The Lineup Show - 12 Flex Players to Start or Sit in Week 1 | Fantasy Football 2026
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
18 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 8, 2026
Published
Tue, September 8, 2026
10
Player insights
10
Players mentioned
Topics
Brian Thomas Jr.Isaiah LikelyJared GoffJonathon BrooksMalik NabersMatthew StaffordMichael WilsonQuentin JohnstonTravis KelceWan'Dale Robinson
Player analysis
Player insights
Brian Thomas Jr.
NegativeProjection2:17
Justin Mello and Mitch Anderson view Brian Thomas Jr. as a high-ceiling but low-floor play for Week 1 against Cleveland. While he has significant season-long upside, Mello prefers Robinson for immediate volume.
Insight pageIsaiah Likely
PositiveBreakout10:50
Mitch Anderson and Justin Mello are high on Isaiah Likely, projecting him to command the second-most targets on his team. Mello notes that without Mark Andrews, Likely would have been the TE3 last year.
Insight pageJared Goff
PositiveProjection17:18
Mitch Anderson ranks Jared Goff as a top-12 quarterback for Week 1, citing his strong historical performance in home games and the high point total projected for the Lions-Saints matchup.
Insight pageJonathon Brooks
PositiveBreakout22:12
Mitch Anderson advocates for starting Jonathan Brooks in Week 1 against the Bears, citing the poor quality of the Chicago defense and the potential for Brooks to secure a significant workload.
Insight pageMalik Nabers
NegativeUsage15:36
Justin Mello notes that the 'vibes' around Malik Nabers have been inconsistent during the offseason, citing recent comments from the player that have caused some concern, though he remains high on his season-long potential.
Insight pageMatthew Stafford
NegativeMatchup17:18
Mitch Anderson fades Matthew Stafford for Week 1 due to a tough matchup against the 49ers defense and concerns regarding the team's travel logistics to Australia causing potential jet lag.
Insight pageMichael Wilson
NegativeProjection6:35
Mitch Anderson notes Michael Wilson's impressive late-season performance in 2025, but expresses caution for Week 1 due to a run-heavy Cardinals scheme and competition from Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr.
Insight pageQuentin Johnston
PositiveUsage6:39
Justin Mello and Mitch Anderson prefer Quentin Johnston over Michael Wilson for Week 1, citing his role in the Chargers' new offense and a favorable matchup against the Cardinals defense.
Insight pageTravis Kelce
NegativeProjection10:50
Mitch Anderson acknowledges Travis Kelce as a reliable veteran, but prefers Isaiah Likely for Week 1 due to a more favorable matchup against the Broncos compared to Likely's situation.
Insight pageWan'Dale Robinson
PositiveUsage2:17
Mitch Anderson highlights Wandale Robinson as a 'target sponge' who saw 140 targets in 2025 and projects him for a blow-up spot in Week 1 against a weak Jets defense, despite concerns about competition from Carnell Tate.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00Every game day you show up for your team.
0:03Now it's your time. Ask your prescriber about Wegovi, semaglutide injection 2.4mg, a GLP-1.
0:07Call 1-833-4WEGOVI or visit wegovi.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about Wegovi.
0:11Why wait? Football is back baby and whether you've been betting for years or you're just looking to put a little action
0:18on the games, MyBookie needs to be added to your list of places to go line shopping.
0:23We've been talking about the teams we like and don't like for months.
0:27We're in on this Jets offense more than almost anybody and we're terrified of this Falcons offense.
0:32Even though you got Bijan, you got Kyle Pitts, you got Drake London, but you got two bad left-handed quarterbacks.
0:38And you certainly don't need to be tailing some fake betting expert on social media.
0:42Go to MyBookie and find the plays you already know you like and take a shot.
0:47That's what's cool about MyBookie. You can find the action you want and bet it wherever you are when the game kicks off.
0:54And if you're new to the club, the bet-back bonus gives you protection on your first play.
0:59Sign up with promo code PLAYER to opt into the bet-back bonus and take your first shot with a safety net.
1:05If your wager loses, you get it right back.
1:07No questions asked. Football is finally here. Get in now and cash in on the season with MyBookie with promo code PLAYER to get that bet-back bonus.
