PodcastFrom Fantasy Focus Football
Don't Set Your Lineup Until You Listen to This: Week 1 Fantasy Football | Fantasy Focus
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
1 hr 6 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 11, 2026
Published
Fri, September 11, 2026
53
Player insights
46
Players mentioned
Topics
Brian Thomas Jr.Carnell TateJustin HerbertKalif RaymondLadd McConkeyParker WashingtonXavier HutchinsonAlec PierceAlvin KamaraBaker MayfieldBlake CorumBreece HallChris OlaveChristian McCaffrey
Player analysis
Player insights
Alec Pierce
NegativeProjection33:55
Ranked as WR40, he carries risk for Week 1 due to missing most of the offseason with ankle/heel surgery, though he is expected to play. The source suggests holding off for a week to see his role.
Insight pageAlvin Kamara
NegativeInjury63:43
Alvin Kamara is expected to play, which has shifted Devon Achane's projection down slightly.
Insight pageBaker Mayfield
PositiveProjection64:46
Baker Mayfield is in a nice spot for a high-scoring game against Cincinnati.
Insight pageBlake Corum
NegativeRole11:07
Blake Corum does not have standalone fantasy value yet, as he only ran one pass route in the game; the source expects the route share to narrow slightly but maintains that he is not currently a startable asset.
Insight pageBreece Hall
PositiveProjection57:48
Breece Hall is a recommended start against the Titans, despite the Titans' tough front seven.
Insight pageBrian Thomas Jr.
NegativeProjection17:25
Brian Thomas Jr. is ranked as the WR42 and is considered a 'wait-and-see' player for fantasy lineups by the source.
Insight pageNegativeProjection17:46
The source advises a wait-and-see approach for Week 1, ranking him as WR39, as he competes for targets in an offense where Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers are expected to be the primary options.
Insight pageCarnell Tate
NegativeProjection28:50
Historical data for top-15 drafted wide receivers suggests a high floor but low ceiling for his debut, with an average of 11.1 fantasy points expected; he is a viable flex or WR3 option.
Insight pagePositiveBreakout62:14
Carnell Tate is a recommended flex start for those needing upside, as he could provide big plays in his first NFL game.
Insight pageChris Olave
PositiveUsage55:35
Chris Olave is a recommended start against the Lions; his target share may dip later in the season, so taking advantage of him early is a strategic move.
Insight pageChristian McCaffrey
NegativeUsage5:52
Christian McCaffrey saw a reduced workload (55% snaps, 36% carries) but remained highly efficient with 10 carries for 68 yards and 8 targets; the source attributes this to a strategic effort to manage his workload early in the season and expects him to remain a top-five fantasy RB.
Insight pageChuba Hubbard
NegativeRole63:38
Despite being one of the least efficient running backs last season, Hubbard is expected to lead the backfield early in the season and maintain a consistent role, potentially averaging 16 opportunities per game, bolstered by his status as a team captain.
Insight pageCole Kmet
PositiveSleeper84:00
Kmet is highlighted as a touchdown-dependent sleeper (under 1% rostered) for Week 1, specifically targeting goal-line opportunities in the Bears' offense.
Insight pageColston Loveland
Dak Prescott
PositiveProjection59:01
Dak Prescott is a recommended quarterback start against the Giants, with expectations for a high-scoring game.
Insight pageDaniel Jones
PositiveProjection61:11
Daniel Jones is preferred over Malik Willis as a QB2 option due to better surrounding talent and rushing upside.
Insight pageDarren Waller
NegativeProjection60:13
Darren Waller is considered a low-end tight end option, ranked around TE24, despite having decent target shares when healthy.
Insight pageDavante Adams
NegativeUsage12:01
Davante Adams had a disappointing performance with only 26 receiving yards and reduced snap counts, which the source suggests may be related to his veteran status.
Insight pageDe'Von Achane
PositiveUsage58:23
Devon Achane is a recommended start against the Lions, with expectations for significant passing game usage as the Saints are expected to be trailing.
Insight pageDeebo Samuel
PositiveProjection4:32
Deebo Samuel found the end zone and is expected to see increased opportunity; the source projects him as a flex option or WR3, with potential for his usage to evolve to include more carries alongside target volume.
Insight pageDemarcus Robinson
PositiveUsage5:13
Demarcus Robinson led the team in receiving against the Rams and scored a touchdown; he is expected to remain in the top three of the receiver rotation while Stribling is sidelined.
Insight pageGeorge Kittle
NegativeUsage11:56
George Kittle played a high volume of snaps early in the game but faded as the game progressed, which the source notes as a trend among older players in this specific matchup.
Insight pageJakobi Meyers
NegativeValue17:42
Ranked outside the top 35 wide receivers for Week 1, placing him in the same flex-radar range as other secondary options.
Insight pageJames Cook
PositiveUsage24:31
Ranked as RB10, his outlook has improved because Ty Johnson is expected to be out, which should free up more targets in the passing game.
Insight pageJavonte Williams
PositiveUsage55:23
Javonte Williams is expected to be featured in the offense against the Giants.
Insight pageJeremiyah Love
PositiveUsage19:26
Despite a tough matchup against the Chargers, he remains a must-start (RB17) with expectations for a tremendous rookie season, though the source notes a slight shift in carry share toward Tyler Allgeier for this specific game.
Insight pageJonathon Brooks
NegativeRole63:38
The source expects the Panthers to be judicious with Brooks due to back-to-back seasons impacted by major knee injuries; while he is viewed as the long-term feature back with passing-down upside, he is not expected to dominate immediately, leading to a 'wait and see' approach for Week 1.
Insight pageJosh Allen
NegativeProjection22:28
Despite being a season-long starter, he is downgraded to QB4 for Week 1 due to a historically tough matchup against the Texans, who allowed no quarterback to reach 21 fantasy points against them last season.
Insight pageJustin Herbert
PositiveProjection21:28
Ranked as the QB2 by the source and QB4 in consensus, he is in a prime spot with the week's highest implied team total (29 points) against a porous Cardinals run defense.
Insight pagePositiveProjection55:11
Justin Herbert is a recommended start at home against Arizona, viewed as a great opportunity to utilize him.
Insight pageJuwan Johnson
PositiveRole59:09
Juwan Johnson is a recommended tight end start against the Lions, serving as the number two option in the Saints' offense.
Insight pageKaelon Black
PositiveUsage5:56
Kaelin Black played 43.2% of snaps and out-carried McCaffrey 14 to 10, though he was non-existent in the passing game; the source notes this usage feels more significant than previous backups behind McCaffrey.
Insight pageKalif Raymond
NegativeValue52:23
The source notes that betting odds for a Khalif Raymond touchdown are plus 650, which is considered a longer shot than initially expected.
Insight pagePositiveSleeper83:19
The source identifies Raymond as a deep sleeper (under 1% rostered) who could fill a role similar to Olamide Zaccheaus in the Bears' offense, serving as a reliable target and punt returner throughout the season.
Insight pageKyren Williams
NegativeUsage10:37
Kyren Williams saw a split backfield with Blake Corum but maintained a significant role in the passing game, running 21 routes compared to Corum's one; the source views his stock as slightly down due to the even carry split.
Insight pageLadd McConkey
PositiveUsage20:54
Highlighted as a lineup block for the Chargers, he is expected to benefit from a favorable matchup against a Cardinals defense that struggled late last season.
Insight pagePositiveRole58:38
Ladd McConkey is a recommended start, viewed as the potential wide receiver one for his offense.
Insight pageMalik Nabers
PositiveUsage76:56
Despite injury uncertainty, Nabors is ranked as WR18 and is considered a must-start if active. The source expects a 20-25% target share, noting that the team's decision to cut Darius Slayton signals confidence in Nabors' readiness for a sizable role.
Insight pageMalik Willis
NegativeProjection61:11
Malik Willis is ranked behind Daniel Jones as a QB2 option, with the source noting they are still learning what to expect from him.
Insight pageMichael Mayer
PositiveUsage55:58
Michael Mayer is a recommended start with Brock Bowers out; he had a 25% target share when Bowers was sidelined last year.
Insight pageMike Evans
PositiveProjection4:15
Mike Evans' fantasy outlook has improved following his performance against the Rams, where he found the end zone; the source expects to move him up from WR36 to WR26 for Week 2, noting he will see more target share opportunity with Stribling injured.
Insight pageNajee Harris
NegativeRole80:06
There is uncertainty regarding Najee Harris's workload for Week 1, but he remains a viable lineup option despite the presence of Jaylen Warren (referred to as Cam Skadaboo in transcript).
Insight pageParker Washington
PositiveValue16:00
Parker Washington is ranked as the WR28 and the highest-ranked Jaguars wide receiver by the source, who notes his strong preseason buzz and potential for a new contract.
Insight pagePositiveRole17:20
The source ranks him as the number one Jaguars wideout and a flex option, noting he was highly productive down the stretch last year with over 17 fantasy points in six of his last nine games.
Insight pageRashee Rice
PositiveProjection61:46
Rashee Rice is a recommended start over Tee Higgins, as he is the number one wide receiver in his offense and is not expected to see much of Pat Surtain.
Insight pageRico Dowdle
PositiveUsage62:14
Rico Dowdle is a recommended flex start, with the expectation that he will touch the ball more than Carnell Tate.
Insight pageTee Higgins
NegativeValue61:46
Tee Higgins is considered slightly overvalued for this week's matchup, with the source looking at the under on his receiving yards.
Insight pageTrevor Lawrence
PositiveProjection64:46
Trevor Lawrence is a recommended start over Baker Mayfield, ranked as a solid QB option.
Insight pageTyler Allgeier
PositiveUsage20:00
The source has increased his projected carry share for the Week 1 matchup against the Chargers, suggesting he will see more work than usual.
Insight pageTyler Higbee
NegativeUsage12:09
Tyler Higbee barely played for the Rams, with the team utilizing Parkinson and Ferguson instead.
Insight pageWan'Dale Robinson
PositiveUsage27:44
Ranked as WR26 for Week 1, he is expected to feast on volume, with the source noting the Jets' cornerback room is no longer the intimidating matchup it once was.
Insight pageXavier Hutchinson
NegativeValue53:07
Xavier Hutchinson is listed at plus 400 for an anytime touchdown on DraftKings.
Insight pagePositiveSleeper85:36
Hutchinson is a deep sleeper (0.9% rostered) for Week 1 against the Bills, benefiting from the absence of Tank Dell and Jaden Higgins. He averaged 39 snaps and 24 routes per game last season and has shown end-zone target potential.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00Hey, we've got some game time tips to share.
0:02When you're hosting doing football season, you've got to be ready for every kind of craving.
0:07Somebody wants fresh pizza, somebody wants crispy wings, somebody's asking if there's sliders.
0:10That's why you need more than one call in the playbook.
0:13Frigidaire offers a range with over 15 cooking modes so you can tackle hosting with confidence.
