There’s been a lot that has been said about this year’s first international game on the NFL schedule which features the Green Bay Packer and Philadelphia Eagles heading to Sao Paulo, Brazil for a Week 1, Friday night clash. Good, bad, indifferent, the two teams will be ready to play and there are some intriguing fantasy matchups that you should be aware of to help win your first week of the season.
*Rankings are based on ESPN PPR League*
Saquon Barkley vs. Packers Rush Defense
The buzz and excitement surrounding Saquon Barkley’s Eagles debut is one of the most anticipated storylines coming into the season. What type of production he might offer not only in real life, but in the fantasy football world is also something fans are pondering.
Barkley enters the season as the RB5 according to ESPN’s PPR Rankings as of August 31 and this first week matchup could be a very productive one for the talented running back. The Packers defense ranks 19th in fantasy this year after struggling last year allowing the fifth-most rushing yards per game (127.1 yards/game) and being near the middle of the pack in passing yards allowed, finishing 13th a season ago (218.3 yards/game).
More specifically, the Packers allowed 21.7 fantasy points per game to running backs last year in PPR leagues, which was ranked 20th in the NFL. With that said, the Packers made changes to help revamp their defense, letting go of former defensive coordinator Joe Berry and brought in Jeff Hafley, the former head coach at Boston College who will run a new, 4-3 defense in Green Bay. The Packers also inked star safety Xavier McKinney to a 4-year, $68 million contract to be a force in the secondary. The front office also used six draft picks to help shore up the unit, highlighted by a pair of second round picks in linebacker Edgerrin Cooper out of Texas A&M and safety Javon Bullard from Georgia.
Despite the additions and change in philosophy, Barkley should have success in his Eagles debut. He’s behind a much better offensive line than he was last year in New York where he finished ninth among running backs last year, averaging 15.9 points a game being one of the only weapons for the Giants. Add in the possibility of catching a few passes from Hurts in this new-look offense under offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who saw his running backs haul in 67 catches with the Chargers last year, and the multiple options the Packers will need to defend, Barkley should have ample opportunities to help finish as a top 5 RB in Week 1.
Dallas Goedert vs. Packers Pass Defense
Will this be the year Dallas Goedert becomes a top-five fantasy tight end? He certainly has the skillset to be a mismatch against many opposing defenses but injuries and falling down in the pecking order behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith along with the addition of Barkley, it might be tough for Goedert to have huge impacts in games on a week-to-week basis. The seventh-year tight end of the Eagles ranks just outside the top 10 at TE11 on ESPN.
You are going to have to keep any eye on the injury report as Goedert has been out of practice for a week dealing with an oblique issue, but if he’s able to suit up, he should be a formidable tight end to start.
The Packers defense a season ago did allow success to opposing tight ends, ranking 18th in points allowed, surrendering 11.8 points per game. If you’re a Goedert owner, you would be very happy with 10+ points in Week 1, but if the Packers defense continues its trend from last year, one angle to look at is that they allowed the 4th-most points in the red zone to tight ends. A touchdown added to Goedert’s day could be in the cards in this Week 1 matchup.
Packers Offense vs. Eagles Defense
If you happened to snag the Eagles defense (ranked 21st) late in your draft, perhaps you’re more optimistic than I am on how this unit will start the season. I for one stream defenses, but with that said, the Eagles defense is not a unit I would be streaming in Week 1.
The Packers offense caught fire in the second half of the season and Jordan Love is poised for a breakout season with a solid supporting cast at wide receiver to go along with new running back Josh Jacobs, who replaces longtime running back Aaron Jones. The offense averaged 22.5 points per game which was 12th most in the league while finishing 10th in the NFL last year in yards per game at 348.3.
From Week 12 on, Love and the Packers offense averaged 25.4 points per game and turned heads when they dismantled the Dallas Cowboys defense in their 48-32 Wild Card round game.
This matchup just screams danger for me and presents a very tough matchup for a Philadelphia defense that is projected to start nearly an entire new linebacking corps with Bryce Huff, Zack Baun, and Devin White joining lone mainstay Josh Sweat from a year ago in a new 3-4 defense implemented by first-year Eagles’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Couple that with a young secondary that expects to have Keelee Ringo starting at one corner position and rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean playing at the nickel back position, expect this to be a high scoring affair which doesn’t bode well for fantasy defenses. I’d find another option for Week 1.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
