Fantasy Football Saturday Mailbag for Week 1 (Fantasy Football)
Good morning, FootClan, and a very warm welcome back into another year of The Fantasy Footballers’ Saturday Morning Mailbag! Another year is upon us, and from today, all the way through until the end of the fantasy season, I will be here each and every Saturday to select a handful of your questions from The Fantasy Footballers’ Discord server and answer some of the hot topics that did not quite make it to that week’s edition of The Footcast.
- The Ballers’ Discord is home to the biggest and best online fantasy football community in the world, and is your go-to if you are looking to talk about all things fantasy football. Head over today and get involved with thousands of members across dozens of dedicated channels for start/sit questions, trade advice, and waiver wire insights, as well as exclusive areas that are only available to members of the FootClan.
Foot Clan…we made it!
After what seemed like an eternity, football is finally back, and the quest for another set of #FootClanTitles starts all over again. Whether you are the defending champ or looking to bounce back from a last-place finish – the hard work starts right here, right now! We have already had two prime-time games as we head into the weekend’s action, including the very first Wednesday Night Football game (Psst! Andy!: buy that domain) as well as a clash down under in Melbourne, Australia. As the 49ers and the Rams make the long trip home from the Land of Oz, we still have time to make those all-important last-minute twists and tweaks to our final lineups before the main slate of games kick off early Sunday afternoon. We are not in Kansas anymore, Toto (well, except the Chiefs, who will 100% be in Kansas against the Broncos), so strap in, click your heels together, and repeat after me…IT’S FOOTBALL TIME…let’s dive right in!
Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Question #1 – Waiver Wire (RB2 Treasure Hunt Edition)
Hey Ballers! I waited too long to draft my RB2, and now I’m scrambling. What are some tips to help improve at the position? My league is not very active in trades – SOLID ALIBI
Answer: You have my sympathies, SOLID ALIBI, as there is nothing worse than a league full of managers that do not trade (shoutout to my league mates…get bodied). The good news is that there will likely be plenty of valuable running backs still lingering on your waiver wire ahead of the season, and if the rest of your league does not like to trade – chances are they probably don’t pay too much attention to the Free Agency pool…so you can definitely take advantage and snag yourself some bargains before they wise up.
We do not have to travel too far back in time to see that every single year there are a handful of RBs who go undrafted but find themselves fantasy relevant in the first few weeks of the season. For example – what do all of these names have in common: Woody Marks (RB59 – RB8), Justice Hill (RB65 – RB6), Nick Chubb (RB43 – RB19), Tyler Allgeier (RB55 – RB16), and Bhayshul Tuten (RB48 – RB18). If you said that they were all drafted – on average – outside of the top-40 at the RB position in 2025…you would be correct. However, despite going incredibly late (or not at all in some cases), they all had an RB2 or better week in the opening month of the season, proving that keeping your ears to the ground and your eyes on the wire can lead to a bevy of plug-and-play options for your RB2/FLEX spot. Ok, not every backup with an ADP of RB65 is going to give you the overall RB6 every week (yes, Justice Hill did do that in Week 4 against KC last year even with a fit Derrick Henry on the field) – but there is value to be had…you just have to look for it.
Good luck with your waiver wire treasure hunt and keep trade-spamming those league mates of yours.
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Question #2 – Season-Long Strategy (Rookie WR Special)
Very simple question…Carnell Tate – are you feeling the pantsless breeze just rolling him as a WR1, or do we need to talk about this? – soulcoffin
Answer: Drafted with the fourth-overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft back in April, the Ohio State product finds himself in a less-than-ideal scenario on a passing offense that ranked dead last in TDs, 30th in completion %, and 29th in yards through the air…but those numbers do go some way to explaining why the Titans had the 1.04 in the first place.