0:17There's stone baked pizza for restaurant quality pizza in as little as two minutes.
0:21Air fried mode for crispy favorites and air sous vide for juicy tender sliders.
0:25Plus, there's slow cook, no preheat and more. That's the game time MVP combo.
0:28Stone baked pizza and air fry both built right into your oven.
0:32So whether you're getting ready for kickoff or feeding a full house, Frigidaire has every craving covered.
0:36Available at the Home Depot. How doers get more done.
0:39Only when using stone baked pizza mode, cook time requires preheat and reheat and may vary based on ingredients.
0:44Friends, welcome into Fantasy Focus Football. Mike Clay, Field Yates.
0:46My name is Daniel Dopp. We had football again last night.
0:49We're going to talk about that in a little bit.
0:52We got our week one preview part two coming up for you as well.
0:56Diving into all of the rest of the games to get into.
0:59First and foremost, thank you for hanging out with us.
1:02We'd love being here. Love that you guys are here.
1:04Shout out to Eric Moody and everyone hanging in chat.
1:07We love the chat community that we have. Go follow him at Eric and Moody.
1:11And make sure you check out the Sunday morning show as a second screen experience.
1:15It's going to be a ton of fun there.
1:17And also shout out to our friends over at Trophy Smack.
1:20Trophy Smack always gives us the best stuff. This cool belt in the middle of our table.
1:25Snakeskin belt. I know, Fielder, you're hoping to bring that home so that you can play with it over the offseason.
1:30Better a snakeskin belt than a snake. I agree with you.
1:33That is my stance. Wait, can we win that belt?
1:36Yes, you can win that belt. You can win that belt.
1:39You probably can't win that belt, but Fielder, I might be able to.
1:42Did you just say that to the defending champion of the fantasy focus?
1:46You know, that was a technicality, Mike. I don't think it was.
1:49I don't think it was. It was a technicality.
1:51I'd like to demand a recount on that one.
1:54You circumvented the salary cap. We start calling you Mike Bomber behind the scenes here.
1:58Wow. Rams circumvented the offense last night when they played Thursday night football, unfortunately.
2:01Can we dive into Thursday night football a little bit, friends?
2:04Unfortunately for the Rams, they went down under. Their offense was just hot garbage.
2:08Yeah, playing in Melbourne field. Hey, don't get Mike going on that.
2:11I heard about it. Hey, I'm not the one that was throwing a fit about it.
2:15Can I just say one thing that bothers me about this show before we get started?
2:20About our show? Yes. Okay. Yeah, what's one thing that bothers you off?
2:23Mike dresses too well now. I said the same thing this morning.
2:26He's like, he's fashionable all the time. It's a good looking shirt.
2:30He keeps up on his haircut. I woke up and chose this on my own today, too.
2:34Did you really? I did. It's a great shirt.
2:36I may not have picked it out. Very impressed.
2:39But I picked it out today. He looks great.
2:41Thanks, man. What can I say? You always look so sharp.
2:44I'm just trying to keep up with you. Meanwhile, you're dressing like I normally do.
2:48You got the t-shirt on. This is a handmade shirt from Japan for what it's worth.
2:52No way. For real? It was hand-stitched by a guest.
2:55That's awesome. Go ahead and make fun of me for it.
2:58I'm not making it. No, that's how I usually dress.
3:01I like it. I love that. I love that.
3:03When the Rams play in Japan next year, they're going to fly five hours before the game begins.
3:08Bro, we can talk about that whole thing. Rams had a massive clunker in this one, unfortunately.
3:12Tough week to be the number two quarterback in fantasy football last year as both Drake May and Matthew Stafford.
3:18Really, really tough week ones for these guys. You thought Drake May was bad.
3:21I mean, we did. I mean, it was real bad.
3:24I want to start with, unfortunately, the injury so that we can talk about this because we saw the old men in San Francisco do some things.
3:31But unfortunately, Dejean Stribling went down in this one.
3:34We were so excited about the young kid. All the snaps he was playing, Mike.
3:38He was on the field a ton to start the game.
3:40He was there in terms of snaps and routes.
3:43He was our number one receiver. When he went down with the injury, he was running ahead of Mike Evans.
3:48The targets weren't there yet, but they were coming.
3:51I mean, he was out there running routes. He was going to get some opportunities.
3:55So yeah, that was really unfortunate. It looks like he had an injury left, came back into the game, and then it looked like a non-con.
4:01It wasn't really bad. It was a non-contact injury.
4:04It looks like it's ankle, not knee. For the moment, we'll keep an eye on that.
4:08But definitely concerning. You have to imagine he'll miss time.
4:11It's just a matter of how much. But the old man wide receivers are live.
4:15We talked about this yesterday. We were like, you're going to be looking up at your roster.
4:19It's going to be week five of the season.
4:22You're like, my God, Mike Evans is wide receiver 13 for the year.
4:25May have underestimated Mike by a little bit as he did find the end zone.
4:29Turned back the clock with that goal line fade from Doc Purdy.
4:32That was beautiful. But both he and Debo Samuel found the end zone.
4:36And so for all the hype of Dejan Stripling, and he was playing a lot last night, we said yesterday that season
4:42begins, and we'll see how things evolve once we get into November or December.
4:45It stands to reason that the old guys are going to play and play a lot for San Francisco early in the year.
4:51If you were to ask me going into week two, and I apologize for not even knowing who the Niners play next
4:57week, my confidence level in Mike Evans compared to where it was going into last night.
5:01He was my wide receiver 36 going into last night.
5:04I think he'll be much more like wide receiver 26 for next week.
5:08Yeah, I think that's totally fair. The funny thing is that neither of them actually led the team in receiving.
5:13It was Demarcus Robinson who also had a touchdown revenge game for Demarcus Robinson.
5:17That'll probably be their one, two, three as long as Stripling is out.
5:20But I agree. Evans will be a little higher.
5:22There's going to be a little bit more opportunity target share wise and Debo as well.
5:27I mean, we'll probably rank him as a flex option, maybe a wide receiver three.
5:31He did only have one carry, but that could evolve at some point to maybe two or three carries on top of the target volume.
5:37You know who the San Francisco 49ers play next week?
5:40The Miami Dolphins in San Francisco. Come on. Do they really?
5:43It feels like it's going to be a really good one there.
5:46So the wide receivers are notable, but the biggest story was a different thing.
5:50Yeah, the running backs there. Obviously, you look at it.
5:52CMC looked like a reduced workload. We saw quite a bit of Kaelin Black out there.
5:57Both of the running backs honestly look good when they touch the ball for San Francisco.
6:01But the big story was definitely the split in the workload.
6:04Mike, give us some of the numbers that we saw with the running backs there.
6:08Yeah. So carry wise, Kaelin Black had an edge 14 to 10 over McCaffrey, but he was non-existent in the passing game was Kaelin Black.
6:14He had one target in the game. Christian McCaffrey had eight targets, which is obviously pretty, pretty different.
6:19So, yeah, McCaffrey was at 55 percent of the snaps, which is quite a bit lower than what we're used to.
6:25But he's been not really in that range, but 36 percent of the carries, 24 percent of the target.
6:30So the passing game work, very good. The rushing work seemed to be incredibly efficient.
6:34Very efficient. 10 for 68 on the ground. But it was way lower than what we're used to from him.
6:39I will say this. I think there's reason to believe that it was probably strategic for a guy that, you know, it's a long season.
6:46He's 30 years old. Maybe start him off slow this year, not to mention you're traveling halfway around the world.
6:51So I'll let you guys talk. We'll get into it, obviously.
6:54But I'm not super concerned about this. I want to use the same joke.
6:58What is it? What are you doing? Was that some backpedaling there, Mike?
7:01Oh! Is that what's happening? I'm saying the opposite.
7:04I'm saying I'm not super worried about this. All right.
7:06So I'm going to give a little like one more number that I found very interesting.
7:11And then Dale can take it away. And if he wants the victory lap, he can.
7:15So last night, the snap percentage for Kaelin Black was 43.2.
7:18Is that what you said? In that way, yeah.
7:20Roughly 44%. 44%. Christian McCaffrey got traded to the San Francisco 49ers several years ago now since he was acquired by San Francisco.
7:26Yep. The highest percentage of snaps that are running back not named Christian McCaffrey played in a game in which CMC was active is 51.1%.
7:33That was Jordan Mason week 13 of 2024. Christian McCaffrey got hurt in that game.
7:37Right? Okay. Elijah Mitchell, prior to that, had the second highest percentage of snaps.
7:4138.2 week 17 of 2023. Christian McCaffrey got hurt in that game as well.
7:44Okay. When Christian McCaffrey has stayed healthy, prior to last night, the single greatest percentage of snaps that any running back had played alongside him was 36.5%.
7:51That was Jeff Wilson week eight of 2022. I will note super low volume game.
7:55They won a game against Cincinnati, which they were very efficient offensively.
7:59But last night was different than what we saw last year, for sure.
8:02Yep. Caelan Black, at least out of the gates, feels more real than we have seen a running back behind Christian McCaffrey feel in quite some time.
8:09Four times the charm for these third-rounders. That could be it.
8:12Yeah. For Caelan Black and the Niners, that's correct.
8:15That being said, Christian McCaffrey's got eight targets last night and ran way more efficiently than he did.
8:19Mike mentioned it. Like, they're traveling halfway around the world.
8:22It's a long season ahead. I know the Rams defense did not live up to the hype last night, but still a very talented defense.
8:29I think Christian McCaffrey will be very close to where he was going into my week one rankings and my week two ranks.
8:35Yeah. You feel differently. Can I say one more thing?
8:37Yeah, go ahead, buddy. No, I'm not going to say anything bad.
8:41This is like a Christian McCaffrey game where we're, like, concerned, right?
8:44Like, we're like, oh, no. 18 opportunities, 15 touches, 88 yards, 13.8 fantasy points.
8:47And he didn't even score a touchdown in the game.
8:50I mean, that's a bad day at the office for him.
8:53I mean, it is not uncommon. He's had seasons where he handled about half the carries, 50, 55% of the design runs.
8:59That's not unusual for him. I mean, usually he's higher than that, but he's had seasons like that.
9:04And then he handles 20, 23% of the targets and scores an enormous amount of fantasy points.
9:08So going forward, I will still have him ranked very high.
9:11I think all he needs to do, I think, is add a few more carries a game.
9:16And he'll be right where he's been. And he'll be right in that top three running back where we expected.
9:21So I'd say next week I'll project him to have a slight edge in carries, still a big role in the passing
9:27game, and still be a top five fantasy running back.
9:29That's my take. What say you? I'm not an NFL coach, but this is exactly, because you guys know my concerns with
9:35the workload and all that coming in. This is exactly how I would deploy Christian McCaffrey if I was the actual 49ers.
9:41I think close to it, I would say. I think, I generally agree with you.
9:45I just don't think it's going to be 36% of the carries.
9:48No, no, no. I think it'll be like 52%.
