all the way to Willie Loaf through new guys like Deshawn Watson and J.J. Watt.  It has been a smash hit and still climbing even now thanks in part to the Football Season Coming Back!  New items are added every day and the fun will never stop and that is the message I have been trying to get my good friend and streamer TubbiestVirus09 to get through, he is on the edge of buying it and I need your help, Yes you Fantasy Football fans to help me.

Speaking of Fantasy football here is what happened during the Atlanta Falcons vs Philadelphia Eagles game Thursday night… Philly Philly. Enough Said.  Carson Wentz is out for a few more weeks now it seems so Philly will have to rely on their backup dreadful I know, the Superbowl MVP backup QB Nick Foles.  Foles disappointed (fantasy wise) during the game putting up less than 5 Points……FIVE POINTS!! Even Matt Ryan was able to put up 8.8 points and the SuperBowl MVP QB could even put up 5?????  Well while Foles was a disappointment Jay Ajayi and Julio Jones were not with Jones putting up respectively 18 points and Ajayi putting up 20.2 thanks in part to Foles giving him the rock and running it in.  So with 2 teams down here are some more we can look at going forward:

Wide Receiver Love

(DET) Golden Tate vs New York Jets

Tate has been an absolute monster when it comes to PPR fantasy points putting up solid fantasy points every season and while the Jets beefed up their secondary with premier Cornerback Trumaine Johnson, we can expect to see Tate go up against Buster Skrine in the slot and eat some yardage.

(LAR) Brandin Cooks @ Oakland Raiders

After being traded to the Rams last season for draft picks Cooks is looking to jump-start his career.  Wait? That is not right. Hold on. Oh yeah, here it is I found my cheat sheet, now what did I write?  This says “Brandin Cooks is an absolute monster and will receive a lot of deep thrown passes from Jared Goff against a horrendous Raider’s secondary and rack them up.”  Good Advice to me.

(BAL) Michael Crabtree vs Buffalo Bills

King Crab is back and looking to make some noise, after splitting his workload with Amari Cooper Crabtree can finally be a true #1 and rack up some serious yardage against a Bills team who talent is missing from the front line to the secondary with a few exceptions but a couple of guys doesn’t make a team and Crabtree will rip through it all.

• (PIT) JuJu Smith-Schuster @ Cleveland Browns
• (HOU) Will Fuller @ New England Patriots
• (NYJ) Robby Anderson @ Detriot Lions

Wide Receiver Hate

(CLE) Josh Gordon vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Now while I am a Josh Gordon fan I do not think that he will go beast mode on the Steelers. Why?  It is simple for starters he didn’t train with the team all offseason for personal reasons so he has no connection with new QB Tyrod Taylor or rookie draft pick Baker Mayfield.  Plus the Steel City Boys always come in and push around the Browns because they have always boasted a good secondary core.

(SF) Pierre Garcon @ Minnesota Vikings

Even with mirror image Tomy Brady/ Jimmy G under center now at San Fran, I would still caution playing Pierre Garcon thanks in large part to Marquise Goodwin winning the #1 WR Job.  In addition, the Vikings surrendered one of the lowest numbers of catches for touchdowns to WR last season on their way to the playoffs.

(KC) Sammy Watkins @ Los Angeles Chargers

Even before the Bosa-Ingram duo started to make noise for the Chargers Sammy Watkins was struggling for targets and yardage and that made him a FLEX option at best but add in Bosa-Ingram and you have a recipe to avoid.  The Chargers boasts one of the best defenses in the league and rookie QB Mahomes will have a tough time finding a target other than Hunt, Kelce or Hill to throw to.

• (OAK) Jordy Nelson vs. Los Angeles Rams, 
• (NYG) Sterling Shepard vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
• (TB) Mike Evans @ New Orleans Saints