PARRY: Play your best players in Week 1

Published 11:03 pm Wednesday, September 4, 2013

The first week of the NFL season starts Thursday, but let’s all really be honest. What would you rather happen this week?

A. My favorite team starts the season off a victory.

B. My fantasy team starts the season with a win.

To everyone who answered A, congratulations, you are a true fan to your team —and I wish you were in my fantasy league because unless you answered B, you’re simply not in it to win it.

Look, I like the Dallas Cowboys — I have since I was old enough to walk — but if it comes down to Ruben Randle (could possibly be my No. 3 WR) making a catch late in the game that sinks Dallas, but helps me win my weekly matchup, I go Randle.

Fantasy Football is not for everyone, and that is okay, but for those of us on the island, it’s the most fun, engaging and satisfying four months many of us enjoy each year.

Do I want the Cowboys to finally win a couple playoff games and play in a Super Bowl for the first time since my junior year of college?

Yes.

But my league, the Dereliction League, is a 14-team league where transactions have a monetary value and each owner also puts in a small entry fee. The winner gets a percentage of the total pot at the end, with second place a smaller percentage and so on from there paying out to all of the playoff teams.

As my wife so succinctly says to friends who razz me about caring more for my fantasy team than the Cowboys, “I don’t see Jerry Jones knocking on our front door to give Chris and me extra money for the holidays.”

I also play non-money leagues, simply for bragging rights, and those are just as involved. I enter my 18th year of doing this and it really gets better each time.

My advice for owners in Week 1 is to simply play your best players. This sounds obvious, but more often than not, owners get fascinated by matchups based on what happened in 2012.

And that is the problem.

Just because Seattle and San Francisco had the best defenses last year does not necessarily mean they are going to shut down Carolina and Green Bay this week. If you have Aaron Rodgers and Robert Griffin III as your QBs, you start Rodgers — period.

Yes, according to last year, RG3 has the better matchup against Philadelphia rather than Rodgers against San Francisco.

It doesn’t matter.

Especially for Week 1, you play your best player at each position, regardless of matchup. After all, that is why you drafted these guys. Let them work for you.

I have a similar predicament at running back. Chicago Bears’ Matt Forte is facing a stout Cincinnati Bengals defense while on my bench sits Ahmad Bradshaw, who is going against the Oakland Raiders.

I am playing Forte and not thinking twice about it. Yes, Bradshaw could outdo Forte, but if I went the other way and I played Bradshaw and Forte went off, I would be mad all of next week.

Save yourself the heartache and play your best players.

No questions came in this week, so I will provide one and see what responses we get.

Q: Who will be the biggest surprise and biggest bust of the 2013 season based on average draft position?

Send responses to cparry@tylerpaper.com.

Good luck this season.