9:51I mean, this is week one traveling halfway around the globe as a part of that.
9:55Next week in Miami, I think we'll start to see, this is more of what we can probably expect from this 49ers
10:01backfield because it's a more standard situation rather than the traveling to Australia, dealing with all that stuff, right?
10:06But all this to be said, like if you told me that they actually limited Christian McCaffrey in week one to like
10:12give him a little bit of that, we want to make sure you're here for the whole season kind of a thing.
10:18That's exactly what I think the Niners need to do.
10:20So there's no victory lap here. I don't think any of that stuff.
10:24He looked great. If he goes in the end zone, he's at what?
10:2719.8. Yeah. So he's still in a good spot until something happens.
10:30He's going to be ranked as a top five running back.
10:33Last thing that I'll say quickly on this game is the Rams had an absolute clunker.
10:37So when you look at a clunker, you have to look at the things that went by design and the things that
10:43not go by design for fantasy takeaways. The Rams don't plan to have Matthew Stafford though for 155 yards.
10:48Devante Adams is not going to have 26 receiving yards most weeks.
10:52Pukun Oku is going to be A, more heavily targeted and B, more productive going forward.
10:56That's all the unplanned stuff, which I'm largely saying week one disaster.
10:59The one thing that was by design that did catch my attention is that this is a true split in the backfield.
11:05And we saw some of this down the stretch last year.
11:08Enough of a split that Kyron Williams found the end zone, had a good game last night.
11:12Not to the point that Blake Corm has standalone value yet for me, but Kyron Williams, a little bit of a stock
11:18down if you were to ask me how I felt about him this morning compared to going into the game.
11:23I don't know. I think it's maybe a tiny bit because the carries were very even, but I thought we kind of projected it that way.
11:30Like I had the carry projections almost even this year, but the big difference is Kyron Williams ran 21 routes in this game.
11:36Blake Corm ran one pass route in this game.
11:39And that was also what we expected this year.
11:41That actually will be narrow. That'll be closer. It's not gonna be one pass route for Blake Corm.
11:46So I feel pretty similar about the two guys.
11:48I agree. No standalone value for Corm. Just yet.
11:51By the way, McCaffrey, not the only like older player who was kind of limited in this game.
11:56You know, we talked about George Kittle. He came out and played a lot of snaps right away and then kind of
12:01faded away as the game went on. But Devante Adams to his snaps were down quite a bit in this game.
12:07So I think there might've been something to that.
12:09Tyler Higby also barely played for the Rams, which was that.
12:12I don't know if that'll change going forward, but it was Parkinson and it was Ferguson for the most part, some Davis Allen mixed in.
12:19But those guys that were, you know, the guys that are like later in their career, all were sort of limited in this game.
12:25So there might be something to that. Last thing I'll say here is Sean McVay tried so hard to get Matthew Stafford's
12:31one rushing yard here in week one. Week one.
12:33Stuffed. And that was a tough one. What a touchdown run too.
12:37I really thought it was a touchdown, but I just don't think they could see enough to overturn it.
12:42I agree. Like they did a good job explaining that in live time.
12:45Yes. If you look down the pylon cam or down the goal line, there was no evidence that he crossed, couldn't see it.
12:51It certainly looked like at first blush, he did get there.
12:54All right. Offensive lineman had a catch. So, you know, yeah.
12:57It all happened. Take Brendel. Did I take the Rams to win that game, by the way?
13:02Yeah. I had the Niners 27 to 7. I'll bet.
13:04Oh, you nailed it. I'll bet. Thank you. Every game day starts before the lights go up.
13:09Before the snap. Before the roar. Something's already at work.
13:11Cleaner. Quieter. Energy. Production. Running where the game lives.
13:14Strong enough for fourth and goal. Smart enough for what comes next.
13:17Powering game day. Powering the fans and powering the communities that show up every Saturday.
13:21The same energy that runs your stadium, runs the schools and the hospital in your neighborhood.
13:25That is performance. Powered by Bloom Energy. Powering game days.
13:28Powering communities. As you know, managing maintenance, repair and operations is never easy.
13:31But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Granger has your back.
13:35From professional grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery, they're there to help you keep things running smoothly.
13:41Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions.
13:44And because Granger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities.
13:50Call 1-800-GRANGER. Click Granger.com or just stop by. There's nothing worse than waking up sick.
13:54And this time of year, with the kids back in school surrounded by hundreds of others, yours may bring home a whole
14:00new world of viruses and bacteria your family may have no immunity to.
14:04No kids. Viruses are everywhere. And one ugly strain just showed up.
14:07Now it's 2 a.m. Your throat feels like strep and your fever spiking.
14:10Urgent care? Get dressed and wait in a room full of sick people?
14:14Your doctor? Good luck. Or open your medicine cabinet and smile because you have a fully stocked medical emergency kit from the wellness company.
14:20It's like an urgent care and drugstore at home.
14:22It contains essential prescription medications in your name for over 30 common conditions.
14:26Strep throat, sinus infections, pneumonia, UTIs, stomach bugs, and more.
14:29Plus, telehealth doctors standing by for questions. I trust my medical emergency kit and I could save you $45 right now.
14:34Visit urgentcarekit.com slash sports promo code sports. That's urgentcarekit.com slash sports promo code sports.
14:38Let's dive into the rest of our week one storylines part two here, my friends.
14:42If you were not here with us yesterday, we dove into a bunch of games yesterday.
14:46You can go back and check that out. Mike, you and I are going to talk about the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns here.
14:52We got some lineup locks on the screen. Quinch on Judkins right now at RB19.
14:56Parker Washington, wide receiver 28 and Harold Fannin Jr.
14:59Tight end four. I would assume that that's it.
15:01Basial Tootin, not necessarily a lineup lock, more of a flex consideration.
15:04Mike, let's talk about this Jaguars wide receiving core because all offseason, we've been talking about who you're going to draft first.
15:10There's like four guys here that you want to maybe consider.
15:13Three, really, that we're really considering. Are you feeling my storyline, by the way, Mike?
15:17Mike, am I? Oh, uh-oh. How are you feeling?
15:19This is a Dopfield one. Oh, that's my bad.
15:22I didn't realize. I saw this at Mike. No, it's Mike.
15:25That's my fault. I'll take them all. That's on me.
15:27That's why I'm here. I'm here to lead the way.
15:30All right. Well, then Field, why don't I talk to you?
15:33I don't want to talk to Mike anyways. That's okay.
15:36First of all, did you guys see the video of Parker Washington discussing a potential extension yesterday on social media?
15:41I did. I did not. Which, the funny thing is, Parker Washington is not new to this, right?
15:46Like, he's been in the league for three years now.
15:48He had an amazing second half of last season.
15:51But he's obviously generated a ton of hype and buzz this preseason that yesterday was the first time a lot of people had ever heard him speak.
15:58Yeah. And his voice just caught people off guard.
16:00I freaking love Parker Washington so much. He's awesome.
16:03Everything about him is awesome. He is so well-spoken.
16:05He just sounds like exactly the kind of guy that you want to reward, which is why by the time we see
16:11him play on Sunday, wouldn't surprise me if he's a fat new contract.
16:14But talking about these Jaguars wide receivers, they have a very deep wide receiver core on paper.
16:19They've got four guys who can really flat out play, right?
16:22They almost had five when they signed Jake Bobo to an offer sheet this offseason.
16:26The Seahawks matched that. Parker Washington, though, is my wide receiver 28.
16:29He is my highest-ranked Jaguars wide receiver going into this game.
16:32Jacoby Myers is wide receiver 36. Brian Thomas Jr., wide receiver 42.
16:35Travis Hunter with all the uncertainty surrounding his role.
16:38Not in my top 50 for wideouts. Here is the thing that we don't—there are two kind of factors working against the Jaguars wide receivers.
16:44One is there's a lot of them. A bunch of them.
16:47Right? So, like, one of them might lead the—one of them is going to lead the team in targets most likely.
16:53He also might have 105 targets, whereas Puka Nakua could have 165 targets leading the Rams, right?
16:57Second of all, I think this Browns defense is obviously the strength of the team.
17:01And it's still going to be pretty good. Not as good as it was last year, but Jared Vers is a really,
17:07really good pass rusher, and they do have a lot of interesting pieces.
17:11And they allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers in 2025.
17:14Now, game script probably influenced that some, right? They're often playing from behind.
17:17Teams are just running the football at the Browns.
17:20But a good defense, more difficult matchup than Parker Washington and the rest of the receivers we'll see going forward.
17:25I have him ranked as my number one Jaguars wideout.
17:28He's also my number one Jaguars wideout, and I think if it wasn't this matchup, he probably would be closer to a
17:33low-end wide receiver, too, than the flex that I have him as.
17:37Because right now, wide receiver 26 is where I've got him, which is more like in the flex radar.
17:42Jacoby Myers, I've also gotten that same range outside top 35 at the wide receiver position.
17:46Brian Thomas Jr. is a straight-up wait-and-see for me.
17:48If I have him on any of my rosters, unless it's like I play four flexes, I am in the let's see what Brian Thomas Jr.
17:55looks like after the first couple games. Because it just feels like the two target monsters in this offense are probably going to be Parker Washington Jr.
18:02and Jacoby Myers. So I'm looking at it the very same way, Field Yates.
18:06Can I say one last thing before you wrap up?
18:09Parker Washington, yes. One thing. Parker Washington was so good down the stretch last year.
18:13Six of his last nine games, he had over 17 fantasy points.
18:16Good at the game. So he's really, I mean, can he continue that?
18:19Because I still think as much as we know about him, if you're just coming into fantasy football or if you're not
18:25like haven't been here for a while, Parker Washington doesn't carry the same name value that a lot of these other guys
18:31do, but he should still be on that radar.
18:33Only thing that I'll say here, just for those that are watching, if you hear us say a rank and it's different
18:39than what you see on the graphics, just keep in mind that we're building graphics throughout the weeks.
18:44We're also adjusting ranks throughout the weeks. And once we pull players from Wednesday or Thursday night football, guys are going to toggle up a few spots.
18:51So I know Daniel and I, I think I said Brian Thomas Jr.
18:55was wide receiver 42 for me. I think he popped up as wide receiver 39.
18:59Yeah, every one spot or two within that range.
19:01You remove Mike Evans. You remove Pukunikua. You remove Don Tavante Adams.
19:04And a guy moves up three spots. If we have a guy that goes from questionable to out, we'll remove him as well.
19:10Just sort of a housekeeping note as we look ahead.
19:13I got the Jags. I got the Jags as well.
19:16I have the Jags. My eliminator pick, by the way.
19:18Oh, yeah? Yep. Okay. Love that. Chargers? I don't know.
19:21I have to think about it. Okay. All right.
19:23Didn't decide yet. Do you have to think about how much you love Jeremiah Love?
19:27Maybe for this week. Maybe for this week. Yeah, maybe for a couple weeks.
