Fantasy Football: Making sense of the Week 1 rankings

Jamey Eisenberg's and Dave Richard's weekly rankings are the perfect tool for helping you set your lineup, but they're not on the same page with every player. In those cases, Scott White is happy to break the tie.

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Have you checked out Jamey Eisenberg's and Dave Richard's rankings yet? I don't mean from your draft, but for the week ahead.

It's the first place you should go when setting your lineups because you know they've done their homework, accounting for matchups, injuries and theoretical ceilings and floors.

But it's not an entirely objective exercise -- none that attempts to predict the future is -- so if you consult the rankings while setting your lineup, you may notice some discrepancies. And that can be frustrating.

You could just pick an analyst and always go with him, but where's the fun in that? You shouldn't always go with anyone, because ultimately you're the one who answers for your decisions. What you really want is validation for your decisions, and the more opinions you can find that either support or refute them, the better. It's the opinions that conflict with each other that leave you scratching your head.

So let's break the tie. I've picked out what I consider to be the biggest discrepancies in Jamey's and Dave's rankings for Week 1, examined each player's situation and offered a ruling. More opinions, right?

That's not to say mine is the definitive one, but if you're on the fence about one of these players, at least we no longer are.

Carson Palmer, QB, Cardinals
Matchup: vs. Saints
Jamey's ranking: 9
Dave's ranking: 14
I get how the matchup could work in Palmer's favor. The Saints traditionally pile up points, and Palmer is the kind of quarterback who, while normally hindered by the Cardinals' defensive-minded approach, could hang with Drew Brees if it comes to that. But we don't really know who the Saints are anymore, not with Brees turning 36 and his best target now in Seattle. If they're more run-oriented this year, as many pundits predict, I don't know that the Cardinals will need to lean on Palmer so heavily. I'd rather not steer into the unknown in Week 1, not when I drafted Ryan Tannehill, Matthew Stafford or Russell Wilson to be my starter.
I'm siding with: Dave

Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers
Matchup: at Jaguars
Jamey's ranking: 11
Dave's ranking: 16
Jamey was much higher on Stewart to begin with, so the fact Dave has him 16th this week is a pretty strong endorsement in itself. We won't really know if the longtime platoon back will get to carry the load until we see the offense in action, but against the lowly Jaguars, who have ranked in the bottom five offensively four straight years, Stewart will get his share regardless. I suspect the Panthers will take an early lead and spend the last 2 1/2 quarters holding on to it, which means keeping the ball on the ground. Stewart averaged 100.3 yards on 19.8 carries with DeAngelo Williams sidelined the last four games last week, so if you were thinking about starting Andre Ellington or Frank Gore instead, think again.
I'm siding with: Jamey

Chris Ivory, RB, Jets
Matchup: vs. Browns
Jamey's ranking: 17
Dave's ranking: 23
Can I just say it? The Browns are bad. I think we all know this. The Jets have a good chance of beating them on defense alone, and since their quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, isn't the stuff of legends anyway, they can probably afford to keep the ball on the ground. Probably. A game plan is only as good as a player's ability to execute it, though, and that's where I worry with Ivory. He certainly doesn't have breakaway potential, and I'm not confident the Jets offense will be inside the 5-yard line especially often. And since he's no pass-catcher, he kind of needs a touchdown to justify the ranking. I, like Dave, would prefer the upside of a Latavius Murray, Carlos Hyde or Ameer Abdullah, even if they're all a little riskier.
I'm siding with: Dave

Darren McFadden, RB, Cowboys
Matchup: vs. Giants
Jamey's ranking: 26
Dave's ranking: 33
The Cowboys running game as a whole isn't in question here. Behind a stacked offensive line, they'll move the ball on the ground even without DeMarco Murray. The question is how they'll distribute those carries between their two lead backs. Dave ranks Joseph Randle higher than Jamey does, which accounts for the difference here with McFadden, but I'm not so sure I wouldn't prefer McFadden outright. The projected starter varies by the day, but the fact McFadden, as the newcomer, is even in the discussion tells me the Cowboys recognize he's the superior rusher. If he's the hot hand early on, it could lead to some big numbers against a defense that ranked third-to-last against the run last year.
I'm siding with: Jamey

Amari Cooper, WR, Raiders
Matchup: vs. Bengals
Jamey's ranking: 16
Dave's ranking: 22
As the fourth overall pick in this year's draft, Cooper clearly has upside, and his best performance this preseason -- a four-catch, 62-yard effort in Week 3 -- came against standout cornerback Patrick Peterson, so he may well be a hit right away. But the Raiders haven't had a standout wide receiver in Fantasy since Randy Moss donned the silver and black back in 2005. Granted, some of it had to do with the lack of talent at the position itself, but even more had to do with the lack of talent around it. Maybe things are looking up with a more traditional management structure in place, and maybe Derek Carr is the real deal at quarterback. But if I'm deep at wide receiver, I'd rather not have to rely on Cooper right away.
I'm siding with: Dave

