15 Fantasy Football Transactions for Week 1

Add Alex Smith

I hinted at this with the Travis Kelce blurb earlier, but the Chiefs could be a pass-happier team in 2014, and that naturally benefits Alex Smith, who’s owned in just about one-quarter of ESPN.com leagues.

Smith is perfect for fantasy football. He’s certainly not a fantastic real quarterback, but his ability to run the football exploits the scoring in fantasy. As a result, his middling passing numbers are complemented by above average rushing ones, and he becomes a high-end QB2. I mean, the guy scored more fantasy points than Tom Brady and Matt Ryan last year thanks to his 431 rushing yards.

He isn’t a plug-and-play starter at quarterback, but in single-quarterback leagues, you could argue only three players truly are. Instead, Smith’s the perfect player to plug into your lineup when a favorable matchup is upcoming, which he has in Week 1 against the Titans. Cornerback Alterraun Verner is no longer a Titan, and despite allowing few yards to opposing passers in 2013, the Titans secondary, according to our metrics, still ranked 21st against the pass. Smith is a solid streaming option despite Dwayne Bowe not playing.