19:31Are you tempering expectations but still starting him? Yes.
19:33I'm still going to start him. I have him at 17 in my rankings right now.
19:38So it's kind of a mid to back end.
19:40RB2, of course. You know, look, I talked about this guy all offseason long.
19:44I expect him to have a tremendous rookie season.
19:46This is a pretty tough matchup out of the gate going up against a Chargers defense.
19:50We expect to be pretty good. They didn't face a lot of running back volume last year, but they did face a lot of second fewest fantasy points.
19:58We expect that defense to still be pretty formidable.
20:00I do expect to see it more. Tyler Algier.
20:03I've moved, you know, the carry share primarily more toward Algier for this game, which is why I love who when I
20:08expect a normal workload might be RB7 instead of at RB17.
20:11So yeah, scaling back his role, but not far enough where he's on your bench this week.
20:16I think you like you've spent a second or third round pick on him.
20:20I have to imagine you don't have a running back that's going to be better than him that you could plug into
20:25your lineup if you drafted that way. So so fire him up.
20:29Good job drawing the line between the conversation we had about quarterbacks over the past few days, right?
20:33Where quarterbacks, you might be starting Patrick Mahomes over Drake May.
20:36You might be starting Trevor Lawrence over Drake May or, you know, somebody over Josh Allen will be less likely, but still
20:42there are quarterbacks that are good enough. They're going to be ranked 14th or 15th that you could consider moving that player
20:48inside your starting lineup and removing your normal starter five lineup blocks in this game, by the way, no surprise, Trey McBride,
20:54Jeremiah Love still in lineup block status. And then for the Chargers, three of them, Justin Herbert, Omari and Hampton, Lad McConkie.
21:00Yes, sir. And so to me, the big question mark is, is this offense going to Rad McConkie?
21:05Thank you. My apologies. Will this offense reach the moon this weekend?
21:08It looks like a very good matchup on paper.
21:10This Cardinals defense really struggled down the stretch last year.
21:13We'll see whether Josh Sweat is fully available for this team on Sunday.
21:16He is, I would argue, their best defensive player, maybe Buda Baker, but at least in the conversation, this is an opportunity
21:22for this Chargers team to come out white hot.
21:24They have the highest implied total of the week at 29 points.
21:28That's a big number. Obviously, Justin Herbert is my quarterback two, consensus ranks quarterback four, and it's a great spot for Omari
21:33and Hampton, who is RB6 in the consensus ranks, right around where I have him ranked as well.
21:38A good opportunity for him to feast on what is a porous run defense.
21:42Game script should be positive. I know I've expressed my reservations about just how much Keaton Mitchell is going to impact the
21:48overall workload for Omari and Hampton, but it's a great spot for one of Daniel's guys.
21:52Who are you guys taking in this one? Of course.
21:55The Chargers. Yeah, you can't take good. That was pretty good right there.
21:58I'm going Chargers as well. It wasn't good. It wasn't good.
22:01Do it again. Do it again. The Chargers. That was just as bad.
22:05Just as bad? I don't know. What do you do it?
22:07Go Chargers! Go! That's an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression. Get to the chopper!
22:11Get to the chopper! There we go. I've got to work on mine.
22:14Yes. Producer taking the Chargers as well on that one.
22:17This is probably going to be the most picked eliminator pick of the week.
22:20Yes. Chargers over the Cardinals. That's an easy one.
22:23Big favorite. Nine and a half points. One of the biggest storylines that we have so far this week.
22:28We've been talking about this. Josh Allen taking on the Houston Texans.
22:31Michael Lester Clay Jr. The last couple times that Josh Allen has played Houston, it has been tough.
22:36Are you still projecting him as a starter this week?
22:39He is projected as a starter, but way down at QB4.
22:41Remember, he was by far QB1 this year. So moving him down behind anyone is a big move down the rankings for sure.
22:48You know, I mentioned these stats early in the week, but that was a while ago.
22:52So let's do it again. They played in 2024 to these two teams.
22:55Josh Allen, 9 of 30, 131 yards and one touchdown at 54 rushing yards at 14.6 fantasy points.
23:00And then last year they played 253 passing yards.
23:02Hey, that's a little bit better. But zero touchdowns.
23:05Two interceptions. Took eight sacks and only a 20 rushing yards.
23:08Just 8.1 fantasy points. The Texans last year were terrific against quarterbacks.
23:11No quarterback reached 21 fantasy points against him all of last season.
23:14And as we've talked about, this defense might be better this year on paper.
23:18So a lot of reasons for concern about Josh Allen.
23:20In season long, a normal league, it's going to be very hard to put him on your bench.
23:25The 11th best quarterback is probably not going to have a better outlook than him.
23:29We still know what he can do, what his ceiling is.
23:32But if you have him in DFS, you don't want to use him there.
23:36Don't use him there. Certainly in cash games. And certainly in knockout leagues, he was a dangerous draft pick.
23:41So this is a tricky one for sure. But in season long, I think if you drafted him where you had to take him, he's in your lineup.
23:48I think it's tough to not start Josh Allen, but I'm definitely lowering expectations as you have discussed.
23:53As we are for a lot of the bills here, let's take a quick question from our YouTube chat.
23:58This one comes from Big Clav wants to know, do I start Jared Goff over Josh Allen?
24:03I also have Amon Ross St. Brown in this one.
24:05Love that stack potential there. I'm going to go with no.
24:08That would be a hard trigger for me to pull there personally.
24:11Agreed. I have Goff outside my top 10 for week one.
24:14But I understand the thought process here. Yep. I understand.
24:17I'm not, I don't think I would do it either.
24:20I would still play Josh Allen. There's Josh Allen is still a guy that if things happen right with his legs, if
24:26he falls in the end zone a couple times as a rusher, like he is going to pay off where he's at.
24:31By the way, speaking of as a rusher, James Cook, we have as RB 10.
24:35I mean, this is probably the lowest that we're going to have James Cook ranked for the majority of the season.
24:41I actually moved Cook up a little bit because it looks like Ty Johnson's not going to play, which actually will free
24:47up more targets for James Cook, which I, that was the storyline in the offseason that I wasn't buying into because of Ty Johnson.
24:53But if Johnson's not there, yeah, he will get more pass game work.
24:57Worth noting last year in that clunker by Josh Allen, the James Cook was excellent.
25:01He was terrific. He was one of the best players on the field.
25:04So even if Josh struggles, it doesn't mean that the offense specifically the running game will.
25:08Maybe we throw this on the, on a poll in the chat.
25:12Start or sit Josh Allen. And what I'm hoping is that we both get some instruction from the percentage of votes on either decision.
25:18And then also those that are voting no, can you comment sitting Josh Allen for who?
25:22And I'd be curious to see what kind of answers we come up with.
25:26Maybe a Jared Goff type, maybe a Justin Herbert type, perhaps a Trevor Lawrence.
25:30Maybe you already did so last night with Brock Purdy, although not a lot of people were confident.
25:34Yes. So the poll is up and running right now.
25:37If you want to vote, I'll be curious to see what we get.
25:40Who are you guys taking in this game? I'm going to take, I don't remember who I took in this one.
25:46Did I take the Bills? I took the Bills.
25:48Oh yeah, it's on our sheet. Okay, I like that.
25:51Some people are very, very high on the Texans this season.
25:54I'm not quite there. So I'm sticking with the Texans.
25:57I'm sticking with the Texans. I guess I did.
25:59Texans are at home. I guess that was a close call.
26:02Speaking of the Texans really quickly. I like the Bills overall more than that.
26:06That was amazing. Yeah, that was a great pivot.
26:08Amazing right there. We didn't talk about the Texans really quickly.
26:11David Montgomery. Is he a lineup block? You started him at the running back position this week, Mike.
26:16No, I don't think I list him as a lineup block, but he's close.
26:20He's close. Okay. Him and Nico Collins are the two guys that you're looking at.
26:23By the way, note to all three of us, when we first start the game preview by game, we're going to mention
26:29the lineup blocks because I thought I saw Monty on there, but maybe I'm not.
26:33We'll look at it. I'll make sure. Because sometimes I ask the question and then it goes up on the screen.
26:39We're going to start with the lineup block. That's what we're going to do.
26:43Not preseason anymore. Well, you know, Mike, speak for yourself.
26:45Let's move ahead and talk about the Rams and Patriots late in the game.
26:49Jets and Titans lineup blocks in this one are Brees Hall and Garrett Wilson.
26:53Doesn't mean you have to feel good about starting them, but they are your lineup blocks.
26:57I don't see anyone from the Titans here. Did you forget to put them in the playbook, Mike?
27:02I must have made a mistake. Who's still there on that team?
27:05Wow. Forgetting one important player here. Working through it.
27:07Jeffrey Simmons. An IDP. I mean, you're probably locking him in.
27:10Remember he had a rushing touchdown last year? There you go.
27:13I mean, that's huge. If I'm looking at the Titans, Tony Pollard, outside the RB2, low end flex if I have to start him.
27:20Really don't want to. The question for me becomes one of two things.
27:23It's either Wandel Robinson, who was a volume monster last year for the same coach, but a different team and a different quarterback.
27:29Or can you just fade the excitement of the young first round pick of Carnell Tate here in week one?
27:34I realize people are probably trying to choose between Carnell Tate and Wandel Robinson, but I'm curious, when you're looking at these
27:40guys' field, do you have one of them over the other for week one?
27:44I do. Wandel Robinson is my wide receiver 26 in week one.
27:47The Jets, for a long time, were kind of a stay away because of how good they were on the corner at the cornerback position.
27:54That's not the case anymore. The Jets' cornerback room has been remade, but it is not what it was just a couple
28:00of seasons ago, led by Sauce Gardner and then also DJ Reed.
28:03So the matchup does not scare me that much.
28:05Which Wandel Robinson, I think, is going to feast in terms of volume this season.
28:09This is the last chance, most likely, to use the stat, so might as well say it one more time.
28:15Of the last nine players named Wandel Robinson in the NFL, all nine of them have surpassed 90 catches in back-to-back seasons.
28:20That's incredible. That's a great stat. Mike doesn't ever want to...
28:23I don't even know what you just said. I'm still trying to translate what you just said to me.
28:28I was trying to get you to take the bait.
28:31Come on. I don't know what you said. It made no sense.
28:34The last nine players named Wandel Robinson? What? It was paying homage to the fact that you always said the last nine running backs.
28:41Obviously. Come on. I forgot about that stat. I moved on.
28:43I forgot about that. This game started, guys. We're done with those stats.
28:47Please. Wandel Robinson, my wide receiver, 26. Give us your stat, Mike.
28:50My stat is about Carnell Tate on the other side.
28:53You brought him up as well. I did. We used this one early in the week, so I did want to bring it to the table.
29:00But we talked about... I've mentioned often that wide receivers pick that early in the draft.
