10 MUST-START Fantasy Football Players Ready to BOOM in Week 1!
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
9 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 12, 2026
Published
Sat, September 12, 2026
10
Player insights
10
Players mentioned
Topics
Carnell TateDallas GoedertJahmyr GibbsJalen HurtsJustin HerbertJustin JeffersonJuwan JohnsonMichael MayerMike Washington Jr.Tre Tucker
Player analysis
Player insights
Carnell Tate
PositiveProjection8:51
Carnell Tate is a must-start WR2 against the Jets; Jalen Hurts expects him to 'skyrocket' given his status as a first-round pick and lack of competition for targets.
Insight pageDallas Goedert
PositiveProjection12:21
Dallas Goedert has huge boom potential against Washington as a 'touchdown monster,' with Jalen Hurts noting uncertainty regarding the Eagles' wide receiver hierarchy.
Insight pageJahmyr Gibbs
PositiveProjection4:04
Jahmyr Gibbs has major boom upside against New Orleans in Week 1, with Jalen Hurts noting that the lack of competition in the backfield makes him an alpha dog candidate.
Insight pageJalen Hurts
PositiveProjection1:55
Jalen Hurts is a 'QB hammer' and an optimal start against Washington due to his proven track record and rushing upside, which Jalen Hurts prefers over taking risks on unproven quarterbacks.
Insight pageJustin Herbert
PositiveUsage2:36
Justin Herbert is an optimal start against Arizona; Jalen Hurts is high on the offense's shift toward younger players like Quentin Johnston, Trey Harris, and Ladd McConkey following the departure of Keenan Allen.
Insight pageJustin Jefferson
NegativeProjection7:30
Justin Jefferson has a favorable matchup against Green Bay and is expected to perform as a first-round pick, though Jalen Hurts remains skeptical and lacks personal stock in him.
Insight pageJuwan Johnson
PositiveSleeper11:59
Juwan Johnson is a sleeper tight end play against Detroit; Jalen Hurts notes a lack of reliable pass-catchers in New Orleans outside of Chris Olave, creating an opportunity for Johnson to shine.
Insight pageMichael Mayer
PositiveProjection10:22
Michael Mayer is a must-start for Week 1, especially in DFS, following a contract extension and with Brock Bowers sidelined for multiple weeks.
Insight pageMike Washington Jr.
PositiveBreakout5:49
Jalen Hurts predicts Mike Washington will outperform Ashton Gentry in a committee split this week, potentially scoring a touchdown, and is considering starting him in a flex spot due to high conviction.
Insight pageTre Tucker
PositiveProjection10:22
Trey Tucker is considered a must-start for Week 1, with Jalen Hurts expecting him or Michael Mayer to boom as Kirk Cousins moves the ball.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00Football is back tomorrow. Buckle up, guys. I'm going to give you guys 10 players that are set to absolutely boom and skyrocket.
0:06I've got major expectations for these players. I'm ready to dive in.
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1:08That's going to be a lot of fun. Go in there.
1:11Play. Have some fun, all right? Let's dive into these 10 players here.
1:15The first one is Jalen Hurts. Listen, I'm just going to rip through this list here.
1:19And these guys are all optimal starts. Meaning, I'm expecting them to absolutely crush it.
1:24Jalen Hurts versus Washington. He's my QB hammer in a high-stakes league.
1:27Now, I ended up drafting him because, you know, I really wanted that rushing upside quarterback.
1:31And after him, there was a major fall-off and uncertainty.
1:34So some people thought, like, Drake May is consistent.
1:37This is what I was telling you guys. Drake May threw three interceptions earlier this week, right?
1:41And this is why. You have to go for quarterbacks that are proven.
1:45You don't take chances. You're Justin Herberts. You're Jalen Hurts.
1:48Guys that are proven at the quarterback position. That's a position you cannot take any risks on.
1:52So I went with Jalen Hurts. I like him versus Washington this week.
1:56Another quarterback, which I just talked about, Justin Herbert.
1:58Great matchup this week, guys. And here's the thing about Justin Herbert, right?
2:02He's playing Arizona. That's the matchup. But what I love is the Mike McDaniel offense.
2:06What I love is that they're going with the young players this year.
2:10They're going to go with Quentin Johnson. They're going to go with Trey Harris.
2:14They got rid of the weight that was just carrying them.
2:17The anchor that was Keaton Allen, right? So I'm loving what's going on.
2:20Ladd Bikonki. It's going to be a great year.
2:23Gattiston. You know, Omar and Hampton. I love what this offense could potentially do.
2:27And I'm going to be watching a lot of these games.
2:30And this is going to be a really fantasy-relevant game because we've got Jeremiah Love, who's slated to start as well.
2:36I'm pumped up. Omar and Hampton. Jeremiah Love. Got him in my high-stakes league.
2:39I'm going to be running both these guys. It's going to be exciting stuff, okay?
2:44Another guy who I absolutely love here. This is pretty much obvious.
2:47But again, we're talking about players that are going to go boom or that are in a position to go boom, right?
2:53Don't say Joe is common sense because last time I did a video talking about guys I liked this week.
2:58And they're like, oh, those guys are sleepers. I'm not messing around.
3:02And everyone's complaining, oh, they're just sleepers, whatever, deeper league guys.
3:05No. If I mention a player, there's a chance that he's got upside.
3:08And the next guy is Jameer Gibbs. Now, there is no Pacheco.
3:12He's banged up. There is no David Montgomery. I don't even know who the backup is.
3:16Joe, you don't know ball. You don't know who the backup is.
3:20I don't care because it doesn't matter. I wouldn't have him on my team.
3:23You want to aim high in the depth. I only go for running backs that are going to be the alpha dogs in their team potentially.
