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PodcastFrom Fantasy Football Counselor

10 Fantasy Football Players You MUST START in Week 1!

STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.

12 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 8, 2026
Published
Tue, September 8, 2026
8
Player insights
8
Players mentioned
Topics
Carnell TateCeeDee LambChris OlaveGeorge PickensJalen HurtsJavonte WilliamsJosh AllenMalachi Fields
Player analysis

Player insights

8

Carnell Tate

PositiveUsage16:19

Carnell Tate is a recommended start for Week 1, as the source expects him to receive a significant amount of volume.

Insight page

CeeDee Lamb

PositiveUsage14:56

CeeDee Lamb is a must-start for Week 1 against the Giants, as he holds a very favorable matchup.

Insight page

Chris Olave

PositiveUsage13:30

Chris Alave is expected to see a ton of volume in Week 1 against Detroit, benefiting from the second easiest matchup for the position and the absence of Jordan Tyson.

Insight page

George Pickens

NegativeUsage14:56

While the source advises against drafting George Pickens season-long, he is a must-start for Week 1 due to a favorable matchup against the Giants.

Insight page

Jalen Hurts

PositiveUsage3:39

Jalen Hurts is an absolute must-start for Week 1 due to a phenomenal matchup against Washington, which ranks as the second easiest for the position.

Insight page

Javonte Williams

PositiveUsage5:36

Javante Williams is a must-start against the Giants, benefiting from the fourth easiest matchup for the position.

Insight page

Josh Allen

NegativeUsage4:00

Despite a tough Week 1 matchup against Houston, Josh Allen remains a must-start for anyone who invested high draft capital in him; the source advises against panicking if he underperforms early.

Insight page

Malachi Fields

PositiveSleeper10:43

Malachi Fields is a complete sleeper outside the top 100 overall who could be startable in deeper leagues for Week 1; the source expects him to potentially score a touchdown or two.