29:04Generally, pretty good seasons. Average about a quarter of the targets do receivers picked in the top five, top ten, and are
29:10generally wide receiver twos or threes in fantasy. But then I specifically, much like you do with Jeremiah Love, looked at week one.
29:16Their first game. How did they do? So I looked at 14 receivers who were selected in the top 15 of the
29:22NFL draft and played in week one over the past decade.
29:25That group averaged 11.1 fantasy points per game in their debut.
29:28But high floor, low ceiling, 12 of the 14, got to nine points, which is fine.
29:32Only three got to 16 points. Actually, it was Devontae Smith, Jalen Waddell, and Jamar Chase were the three that got to 16.
29:38So you're probably going to get right around 10, 11, 12 points from Carnell Tate based on history of players of that caliber.
29:44They're the new toy also for Tennessee. They're going to want to feature him and get him the ball.
29:49So there's reason to believe that if you want to throw him in there as your flex or wide receiver three, it'll be fine.
29:55Maybe not spectacular, but fine. Do you guys remember during Jamar Chase's rookie season when he forgot how to catch in training camp?
30:02Yes, because of the stripe on the ball. How's he doing?
30:04Not having the stripe on the ball. Yeah, that's right.
30:07I feel like the jury's still out. Yeah. You think so?
30:10Yeah. Maybe another season and we can tell. I mean, I have him at Dynasty.
30:14What do you think I should do? Trade him to me.
30:17I trade him. Oh, okay. Michael Pittman Jr. is available.
30:20Who is that? Michael Pittman Jr. Michael Pittman Jr.
30:22I like him. Oh, you like him. Yeah, you like him.
30:25You do like him. Michael Jr., which one are you taking in this matchup?
30:29The Jets or the Titans? Maybe the Jets. J-E-T-S.
30:31Jets, Jets, Jets. Jets with your chest, will you?
30:33The Jets. He doesn't know how. I'm going to take the Jets in this one.
30:37You're making sure you're taking the Jets before you say it?
30:40I think the Jets have an average defense. Field, you're taking the Titans.
30:44I love being on an island for a lot of these games, including this one right here.
30:48Jets, Titans. Game is being played in Nashville, which is just the final year of that stadium?
30:53Nashville's going to host the Super Bowl very soon.
30:55They have a beautiful new stadium that's going to be a part of that as well.
30:59This is either the last or the second-to-last year of Nissan Stadium.
31:03Titans, despite some sloppy preseason action, get the job done before they play Mike's Eagles in Week 2.
31:07We'll evaluate that at that time. Hey, you never know what's going to happen in Week 1.
31:12Don't forget the things that happened last year. The Jets lit it up.
31:15Remember, Justin Fields had a huge week. Oh, yeah.
31:18I remember. They were too low on this guy as a passer.
31:21The Raiders beat the Patriots in Week 1 last year.
31:24So just remember not to overreact too much to what goes on in the season.
31:28The last fun game to play on Monday or Tuesday is like the thing that will look the least accurate in Week
31:3317 compared to where it's at right now. And then do like a guess.
31:37And then at Week 17, we're like, oh, yeah.
31:40Remember that time that, I don't know, whatever. Something happened.
31:42We thought Christian McCaffrey was going to be top three and back.
31:45Let's dive into the mailbag, my friends. It's going to be a fun one.
31:49Well done by you. Ball Knowledge producer says, sitting Josh Allen for Drake May.
31:53May didn't work out too great, unfortunately. I guess my bigger question is, why did you draft Josh Allen and Drake May?
31:59And Drake May. Maybe it's one of those 18 leagues or 16 leagues that Mike plays in.
32:03Maybe. But also, if you were moving both of those guys down for matchups, I don't know why.
32:08Allen fell behind May. Like, why did it go like this when they both had brutal matches?
32:12That was a confusing decision. Well, speaking of, Josh Allen, 69% of the chat says they would start Josh Allen.
32:18Okay. Nice. That means 31% says they would. Yeah, that seems about right to me.
32:22I'm not starting Josh for CJ Stroud. I feel CJ has more on his shoulders.
32:26Okay. Okay. Starting Josh and replacing him with Caleb over Allen.
32:29I'm okay with that. That one's from Dunny. Yeah.
32:31I'm fine with Caleb. I don't understand this. Stroud.
32:33Brandon Boone, Dart on Neighbors could be a movie.
32:36Tempted to sit Allen for Jackson Dart. Yeah, that'd be fine with that.
32:39Yeah. I'm good with that one if you wanted to.
32:42Red Alert says, the only time you sit Josh Allen is when he's on a bye week.
32:46You know what? That's a good way to approach fantasy football.
32:49Yeah. I'm with you. All right. Let's move on, guys.
32:52Week one storylines, part two. Moving into what is next here, my friends.
32:56We got the Colts. We got the Ravens. Here are our lineup blocks for the Ravens.
33:00We did it, guys. We're getting there. Derek Henry.
33:02Zay Flowers. All three of those guys you're starting.
33:05All three of them are pretty good at football.
33:07For the Colts, you got Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Warren.
33:10One notable name missing. A guy that's making $28 million this year.
33:13How many wide receivers in the NFL are making almost $30 million and aren't being started in fantasy football in week one?
33:19I think I'm out on this conversation, so why don't I think about it?
33:22Yes, you are out on this conversation. I'm going to see if I can put anyone else.
33:27Is there anyone else? So let's talk about Alec Pierce.
33:30If you drafted him, you drafted him when he had probably a red O next to his name because he missed a lot of the preseason.
33:36You may have knocked him down a few rounds.
33:39I like that. Exactly. You might have put him on your IR.
33:42You might not have to use Alec Pierce this week, but let's just say that maybe you're weak at the wide receiver spot.
33:48What are you projecting for him, understanding we didn't really see a lot in the preseason?
33:52Yeah, rolled back his target share a little bit.
33:55I'm at wide receiver 40 is where he ended up in the projection slash ranking.
33:59So in a 12-team league, could you slide him into your flex spot?
34:02Yeah, maybe, but there's risk here. This guy missed basically the entire offseason after that ankle slash heel surgery back in March.
34:08But the good thing is the Colts all along said he's trending to play week one.
34:12That's the plan. And nothing ever changed. He was right on track and ended up ready to go for week one exactly as they planned.
34:19The one thing that could draw you away in addition to that is the fact that we didn't really see it with Daniel Jones early last year.
34:26A lot of his damage came down the stretch last year.
34:29There's a lot of, you know, we also need his role to evolve a little bit.
34:33But this is a guy that's never put up big numbers in terms of target volume, target share, catches.
34:38He really relied on elite efficiency. He actually led all receivers in yards per catch, yards per target, and averaged up the target now two consecutive seasons.
34:45So we need a more well-rounded target tree for him this year.
34:49I think that will come in time. But I think he might be limited in this game.
34:53So it's enough for me to say, I'm going to hold off for a week and see where he is.
34:58I came up with just one answer that might be even close to Alec Pierce, who makes $30 million a year or close to it.
35:05Okay. Chris Cobbin. Okay. Sure. I don't know exactly where he ranks in consensus ranks, but I would say that there are
35:11going to be a lot of people that do not play Chris Cobbin this week.
35:15Yeah. That's a good call. And for different reasons, interestingly, too.
35:18Yeah. That one's just like... Is he still the same player?
35:21Yeah. Exactly right. Yeah. For what it's worth, Brandon Ayuk is still making $30 million.
35:25All right. Let's move ahead. To not play. Oof.
35:27Yeah. He's not making it now, right? Colts and Ravens.
35:30No, he's making it right now. No, he's not getting paid, right?
35:33He's on their left squad list. I think he's on the left squad, so he might be surrendering it.
35:38Oh, did he surrender the money as a part of it?
35:41He's on the reserve left squad list. No. So you can't...
35:44How do you think he feels today? Not good.
35:46Anything else in this Colts-Ravens game that you want to cover?
35:49No. Okay. All right. No. No. Do you want to...
35:52I'm just excited to see the offense in Baltimore.
35:54Me too. Baltimore. That's it. Yeah. Indy. Ravens. I'm picking the new Colts, the Ravens.
35:58Did you see Madden? The new Colts. You know, our friends at Madden did their simulation of the season that they always
36:04do, and did they won the Super Bowl? Who won?
36:07The Colts. Seriously? Nomination. Yeah. Who did they beat?
36:09Bucs, I think. Wow. It was a Colt beat the Bucs.
36:12Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. From athletic stuff like a full-court pickup game, swish, to athletic-ish stuff like a half-mile stroll.
36:17Get those steps in. Head to Sierra or Sierra.com for the brands you want at the prices that let you do it all.
36:23From athletic to athletic-ish, Sierra's got it. Chronic migraine is 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more.
36:30Botox, onabotulinum toxin A, prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they start.
36:33It's not for those with 14 or fewer headache days a month.
36:36It prevents, on average, 8 to 9 headache days a month versus 6 to 7 for placebo.
36:41Prescription Botox is injected by your doctor. Effects of Botox may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms.
36:46Allerge your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition.
36:52Patients with these conditions before injection are at highest risk.
36:55Side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache.
36:59Allergic reactions can include rash, welts, asthma symptoms, and dizziness.
37:01Don't receive Botox if there's a skin infection. Tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, including ALS Lou Gehrig's
37:07disease, myasthenia gravis or Lambert-Eaton syndrome, and medications, including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects.
37:13Why wait? Ask your doctor, visit BotoxChronicMigraine.com, or call 1-800-44-BOTOX to learn more.
37:16This message is brought to you by AppleCard. With AppleCard, you earn unlimited daily cash back on everyday purchases, like groceries, merch, or tickets to the game.
37:23Plus, it can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted.
37:26No matter your team, no matter where you shop, AppleCard is here to help you tackle game day.
37:30Apply in the Wallet app on your iPhone today.
37:33Subject to credit approval, AppleCard is issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City branch.
37:37Terms and more at AppleCard.com. All right, let's move ahead and talk about some Panthers running backs.
37:42This is exciting. Chicago and the Panthers. Lineup blocks are heavy for the Chicago Bears, and probably will be for the entirety of the season.
37:48I sure hope so. DeAndre Swift, Roma Dunze, assuming that everything's good to go, seems like it is right now.
37:54Roma's been practicing this week, which is a good time.
37:56Yeah, it looks good. Like that. That bumps the burden down a little bit, but still a lineup block.
38:01And then Colston Loveland, obviously. For the other side, the Carolina Panthers, it is Tedaroa McMillan, the only person that we're not really talking about.
38:08I guess Caleb Williams is a lineup block, depending on where you're at in the quarterback conversation.
38:12For the Panthers, the question really is running backs.
38:15I'm curious where you guys are at on both of these guys.
38:18Mike, you and I are diving into Jonathan Brooks and Shuba Hubbard.
38:21I think this is the least exciting running back room in all of fantasy football.
38:25Maybe. Less exciting than the commanders is what you're saying.
38:28I think it's less exciting than the commanders. I kind of disagree, just because Jonathan Brooks was a...
