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In Week 1 of the 2014 fantasy football season, the San Diego Chargers will face of against the Arizona Cardinals. It seems like a defense battle at first glance, but there are some sleepers to consider. One of them is San Diego RB Ryan Mathews.
The former first round pick set career-highs in rushes (285) and rushing yards (1,255) in 2013. He also added 26 receptions and another 189 yards through the air. He finally had a breakout campaign for fantasy fans and earned his spot as a low-end RB2/high-end RB3 this summer.
Arizona ranked first in the league last season against the run. They averaged an outstanding 84.4 rushing yards against per game and stifled opposing running backs all season long. As a result of the tough matchup, many owners are worried about the Week 1 fantasy value of Mathews.
Luckily, though, Arizona’s defense is in very rough shape to start the year. The team lost All-Pro DT Darnell Dockett due to a torn ACL earlier this offseason and the three-time Pro Bowler’s absence will leave a large hole in Arizona’s front-seven. The team will now have to rely on the rest of their aging defense, and this matchup suddenly doesn’t sound as impossible for Mathews.
Mathews likely won’t come close to 100 rushing yards, but he could easily end up with 100 all-purpose yards and finish as a top-20 fantasy back in Week 1.
Week 1 Prediction: 18 CAR., 82 YDS, 3 REC., 22 YDS, 1 TD
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
