Start or sit Marquez Valdes-Scantling in Week 1 fantasy football?

We all know about Pro-Bowler Davante Adams, but the biggest question for the Packers this offseason has been: Who will emerge behind him? The most logical answer is Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who was a fifth-round pick in 2018 out of South Florida. In his rookie season last year, MVS started 10-of-16 games for Green Bay, posting 581 yards on 38 receptions and two TDs. While he had a lackluster catch rate (52.1%; 38-of-73 targets), Valdes-Scantling did sport an impressive 15.3 yards per reception, which ranked 16th among WRs.

There’s no question MVS has the talent to emerge as the Packers’ second option behind Adams, but he’ll really need to work up his rapport with QB Aaron Rodgers. This is perhaps the thinnest receiver corps Rodgers has had in his entire NFL career, plus we know he’ll throw to guys who he knows are safe options. A-Rod may not have a choice but to look Valdes-Scantling’s way should the Bears choose to blanket Adams and focus on stopping running back Aaron Jones.

Fantasy Impact: Similar to how you should handle Geronimo Allison, I’d lean on the side of caution with MVS until we get more of a sense of how the Packers’ offense will operate. It’s not hard to fade Valdes-Scantling given the road matchup vs. Chicago, as well. In terms of season long, it’s smarter to leave MVS on the bench and not shoot yourself in the foot on Thursday night. Besides, given the Bears’ secondary, Valdes-Scantling’s ceiling would likely be capped anyway, with you sitting there hoping he’ll catch a HR pass.

Recommendation: Sit

All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS contests.