38:33He was the first... I know it was a weak class, but he was the first running back picked three years ago,
38:38and he was a second-round pick, and the hopes were he would be a feature back in the NFL.
38:43You know, effective rusher, can play in passing situations as well.
38:46So I would imagine the Panthers are hoping that he takes some control here at some point and becomes their feature back.
38:52However, I don't think that's going to happen right off the bat.
38:55I think it's going to lean towards Shuba Hubbard.
38:58I think it'll be close, but I have Hubbard 28, Brooks 29.
39:01I think both of these guys play a lot, and obviously where I rank them tells you what I'm doing here, which
39:07is I'm playing neither of them here. Yeah, not playing either one.
39:10I'm just going to wait and see if I have a moment.
39:13That's where I'm at. Jonathan Brooks has not been able to stay healthy.
39:17Right. Shuba Hubbard has not been able to, after signing a big deal, hold off the competition.
39:21Rico Dowdle became the guy last year over Shuba Hubbard for a while.
39:25Yes. That's the thing, is I think that Shuba's got nine lives.
39:28He's a cat, right? Like, I think he's going to, over the course of the season, consistently...
39:32By the end of the year, his average role per game, even if he has a couple of games where Jonathan Brooks
39:38dominates opportunities, by the end of the year you're going to be like, yeah, another season with Shuba Hubbard averaging 16 opportunities a game, right?
39:45I hope. I really hope not. You know what?
39:47This is... If you put a mushroom to my head, just for sake of the conversation, you put a mushroom to my
39:53head and said, pick one of these two, I would do Jonathan Brooks over Shuba Hubbard for the full season.
39:58I'm wondering why that is. It had been. I have two...
40:01But before I... If you put a mushroom to my head...
40:04Yeah, don't put vegetables that close to my face, Phil.
40:07Okay. So that's like a comment... I'm changing it.
40:09He's changing the expression. Changing the expression. Is it usually put a vegetable to my face?
40:13Is that what... No, no, no. It's a different thing that you put to your head.
40:18Oh, okay. Gotcha. Gotcha. Gotcha. I was going to say...
40:20Whoa. All right. Sorry. Our producer, Christina, thankfully, clarified that.
40:23We got there. Yeah. Yeah, he does. I too.
40:25Yeah. Don't put a mushroom to my head. I think the Panthers are going to be judicious with Jonathan Brooks.
40:31Back-to-back years with a major, major knee injury. Or back-to-back NFL seasons that were impacted by that.
40:35His college injury kept him out of his rookie season in the NFL.
40:39Normally, I would not bring this up. Uh-oh. But it caught my attention yesterday.
40:42And it reminded me that even if he's less explosive and Jonathan Brooks has some games in which he rips off a
40:48few big runs, Chuba Hubbard was named a team captain for the Panthers once again yesterday.
40:53Yeah. And it was like some of the reporting I saw was Chuba remains amongst, if not the most respected player in the locker room.
40:59A little bit of James Conner vibe from the past few years in Arizona.
41:03Yeah. I know. I know. I know. It's not like he's going to...
41:06I'm not saying... This is not a pro-Chuba Hubbard case.
41:09It's more of an anti-is Jonathan Brooks going to eventually emerge?
41:12As the guy... I hear you. I think a lot like last year, though, if Brooks comes out and he's what they
41:18hoped he would be when they drafted him and he's playing well.
41:21And Chuba Hubbard, who, by the way, was like maybe the least efficient running back in the league last season, certainly in the bottom five.
41:28I think it's going to change. Now, again, I'm leaning the veteran week one.
41:31But I think Brooks starts making some plays. I think that could change.
41:35I'm leaning dead zone for the season. That's where I'm leaning.
41:38Right? The more important takeaway is I'm leaning dead zone.
41:40There's a few of those, right? I'm leaning dead zone there.
41:43I'm leaning dead zone Washington. Yes. Haven't decided yet on Tennessee.
41:46I actually kind of think Tony Power would be okay this...
41:49Like more than okay this year. Denver feels like a dead zone to me.
41:53Mm-hmm. Am I missing any other obvious dead zones amongst running backs?
41:56Uh, not off the top of my head. Yeah.
41:58Nothing's coming to me at the moment. Is Mike worth anything to this podcast?
42:02We can't even name dead zones? Not on top of his head.
42:05Washington. Did you say Washington? Who are you taking in this game, by the way, guys?
42:10I got the Bears. Me too. I have the Bears.
42:12It's going to be hot in Carolina. Did you guys see it was 57 degrees yesterday?
42:16Here? In Australia? Oh, there. Yeah, I was going to say here it was hot.
42:20Yeah, it was very warm yesterday. All right. We got the Bears across the board.
42:24We have one more game where you guys are going to talk about Giants taking on the Dallas Cowboys.
42:29Now we're talking. This is an exciting one. It's the first time these two teams have played on Sunday Night Football since
42:35the last time they played on Sunday Night Football, which I think was like five minutes ago.
42:40That's a juicy, hefty, build-up lineup lock sheet, Daniel.
42:42Yeah, give it to me, Field. Can you tell I'm high on these two teams this year?
42:47They were so high. Jackson Dart and Dak Prescott, both lineup locks.
42:50Two running backs, Javante Williams and Kim Scadaboo, plus three wide receivers.
42:53Seedy Lamb, Malik Neighbors, George Pickens. This game is going to be 13-10.
42:57That's exactly what's going to happen, guys. Cowboys are my sleeper NFL team this year.
43:01Giants are my super sleeper NFL team this year.
43:03Wait a minute. I think it would be your sleeper NFL team and your super sleeper NFL team.
43:08Come on. I had to. I mean, the Giants, that's a call.
43:11That's a bold call. Cowboys, I don't think it's a bold call, saying they're going to be better.
43:16Agreed. And honestly, if you think about it, if Mike is correct and the Cowboys do become a great team, they'll finally get coverage here on ESPN.
43:23It's about time. You know what? That's good. They've needed it.
43:26They've needed it. It's about time. It's funny. I've heard so many people make this point now that it feels like it's just accepted.
43:32It's amazing how quiet Jerry Jones has been this offseason.
43:35We've talked so little. We've had so few opportunities to be like, welcome into NFL Live.
43:39Jerry Jones says yesterday the Cowboys are about to beat the crap out of the Giants in week one.
43:44Should he have said this? No. Right? It's like, he's been like, yeah, I'm excited about our improvements on both sides of the ball.
43:50It's either that or there is an offseason contract in which he is noncommittal and like drags it out super long, I feel like.
43:57And that hasn't happened right now. Right. They like right away were like, we're not paying George Pickens.
44:02Yeah. And they got the other deals done that needed to get done.
44:05That was wild. They made it very clear what their intentions were.
44:08Williams done. No big deal. Right? Yeah. They have some, some online injury concerns right now.
44:13Tyler Smith's out, but they, you know, the team's on paper looks pretty good.
44:16That doesn't always translate. Coaching is very important. We'll see.
44:19But on paper, they look, look pretty good in the Giants.
44:22I just think you, if that offense makes a big leap, obviously the, the defensive line is maybe the best in the NFL.
44:28I mean, it's unbelievable. You can include Arvel Reese in there too.
44:31Obviously it's going to play off. They're so loaded at edge that he's playing a full-time off ball linebacker.
44:36I mean, I think Seattle. No doubt. But I mean, I'm just saying that group is unbelievable.
44:41And then you talk about the better offensive line and all the skill guys of Jackson Dart makes a leap and these guys are healthy.
44:47I mean, it could be, it could be lights out.
44:50So I'm, this is the game I'm most looking forward to this week for sure.
44:54And we have to wait till Sunday night. The Cowboys profile is one of those teams that we don't necessarily need to
45:00do a lot of analysis week in and week out on, right?
45:03Like you're probably going to start the quarterback, the two running backs and the wider, sorry, the quarterback, the running back and the two wide receivers.
45:10Yeah. But for the Giants, Mike, I do think we have to address what for now is a question mark, which is will Malik Nabors play?
45:17Malik Nabors has said to the media, the call to play on Sunday night is his.
45:21He's been practicing in full. So you would think a guy who gets a full week of practice and has looked so
45:27good on the highlights that we have seen in training camp has a real shot to play.
45:31I don't know if this is, did you guys see the John Harbaugh clip?
45:35Yes. Did you see it or no? Which one was it?
45:38John Harbaugh basically came out to the media and on Wednesday of this week or Tuesday of this week, he was like, here's the deal.
45:45Don't ask me about who's playing. Don't ask me what personnel group we're going to lean on.
45:49Don't ask me about the playbook. Because if I tell you, I'm telling the Cowboys and I'm not doing it.
45:55So just don't bother asking all season. Them's the rules.
45:57Now, John Harbaugh's got nearly 20 years of NFL head coaching experience on his side.
46:01So I think he probably will get a little more deference, even in a very difficult media market like New York, than
46:07a new first time head coach would get. But he's not going to say a thing about Malik Nabors status.
46:12The team has to submit an official injury report later on today, Mike.
46:16How are you ranking and sort of playing him with this level of uncertainty currently facing?
46:20I rolled him back a little bit, but he's still wide receiver 18 right now.
46:24So I'm starting Malik Nabors this week if I have him.
46:27Again, you needed to spend like a third round picking him.
46:30What are the odds that the guy you took in the seventh or eighth or ninth round is going to be better than the outlook for Malik Nabors?
46:37So he's going to be in your lineup. And look, it's not just the coming off the injury.
46:42There are a lot of changes here. It's basically a new quarterback.
46:45Remember, three targets to him last season from Jackson Dart to Malik Nabors.
46:49New head coach, new play caller. But I think that the Giants, and we talked about this earlier in the week, they
46:55kind of tipped their hand a little bit when they cut Darius Slayton.
46:58I mean, on something. Yes, if Malik Nabors is going to be limited to 10 snaps or inactive, you're going to roll
47:04out Darnell Mooney, Odell Beckham, and Malachi Fields, and maybe Braxton Berrios is your four if they bring him up.
47:09They'll bring him up off the practice squad. I'd say he likely is their four, right?
47:13Yeah, he'll be there too. You know, I do think there'll be a lot of heavy personnel for this offense this year,
47:19but I think they tipped their hand that Nabors is ready to go for a pretty sizable role.
47:24I don't think it's going to be like George Kittle was last night where he played like, what, 40% of the snaps?
47:30Probably more than that. When they're throwing the ball, I think Nabors plays.
47:33Also, a huge game here against the Cowboys. So, I feel pretty confident that we're looking at a 20-25% target share.
47:39Not 35%. Sure. Where he's been in his career so far, which is an enormous number, but enough where he should be in your lineup.
47:46Who are you taking in this one? I'm taking the Cowboys.
47:48How about them? Me too. Really? I'm taking the Giants in this one.
47:52Split picks. All right. And our producers going with the Giants.