1:15Bet on anything, anytime, anywhere. You're welcome. Welcome into the Lion Fantasy Football Show.
1:19I'm Mitch Anderson. I'm Justin Mello. And Mello, with the NFL season kicking off tomorrow, we already hit our top 24 in every position.
1:26Now we want to focus on the difficult start-sit decisions that can make the difference between a win and a loss to
1:33kick off your championship run, including our favorite running back start-sit question at the end.
1:37Let's talk two wide receivers in Wandale Robinson and Brian Thomas Jr.
1:41We've got two guys here that we're projecting to be the wide receiver two in their offenses.
1:46Mello, you may argue that Brian Thomas Jr. is the wide receiver three in Jacksonville behind Jacoby Myers.
1:51But to me, this is a question of boring but very high floor versus very low floor and explosive ceiling.
1:57And to me, that's just what this comes down to.
2:00If you're looking for a really high upside play because you think you're outmatched, I can make the argument for Brian Thomas Jr.
2:07against Cleveland. We look back at the rookie season.
2:09We look at him being the wide receiver four.
2:12And even last year, he had his little flashes in big games.
2:16But in reality, it's just not a great situation going up against this Cleveland defense.
2:20And I know we may be stuck on the camp reports and all of that rookie year fun.
2:25But Wandale Robinson is just the clear choice to me here.
2:29He was last year's wide receiver 11, a target sponge for a young quarterback in Jackson Dart with 140 targets on the season in 2025.
2:36Now you pair him with Cam Ward and everybody's biggest knock on Wandale is that Carnell Tate is going to eat heavily
2:42into any monstrous target share we projected before the NFL draft.
2:46And even if that ends up being the case, it's not going to be immediate here in week one.
2:51This Jets team gave up the second most points in the NFL last year.
2:55They're still bad, believe it or not. And this is a legitimate blow up spot for Wandale Robinson.
3:01I, for one, have been shocked that these two guys were next to each other in the rankings.
3:06I can make the argument for Brian Thomas Jr.
3:09If you need a prayer, but I'm really hoping you don't need a prayer here in week one of the NFL season.
3:15Right, exactly. If they're both playing Monday night football and you're down 27, don't start Wandale, start Brian Thomas.
3:21But that's not the situation with where they're playing.
3:23And I completely agree. As someone who's been very anti-Brian Thomas, probably more in the last couple weeks than I've been even all offseason.
3:30Yeah. I will admit there is so much season-long upside that I will happily acknowledge.
3:35That upside is much more than a guy like Wandale Robinson.
3:38But Wandale Robinson here in week one has a much clearer path to volume.
3:42He has a much easier matchup with potentially a better game script.
3:46I'm surprised, too, that these two players are close in rankings.
3:49I'm easily starting Wandale over Brian Thomas, at least here in week one.
3:53Yeah. Well, I got two more receivers for you.
3:55I want to talk about the recently paid man, Michael Wilson, at the Chargers.
3:59And then in that same game, Quentin Johnston taking on the Arizona Cardinals.
4:03Fantasy Pros has them back-to-back right now around the wide receiver 40-41, respectively, heading into week one.
4:08Both firmly flex options. Michael Wilson, you look at last year, particularly the back half of the season, he was the wide
4:15receiver four overall from week 12 on, if you exclude week 18.
4:18And the wide receiver two overall over that range, if you include week 18, which is truly just stunning to take a step back.
4:25It really is. It's one of the most unbelievable things we've seen in fantasy over the last decade, I think.
4:31And there's a real world he is just the wide receiver one in Arizona.
4:35And he will be for a few years. I just have a hard time trusting him early in the season.
4:41The Cardinals will almost certainly be more run heavy this year than they were last year.
4:46You look at the revamped running back room. Trey McBride is still the undisputed number one weapon in this offense.
4:52And Marvin Harrison Jr. still exists, if nothing else.
4:54I don't really have much else to say about Marv, aside from the fact that he's still living and breathing and on this team.
5:01So I'm not sure how I feel about that when you're talking about one of the worst teams in the NFL.
