Philadelphia Eagles
<strong>Sam Bradford, QB</strong>
The big reveal for Bradford as the Eagles starting quarterback is finally here. The preseason provided a fine appetizer, as he went 13-of-15 and threw three touchdowns. He has a great chance to post more impressive numbers in Week 1 against the Falcons. Atlanta ranked 22nd in allowing fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Their savior is a rookie pass rusher in Vic Beasley, who should have his hands full in his first NFL game lining up across from Jason Peters. Bradford's efficient ways in Chip Kelly's quarterback-friendly offense is going to set the world on fire Monday night.
<strong>DeMarco Murray, RB</strong>
The Peters/Beasley matchup extends to the running game, as well. Beasley can impact games, albeit not consistently yet, as a pass rusher, but he showed some weaknesses as a run defender in college. Peters is a mammoth left tackle, and moves bodies in the running game. Murray's a high-end RB1 start this week.
Ryan Mathews, RB
This is the type of game, a back and forth shoot out, where Ryan Mathews can have some standalone value. He could potentially pop in a touchdown and catch a few passes with these teams trading points. Again, the Eagles will run all over the Falcons. Mathews should be able to scratch out a piece of the pie.
<strong>Jordan Matthews, WR</strong>
Jordan Matthews has a great matchup against the Falcons cornerbacks. He played over 90 percent of his 2014 snaps in the slot, and figures to remain there this season. He won't see much of their No. 1 corner, Desmond Trufant, and will get chances to feast on Robert Alford and other subpar corners in the middle of the field. He's close to a must-play as a target hog on that offense.
<strong>Nelson Agholor, WR</strong>
With this being one of the highest scoring games of the week, there's reason to assume Nelson Agholor will find some good value. However, you probably have a better option. We're not sure yet how much playing time the rookie is in line for in the offense. If he does play much, he'll likely see more of Trufant, while Matthews gets the good looks from the slot. There will be a time to play Agholor, but this is not it.
Atlanta Falcons
<strong>Matt Ryan, QB</strong>
Opposing quarterbacks and wide receivers feasted on the Eagles' secondary last season. While they added Byron Maxwell and other talent to the mix, the pace with which their offense plays means that the defense will always be in a bind. Ryan is historically better at home in the comforts of the Georgia dome. He's a locked in start this week.
<strong>Tevin Coleman, RB</strong>
The rookie runner outlasted Devonta Freeman in the running back battle, mostly because he recovered from his hamstring faster. Coleman's final preseason stat line of eight carries for 56 yards looks impressive, but is a bit misleading. He took two runs for a combined 41 yards, while sprinkling in minimal yard gains for the rest of the outing. This boom or bust nature is right in line with his play as a collegiate. Behind a poor offensive line and with little clarity on who he is as an NFL asset, let's wait and see Coleman before tossing him into lineups.
<strong>Julio Jones, WR</strong>
All of the targets; every single one. That's what we can expect as an outlook for Jones in this game, and going forward. We saw it come to life when Ryan and Jones hooked up for four catches, 61 yards and a score on their only drive together in the first week of the preseason. With all the other options in the passing game carrying serious question marks, and in Kyle Shanahan's "play the hits offense," Jones will get fed. The Eagles plan to shadow him with their newest addition, Byron Maxwell, the longtime Seahawks No. 2 corner. It will not work.
<strong>Roddy White, WR</strong>
It looks like the veteran is on track to play in the season opener after an elbow surgery, but there's still little reason for you to play Roddy White. This is a good matchup, where points should come in bunches, but White is teetering dangerously on the over-the-hill cliff. You're better off throwing a desperation dart at Leonard Hankerson than starting White as a WR3.
<content:weekly-predictions hometeamabbr="SF" hometeamscore="" visitteamabbr="MIN" visitteamscore="at" day="Monday" time="10:20 PM ET" network="ESPN">
Minnesota Vikings
<strong>Teddy Bridgewater, QB</strong>
Bridgewater was a preseason darling for plenty of fantasy enthusiasts. The Vikings signal-caller started to make strides near the end of last season and looked as though he had found a comfort zone in training camp. With a new deep threat in Mike Wallace and the returned threat of Adrian Peterson in the backfield, Bridgewater has sleeper appeal in Week 1.
<strong>Adrian Peterson, RB</strong>
After missing nearly the entire 2014 season, Peterson is back and should be ready to make an immediate impact. His first task will be to go to work on an 49ers defense that is a shell of the unit that was among the NFL's best for the past several years. Look for Peterson to see plenty of work in his return to the field.
<strong>Mike Wallace, WR</strong>
Wallace's stint in Miami didn't go as hoped, which is why he now calls Minnesota home. The hope is that the veteran will do more than just run deep routes -- especially with the emerging Charles Johnson playing across the way. But even if Wallace is living and dying with 9s, he has a quarterback in Bridgewater that can get him the ball. It's something he didn't have with Ryan Tannehill in Miami.
<strong>Charles Johnson, WR</strong>
While we were all waiting for Cordarrelle Patterson to break out last season, it was Johnson who took the opportunity by the horns. During the preseason, the young receiver looked as though he was ready to take a big step forward along with Bridgewater. Johnson might not be the sexiest name out there, but he could be a sneaky flex play against the Niners secondary.
<strong>Vikings D/ST</strong>
This unit is on the waiver wire in plenty of fantasy leagues, but shouldn't be slept on this season. During the second half of 2014, the Vikings were as good as any defense in the National Football League. It's a group with plenty of talent up front in the form of Everson Griffen and Anthony Barr, while Harrison Smith is a ballhawk in the secondary. This group should harass Colin Kaepernick and the Niners offense all night long.
San Francisco 49ers
<strong>Colin Kaepernick, QB</strong>
Much was made of Kaepernick working with Kurt Warner in the offseason, but his preseason action didn't show many results. However, the slate has been wiped clean with the start of the regular season. The one thing the quarterback still has going for him is his athleticism and ability to make plays outside of the pocket. He'll need it against a strong Minnesota pass rush.
<strong>Carlos Hyde, RB</strong>
The heir apparent to Frank Gore will get his first chance to shine this week. Hyde ran well during the preseason and could be key to helping San Francisco play a ball control style of offense. The fear, however, is that if the 49ers find themselves trailing that Hyde won't see as many touches in the second half. There's also the issue of free agent signee Reggie Bush taking snaps on third down and in passing situations.
<strong>Torrey Smith, WR</strong>
Smith comes over from Baltimore and is looking to replace the departed Michael Crabtree. While he can be a nice deep threat in the passing game, his inconsistency makes him hard to trust on a week-to-week basis.
<strong>Vernon Davis, TE</strong>
If past is prologue, Davis could be a nice Week 1 play. After all, that's when he did the vast majority of his scoring last season. In what could be a bounce-back year for the veteran tight end, a quick start would be welcomed.
<strong>Anquan Boldin, WR</strong>
For the past couple of seasons, we've tried to count out Boldin and he's continued to surprise us. This doesn't look like the most favorable matchup and there are plenty of better fantasy wideouts available. Then again, we've said this before.
<strong>49ers D/ST</strong>
This isn't your father's 49ers defense. It's not even your slightly older sibling's 49ers defense. This year's group has been left almost unrecognizable thanks to retirements and injuries. Starting them against a very motivated Adrian Peterson doesn't seem like a good idea.
</content:weekly-predictions>