Fantasy Football Saturday Mailbag for Week 1
Welcome back to the weekly mailbag series where I take selected questions from The Fantasy Footballers’ Discord server and give you my takes every Saturday morning. As one of the largest fantasy football communities in the world, the Ballers’ Discord is the place to chat about all things fantasy. You’ll find dedicated channels for start/sit questions, trade advice, and waiver wire insights, as well as exclusive channels that are only available to members of the Footclan.
The season is finally underway, and although we are only two games in, there are plenty of questions arising from what we’ve seen already, as well as what lies in store over the remainder of the weekend. We have a great mixture of re-draft and dynasty questions for you this Saturday, so without further ado…let’s dive right in.
Question #1 – Trade Advice
I got offered Dell for Brian Thomas Jr straight up, do I take that? – sifer
Answer: Heading into draft season this would have been a no-brainer for me – Dell looks to be fully recovered from the fractured fibula injury he suffered against Denver back in Week 13 of his stellar rookie campaign, and is set to slot right back into the role that saw him finish as a WR1 no fewer than four times in 2023. In an offense powered by fellow debutant C.J. Stroud, Dell was on a 17-game pace of 1,205 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns…that would have seen him finish as the overall WR6…ahead of teammate Nico Collins. All that said, now I’m not so sure. Stefon Diggs looks set to have a much larger role in this Texans offense than many had anticipated and Nico Collins looks to have cemented himself as the number one target for Stroud as he heads into his sophomore season. Brian Thomas Jr. on the other hand, the first-round rookie pick out of LSU has rocketed up my board as we enter Week 1. With Christian Kirk appearing to still be hampered slightly by a lingering calf injury, Thomas has been listed as a starter in two wide receiver sets alongside Gabe Davis. There’s a lot of hope and excitement for Thomas, but given the big-play ability of Dell on what can be considered a better offense – he’s the wideout I’d rather roster…go ahead and smash that ACCEPT button.
Question #2 – Start/Sit
Drake London or Jaylen Waddle in the FLEX? Half PPR – Novu
Answer: Wow, this one is tough! On one hand, we have a wide receiver who should be the undisputed numero uno on a rejuvenated Falcons offense, buoyed by the addition of Captain Kirk Cousins (and also perhaps the subtraction of Arthur Sith and his Dark Side of the Force ways). On the other, we have a wideout who has to compete with Tyreek Hill for targets on a weekly basis and has been nursing an oblique injury for the last three weeks. Despite Waddle’s recent injury worries, and being the clear number two to The Cheetah, he’s the player I’d rather plug into my flex on Sunday night, ahead of Drake London. Tua, 2023’s passing yardage leader, and the Dolphins are at home to a Jags defense that allowed the seventh-most yards to opposing quarterbacks last season – whereas London and the Falcons are going up against a Steelers unit that always seems to find a way to get it done on the defensive side of the ball. It’s a coin flip, but Waddle gets the nod from me this week…but be sure to monitor his status entering Sunday afternoon just in case.
Question #3 – Waivers
Where would you rank Jordan Mason if CMC was out? – KapoleiMatt
Answer: Let’s just start by clarifying this is not something we want to manifest into existence (and not just because I have CMC in my main dynasty league). We can all agree McCaffrey is simply irreplaceable at the position – he’s going 1.01 almost universally for a reason…he’s simply that good. BUT…what if he were to sit out this week, or even at some point in the future? That would make third-year back Jordan Mason very interesting as a potential fill-in for your rosters. All signs point to McCaffrey suiting up on Monday night against the Jets, but if he were to miss, Mason instantly becomes a back-end RB2 option on the week for me. I wouldn’t have the guts to start him ahead of the likes of Joe Mixon, Alvin Kamara, or James Conner – but dropping further down the rankings to your David Montgomery’s and Rhamondre Stevenson’s of the world is where I’d start to get interested. The Jets certainly can be a formidable defense to come up against, but with so many other offensive weapons at Brock Purdy’s disposal, Mason would certainly have something to work with given the opportunity.