5:08And it's just another guy in surprisingly a pretty crowded skill position room.
5:11But then meanwhile, you have Quentin Johnson on the other side, who's going to be a very important piece of this Mike McDaniel offense.
5:19He's a big play guy. We saw it in the we've seen it throughout his career.
5:23But just most recently in the third preseason game from the Chargers caught an absolute bomb for a touchdown.
5:29And that's especially good to see because that's the new offense.
5:32That's the personnel and that's the play color that they have here this year.
5:36So with that said, I do prefer a guy like Quentin Johnson here in week one.
5:41I think he has the better matchup given he's playing that putrid Arizona defense.
5:45I genuinely love Michael Wilson as a talent. I think he deserves the extension that he got.
5:50I think he's even more talented than Quentin Johnston in real life, if I'm being completely honest with you.
5:56I just feel more confident in Johnston this week in fantasy.
5:59Yeah, you can be the more talented guy and not be in the same system that is going to create an offensive explosion.
6:06But I think this is a clean sweep here.
6:08Three for three so far that we agree on this.
6:11Michael Wilson, I have a lot of confidence in.
6:14I just think that Quentin Johnson is in the better system and he's going to have the opportunity to make more plays.
6:20I kind of agree with you like season long.
6:23I'd love to see how this shakes out. And I do think that what was it?
6:28The 55 yard bomb in week three of the preseason.
6:31Like, I do think that's inflating Quentin Johnson's price maybe a little bit too much right now.
6:36But like here in week one, I'm absolutely taking QJ over Michael Wilson.
6:39And I'm happy to take him and just ride the wave of what I think is going to be a ton of
6:46really fun offensive games for the Chargers. Let's move on to our fourth, though.
6:50Let's talk some tight ends here. We've got Travis Kelsey taking on the Denver Broncos or Isaiah likely taking on the Dallas Cowboys.
6:57We kind of talked about both of these guys yesterday's episode a little bit in the tight end rankings.
7:02But I think what's interesting here is this could be a very legitimate situation if you punted that both of these guys are on your team.
7:10You've got them kind of going in the rankings around like the 10th, 11th tight ends.
7:15And so you could literally be in this situation of who do you start?
7:19All reliable Travis Kelsey or the man we here at the lineup project to take the next step here in 2026.
7:25A lot of times I trust the guy who's done it before when you're looking at week one.
7:30But because of just how juicy this Isaiah likely matchup is versus Kelsey, who's going up against the Broncos.
7:36Give me who I project to command the second most targets on the team behind Malik neighbors in our guy Isaiah likely.
7:42I've repeated this stat a lot, but if you extrapolate Isaiah likely's career games without Mark Andrews, he would have been the tight end three last year.
7:50Now we see him getting that opportunity in New York.
7:53I think they're going to work to make this jumbo slot.
7:56They keep calling him this utility weapon, a huge part of the offense.
8:00I'm all in on Isaiah likely. I don't think Travis Kelsey is a bad start, but if I had to make that decision, it's unbelievably clear to me.
8:09Every game day you show up for your team.
8:11Now it's your time. Ask your prescriber about Wegovi.
8:14Some maglutide injection 2.4 milligrams, a GLP-1. Call 1-833-4-WEGOV or visit wegovi.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about WeGoV.
8:21Why wait? Football is back, baby. And whether you've been betting for years or you're just looking to put a little action
8:27on the games, my bookie needs to be added to your list of places to go line shopping.
8:32We've been talking about the teams we like and don't like for months.
8:36We're in on this Jets offense more than almost anybody.
8:39And we're terrified of this Falcons offense. Even though you got Bijan, you got Kyle Pitts, you got Drake London.
8:45But you got two bad left-handed quarterbacks. And you certainly don't need to be telling some fake betting expert on social media.
8:52Go to my bookie and find the plays you already know you like and take a shot.
8:57That's what's cool about my bookie. You can find the action you want and bet it wherever you are when the game kicks off.
9:04And if you're new to the club, the bet back bonus gives you protection on your first play.
9:09Sign up with promo code PLAYER to opt into the bet back bonus and take your first shot with a safety net.
