Before that, Saquon Barkley scored three touchdowns and gave fantasy managers who trusted him this offseason an early head start on their leaguemates. Jayden Reed scored twice, led the team in targets per route run, and showcased week-winning upside.

Of course, we also had A.J. Brown show why he was a first-round pick, getting the better of a top-tier CB in Jaire Alexander. If the first two games of the season are any indication, we’re in for an action-packed season with 14 more games on the docket for Week 1.

And, if you thought you had your dose of chaos already from your first two games, think again. The Week 1 chaos has just begun. 

Ja’Marr Chase remains without a new contract, but said it’s within reach. The Bengals wide receiver said he will be a game-time decision and make the decision if he’s willing to play without an extension. He also expects to be limited if he plays. 

Tee Higgins was added to the injury report on Thursday with a hamstring injury, didn’t practice Friday, and is listed as doubtful. It makes Andrei Iosivas a good start against New England, especially for those with Higgins.

DeAndre Hopkins is a game-time decision and has a knee injury that appears to be worse than we thought.

For those streaming quarterbacks, Justin Fields might be an option against Atlanta if he starts. Russell Wilson has a calf injury and was limited in practice on Friday. Wilson is hopeful to play. 

At least Christian McCaffrey looks good to go.

What else is in today’s newsletter?

1. Week 1 Expert Roundtable: Players we expected to start … but aren’t.

2. Watercooler: Matthew made history, and had the outfit to back it up.

Rankings, Projections, Start/Sit & More!

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Week 1 Fantasy Football Expert Roundtable

by Jess Bryant

The season is finally here, and soon we’ll be speculating less as results begin to clarify muddy waters. But this week, we all still have to make predictions with no regular-season games to guide us.

I’m asking a litany of Fantasy Life family members to assist me in our analysis for Week 1, including:

• Senior Fantasy Analyst Kendall Valenzuela

• Head of Betting Matthew Freedman

• Community Lead Sam Wallace

• Senior Fantasy Analyst Ian Hartitz

• Director of Analytics and Lead Fantasy Analyst Dwain McFarland

After evaluating preseason and training camp performances, which players are you benching for Week 1 that you initially expected to start?

• Who is taking their place, and what influenced your decision?

Sam: I'm tempering expectations for players like Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze. While I'm fine starting Jayden Daniels this week, Williams doesn't offer the same rushing upside. The reason I'm nervous about Odunze is he could be the third option for a rookie quarterback in his first game.

The talent is there for both, but I'm fine waiting a week to see what happens. I would be OK pivoting to veteran options like Kirk Cousins or Jared Goff at quarterback and then starting someone like Jameson Williams to give me the upside in a projected high-scoring game versus a rookie making his first start who could be the No. 3 WR on his own team with a rookie QB also making his first start.

Kendall: This isn't a super sexy starter, but if you punted the tight end position (like I did in some leagues) then you might have Cole Kmet on your team, someone who I am benching for Week 1.

Kmet had a solid season in 2023, but, unfortunately, we should not expect the same outcome this year. In the Preseason Week 2 Utilization Report, Kmet had a 39% route participation rate with Caleb Williams, while Gerald Everett was at 61%. As a Seahawks fan, I have seen this film before; Shane Waldron is going to rotate these tight ends, making me leave Kmet on the bench.

Jess: I may be questioning my choices after Sam’s comments, but I’m starting Williams over Trevor Lawrence in a PPR league for the upside.

In what is a very difficult choice, I’m starting Nico Collins at WR2 and Jahmyr Gibbs in flex over Xavier Worthy, Malik Nabers, and Keenan Allen.

Week 1 should provide me with more clarity moving forward. Worthy was clearly a worthwhile start on TNF in his NFL debut (2 TDs on 3 total touches), and Nabers is the clear No. 1 wide receiver in New York. The only issue I see with Nabers is that Daniel Jones is throwing to him, but Nabers likely gets a huge target share, and Jones is good enough to get him the ball.

Freedman: I entered the preseason with the expectation (or hope?) that Zack Moss would be the clear lead RB for the Bengals this year. And he might be … but we didn't see him get the kind of usage in the preseason befitting a guy who has the backfield to himself. He will share work with Chase Brown—and he might even play behind Brown when the season opens or as it progresses.

So Moss, currently ranked as my RB29, is someone I'd hope not to need to start this week. At this point, I'd rather go with someone like Chuba Hubbard (RB27) at least (supposedly) should have most of the Panthers backfield to himself.

Ian: There's a difference between being injury-prone and already injured. Sadly, guys like Jaylen Warren (hamstring), DeAndre Hopkins (knee), and Mike Williams (knee) look like potential snap-count casualties, and I'll accordingly be picking the other guy in close start/sit decisions.

A similar sentiment is true for Kyle Pitts (hamstring) if you happen to have a pretty solid second option like Evan Engram or Jake Ferguson.

Just realize that if you bench Pitts, he's going to ball out, and if you start him, your secondary option will perform better than him. That's just the way fantasy football works.

Dwain: Based on preseason utilization, I would steer clear of Zamir White, Cole Kmet, and Pat Freiermuth.

I am also downgrading all players entering the week with lingering injuries, such as the names Ian Hartitz outlined above. However, I am not swapping them out for clearly inferior talents. For example, I am not benching DeAndre Hopkins for Gabe Davis or Darnell Mooney.

RELATED CONTENT:

• Speaking of Week 1, Ian helps you avoid the pitfall of overreacting.

• Jonathan Fuller examines four players with regression on the horizon.

• Playing Battle Royale on Underdog this week? Pete has your primer.

Sleeper Picks

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The latest analysis and insights from our merry band of football nerds:

🔥 Matthew making fantasy football history. And he’s doing it in style.

🔨 In case you need even more action for Week 1 … Freedman has player props that you should hammer.

🤝 Tune in to FANTASY LIFE GAMEDAY featuring Kendall Valenzuela, Adam Ronis, and Coach Gene Clemons on SiriusXM channel 87 on Sunday from 7-9 a.m. ET.

📺 Then, tune in for Sunday morning Start/Sits, Injury Updates, and more to help you win Week 1. Tune in 9 a.m. ET on Sunday.

🚑 ICYMI: These injury designations are ones to monitor this weekend.

💨 What would you do with A.J. Brown’s athleticism? This is absurd.

✍️ Pick’em plays for your favorite DFS sites for Week 1. Geoff has you covered.

😅 Todd Gurley used to win us leagues. Now he’s on the other side.

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