Question #4 – Season-Long Strategy
Is Hockenson worth the IR stash? Even if he comes back after the bye week, how effective will he really be with the QB situation and coming off the injury? – Reid
Answer: 100% yes! Leaving a draft with T.J. Hockenson, Nick Chubb, Jonathon Brooks, or even Keaton Mitchell has been one of my favorite strategies this draft season – so if one of those guys is hanging around on your waiver wire and you’ve got a free IR spot, get them added! Hockenson was the overall TE3 last season – that’s even with Kirk Cousins missing half the season – and his 11.4 FPPG was third, behind only Sam LaPorta and Travis Kelce who were only 0.1 FPPG better off. Who knows what this offense is going to look like with Sam Darnold under center – but adding the Hock Strap to your IR directly from waivers is playing with house money…you could be adding a league-winning TE to your roster for free…worst case scenario, you drop him and move on.
Question #5 – Waivers
Who’s better to roster, Taysom Hill or Dallas Goedert? – HumbleBeast
Answer: Taysom Hill truthers unite! (Sorry Mike…). This question all comes down to how risky you want to be with your tight end. Dallas Goedert is fine, like most of the guys and the position, he’ll give you good weeks – like Week 5 against the Rams at SoFi where he had eight receptions for 117 yards and a TD, finishing as TE2…and he’ll give you bad weeks – like Week 1 in Foxborough where he was on the field for 92% of snaps and saw one target (which he didn’t catch), goose egging to TE103 on the week (I didn’t know we even went that high!). For the most part, Goedert is a typical tight end – he blocks, he catches passes, and he scores the odd touchdown. Then there’s Taysom Hill, who is anything but typical. The anomaly that is the New Orleans gadget man has only gotten even more confusing this offseason as we’ve seen the 34-year-old TE/QB/RB receive unrivaled praise from coach Dennis Allen, and be deployed all over the field in this Saints offense. I really like Hill this season, and being able to plug in a guy at TE who will get snaps at potentially running back and quarterback is a huge advantage at the position. Can he lay the same goose egg that any other TE can each week, absolutely…but can he also provide week-winning upside that only the elite at the position can? For sure. Taysom gets my vote, especially this week against the Panthers.
Question #6 – Dynasty
I need help deciding who to drop. I have to pick between Elijah Moore, Rondale Moore, and Alec Pierce – AustinGH
Answer: When the end of your dynasty wide receiver roster sounds more like a law firm than guys you want to start on any given week, it’s definitely time to make some moves. Moore, Moore, and Pierce may be the exact names you want representing you in a court of law…but in a fantasy matchup, I’d be looking for new counsel. If only one of the trio has to go, for me, it would be the former Cardinal, now Falcon…Rondale Moore. Despite being on arguably the most exciting offense in Atlanta, the fourth-year wideout will miss the entire 2024 season after being placed on injured reserve following a serious knee injury in a joint practice with Miami last month. He’ll be a free agent entering the 2025 season, and with no shot of seeing the field before then to show potential suitors what he can do…it’s a long shot he’s ever fantasy-relevant, even in the deepest of formats.
Question #7 – Waivers
I have the Jets DST and not a single droppable player on my bench. I need to just tough it out against San Francisco right? No way I’m dropping the Jets week 1? – Taco
Answer: There are two questions here. Firstly, are you sure you don’t have a single droppable player on your bench? It’s great to stash guys we have high hopes for, but if you really believe in the Jets DST season-long and don’t like the idea of playing them this week, it’s not a terrible idea to drop depth WR to grab a potential week winning unit like the Bengals or the Saints. That said, I actually don’t mind the Jets this week, even if they are traveling to the Bay Area to take on the 49ers. Depending on your scoring format, they should still do enough to be a top-10 option, and if the DSTs in some of the more favorable matchups are already rostered, you could do a lot worse than start Gang Green and keep your fingers and toes crossed. Even if they don’t give you a great fantasy output this week, the next three games against the Titans, Patriots, and Broncos are mouthwatering…hold firm and tough it out!
Question #8 – Would You Rather (Bonus Question)
Would you rather Fantasy Footballers edition. Would you rather win the UDK for life, or win a spot in the Listener League? – jmaccamj
Answer: Luckily for you, if you win the MEGALABOWL this year – you get both…here’s hoping you entered! Be sure to keep tabs on all things related to the BIGGEST fantasy football league in the known universe over at megalabowl.com