47:55Love that as well. 50-50 split. So, one of us will be right.
47:58Yes. Or two of us. Two of us, technically.
48:01I'm not a math guy. Yeah, it's not a big deal.
48:04By the way, Cam Skadaboo was on lineup locks.
48:06It was a borderline call. But again, where you drafted him, I feel like you're going to start him.
48:11There's some uncertainty about how much Najee Harris is going to play, but he'll be in there.
48:16My bad for not addressing that because that was my talking about.
48:19Was it? Yes. Like, for this week, we will see how much Najee Harris plays.
48:23Sorry, Mike. But this week, I'm treating it as Cam Skadaboo is the guy, and the role is not as great as
48:29it was last year, but it's still plenty good enough to be inside my lineups.
48:33He is my RB 16. Let's bring back one of our favorite segments.
48:36We're going to close out this show with a couple things.
48:39One of them is the Raheem Sanders Monopoly Fund.
48:41We're picking a player rostered under 1% of leagues to get in the end zone.
48:45Eli Raritan? Yes. Was he under 1%? Absolutely. Yes, he was under 1%.
48:49And last night? He was the first player to score.
48:51I think I saw he was plus 6,500 at some point.
48:54No way. Wow. He was the first touchdown scorer of that.
48:57First touchdown scorer? Yes. We really had a lot of fun with this last year.
49:01And we started, I think, at 5%. And then basically every time we made a pick that was correct, we would have it.
49:07So 5 to 2.5 to basically 1%. And by the end of the season, we were picking players that were unrostered.
49:13Yes. Under 0.1% was where we stopped. Insane. We stopped the count.
49:16Like, not to brag, but let's brag a little bit.
49:19Like, we had an insane run last year. Let's see if we can do it again.
49:23I don't have the exact math on it, but if somebody had tailed these picks last year, they would have been way up.
49:29So these are long, long, long shots. Yeah, some people did.
49:32Two of the first three touchdowns this season were scored by players that were rostered in under 0.1% of fantasy leagues.
49:38Raritan and DeMarcus. And DeMarcus Robinson. Yeah. DeMarcus Robinson.
49:40At that 0.1%. Kyron Williams got in the end zone in between there.
49:43So yeah. Two of the first three. Let's make sure that we get these then, guys.
49:48Field, why don't we start with you? Okay. So my pick is Chicago Bears play on Sunday afternoon in Carolina.
49:53We discussed that already. We've got lineup blocks and Romba Dunze and also Colston Loveland and also Luther Byrd in the third.
49:59So why not go with Kalief Raymond? The widely veteran.
50:02The former Lion. Former Holy Cross standout. Knows his Ben Johnson system perfectly.
50:05At the beginning of last year, I'll remind people that Olamide Zaccheaus was playing like an actual role for the Bears.
50:11He was seeing a decent amount of targets. Yep.
50:13I think Kalief Raymond will have a Olamide Zaccheaus type role, not just early in the season, like all throughout the season.
50:19He's a more reliable player than Zaccheaus is. He'll also be their punt returner.
50:22Give me Kalief Raymond. And I should say that if you hear somewhat flimsy logic for these picks, a reminder, we're picking
50:28players that are not rostered in more than 1% of leagues.
50:31Yeah. Exactly. All right. Then I'm going to go next if you don't mind, because why not stick with the Chicago Bears?
50:37Someone's got to be right here. This is a good pick though.
50:40Cole Komet at the tight end spot. Looking at a situation.
50:43Maybe you get a goal line situation where you just get a nice little easy dump off.
50:48I'm not looking for fantasy points. I'm looking for touchdowns, my friends.
50:51Cole Komet under 1%. And especially here in week one, it's really tough, honestly, to pick.
50:55We're just, we're throwing darts right now. So we got two darts at the Bears offense.
50:59Not a bad offense to throw a dart at.
51:02Not at all. That's a great offense to throw a dart at.
51:05By the way, if you guys both hit in week one, fantasy managers are going to be furious about this.
51:10Screwed. Right. Yes. Maybe Caleb Williams would be okay.
51:13Yes. Cole Komet and Kalief Raymond and Xavier Thomas all get in the end zone in week one and everyone's thrilled.
51:18If I'm not mistaken, Cole Komet was a hit last year on the Raheem Sanders funds.
51:23Yes. I think our producers hit Cole Komet. Okay.
51:25I think my guy might've been a hit as well.
51:28Yes, it was actually. As a matter of fact, Mike.
51:30Yes, I remember. Your guy was the first player to score two touchdowns.
51:34Two touchdowns. Yes. One made as a Raheem Sanders fan.
51:36You picked him, right? Yes. My guy is Xavier Hutchinson.
51:39Look at that. Against the Bills. No Tank Dell.
51:41Yep. No Jaden Higgins. All eyes, of course, are on the other wide receivers there.
51:45Jalen Knoll. A Cajon Booty they bring in. Yep.
51:48You go Collins. But how about a guy who averaged 39 snaps and 24 pass routes per game for Houston last season?
51:54He had three touchdowns last year. Two in one game, as you said.
51:57Had a handful of end zone targets as well.
51:59And by the way, no more Sean McDermott with the Bills anymore.
52:03I don't. I have this defense in my unit grades ranked 27th.
52:06Do I have the Bills defense? Is that right?
52:08Houston at home. A couple of touchdowns maybe for them.
52:11And certainly Hutchinson could sneak one in there. 0.9% rostered.
52:14I meant to be better about this. And I will be better about this every week going forward and reminding everybody.
52:19But do you guys know the DraftKings odds for an anytime touchdown for your pick?
52:23I did not pull that up. Mine for Khalif Raymond is plus 650.
52:27So if you were to bet $1 and Khalif Raymond were to score a touchdown, you would in turn collect 750.
52:32So a $6.50 profit. Correct. Back. That's actually better than I would have thought.
52:36Or like worse odds than I thought. I thought it would have been more of a longer shot.
52:41But fair enough. You know, if my research on the sportsbook seemed to suggest that most of the, like it wasn't going
52:46to be a whole lot higher than that. Yeah.
52:49I was looking at touchdowns as well. I do an article every week.
52:52It's a top like 30 projected touchdown scores for my projections each weekend.
52:56It shows those exact numbers. You know, essentially the juice on the.
52:59Who is the number one? Jamerion. Jamerion. Jamerion is by far.
53:02Even money? No. No. He's like minus 265 or something.
53:05Yeah. It's pretty gross. But still worthwhile, I think.
53:07I'm looking at Xavier Hutchinson right now. Xavier Hutchinson is plus 400 for an anytime touchdown.
53:11And our friends over at DraftKings. There are odds there.
53:14Yeah. We can dive into that. We can do that.
53:16And then I'll look up Cole Komet later. I'll put it out on the end.
53:20But let's dive into starts of the week. Because starts of the week are going to be fun, my friends.
53:26We did this last year. Yep. We're picking our starts at one start at every single one of the positions.
53:31What we did is we have a do not draft list at each one of the positions.
53:36I'm going to show it up on the screen here.
53:38Josh Allen, Drake May, Lamar Jackson, Jaden Daniels, Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow.
53:41You're starting those guys every single week, basically. We're not allowed to pick them.
53:45Yeah. 30 total players are ineligible. For the running backs, the do not draft list includes Jameer Gibbs, Bajon Robinson, Christian McCaffrey.
53:51I'm glad that we did bi.robinson so we didn't confuse him with Brian Robinson.
53:55Jonathan Taylor, James Cook, and Devon A. Chan. All of those are do not draft eligible.
53:59As well as Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Ashton Gentty, Ken Walker III, Chase Brown, and Omari and Hampton.
54:04That's a hefty list of running backs we're not allowed to pick for starts of the week.
54:08But they all felt too top heavy, excuse me, for the wide receivers.
54:12Jamar Chase, Puka Nakua, JSN, Amon Ra, Justin Jefferson as well.
54:15Those are the top five we cannot go with.
54:17And then CeeDee Lamb, Drake London, Nico Collins, A.J.
54:19Brown, and George Pickens as well. Those guys are ineligible at the tight end spot.
54:23It's just the top two. And McBride and Bowers, when we make a pick, we are not allowed to pick that player
54:29again for the rest of the season. So it's a little bit like the eliminator kind of thing.
54:34Yeah, when you pick a guy, that's your one week that you're going to use him.
54:38So we're going to start with you, Field. Last thing is none of us can make the same pick each week.
54:44Correct. So we did a draft. We did this offline over the past few days.
54:48Mike thought there was collusion until he saw he got the first pick, and then he thought there was no more collusion.
54:54So he was okay with it. Why don't we start with Mike because you had the first pick.
54:58Okay, sure. The 30 ineligible players are off the board.
55:01You can go any direction you want, Mike. And you ended up.
55:04My first pick was your guy because I knew you would want him.
55:08So I snagged him early. I sniped you. Justin Herbert up against Arizona.
55:11I think it's a great opportunity to utilize him at home.
55:14Lots of like here with Herbert. So he's my – are we going around our draft or are we just going?
55:20Yeah, you just do your pick. I'll do the whole thing.
55:23So Herbert's my quarterback at home against Arizona. My running back is Javante Williams going into New York to play the Giants.
55:28We just talked about that game, obviously, coming off a big year.
55:32Last year is Javante. Expect him to be featured once again.
55:35Chris Olave is my wide receiver against the Detroit Lions.
55:37No Jordan Tyson early in the year. So there's some strategy to this, right?
55:41He's probably – the target share might dip in the second half of the season a little bit.
55:46So I'm going to take advantage now against a Lions secondary, by the way, that as we've talked about, very shorthanded right now with all the injuries.
55:53And then Michael got lucky he was on the clock when some news came out with this last one, Mike.
55:58I was wondering if you guys are going to give me a hard time about this.
56:02And I almost texted you first, but I was like, it'll be better if I just do it.
56:07So, you know, just for fun of the game.
56:10Michael Mayer. Took Michael Mayer. We started this draft before the Brock Bowers news came out.
56:14He was playing. Yes, he was good to go.
56:16Yes. Head coach said everyone's playing. And then Mike had yet to take his tight end, and it's like, oh, just by happenstance.
56:22Hey, look, this is how slow drafts go, too, in fantasy.
56:25That is exactly right. You probably will never use Michael Mayer again this season.
56:29So why not, if you can, in week one, where he's going to have potentially as big of a target share.
56:35We'll probably use him in week two. Like if Bowers came out again.
56:38There's a chance. Now's our only chance. But he was available, and I had to roll with him, of course, with Brock Bowers out.
56:44By the way, also, we talked about this. His target share last year when Bowers was out was 25%.
56:49That's pretty good. And they're playing Miami at home.
56:52I mean, it's a good matchup as well. I promise you at some point I'm going to double pick a player.
56:57So please hold me accountable. But in week one, that's not possible.
57:01The anchor of my team, my first pick, was Teddero McMillan.
57:04Love that. Looking for a player that's elite, right?
