PodcastFrom Fantasy Focus Football
Players You NEED to be on the Lookout for in Week 1 | ESPN Fantasy
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
20 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 10, 2026
Published
Thu, September 10, 2026
6
Player insights
6
Players mentioned
Topics
Amon-Ra St. BrownD'Andre SwiftGeorge KittleIsaiah LikelyJuwan JohnsonKC Concepcion
Player analysis
Player insights
Amon-Ra St. Brown
PositiveProjection26:50
Daniel Dopp defends Amon-Ra St. Brown as the safest WR in fantasy, citing his three-year streak of 1,500+ yards, 115+ receptions, and 10+ touchdowns per season.
Insight pageD'Andre Swift
PositiveUsage10:14
Liz Loza ranks DeAndre Swift as the RB16 for Week 1 against Carolina, expecting him to handle a full workload as Kyle Manungay is eased back from injury; Swift averaged 17 touches per game before Manungay's emergence and nearly 18 fantasy points when receiving 15+ touches.
Insight pageGeorge Kittle
NegativeInjury20:08
Liz Loza reports that George Kittle is expected to have a limited role in Week 1 as he is eased back into action following an Achilles injury.
Insight pageIsaiah Likely
PositiveValue20:22
Liz Loza and Daniel Dopp recommend Isaiah Likely as a strong Week 1 start, especially with George Kittle's limited status and the release of Darius Slayton increasing Likely's target potential.
Insight pageJuwan Johnson
PositiveBreakout13:28
Liz Loza views Jawan Johnson as a low-end TE1 for Week 1, noting he is back in play following Jordan Tyson's two-month hamstring injury; Johnson averaged nearly 11 fantasy points per game last season and faces a high-scoring matchup against Detroit.
Insight pageKC Concepcion
PositiveRole23:43
Daniel Dopp suggests that if the Browns are trailing and forced to pass, KC Concepcion could see an increased target share, making him a potential beneficiary of negative game scripts.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
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0:29Terms and more at Apple Card.com. Because he has so much rust that he needs to shake off.
0:35I mean, he had an off-season knee surgery, and then he rehabbed the issue in jail.
0:41Hey, I'm Liz Loza. This is Facts vs. Feelings, and today's fact is there is a first time for everything.
0:48Hello, Daniel Dopp, back in your tiny box. It is Week 1.
0:52Football is officially here. How you feeling? Feeling great, my friend.
0:56Super excited. Listen, we're not talking about Wednesday, even though it was so unbelievable to have football back in our lives.
1:03We're not talking about Thursday. We are getting people ready for the Sunday slate of games here, Liz Loza, and I want
1:11to dive right in because there's a lot of football we got to talk about.
1:16Plus, we want to have some fun a little later on in the show.
1:21So I'm going to start here at the quarterback spot, my friend, with a guy like Jackson Dart.
1:27He was a banger when he was healthy last season.
1:31Wasn't really able to stay healthy last season, but you know what?
1:35There's a first time for everything, Liz Loza. How you feeling about him against the Dallas Cowboys here in Week 1?
1:42Way to weave it all together. Yeah, nothing says football is back like an NFC East rivalry game to kick off the season.
1:50And what better time, to your point, than to use a player who has proclivity towards finding the blue medical tent in Week 1 when he's actually healthy.
2:00Jackson Dart started four games against the division last season.
2:04I went over 19 fantasy points in each of them.
2:07I expect him to do the same this Sunday versus a Dallas defense that gave up, wait for it, 30 fantasy points
2:15to Russell Wilson when he was the giant starter.
2:18Now, obviously, we can agree that Dart is more dynamic than Wilson, particularly from a rushing perspective.
2:24Last season, Dart was the QB1 in rushing yards, and that sets up very nicely against a Dallas defense that allowed the
2:31third most rushing yards to opposing quarterbacks in 2025.
2:35I have Dart ranked inside my top seven players at the position for the opener.
2:40I'm with you on Jackson Dart, Liz. Also have him as a top seven guy.
2:45Really quickly on that Cowboys defense, they did add a number of pieces to it, so we do think it will be quite a bit better this year.
2:55But it usually takes defenses and all teams a little bit of time, right, to actually come to fruition with all that.
3:03So Week 1, not a bad time for Jackson Dart to draw them as they're still learning each other there.
3:10I also have him as a top seven guy, so I am with you.
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4:55Let's pivot to a wide receiver, though, that you are less excited about, unfortunately, and that's Rashi Rice.
5:01Rashi Rice was drafted as a top 10 wide receiver, but here in week one, he's closer to the wide receiver 15 mark.
5:09Tell me why. Because he has so much rust that he needs to shake off.
5:14I mean, he had an off-season knee surgery, and then he rehabbed the issue in jail.
5:20Plus, he opens the season in a really tough matchup against Denver.
5:24Now, historically, Rice has struggled against the Broncos, registering career lows in both targets drawn and yards accrued per routes run.
5:31You fold in Patrick Mahomes coming off of his own knee issue, and then you also note the fact that Kenneth Walker
5:39has been added to the offense and might absorb some of the looks that would have normally gone Rice's way, and there's
5:47no way to doubt that Rice's ceiling is a little bit capped.
