Kenny Gainwell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
G-RANK Week 1: RB31
No one has any idea how Tampa's backfield split is going to shake out. But week 1's matchup against the Bengals (the 2nd worst defense against fantasy RBs last year) is juicy enough to start both Gainwell and Irving. Unless you're in a super deep league or are dealing with starting injuries, you probably don't have to start Gainwell, but I think he's a decent enough option in a game with a high O/U that should feature a ton of pass attempts on both sides. This is a backfield I'll be very interested to see develop starting next week, but I expect Gainwell to get more of the targets.
MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers
G-RANK Week 1: RB20
Barring any clear updates on the Josh Jacobs front, MarShawn Lloyd is Green Bay's starting running back. That's a pretty big deal for a team that saw ~35% of total yards come on the ground last season. I don't expect Lloyd to be the same type of bell cow that Jacobs was (my guess is the Packers gameplan to pass the ball more), but it still wouldn't surprise me to see him get 50-60% of the backfield attempts in week 1 and see some work in the passing game. The Vikings matchup isn't fantastic, but if you drafted Lloyd as a handcuff to Jacobs, you probably need the start.
Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
G-RANK Week 1: RB23
You probably drafted Tony Pollard as a bench piece, but he might be worth a look in week 1 if you're on the fence between 2 players. Pollard gets a juicy matchup against the Jets at home - a game I expect the Titans to win and one that features the worst defense against RBs for fantasy last season in New York. We'll see how involved Nicholas Singleton is week 1: my guess is he gets eased into the system while Tyjae Spears is the primary change-of-pace back. But I've been adamant that Pollard feels a lot safer than his fantasy draft cost, and I think Week 1 is going to pay off.