Steve Smith, WR, Ravens
Matchup: at Broncos
Jamey's ranking: 20
Dave's ranking: 34
New offensive coordinator Marc Trestman likes to put the ball in the air. His Bears tied for the seventh-most pass attempts last year. With Torrey Smith now in San Francisco and rookie Breshad Perriman sidelined by a knee injury, where else would those passes go but to Smith? He and Joe Flacco developed a nice rapport last year, and the Ravens are going to have to go pedal-to-the-metal against Peyton Manning and company. In points-per-reception leagues, he's probably must-start, with only his size (and viability in the red zone) holding him back in standard leagues. Regardless of the format, sitting him for Kendall Wright, Allen Robinson or even Brandon Marshall (who's going up against Joe Haden) seems crazy to me.
I'm siding with: Jamey

Nelson Agholor, WR, Eagles
Matchup: at Falcons
Jamey's ranking: 24
Dave's ranking: 33
I realize Agholor is a rookie, and I already took the whole seeing-is-believing angle with Amari Cooper, an even more highly regarded rookie. But I have a pretty good idea what the Eagles offense can do, especially against a Falcons defense that ranked dead last a year ago. Agholor was a revelation this preseason, and the Eagles had no trouble working Jordan Matthews, then a rookie, into their passing attack last year. Chip Kelly has put together the kind of offense that can swap out personnel and get the same kind of production, so no matter who's starting at wide receiver, I'd want to get in on this matchup.
I'm siding with: Jamey

Roddy White, WR, Falcons
Matchup: vs. Eagles
Jamey's ranking: 37
Dave's ranking: 32
So yes, we've established the Eagles will put up some points against the Falcons, but it's not like Matt Ryan and company are going to sit on their hands. The Eagles have a porous defense themselves, one that ranked ahead of only the Falcons against the pass last year, and with an unsettled running back situation and come-from-behind outlook, the Falcons are poised to take advantage. Yes, Julio Jones has pulled away from White as the clear No. 1 the last couple years, but with Harry Douglas now in Tennessee, White is the only other established pass-catcher in the mix. If Ryan reaches 350 yards, which seems a likely scenario, I'm guessing both Jones and White top 100. Let's see Larry Fitzgerald do that. Or Brandon Marshall against Joe Haden.
I'm siding with: Dave, but they both have him too low.

Golden Tate, WR, Lions
Matchup: at Chargers
Jamey's ranking: 26
Dave's ranking: 19
Am I missing something here? The backstory for Tate's career-best 2014 is pretty well-established. In the five games when Calvin Johnson was injured or playing at less than full strength (serving as a decoy, basically), Tate averaged 119.8 receiving yards. In the other 11, he averaged 66.5. And it's not like Matthew Stafford is looking his way in the red zone. The Chargers secondary is no joke. In fact, they ranked fourth against the pass last year, so I'm not sure why this would be the week Johnson and Tate learn to coexist. Give me Steve Smith or Nelson Agholor instead.
I'm siding with: Jamey

Jimmy Graham, TE, Seahawks
Matchup: at Rams
Jamey's ranking: 9
Dave's ranking: 2
I don't know that anyone drafted Graham expecting the kind of numbers he had in New Orleans, but everyone thought he'd be a fixture in Fantasy lineups except when he was on bye. So seeing him ninth in Jamey's rankings the first week of the season is jarring, to say the least. It still makes him an advisable start in any league deeper than eight teams, but look at some of the names ahead of him. Benjamin Watson? He's only 10 percent owned in CBSSports.com leagues. Are you really freeing up a roster spot so you can start him over a transcendent talent like Graham just because the Rams were one of the toughest matchups for tight ends last year? I say Graham is a tough matchup for them.
I'm siding with: Dave

Tyler Eifert, TE, Bengals
Matchup: at Raiders
Jamey's ranking: 7
Dave's ranking: 11
This one brings a bit of game theory into the discussion. Eifert, as a special talent getting his first opportunity to make a meaningful contribution, is something close to must-own in Fantasy as one of the more obvious breakout candidates at a thin position. But he's largely unproven, and the Bengals offense hasn't made extensive use of the tight end in recent seasons. Nobody really knows if he's going to deliver adequate Fantasy production. But Owen Daniels will with Peyton Manning throwing him the ball. Delanie Walker is a pretty safe bet as well. I wouldn't drop Eifert for either, but if I could afford to roster two tight ends, he wouldn't necessarily be the one I started.
I'm siding with: Dave

Chiefs DST
Matchup: at Texans
Jamey's ranking: 7
Dave's ranking: 11
I have a pretty simple test when picking out a DST for the upcoming week: How good is the opposing quarterback? If the answer is "he shouldn't be starting in the NFL," that's usually enough to win me over. Not only is he going to have trouble moving the football, but he's probably going to hold on to it too long and turn it over a few times. It's a snowball effect. Because Brian Hoyer fits this description, I almost don't care how the Chiefs DST stacks up on its own, though you may remember it ranked pretty high two years ago, when Derrick Johnson and Eric Berry were last healthy.
I'm siding with: Jamey