5:51I have him as my wide receiver 14 for week one.
5:55Yes, for week one, I am with you on that.
5:58Interested to see the way they use KW3, like you said, but against this dreaded Broncos secondary, lowering expectations a little bit.
6:06Okay, let's pay the bills and talk about a Chicago Bears so we can get them playing back in Illinois where they belong, Liz.
6:14He's got that dreaded red cue next to his name, and that makes fantasy managers really uncomfortable, obviously, taking on the Panthers in Carolina.
6:23How are you feeling about DeAndre Swift in week one?
6:26I feel okay. Now, obviously, Swift gave potential investors a little bit of a scare when he was slow to get up
6:34at practice last Thursday, but he was back to it on Monday.
6:38He practiced fully. I think he's going to be good to go.
6:42Now, it is worth noting that Kyle Manungay, who was week to week for three weeks, also returned to practice.
6:49Given how much that hyperextended knee bothered him, I don't see Manungay getting a full complement of snaps, which means Swift should handle the load.
6:58Now, interestingly, before Manungay emerged, Swift averaged around 17 touches per game.
7:02I like that, since he averaged nearly 18 fantasy points per game when he touched the ball 15 or more times.
7:09So that's a nice floor for Swift in week one.
7:13The matchups should certainly help him get there. Carolina gave up nearly 20 fantasy points per game to opposing backfields last season.
7:20I think Swift is going to start strong. He's my RB16 heading into Sunday's action.
7:26I am with you on this one as well.
7:29I was all in and still am in on Kyle Manungay in draft season.
7:34But here in week one, thinking they're going to ease him back into action, just like you said, that is a big workload on tap for DeAndre Swift.
7:44All right. Before we move on, make sure, please, if you guys could like and subscribe, it means so much to us
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7:59Please call us at 323-391-4855. And make sure that you leave your Instagram handle that you do so we can tell you
8:07when we give you a shout out. Now we're going to talk about a guy who, yeah, spent six seasons on the
8:14same squad before averaging more than eight and a half fantasy points.
8:18But you know what? Jawan Johnson is giving lucky lotto tickets to start the season.
8:24He quietly closed out 2025 as the Saints' number two option behind Chris Olave, drawing a career high 103 looks.
8:31Now we expected that number to go down after the Saints drafted Jordan Tyson eighth overall.
8:36But with the news that Tyson is expected to miss about two months with hamstring issues, Johnson is back in play.
8:44He was fantasy's tight end eight overall last season, averaging nearly 11 fantasy points per game.
8:49Look for him to flirt with that same baseline in the opener.
8:53New Orleans should be chasing points as seven point underdogs at Detroit.
8:57I think Kellen Moore is going to keep the pace way up, especially in a matchup that is boasting the second highest
9:05projected point total at 49 and a half. Johnson is giving low end tight end one to start the season.
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10:55Go to Shopify.com slash network. Shopify.com slash network. This message is brought to you by Apple Card.
11:01With Apple Card, you earn unlimited daily cash back on everyday purchases like groceries, merch, or tickets to the game.
11:08Plus, it can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted.
11:11No matter your team, no matter where you shop, Apple Card is here to help you tackle game day.
11:17Apply in the wallet app on your iPhone today.
11:21Subject to credit approval, Apple Card is issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch.
11:27Terms and more at AppleCard.com. This is a safe place.
11:30It's a place where we can feel free sharing our feelings.
11:34Once again, our incredible viewers slash listeners have flooded the voicemail line.
11:38We love hearing from you. So let's just dive right in.
11:42Dopp has the submissions. Who's up first? Liz, you and I are going to need to clean up our act a little
11:50bit because this first question is from a child.
11:53Hi, this is Will Davis. And I was just wondering.
11:56I have the ninth place in my draft and I got Isaiah Likely and George Kittle.
12:02I was just wondering who I want to start.
12:05Thank you. Well done, Angel. That is excellent drafting.
12:08George Kittle is making the trip to Australia. Reports seem to indicate that he is going to have a, quote, limited role
12:16in week one, obviously, as he's being eased back in after suffering that Achilles injury.
12:21Isaiah Likely, though. Excellent bandaid for the situation, especially when we don't know how healthy Malik Neighbors is going to be to start the season.
12:30Very proud of you here. Daniel, you and Mike and Field talked about this issue on Focus earlier in the week.
12:37Do you have anything to add? I would say that with the release of Darius Slayton, that only gives me a little
12:45bit more love for Isaiah Likely at the beginning of the season because of that.
12:50It also means I'm going to clean things up and be a little less dirty when we do this show, Liz, because we have children listening.
12:59But I can't do that yet because the next one up is my friend Dan from Iowa.
13:05Hey, what up? Only Dan from Iowa back at it again with the white band.
13:10Dan, I need some help being convinced that the Browns players that I drafted are going to be decent or that the Browns will produce fantasy points.
13:20I got a lot of KC Concepcion and some Quinchan Judkins.
13:23Help me out, guys. Bye. Well, Dan, respectfully, your feelings about the Browns don't really matter because the fact is week one is here.