57:06Because you want to score a lot of points, obviously.
57:09And a good matchup, too. And I think it's a great matchup against the Bears.
57:13The Bears have some question marks in the secondary.
57:15There's been a lot of talk and some film of Teddero McMillan operating out of the slot.
57:19The Bears' Kyler Gordon, who is their number one slot corner normally, is not healthy.
57:23He's out, Teddero McMillan. My quarterback is Jackson Dart.
57:26There are actually a lot of quarterbacks that are bad matchups this week.
57:29That was part of the appeal of Justin Herbert as not just the first quarterback taken, but the first player taken in the entire draft.
57:36You go outside the top 10, guys like Patrick Mahomes in a tough spot.
57:40Bo Nix in a tough spot, potentially, against the Chiefs in that same game.
57:43Jackson Dart against the Cowboys on Sunday night. My running back, keep it in New York, is Breece Hall.
57:48The Jets against the Titans. I do think that Titans front seven is going to give a lot of teams some fits.
57:54But Brees Hall, one of the better picks amongst the running backs that were still eligible.
57:59And then I did kind of pay up, if you will, at tight end.
58:02I have used potentially tight end three for the season.
58:05Colston Loveland in week one. I figured there was a chance that if I don't do it, you guys are going to grab him.
58:11So Loveland is my tight end pick. Love that.
58:14All right, good squad. And then I picked third, which means I was at the turn.
58:18So I got two picks in a row. My first two picks, very first one, was Travis Achan.
58:23Took him at the running back spot, taking on my Detroit Lions.
58:26Lions are usually pretty good against running backs. However, I do expect the Saints to be trailing in this one.
58:31I expect there to be a lot of passing game usage for Achan as well.
58:35So of the running backs that were left, I went with him.
58:38Then I went with Lad McConkie slash Lad McConkie.
58:41Also, I just want a piece. We all do.
58:43If we can get a piece of this offense in fantasy this week.
58:47Yeah. Right. Yeah. Mike wanted Justin Herbert. We can't use Omar Ian Hampton because he's ineligible.
58:51So I decided to grab Lad McConkie with what he could be as the wide receiver one here.
58:56And then for my third and fourth pick, I went with Dak Prescott at the quarterback spot, taking on the Giants.
59:01Also expecting a lot of points to be scored in that one.
59:04An easy one to be able to grab. And I went deeper at tight end than you guys did.
59:09I'm doubling up on Saints going with my guy, Juwan Johnson, taking on the Detroit Lions as the number two option here in this Saints offense.
59:16In my mind, behind your pick, Chris Olave. So we'll see how that one works out.
59:21I got two Saints. We picked three Saints this week as well.
59:24This is fun. Yeah, we're in on the Saints.
59:26This is a fun way to be cool. It's going to be cool to see how this all takes shape this year.
59:32There's a lot more strategy involved. We're going to...
59:34Punishments are a little bit more real too, guys.
59:37They're real ridiculous, if you're asking me. So next week, when are we spinning the wheel?
59:41Well, you'll... Early in the wheel? You'll spin the wheel early next week once we find out how many...
59:46Oh, I will. Yeah, how many points you score.
59:48Lose by? Yeah. Well, if I'm spinning the wheel, that means your guy Justin Herbert got off to a bad start probably.
59:54Oh, no! So you win other ways, is what you're saying.
59:57Yeah. Yeah. Sorry, that's what it is. Either I could brag or I have to spin a wheel.
60:02It's going to be fun. I love being able to do starts of the week.
60:06We also love these chat questions from you guys.
60:08Let's dive into a few more questions from our mailbag.
60:11Dunny wants to know, hey guys, Bowers went down.
60:13Should I start Mayer or Darren Waller this week?
60:16By the way, Waller... I don't know. Do we mention him the whole summer?
60:20I mean, he signed with the Panthers and... I mean, when he has been on a team and has played, he's had decent target shares.
60:26Like, he might kind of sneak up on us here in week number one.
60:30But I... You know, I still have him kind of buried.
60:33It's not like it's a great offense or anything.
60:35He's like, maybe my tight end 24 or something like that.
60:38But the answer here is, of course, Michael Mayer was featured big time when Bowers was out last year and was productive.
60:44I lean towards Michael Mayer strongly as well. Yes.
60:46Big time. Every time you say big time, I just need you to know I think of...
60:51I Love You, Man. Great movie. Because he... If you remember, they're trying to be able to figure out with Paul Rudd,
60:57like how he's, you know, playing the bass. Big time.
60:59Slepping the bass. Slepping the bass, man. Yeah, he does it poorly.
61:03Anyways, you do it just like Paul Rudd, which is super white and straight.
61:06All right, let's do the next one. PickleSG wants to know, start Daniel Jones and Malik Willis for your QB2 guys.
61:12First time making a live show. Thank you. Hey, shout out.
61:15Hang it out for the live show. We love that.
61:17Let's go. I'm going Daniel Jones here. I think I would too.
61:21It's funny. I have them back to back. These are always the hardest ones.
61:2419 and 20. I do have Jones just ahead.
61:27We're still kind of learning what we're going to get out of Malik Willis.
61:30Jones has better options. Jones has better talent around him.
61:33And I still think he utilizes his legs a little bit, though.
61:36Not as much as we've seen coming back from that injury.
61:39All right. A couple more questions here from our chat.
61:42This one comes from Brandon Boone. Rashi Rice taking on a tough Broncos matchup or T Higgins this week?
61:47This is a really good problem to have, huh?
61:49Yeah. I lean towards Rashi. Yeah, I'm definitely going to go on Rice.
61:53I don't expect him to see a lot of Pat Sertan in this game, as I've talked about.
61:58Higgins actually was looking at his under on receiving yards as well.
62:01So I'm kind of probably a hair overvalued here against him.
62:04Okay. I'll go with Rashi Rice as well. The number one wide receiver in that offense is where I would land.
62:09A couple more here. Tyler Harris wants to know, should I start Rico Dowdle or Carnell Tate in my flex?
62:15This is someone that has a real... These are my favorite questions.
62:18It's the running back versus wide receiver in the flex conversation because it's like, which one has the upside?
62:23Do I need the floor? Do I need the upside?
62:25I don't... Yeah. I'm going to tip you off.
62:28We never do this, but I think both of these guys are in our flex segment on Sunday.
62:33Hey! There we go. That's supposed to be blind to you.
62:36I know one of them is. The other one might not be.
62:39I wasn't supposed to do that, but it's just amazing to your point.
62:42Yeah. That he asked this question and those are...
62:45I had to pick five names to tee you up on it.
62:48And those were definitely two that I considered. So...
62:50The right question. That's for me. What? Rico for me.
62:53You're going, Rico? Interesting. I have them both projected right around 12 points.
62:56It's a close call. But I've asked this question already this week.
62:59Do you like fun? Yes. Give me Carnell Tate.
63:02Carnell Tate. First NFL game. Let's go. I want him in my lineup.
63:05Dang it. So you like Rico and you like Carnell Tate.
63:08That was from Tyler, you said in the chat?
63:11Yes, I believe so. I like... I kind of think I would go with Rico as well.
63:15Unless I... If I'm projected... And I'm looking... And our friend Michael does the projections.
63:19If I'm projected to lose by like 15 or 18 points, then I'm going with the upside of Carnell Tate maybe.
63:25Maybe you get a deep pass. Maybe you get something.
63:27I just... I think Rico week one is just going to touch the ball more.
63:31Maybe. I don't know. I don't know what they're going to do there too.
63:35We'll find out. We'll find out. All right. At HD Productions wants to know, Travis Achan over Jeremiah Love?
63:40Question mark? Interesting one here. We should point this out.
63:43When I initially did projections for the Saints backfield, I don't think Alvin Kamara probably wasn't going to play.
63:48Now it looks like he is going to play in this game.
63:51Quite a bit of confidence. So that did shift Achan down a little bit, but he's still one spot ahead of Jeremiah Love.
63:57So I'm going to go Achan this week, and we'll see how good Love is.
64:01Can I ask you something? Yeah. Do you like fun?
64:04I do. Give me Jeremiah Love. That was his straight face too.
64:07He's like, I do. Yeah. I do like fun.
64:09Give me Jeremiah Love. Do you have a favorite song by Fun?
64:12By Fun? Yeah. Don't they have that Tonight We Are Young?
64:15Yes! Field! I'm so proud of you, baby! That was so good!
64:19Nailed it! Oh! They have a When We Were Young.
64:21I think the Killers have that as well. I know that one.
64:24I can't sing it because I think it's a fine.
64:27Yes. But you know, as long as it's like Tonight We Are Young.
64:31Oh, I know. I know that song. Yeah. Young?
64:33Yeah. Yeah. That's a great one. They got a bunch of really good ones for what it's worth.
64:38Should we just start playing Bandle every day on here?
64:40Yes! Together? Don't tease me. I'm in. I'm in.
64:43All right. One more question here. This one comes from TGZQ6RV.
64:46Mike, is that your AI's burner handle? No, that's MC88.
64:48Baker Mayfield or Trevor Lawrence this week? Give me Lawrence.
64:51I have Lawrence. I want to say. I think I have Trevor Lawrence as well.
64:55I'm at 8 and 13. Lawrence has a solid enough edge.
64:58I have Trevor Lawrence ranked ahead of Mayfield as well.
65:01But I do like Baker. He was, I think he scored back 13 for me.
65:05I mentioned him yesterday. He's in a nice spot.
65:07I think that's going to be a high-scoring game, right?
65:10Taking on Cincy. Expect a lot of points to be scored.
65:13Maybe they've got to do a whole lot. We need some offense.
65:16Fingers crossed. Yeah, especially after these first two games.
65:18Let's get some offense going. Hey, shout out to our buddy Eric Moody.
65:22While you're watching us on Fantasy Focus Countdown on ESPN2 on Sunday, check out Fantasy Focus Sunday kickoff presented by Lowe's for your second screen experience.
65:28Live on the NFL, ESPN, NFL on ESPN YouTube page.
65:31Every Sunday starting at 1130 until 1 p.m. Eastern.
65:33Get all of your lineup questions answered by our guy Eric Moody making sure you're all set.
65:38That's going to do it for us today. Come hang out with us on Sunday.
65:42Fantasy Focus Countdown, 10 a.m. Eastern on ESPN2 for Fields and Mike.
65:45My name is Daniel. Don't forget to love each other.
65:48Be kind to yourself. And we'll see you guys on Sunday morning.
65:51This episode is brought to you by ChatGPT. Hey, it's Bill Simmons from the Bill Simmons Podcast.
65:56Have you guys heard about ChatGPT work? It's the new way to use ChatGPT for bigger multi-step projects.
66:00And when you need more than just answers, give ChatGPT work access to your apps and files, and it can create real
66:06work documents like spreadsheets, slides, and structured reports. Get started at ChatGPT.com by selecting work mode, available on Plus and Pro plans.