9:15If your wager loses, you get it right back.
9:18No questions asked. Football is finally here. Get in now and cash in on the season with my bookie with promo code
9:24PLAYER to get that bet back bonus. Bet on anything, anytime, anywhere.
9:28You're welcome. I want to disagree with you, Mitch.
9:31Come on, man. I want to throw some haymakers here.
9:34No, I'm with you on this one. I just...
9:36I already liked Likley, and to be honest, the Malik Neighbors vibes have been so up and down, like a freaking elevator this whole offseason.
9:44They're starting to trend back down a little bit.
9:46They were really high for like a good month or two.
9:49Did you see the comment he made when they were talking to him?
9:53Yeah, that he's like, oh, I don't feel as good as I look.
9:57Yeah, and he's like, I'm excited to play whenever that is.
10:00It's like, what is that? What do you mean by that?
10:04What do you mean by that? What do you mean by that?
10:07I think that's kind of why the vibes are falling.
10:10I still think he'll be phenomenal season long, so don't let me talk you out of Malik Neighbors.
10:15I'm not trying to do that. But I am trying to talk you into Isaiah Likely because he might be an even
10:22bigger part of this offense than we thought for the first few weeks of the season.
10:27Here in week one, I'm definitely starting him over Kelsey, even though I think Kelsey's startable as well.
10:32Yeah. You brought up tight ends, so let me bring up a couple of fringe quarterback ones here in week one.
10:38I'm going to be talking about Jared Goff taking on the Saints and Matt Stafford taking on the Niners.
10:44It only feels right to compare these two guys because their careers have been so intertwined for the last probably seven years or so.
10:51They're the quarterbacks 12 and 13 for week one on Fantasy Pros, so the startability is very much on that fringe.
10:57And it's like you said with the tight ends, it's possible you have both of these guys if you punted the position and took too late.
11:04The Lions Saints game has been one of the games we've been talking about, a game that we want pieces of.
11:11It has one of the highest point totals on the week, so we could see a shootout in Detroit as we so often do in Detroit.
11:18Goff was a top 10 quarterback and five of the Lions eight home games last year.
11:23He was top 20 and seven of those eight.
11:26So history says Goff would be a good start in this spot.
11:29As for Stafford, he was great against the 49ers in both of their contests last year, just like he was in pretty much every game last year.
11:37But the 49ers overall allowed the fourth fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks last season.
11:42And that's particularly notable because they were beat the hell up last year.
11:45And now they got some guys back healthy, at least more healthy than they were at the end of last year.
11:52So all that to say it is a tougher matchup for Matthew Stafford.
11:55And I know this might sound pretty silly, but I do not like that this game is in Australia.
12:01And I don't know that I love that the Rams are flying in the day before the game to try to keep
12:07their players internal clocks on West Coast time to beat the jet lag.
12:11It might be genius by Sean McVay. He's done plenty of genius things throughout his career, but nobody's done something like this before.
12:18And it makes me wonder if it's just going to make their exhaustion and jet lag and confusion just generational and lethargic.
12:24So for that reason, I know it might sound silly, but that's enough reason for me to kind of fade Stafford in
12:31favor of someone like Jared Goff in week one.
12:34I honestly didn't factor it into my rankings, but the amount of times I've tried to 8D chess jet lag and I just get dominated is insane.
12:42It just ruins your entire vacation. But like to me, I look at my rankings.
12:46I've got Goff as my quarterback 11 this week.
12:49I've got Stafford as my quarterback 15. And I think what makes it so tough is like, I like both of these environments a lot.
12:56I just, I think I'm so egregiously high on Jared Goff that it would be hard for me to pass on him.
13:02Like I have him as a legitimate quarterback one.
13:05That's very startable this week. I have Matthew Stafford as not a guy quite in there.
13:10So damn it, Mello. We're four for four. I guess that's good.
13:13But we're giving you conviction that we are truly on the same side of all of these if you're having this debate.
13:20All right. Well, I need you to do a really stupid one here so I can just easily disagree with you.
13:26Unfortunately, this is my favorite one to talk about because I think it's a very real one that some people have.