Insight page
Full transcript

Episode Transcript

179
0:00NFL Week 1, Top 10 Must Starts. Can you believe it?
0:03Football is back. I'm going to get you guys prepared here for Week 1.
0:07So yeah, we've drafted, but we need to actually win.
0:10So I'm excited to dive in to get you guys going here.
0:13Also got some visuals here, which we're going to share in regards to ease of matchup on these Top 10 players that
0:19I'm going to share with you guys right here, right now.
0:22For the full Starts and Sits episode, I'm going to be releasing that on Wednesday.
0:27So make sure you guys have notifications turned on.
0:29We're going to get you guys fully covered here, guys.
0:32I'm not going to just leave you guys out there.
0:35Oh, I helped you guys draft. No, we're going to actually help you guys win.
0:39So if you guys want help, drop a question below, guys.
0:42I'll try to get to as many as I can.
0:45Drop it below if you have a specific question.
0:47Now, I can't guarantee I get to all of them, but what I can guarantee is that if you guys join Patreon,
0:54patreon.com, that is where you help support the channel.
0:56Guys, I am an independent, but also there I deliver on a high level because I'm going to be getting you guys direct access.
1:03So I've already dropped a Q&A in there. You can go in there, ask a specific question, get a guaranteed answer.
1:09Waiver wires, amazing community. Join the Patreon group. I mean, you've drafted your team.
1:13We want to make sure we maintain the team.
1:15This is very important. Drafting is about 80, 85% of the battle.
1:19You need to get in Patreon right now and join the action, okay?
1:22Listen, I'm ready to dive into these top 10 players, but I got to also plug my amazing sponsor, Underdog.
1:28Guys, you can see I'm wearing this shirt. I've teamed up with them.
1:31I'm really, really excited to be working with them this year.
1:34They've got some amazing stuff on the site right now.
1:37Player props, you get in there, get in on the action.
1:40I'm telling you guys, if you guys want to get in right now, have some fun, make sure you guys go right now.
1:47Underdog, get the app. Use code Lion. And I think there's a perk if you sign up with my code.
1:52I think it's an extra coin in there as a bonus.
1:56But Underdog, get in on the action. Enhance your game watching experience.
1:59Super fun right now. Go do that right now.
2:01Just go create an account right now, okay? And I'll see you guys in the Patreon group, all right?
2:07So let's talk about these top 10 players here that are must starts.
2:10I mean, as you can see here, again, we're going to get the full breakdown.
2:15If you guys want the full breakdown, subscribe, turn on the bell and drop your question below.
2:19Listen, the first player here is Jalen Hurts, okay?
2:22Listen, second easiest matchup you can see here versus Washington.
2:25He is an absolute must start, okay? So we're going to talk a little bit of strategy here with must starts as well.
2:31If you drafted an ace quarterback, Justin Herbert, Bo Nix, you know, whoever it may be, Lamar Jackson, start him.
2:37Some of them are not going to have favorable matchups.
2:40I get it. Like, example, Josh Allen has a tough start this week, okay?
2:43He's playing Houston. But if you drafted Josh Allen, if you spent the first, second, third, fourth round pit, wherever you got him, you got to start him.
2:51I mean, I'm not going to tell you to sit Josh Allen.
2:55So a must start for me, I got him in my league, is Jalen Hurts.
2:59I mean, you take a look at the matchup.
3:01It is phenomenal, okay? Number two is Omari Hampton.
3:04Now, again, I'm going to show you guys how this app works here.
3:08You know, and we're going to walk through all the optimal starts.
3:11Green means it's a good matchup. And as you can see here, Omari and Hampton is the second player.
3:16You must start. He is playing the Arizona Cardinals.
3:19Now, this is the year that I've been talking about.
3:22Omari and Hampton having himself an amazing year. My favorite running back.
3:25So we'll see what he actually does this week in fantasy football.
3:28A guy that I love all my rock. I'm starting him.
3:31He's an absolute must start. Omari and Hampton. I am super excited about him starting him, okay?
3:36Number three is Javante Williams. Another favorable matchup. He is playing the Giants here.
3:40I mean, I'm going to pull him up here a little bit.
3:43If I can slide up here a little bit.
3:46As you can see, when it says 28th, guys, there's 32 teams in the NFL.
3:50So 28, 32 minus 4, 28. That's the fourth easiest matchup, guys.
3:54Basic math. Again, every Thursday, I'm going to walk through all the starts and sits here.
3:58But Javante Williams, favorable matchup. Love him versus the Giants.
4:01Again, super safe. Now, understand, guys, that the algorithm here on this app is going to change every single week because maybe,
4:07just maybe the Giants turn out to be the best defense ever.
4:10So it's like, okay, cool. They played really good.
4:13They had like 10 sacks in week one. Then it's going to be a harder matchup for your running back if they're playing the Giants the week after.
4:21So it's about getting accustomed to like the rhythm of like how good defense are.
4:25Because everything changes every year, right? Like the Rams look like a phenomenal defense on paper.
4:29We'll see if that actually translates, okay? So Javante is a must start.
4:33Number four here is Ashton Gentty. Easy matchup versus Miami.
4:36Now, a lot of people are asking, do I start Ashton Gentty?
4:39What do I do? There he is, guys. About the seventh easiest matchup versus position.
4:43So he's green. He's good to go playing Miami here.
4:46Is Mike Washington going to be a factor? And I've been talking about this the entire offseason.
4:51Do you start Ashton Gentty? And the quick answer is yes.
4:54As much as I want Mike Washington to succeed and I've got way more Mike Washington stock than I do Ashton Gentty
5:00because I got zero Ashton Gentty stock. I cannot deny that Ashton Gentty, if healthy, I'll be getting who's dealing with the ankle thing.
5:07Check the news. And again, I'm going to get you guys up to date here in Patreon on my story mode on my social medias.
5:14Follow me on Instagram. Turn on the story mode right now.
5:17And I'm telling you, man, like I'm going to get you guys fully prepared.
5:21But Ashton Gentty, as of right now, you drafted him in the second round, maybe first round if you drafted back in April.
5:27Listen, I understand Mike Washington is going to be a thorn, but you got to start Gentty.
5:32So this is a good week to monitor to see.
5:35That being said, if Gentty gets a lighter workload this weekend, there is a chance that they are still resting him from
5:41the ankle, which actually is not good news for Gentty owners because I think if he does get rested, and Mike Washington
5:47does get more work, then you got to look out because at the end of the day, now he's now dipped in
5:54the load and proved he could be a workhorse.