13:32And, you know, it might take a minute because Cleveland opens the season with back-to-back road games against stiff competition, the Jaguars
13:40and then the Buccaneers in week two. Oh, and they also have like a temporary QB under center.
13:46Now, silver lining, Kenneth Charles Concepcion does have the quicks and versatility to surprise.
13:51It's Quinch on Judkins should see enough volume to keep him on the flex radar.
13:56But those white vans are not going to get too dirty right away.
14:00You're going to need to exercise some patience here with those picks.
14:05Daniel? Yeah, unfortunately. I'm with you on that one, Liz.
14:08I am a little bit worried even though Judkins is clearly going to be the number one running back in that squad.
14:16He could get game scripted out of some of these games late as they are trailing and just need to catch up.
14:23But if that happens, good news for your KC Concepcion shares because now you've got a guy that potentially has a little
14:31bit of a higher share because of that. So, all right, Liz Loza, this very next one is from Anthony in Reading,
14:39Pennsylvania, which is where I'm pretty sure Reading Rainbow came out of.
14:43Do you remember that as a kid? Take a look.
14:47It's in a book. Yes. I loved it. That's the one.
14:50Wait a second. LeVar Burton was also on Star Trek, but he wore the sunglasses only on Star Trek because if he's
14:58wearing sunglasses, it's harder to read, presumably, on the Rainbow Show.
15:02I would think. And those sunglasses were really thick on Star Trek, so I don't know.
15:07But we should get to the voicemail. What if they were prescription reading sunglasses?
15:12Oh. Hey, everybody. Love the show. You guys do a great work.
15:17Please keep it up. My name is Anthony Guzman.
15:20I'm from Reading, Pennsylvania. Oh! This is underscore underscore.
15:23Reading. And my question would be, I took Aminra, St.
15:26Brown, as the fourth overall pick over JSN and Puka.
15:30Now, I had JSN in another league, so I figured, well, let me switch things up a bit.
15:36I really wanted Puka. Like, obviously, we know the issues at hand.
15:40So, I kind of faded. Do you guys think I'll regret that down the road?
15:46No, we love a diversified portfolio. Honey! I did the same thing in two last-minute drafts on Tuesday earlier in the week.
15:53I think that is absolutely okay. I think it's actually quite smart.
15:57But you know what? I feel like I should let the resident Lions fan who definitely knows how to read Reading, Pennsylvania.
16:05Yikes! Whoa! Whoa! Okay. All right, Liz. Wow. Put me on the clock here.
16:1030 seconds. I promise I'll be quick. No, you're not going to regret drafting Amon Ross St.
16:16Brown. This is the safest guy in fantasy football over the last three years at the wide receiver position.
16:23Only guy with 1,500 or more receiving yards for three straight years.
16:27Only guy with 115 or more receptions in three straight years.
16:31Only guy with three straight seasons of 10 or more touchdowns.
16:34This dude is as safe and consistent as it gets.
16:38That is not going to be what loses you fantasy football this year.
16:42Sure. Maybe the ceiling takes a little bit of a hit because Puka does have some of those massive games.
16:49But no, you will not regret having the sun god on your squad.
16:54Let's move on and do a new one. We got a poem from one of our friends because that's just how cool these people are.
17:03Oh, this is Chris calling from the hallowed grounds of Lambeau Field.
17:07I have no Instagram handle. I'm happily off social.
17:10Good for you. I come to you today with a week one haiku.
17:15Jacobs betrays us. Lloyd, lead us to salvation. Oh my gosh, excellent.
17:19God, please let this work. Yes. Bravo. A haiku for week one from one of our apparently many gifted, creative, awesome, out-of-the-box thinking listeners slash viewers.
17:28Chris, I don't care if you're a Packers fan.
17:31That was excellent. And you know what? Jack Kerouac, who was a giant haiku fan and very famous novelist, once wrote, a
17:39real haiku's got to be as simple as porridge and yet make you see the real thing.
17:45Chris from Wisconsin, you did exactly that. Way to nail it.
17:48Yes, Chris. Whenever people compare what you do to soup, that means you crushed it.
17:54Good for you, man. The porridge is not soup, my friend.
17:57Call in with your life and lineup questions if you've got more because we want more of it.
18:043-2-3-3-9-1-4-8-5-5. Don't forget to leave your Instagram handle so we can tell you about it.
18:09We love you guys. Make sure you keep calling us.
18:12Last call! Today we learned that only the Cowboys can make current-era Russell Wilson fantasy relevant, that Daniel Dock did more watching
18:20reading Rainbow than actually reading books, and that there is a first time for everything.
18:25Remember, this maiden voyage may not be the most successful, but that doesn't mean it won't be memorable.
18:32Be sure to check out my Week 1 edition of Facts vs.
18:36Feelings, The Column, which is currently live on the dot com, and remember, you can leave us a voicemail.
18:42The number to do that is 3-2-3-3-9-1-4-8-5-5. Until next time, may your facts be solid, your feelings be right, and your bus be someone else's problem.
18:52Today we learned that only the Cowboys could make current-era 3-2-1.
18:553-2-1. Today we learned that the... 3-2-1. Who's laughing?
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