The good news for Tate is that he walks into that Tennessee WR room and immediately finds himself at the tippy-top of the depth chart, and with only Calvin Ridley and Wan’Dale Robinson to compete with for targets, year one as an NFL professional could prove to be fruitful for both Tate and fantasy managers. Now, that said…we have to temper expectations a little bit. Draft capital and a relatively mediocre supporting cast both point to the 21-year-old being a day-one starter and likely first-read target for sophomore QB Cam Ward…but this is a team who not only didn’t produce a 1,000-yard receiver last year, they didn’t have a single player top 600-yards – and that was a TE! (respect to Chig Okonkwo). Only the Las Vegas Raiders had fewer total offensive yards in 2025, so it’s safe to assume that although Tate may be sitting down at the pass-catchers’ dinner table with the biggest slice of pie…there may not be too much meaty goodness inside that casing.
If you drafted using The Fantasy Footballers Ultimate Draft Kit (which I am sure you did), you would have seen that both Andy and Jason statted out Tate for over 1,000 yards in his debut season, with The Hitman not too far behind, projecting a tally of 976. That puts Cam Ward’s new favorite weapon right at the tail end of WR2 territory…but that is some way off the kind of production we would be looking for from a player who we have drafted with the intention of being our team’s WR1.
Last year’s overall WR12 – the Meaty One – Tee Higgins, finished with 182.1 fantasy points from a line of 59/846/11; could Tate put up something similar, of course, but will he…I am not so sure. The upside is there, but I would definitely be looking for a sweater to wrap around those titanium underpants you are wearing…things might get a little chilly come the winter.
Question #3 – Start/Sit (Brock Bowers ‘Just a little off the top’ Special)
Ballers, is it too crazy to start Michael Mayer over Travis Kelce in 0.5PPR? I’m worried about the Chiefs’ passing offense against Denver, and Mayer got a decent number of targets before with Bowers out – I Can’t Find McConkeys
Answer: We haven’t even made it to the weekend of Week 1, and this is the sort of start/sit question that we have to seriously consider…we are so back, FootClan.
First, let us start with a moment of silent reflection for Brock Bowers and those who drafted him with one of their first two draft picks…my thoughts are with you at this very troublesome time. With the Raiders star TE treating a meniscus trim like I used to treat a haircut before a big Saturday night out, he seems set to miss at least this weekend’s season opener at home to Miami, in what should have been a very tasty matchup against the team who gave up almost 70 yards per game to opposing TEs in 2025.
With Bowers out, the Raiders will turn to their 2023 second-round selection and Halloween-related pun-inspirer, Michael Mayer. Whilst not exactly frightening, the now 25-year-old’s career stats are not the kind of numbers that fill you with confidence if your intention is to use him as a spot start in place of his sidelined teammate…but it is the Miami Dolphins he will be facing after all. In the three games that Mayer played without Bowers last season he finished as the TE5, TE41 and TE18 (he also managed a very respectable TE5 in Week 17 with Brock in tow), seeing over 20% of team targets in the process – and with 38-year-old ‘Captain’ Kirk Cousins set to start the season under center ahead of this year’s 1.01 Fernando Mendoza, we can likely predict a whole load of short-yardage targets heading the way of Mayer and de-facto slot receiver Jack Bech (where my Bech Boys at?).
If you are chasing upside, I’m totally fine with stating Mayer over Kelce – we have no idea just how healthy Patrick Mahomes is going to be coming off the ACL tear he sustained in December, and as you rightly mention…that Denver defense is pretty stingy, allowing the 11th fewest yards and fourth fewest TDs through the air in 2025. With Ashton Jeanty still not fully healthy from the high-ankle sprain he picked up in pre-season and a WR room full of has-beens and never-haves, there will undoubtedly be a few tricks and treats in store for Vegas’ temporary top TE on Sunday night…do not be spooked; Mayer could easily slice and dice his way to a TE1 finish.
PSA Mr. Bowers – be careful with those trims; one day it will stop growing back. Source: Me…a bald guy
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Question #4 – Chop League Strategy (Spend or Splurge?)