5:56So basically Gentty could screw his career. So week one is really monumental and really a precedent.
6:01It sets the stage for what's to come if you guys are Gentty owners.
6:05So you really got to watch that. Okay. Very, very important.
6:08You guys watch and monitor that situation. All right.
6:10Number five here is Devin Achein. Like, listen, I think Devin Achein, you know, I'm not a big fan, but he does have a good matchup.
6:18I don't know where he's here. Yeah, it's a green matchup.
6:21He's playing Vegas. He has obviously another guy, you know, you drafted with high draft capital.
6:25He's in a must-start situation. Again, I've got zero Devin Achein stock, a chain, whatever you want to call him.
6:31Zero stock there. Okay. Other people you want to consider starting.
6:34Moving on to wide receiver here. I do. I know a lot of people asking, do I start Malik Neighbors?
6:40Yeah, I've got zero Malik Neighbors stock, but I do have Malachi Fields stock.
6:43Now, again, a favorable matchup, which I'm pulling up right now.
6:47There you go. You can see Christian Watson's got a tough matchup.
6:50We're going to cover that on Wednesday. But Malik Neighbors, again, you've got to monitor.
6:54Is he going to be 100%? But take a look at this, man.
6:58Easiest matchup versus position. I have a ton of Malachi Field stock.
7:01Will I start Malachi Field? It's probably not week one.
7:04I've got to see how that all unfolds. That being said, I would not be surprised if Malachi Field scores a touchdown or two week one.
7:11So this is fantasy football, guys. We've got Malachi Field, who's probably going to be slated in now.
7:16He's the wide receiver, too, who is like a complete sleeper in fantasy outside the top 100, man, overall.
7:22I think he was like 200 overall. It was crazy, but could be startable week one.
7:26I mean, again, you take a look at the matchup.
7:29The matchup is favorable. He's slated as a two.
7:31We don't know if Malik Neighbors is going to be 100%.
7:35I mean, this is a no-brainer to me, man.
7:37Like, check this out. Malachi Fields' easy matchup. So, again, if you don't have a better option, deeper leagues, definitely a start.
7:43Like I said, I would not be surprised if Malachi has himself a good week.
7:47All right? Number seven here, let's keep moving along.
7:50Again, make sure you guys do join the Patreon group.
7:53Direct access to me, patreon.com forward slash FFcounselor, or I've linked it below.
7:56I mean, amazing community. Join the front lines. Get in on the action.
8:00I'm also dropping my picks, thefancyfootballcounselor.com. Get my picks, guys.
8:03The Counselor's Edge. I'll give you guys all my winning picks every single week.
8:07Join that as well. Amazing stuff here in the offseason, okay?
8:10All right? So, next one here is Chris Alave at number seven.
8:13Now, listen, I'm not a big Chris Alave fan, but with Tyson being gone and the matchup being favored, I'm just trying
8:19to find where Alave is here on the chart.
8:22I know it's a pretty easy favorable matchup. Regardless, I think Alave's in for a ton of volume this week.
8:28I'm not missing it. There he is, right there.
8:30Second easiest matchup versus position. And again, he is playing Detroit.
8:33We're going to have to see how Detroit does.
8:36Ville could be a good, you know, DFS play this week as well.
8:39But, I mean, Alave in for a ton of volume.
8:42Second easiest matchup versus position. Great situation. And, you know, like I said, there's no Jordan Tyson.
8:47I like Tyler Schuff. I think he's going to have a great season.
8:50But, yeah, man, I think there's something there here for Alave week one.
8:54All right? Number eight, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
8:57Everyone drafted them with high draft capital. I told you to avoid Pickens, but this is going to be a real test for George Pickens.
9:04Because, again, drafted in the second or third round, everyone is telling you to draft him.
9:08And now he's got a favorable matchup versus the Giants.
9:11So, this is something to monitor, something to watch at week one.
9:14But definitely a must start if you've got CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
9:18They do actually have a very favorable, very favorable matchup this week.
9:21Okay? They are playing the Giants, which, again, I'm trying to scroll to find here.
9:26And there they are right here. 23, which is about the eighth, ninth easiest matchup versus position.
9:30Both Pickens and CeeDee Lamb here are in the green.
9:33Amazing matchups. Okay? So, again, if you guys got them, start them.
9:36But, again, I don't recommend Pickens season long. All right?
9:39Now, also, Carnell Tate has an easy matchup versus the Giants.
9:42Actually, it's a mid-range matchup. I wouldn't say it's an easy matchup based on paper.
9:47Again, it's all on paper, all hypothetical based on last year's performances on the defense and how tough the defenses are.
9:52But, again, I'm looking at Carnell Tate. I would definitely start him.
9:56He is really going to get a lot of volume.
9:59And the last one here, he does have a hard matchup, but I'm still starting him, is Emika Egibuka.
10:04Now, take a look here. He is here in the red.
10:07Eighth hardest matchup versus position. Where is he here?
10:10Emika versus Cincinnati. But, look, I'm still going to start him.
10:13Okay? Now, he was dealing with a toe. If he is good to go, again, check the news.
10:18Check my story mode. Turn on the bell to my story on Instagram.
10:21I am still going ahead and starting Emeka Egbuka.
10:24All right? I drafted him in the third round.
10:26I hope he starts. I saw him practicing this week.
10:29So, that is really good. Definitely going to be starting him.
10:32Okay? So, listen. I'll see you guys in the Patreon group.
10:35Join there. Turn on the bell. Daily content coming your way.
10:38We're talking starts and sits here, man. Full episode tomorrow.
10:41We've got a preview show with Walter on Friday.
10:44We've got so much coming your way. Waiver wires.
10:46That's going to be out on Monday after the games.
10:49We're going to get waiver wire done. But if you want direct access, Patreon is the community.
10:54Amazing place. Amazing information and direct access to me, guys.
10:57I'm ready to go. Football is back. And I can't wait to see how season one unfolds.
11:01Again, do not panic no matter what happens. Week one is always a stage setting type situation.
11:06So, if you drafted a person in the first round, maybe Josh Allen.
11:10Like I said, he's got a tough matchup versus Houston.
11:13If he puts up 10 points, don't give up on Josh Allen next week.
11:17It's a feeler out situation. The first two, three weeks are feelers, man.
11:20I'm telling you. It's all going to unfold. And we're going to start continuing to build on everything.
11:25Okay? See you guys in Patreon. Turn on the bell.
11:28See you tomorrow. And fantasy football is back. Let's get it.
11:31Bye for now.

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