13:32And that's Jonathan Brooks taking on the Chicago Bears or Rashad White taking on the Philadelphia Eagles.
13:37Let's wrap it up with two high upside running backs in ambiguous backfields that we're all anxiously awaiting more clarity on.
13:43And let's start on the Carolina side. Let's start with Jonathan Brooks.
13:47For all of our excitement around this Bears team, this defense is not good.
13:51We just keep talking about how great the offense is.
13:54This is not a good Chicago Bears defense. And if Jonathan Brooks can come out and actually get a solid workload like
14:00we've all hoped, I think this could be a crazy good place to kick things off for the comeback tour.
14:06What complicates things a little bit for Rashad White, because I'm also so excited about him, is that we did have JCM missing practices for a groin injury.
14:14But now he's back at practice and we're thinking he's gonna be good for week one.
14:19We're also having the concerns in Washington right now around that offensive line.
14:23And I also just don't think the Eagles are as inviting of a matchup as Chicago for me.
14:28So for week one, and we've gotten this question specifically in the comments, which is why I loved it.
14:34I'm trusting that Brooks is going to get the work and the volume that we've been believing he's going to.
14:40I'm going to roll with him until I see enough to say, OK, I can start Rashad White.
14:45I just both these guys are risks right now.
14:48One of them feels like there's like 20 red flags, though.
14:51This one's a tough one for me. I'm on the fence here.
14:54You know what, though? I will go against you and I'll say Rashad White here.
14:59And I love Jonathan Brooks. I don't want to pick against Jonathan Brooks.
15:03I think Rashad White's role in his offense is clearer than Brooks, which maybe that makes me a coward for wanting the safety in week one.
15:10Jonathan Brooks, I'd way rather have season long. His season long upside is much more.
15:15There's a real world. He's just the backup to Chuba Hubbard in week one.
15:19Like that world does exist. I don't think there's a world that exists where Rashad White doesn't have a role in this
15:25offense immediately at the minimum as a third down back.
15:28Could be a game script where the commanders are throwing to try to keep up with the Eagles.
15:34You get Rashad White involved there. Like I said, I like Brooks's upside more.
15:38I actually think I would go Rashad White there.
15:40All right. I love that. We get split on the last one.
15:44Let us know down below if you have any other start sick questions.
15:48We want to hear from you. Those were our biggest flex questions heading into week one of the NFL season.
15:54But Mello, before we get out of here, did we miss anything?
15:57Football is so freaking back and I'm so freaking excited.
16:00We completely forgot to mention that. Football's back. Football's so back.
16:03It's never been more back. And tomorrow we are going to be so unbelievably back when we give you our dark horse as well as our award winners.
16:12And we're going to talk a little bit about the primetime games this week.
16:16But we will catch you guys next time. Every game day you show up for your team.
16:21Now it's your time. Ask your prescriber about Wegovi.
16:23Some maglutide injection 2.4 milligrams. A GLP-1. Call 1-833-4-WEGOVI.
16:26Or visit wegovi.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about Wegovi.
16:30Why wait? Football is back, baby. And whether you've been betting for years or you're just looking to put a little action
16:37on the games, My Bookie needs to be added to your list of places to go line shopping.
16:42We've been talking about the teams we like and don't like for months.
16:46We're in on this Jets offense more than almost anybody.
16:49And we're terrified of this Falcons offense. Even though you got Bijan, you got Kyle Pitts, you got Drake London.
16:54But you got two bad left-handed quarterbacks. And you certainly don't need to be telling some fake betting expert on social media.
17:01Go to My Bookie and find the plays you already know you like and take a shot.
17:06That's what's cool about My Bookie. You can find the action you want and bet it wherever you are when the game kicks off.
17:13And if you're new to the club, the Bet Back Bonus gives you protection on your first play.
17:18Sign up with promo code PLAYER to opt into the Bet Back Bonus and take your first shot with a safety net.
17:25If your wager loses, you get it right back.
17:27No questions asked. Football is finally here. Get in now and cash in on the season with My Bookie with promo code
17:34PLAYER to get that Bet Back Bonus. Bet on anything, anytime, anywhere.
17:37You're welcome.
