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Never a dull moment around the fantasy football watercooler, that’s for sure.
Just a few hours after hyping up Jalen Coker in your inbox, the Panthers said, “Good call, Pete!” and traded Adam Thielen back to his hometown team, the Minnesota Vikings.
The majority of the fantasy fallout here is on the Panthers side. As we discussed yesterday, the Panthers clearly feel comfortable with their young nucleus at WR. We all know Tetairoa McMillan is going to ball out this year, but this is a big vote of confidence for Coker, Xavier Legette, and Ja’Tavion Sanders. All are great values at the end of drafts right now.
As for Thielen and the Vikings, this doesn’t really move the needle for me. This addition was more about the early-season impact of Jordan Addison’s suspension and Jalen Nailor’s hand injury.
I’d slightly dock T.J. Hockenson—who might lose a few targets to the veteran WR over the middle—but there’s no reason to overly penalize the other pass catchers because the team added a 35-year-old veteran to the mix.
In other WR news, we finally got clarity on the Rashee Rice situation. He will be suspended for the first six games of the season and will be eligible to return on Monday, October 13.
At first blush, this sounds bad (“That’s 1/3 of the season, Pete!”). But this is actually the best-case scenario. First, it was possible that he could have gotten suspended for closer to 10 games instead of six. But the real win here for Rice fans is that there was a risk the suspension could have come at the end of the season instead of the beginning.
Instead, we now lose Rice when his production matters the least. Our teams are the healthiest they will be all year in the first month, and the bye weeks don’t kick in until Week 5. You can easily survive six weeks without Rice—just pair him with a cheap, veteran WR like Christian Kirk, Joshua Palmer, or Romeo Doubs—and then enjoy a top-24 asset when he returns.
That only applies to some leagues, though. As Paul Charchian outlines below, he’s undraftable in our Guillotine Leagues™ …
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Editors’ Picks
It’s exactly one week until the Super Bowl champion Eagles take on the Cowboys to kick off the 2025 NFL season. Let’s go! We know a lot of you still have drafts to do, so don’t forget our FREE Draft Kit. Our Cheat Sheets are a big help, too, come draft day. And when you’re done, just sync your leagues on our site. Now, time for some content:
 | On week until real football! Matthew Freedman went over his projections as the season fast approaches and had a few updates to share. |
 |
 | C’mon, we know you like the sweat, no matter if you what you laid down was a dime. Cooterdoodle is back with Scared Money, the futures edition. Remember: Narratives are EVERYTHING. |
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Rashee Rice Fantasy Football Outlook With Six-Game Ban
As Pete alluded to above, where Rashee Rice should get drafted after his six-game ban is completely contingent on what type of league you are playing in.
In Guillotine Leagues™, this news spells disaster, as Charch outlines below:
“In a Guillotine League™, Rice's six lost games turn him radioactive. When you can be chopped from the league after each week, you can't carry a zero-point player for six weeks, and then deal with his bye three weeks later.
Remember, in Guillotine Leagues™, the draft is only the first time you can get a player. Scoring zero points each week, Rice is likely to get chopped several times before his suspension ends, at which point you can bid for him, if you want him.”
Alright, there’s one format that he gets eliminated from consideration in … but what about the others?
Paul Charchian dives into the beneficiaries of the suspension, and what to do with Rice in traditional redraft and dynasty leagues, too. ⤵️
Dynasty
Sleeper Options For 2025 … And Beyond …
What’s better than a fantasy football sleeper for the upcoming season?
A fantasy football sleeper who could be viable this year AND for years to come.
As they say, the early bird gets the worm, and Sam Wallace is here to help with exactly that. He’s outlined five deep and young—nobody over 25!—sleepers that he recommends you pounce on ASAP, starting with the QB3 for the Seahawks …
“Officially listed as the No. 3 QB on the depth chart, third-round rookie Jalen Milroe is a fascinating prospect. The Seattle Seahawks are hoping Sam Darnold can recreate some of his Minnesota magic from a season ago, while veteran Drew Lock appears to be the frontrunner for the backup role.
Coming out of Alabama, Milroe was initially thought to be someone who could go in Round 1 of the NFL Draft. In his final two collegiate seasons, he racked up 39 passing TDs and 32 rushing TDs. That type of dual-threat ability, coupled with an elite college experience, automatically makes him an intriguing player to watch.
Despite needing some overall refinement at the next level, Milroe posted a 64% or better completion rate in his final two seasons at Alabama.
All eyes will be on Darnold this season. We have more data showing us the bad parts of his game, but he parlayed a phenomenal 2024 season into a three-year deal worth up to $100.5 million. Even if he plays well this season (and next), neither Darnold nor Lock represents barriers that Milroe couldn't overcome.
Be patient with this young player as he develops, but he has the tools to develop into a consistent NFL (and fantasy) contributor within the next few years.”
Read on for four more deep sleepers to consider ahead of your drafts (and in dynasty leagues). ⤵️
Fantasy
RB Handcuffs: Who Are The Top Targets? 🎯
The running back handcuff is such a tricky thing in fantasy drafts. Do you pick the handcuff for your RB1, or someone else’s? There’s really no wrong answer to it, as long as you have the RIGHT handcuff when circumstances on the football field call for reinforcements. See how we didn’t tempt fate and talk about something bad happening to RB1s? Oops.
Ian Hartitz compiled six tiers—SIX TIERS!—of backup running backs (some in committees) to target in fantasy drafts and possibly later to keep in mind when waiver wires will have your leaguemates clamoring to overspend their FAAB on a little-known player who’s headed for a big touch share. This article is a great resource and Ian will be updating RB handcuffs throughout the season to keep you ready. ⤵️
Fantasy
Around the Watercooler
The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds.
🤯 The next Drew Brees? What if it happened?
👀 Matthew and Rich Eisen, chopping it up on Caleb Williams and more players to target.
💪 Tyler Warren is HIM. The comp says it all.
1️⃣ This Buck(y) can stop at RB1.
😎 Najee’s BACK … at practice
🤫 Sneaky important TE news. He should move up boards.
🤷 I’ve never seen a positive Joe Mixon report. Change my mind.
🤗 Adam Thielen isn’t the only one excited about a homecoming. Cute.
😆 A Rotoworld blurb you have to read. God bless Rotopat.
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