Big Backfield Surprises After Week 1

Your Digital Life. Cloaked.

Your personal data is everywhere—and so are the risks. Cloaked is your all-in-one solution for privacy, safety, and security, designed to keep you protected from digital threats before they even reach you.

With Cloaked Identities, you can instantly generate unique email addresses, phone numbers, and passwords—so you can sign up, shop, or connect without ever revealing your real identity. Erase Your Info from 140+ Data Brokers and stop the cycle of spam, scams, and exposure. Cloaked scans for your name, age, email, address, and phone across the web—and wipes it from data broker lists at the root.

Block spam calls before they ring with Call Guard, stopping robocalls, scammers, and phishing attempts in real time. Stay ahead of hackers with Dark Web Monitoring, alerting you the moment your breached data is found. And with $1 Million Identity Theft Insurance, you’re backed by coverage and restoration experts if fraud ever hits.

Privacy isn’t a luxury—it’s your right. Cloaked makes sure you keep it. Take Cloaked’s free risk scan —courtesy of Matthew Berry’s Fantasy Life—to see where your personal information is exposed.

About Last Night …

It was a Monday Night Football matchup of ballyhooed quarterbacks who both went in the Top 10 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Caleb Williams vs. J.J. McCarthy. With the latter making his NFL debut, and Williams starting for the first time under new HC Ben Johnson, it was an uneven first half before both turned it on in a 27-24 thriller that had our own Thor Nystrom talking about alligator blood? Nice opener, huh?

What else happened last night?

• First a little good-natured ribbing for Thor.

• Then an epic fourth-quarter comeback in J.J.’s home city.

• Caleb had some zip on this throw to Rome.

• 40 years since this last happened. Good company for J.J.

• In other news: If you’re looking for a George Kittle replacement, here are some options.

Editors’ Picks

Week 1 is in the books, and it’s time to turn our attention to Week 2. Tweaking rosters and adjusting based on what we saw, while also doing our best not to overreact—now that’s a fine needle to thread. Get a head start with some of the latest Fantasy Life content to come through the Week 2 pipeline …

The Week 1 King of Utilization Is …

None other than Bills WR Keon Coleman—who posted a week-winning Utilization Score of 95 (out of 100) in the Sunday Night shootout with the Ravens.

Now, more importantly, what do we do with Coleman moving forward? Per Dwain McFarland …

The Bills' early-second-round pick struggled to generate targets as a rookie with a 15% target share and 17% targets-per-route run rate (TPRR). 

Week 1 for the Year 2 player was a different story. He was targeted 11 times (26%) and collected 141 air yards (33%) on his way to 25.2 fantasy points.

On the one hand, some of his Week 1 production was fluky (tipped pass for a TD on a scramble drill) in an offense that doesn't always throw so often without much scheme protection (2% motion, one-screen look). On the other hand, he made several great grabs and was a shoestring tackle away from another score, and he plays with Josh-Freaking-Allen, man.

It's worth noting that historical Year 2 and 3 comparisons with Coleman's profile haven't broken out often. Still, we play a game where outliers happen, and Coleman deserves an upgrade after a strong Week 1 performance.

Coleman UPGRADES to WR3 territory and will join the WR2 conversation with another strong outing in Week 2. If you are in a league where he is available, he is a MUST-ADD option. If you have him and someone is willing to pay a WR1 price, I would deal him.

For each and every one of Dwain’s utilization takeaways from Week 1, access his full Utilization Report below. ⬇️

Week 2 Waiver Wire Adds

Did you really think we were going to get out of Week 1 unscathed by injuries? OF COURSE NOT! But that's why we love fantasy football. There were some key players who exited games, and there were others who felt like they just didn't even play.

Nonetheless, we've got names to go through for the Week 2 waiver wire. This is a really important week since we got a few answers to some running back and wide receiver rooms that we were questioning during the preseason, so stay focused and let Kendall Valenzuela do the dirty work for your waiver wire needs …

Daniel Jones, QB, Giants (5% rostered)

DANIEL JONES TRUTHERS, PLEASE COME FORWARD! What a performance from the QB1 for Indianapolis—Jones not only led the Colts to a win against the Dolphins, but he is now the first quarterback this century to lead a scoring drive in every possession, according to NFL Network.

Jones was 22-of-29 passing for 272 yards and one touchdown for the Colts and also notched seven carries for 26 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Will we get this kind of stellar performance every week? Probably not, after all the Dolphins vibes coming into the season were bad, and it was very evident on Sunday that it could be a long season. Miami was outgained 255-43 at halftime. Jones was connecting with Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce, and he is definitely going to be on the cover of most waiver wire articles.

You will probably have a better option to start in Week 2 since the Colts are facing the Broncos at home, but he is definitely worth a waiver wire stash.

Hollywood Brown, WR, Chiefs (25% rostered)

Because we can't have nice things, Xavier Worthy went down in the Chiefs first game of the season against the Chargers. An MRI confirmed that Worthy has a dislocated shoulder, so we should expect him to miss a few weeks. The result? Hollywood Brown being one of the highest scoring fantasy receivers on the week. Brown finished Friday's game coming down with 10 of his 16 targets for 99 yards. 

With Worthy hurt and Rashee Rice sidelined for another five games because of his suspension, we should expect Brown to continue being a focal point in this offense.

For more (and deeper 👀) waiver wire gems ahead of Week 2, read on … ⬇️

Around the Watercooler

Just a few fun links on a Tuesday …

👀 In the market for a QB streamer? There are some fantastic options.

🐆 Time to recap Week 1. Big revelation in the Jaguars backfield.

🎯 And we have some more Week 2 waiver wire targets.

🪓 The first chop has happened. Now it’s time to set up your Guillotine Leagues^TM waiver wire.

🏈 A couple of QBs who could be 2026 NFL Draft prospects squared off on Saturday.

🚽 Kyler Murray battled the elements on Sunday. TMI, bro.

💪 The Niners beef up their WR room. They need the help.

🚑️ An update on Xavier Worthy’s shoulder injury. Keep crossing your fingers.

🤦 Brian Callahan wishes he could have this one back. Oof.