3:31And if I am taking a risk on a player like a Mike Washington, I'm stashing him on my bench for a
3:37potential breakout, which again, he kind of had a mini breakout preseason.
3:40But that's not here nor there. Back to Jameer Gibbs.
3:43Major boom upside. Look out. Good matchup versus New Orleans.
3:46Love him, okay? Number five. Now, here's a little bit of a caveat here.
3:49Let's have a discussion here. We got Ashton Gentry and Mike Washington.
3:53Gentry coming off that little minor injury. I'm wondering if they're going to ease him back.
3:57He's going to play. Apparently, he played in practice.
4:00Good to go. But I'm wondering if they're going to give him the full volume or is this an excuse to run the committee?
4:06If it is an excuse to run a committee, which they've been talking about this before they draft Mike Washington, if they,
4:12in fact, run Mike Washington more, which we've seen other teams do.
4:16We saw the Rams do this, right? We saw the Seahawks using Helani.
4:19We had no business being on the field. Mike Washington's already proven.
4:23So I think we're going to see a lot of Mike Washington.
4:26So we're talking boom players. I think Mike Washington could boom.
4:29I think Mike Washington gets a touchdown. I think Mike Washington has a split.
4:33You know, he splits with Gentry this week. And I think Mike Washington outperformed Gentry this week.
4:38That's my bold prediction. I may even say, I think I'm starting him.
4:41I think I might start Mike Washington in my flex play.
4:44That's how much I believe in him and my conviction.
4:47Okay. So I'm telling you, man, like myself, some Mike Washington.
4:50Number six here is Justin Jefferson versus Green Bay.
4:53Now listen, he's got minimal competition. I'm not a big fan of Justin Jefferson, but if this is, he has to get hyped up.
4:59He has to do something this week. You know, everybody talks about Kyler Murray.
5:03You know, he got the starting job. He was brought in.
5:06He's, this is his year. Prove it. This is, you guys got to prove it.
5:10So Justin Jefferson, potential boom week. And again, I'm not convinced.
5:13I've got no Jefferson stock, but we're going to have to see.
5:17This is the, this is the week. Like he's got to get it done.
5:20He's got a favorable matchup. And Justin Jefferson, you were drafted in the first round, second round max, but it was pretty much first round.
5:27You got to do something. Okay. All right. Next guy here is a don't be late draft.
5:32Carnell Tate versus the jets. Great matchup. Another situation where he's got to go and just skyrocket.
5:37Why? There's no competition. Yeah. He's got Calvin Ridley.
5:39He's got, I am a nor all these other guys that had done nothing.
5:43Like he's got to do something. So I'm looking at Tate this week and I'm thinking, man, you've got a favorable matchup against the jets.
5:50You were drafted in the first round, dude, do something.
5:53Okay. Okay. So Carnell Tate, like he's got to do something.
5:56I don't know how else to say it. Like I'm starting him.
5:59I'm starting him as my wide receiver too. He didn't catch a ball in preseason, but your first round pick, you're the alpha dog.
6:06And you know, Kim Ward, we're out of excuses for Kim Ward.
6:09Like he's got to get something done. Crap or get off the pot.
6:13Basically is how I feel about Kim Ward. He's got to get it done.
6:17So this is something I will be monitoring this week.
6:19All right. Number eight here is a one, two punch bonus for you guys.
6:23Trey Tucker and Michael Mayer. I think I was just reading here before I started recording this.
6:28Michael Mayer just got a contract extension. I think it's 45 mil for three, something three years.
6:33Correct me if I'm wrong. I put it in my story mode.
6:36I put it already in my story mode on IG.
6:39So if you're not following Instagram, go follow. There's so many news headlines and things.
6:43I forgot the exact number. Who cares? Mike Mayer is in a good position to succeed.
6:47They just paid him. Brock Bowers is sidelined for multiple weeks.
6:50We got Trey Tucker as well. The two guys.
6:53I think these guys are both starts. They're must starts this week for fantasy football week one.
6:58I think that one or two of them are going to boom this week.
7:01And I think people are sleeping on the Raiders.
7:04I think Kirk Cousins is going to be efficient enough to move the ball down the field and feed his receivers.
7:10I like Michael Mayer this week. If you are playing DFS, I like this play.
7:14Okay. Number nine here, not the most exciting pick, but it's a good matchup in a good situation.
7:19I think a lot of people are sleeping on a guy I didn't really talk about in the offseason or draft, but
7:25Juwan Johnson here playing Detroit on the Saints, the tight end.
7:28Why? Because Tyson was brought in to be a factor and outside of Alave, I'm not trusting anybody really catching the ball there.
7:34So there's an opportunity for Juwan Johnson to really, really shine this week.
7:38Okay. And the last one here, another guy, he's playing Washington.
7:41He's a tight end. We just talked about how much I love Jalen Hurst this week, but Dallas got it.
7:47I was talking to my friend who did a high stakes league yesterday, did a draft and you can still draft.
7:52You're able to draft in this one league with two games and he's still drafted anyway.
7:57Regardless, he finished his draft and he was really high on Goddard.
8:00And I'm like, yeah, I see that because Lemon is unproven.
8:03Lemon could have a good year, could be the wide receiver one.
8:07And I'm not sold on Devontae Smith being the one.
8:09So Dallas Goddard has a huge opportunity to boom and we're going to potentially see it.
8:14Could be a touchdown monster. We're going to get a good idea this NFL week one.
8:18So those are some must starts, major boom upside.
8:21And I'm telling you, man, I'm super pumped. If you guys are excited for the season, hit the thumbs up.
8:26Let me know below how you guys are feeling about the week, about the, you know, stars and scissors questions, drop it.
8:32And I will see you guys in the Patreon group, patreon.com forward slash FF counselor.
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8:39Let's eat.