Hey Ballers! First time in a chopped league – do you have any advice on FAAB spend after Week 1? Do I go big, or hoard it for later? – Matt the Commish
Answer: Here’s hoping you didn’t draft the aforementioned Brock Bowers, or you may not get a chance to spend any of that FAAB!
Every league will be different, so my best advice (as always) is to know your league mates…but if you are all pretty new to the format and do not know what to do with that $1000 burning a hole in your fantasy pocket, let’s talk strategy.
First things first, do not blow your entire budget on the best player from the roster that got chopped in Week 1 – unless there is a legitimate game-changer on that team that is about to hit the wire. I do not want to spend more than 15-20% of my FAAB straight out of the gate. Chopped leagues are still a relatively new way of playing fantasy, and managers are still finding their feet with the inner workings. That uncertainty brings HUGE overpays in the opening weeks, as desperate owners try to build an unbeatable super squad before we all start DoorDashing (#NotASponsor) those Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks (#AlsoNotASponsor). In reality, they don’t improve their rosters that much, and now they are out of funds.
Instead, pick up bargains where you can – if you can grab a solid squad player for between $ 1 and $ 5, that will provide way more value in the long run, hopefully carrying you to a point where you can start to bid up when the aforementioned super squads inevitably face the chop.
Each week, more and more startable players hit the waivers, making the pool of plug-and-play streamers larger and larger, before eventually resembling something similar to a Free Agency pool of a smaller 10- or eight-team setup. If you can make it to Week 8 and beyond with 90% of your original budget, or 70% and one genuine stud added to your roster…you will be in with a chance of taking that #FootClanTitle home by the time the bidding ends. Stay the course, hold your nerve, and wait until you can pick up three or four top-tier players to send your roster over the edge.
Just make sure you survive Week 1!
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It’s Time For Rapid Round…
Ah-ah-ah-Choo! Ballers! Best bench stash out of Malik Willis, Chris Bell, Cyrus Allen, and Kenyon Sadiq – *cough* Papa Josh’s Allergies
Answer: Gesundheit! At this time, there are only two guys on that list that could go off in the first couple of weeks and are worth the stash right now…and they both play for the 2027 AFC East Champions: Miami (a guy can dream, right?). Bell is my preferred pick-up given the supposed first-round talent, but if you are locked in to streaming QB early on in the season, Willis is a fine add.
Whazzzzup Ballers! Who are some players who you expect to start slow and are potentially great trade targets to watch for in a few weeks? – PizzaWolf
Answer: I am definitely keeping my eyes on George Kittle after Thursday night’s game in Australia. Kittle only brought in two passes for 12 yards, but was targeted five times by Brock Purdy in the blowout win. Do not worry about the snap % – Kittle will be ramped up in the coming weeks – and will likely be leaned on even more with Jake Tonges McBasketball going down down under. See also Ashton Jeanty, TreVeyon Henderson, and Cardinals rookie Jeremiyah Love.
Who is Jason Moore’s Ironclad, Locked and Loaded, 100% Guaranteed injury-free player this year? – Ya Boy Bill
Answer: You heard Jason on the FootCast…Bijan Robinson will play every game this season. For me, I think we get back-to-back 17-game seasons out of Colts’ RB Jonathan Taylor.
Hey Ballers! Which Week 1 game are you looking forward to watching the most, and what’s your perfect game day snack? – Xanathar’s UDK
Answer: Well, I am a Miami Dolphins fan…so obviously not that dumpster fire against Las Vegas. It’s got to be the first Monday Night Football of the season with the huge NFC East clash between the Cowboys and the Giants in New York City. I will be up late over here in the U.K. watching that one, but I may have to give the buffalo wings a miss at that time of night…I will probably stick to some popcorn or something else light to go along with the meaty 30-burger from Jaxon Dart to give me a Week 1 victory in my League of Record.
That will do it for this week, FootClan – good luck in those Week 1 matchups; let’s start the season strong!