Fantasy Football Saturday Mailbag for Week 2
Good Morning, FootClan, and welcome to Week 2 of The Fantasy Footballers’ Saturday Morning Mailbag!
I’ll be here every weekend to select a handful of your questions from The Fantasy Footballers’ Discord server, answer some of the hot topics that didn’t 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’re 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 which are only available to members of the Footclan.
Well, Week 1 is in the books, FootClan, and after literal months of preparation, things obviously went exactly as we thought they would – Zay Flowers and Quentin Johnston topped the WR charts, with Dalton Kincaid finishing the week as TE1 after the second-best performance of his career. Ok, so Josh Allen and Derrick Henry did lead the way at QB and RB respectively…I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.
There were some eye-opening performances in the first week of the season, both in a good way…and also in the not-so-good way. As you would expect, after only 60 minutes of football under every player’s belt, the fantasy world is already titling over just who to buy-low on, and who has already established themself as a firm trade-away candidate (I’m looking at you Quge). The answers to these and much, much more lie in waiting…so let’s dive in.
Question #1 – Start/Sit (The Curious Case of Tyreek Hill)
Yoyoyoyo! Whaddup Ballstars! Am I still obligated to start Tyreek Hill? Who’s the “worst best” player you would bench him for? – Do It Lady!
Answer: Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Last season, Tyreek Hill was widely taken as the WR1 in fantasy drafts, with some managers (e.g., myself) taking him as the 1.01 overall…and now, just one year on, he’s a legitimate bench candidate in a putrid Miami Dolphins offense. Hill’s numbers in 2023 were a thing of legend – he was the overall WR1 in terms of FPPG (19.8) – and outside of the QB position, he was only outpaced by the RB duo of Christian McCaffrey and Kyren Williams. Fast forward 12 months, and Reek’s output plummeted to a mere 10.5 FPPG – good enough to see him finish the year as the overall WR22…what the heck happened?
Well, a lot, I guess. Hill seemingly played the entirety of last season tending to a wrist injury, something that he may or may not have picked up after being arrested on his way to the Phins’ opening game of the year. It was a case of “start as you mean to go on” for the Cheetah, and I’m not referring to his WR4 performance against the Jaguars just hours after his altercation with the law. Ironically, despite the pre-match shenanigans, that was Hill’s best fantasy finish of the season, as the former (perhaps soon to once again be) Chief only cracked the top-24 at the position a further five times over the course of the year…woof.
Has the Cheetah lost a step? Is his performance being impacted by a seemingly never-ending series of off-field altercations? Has his relationship with Head Coach Mike McDaniel gone beyond the stage of repair? Or is Miami’s made of glass QB Tua Tagovailoa and his lack of vision the problem? Honestly, who knows – but it seems like Tyreek and this entire Dolphins offense is in for a long, rough season – so if you have a viable starter at the position, you are absolutely entitled to bench him even after only one week of play to base opinion on. He’s currently ranked as the consensus WR31 in The Fantasy Footballers’ Premium Rankings for Week 2 – behind the likes of Jakobi Meyers, Marquise Brown, and George Pickens…I guess that kinda answers your question.
Question #2 – Trade Advice (TE Targets)
What up Ballers! Who are some “buy-low” TE trade targets? – Archie Jorgensen
Answer: Up until Thursday night, I would have said to go buy low on Tucker Kraft…but yeah, we can probably kiss that opportunity goodbye after his 6/124/1 stat line in the Packers’ win over the Washington Commanders.
With George Kittle’s injury and Travis Kelce’s stock rising due to Xavier Worthy’s shoulder injury (at the hands of Kelce, I may add…just a thought) – getting your hands on an every-week TE is going to be tough, especially considering the somewhat barren landscape at the position.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson is probably the first name that springs to mind that may be available for a discount after a relatively disappointing week one showing against the Chicago Bears. The Hockstrap was only targeted four times by his sophomore QB J.J. McCarthy, hauling in three of those for just 15 scoreless yards. It’s unlikely any manager who invested in Hockenson will be willing to give up on him this quickly, but he is by far the biggest fish in the TE pond who failed to produce in the opening week.
If you missed out on Juwan Johnson or Harold Fannin Jr. in this week’s waivers, there’s probably very little in the way of playable options left to pick up for free ahead of this weekend’s games. Right now, I’d be sitting tight and waiting to see if Hockules logs back-to-back stinkers, or even hold on to see how Trey McBride performs at home versus a very easy-to-run-on Carolina defense – he may not be required in what projects to be a tilt matchup at home for the Cardinals, giving his fantasy manager pause for thought. If you have a free IR spot and can stream for a few weeks, George Kittle is another huge upside guy you could acquire on the cheap…just remember he will be out til at least mid-October, so don’t be too cavalier in trying to acquire him if you need someone to play right now.
Question #3 – Trade Advice (Buy-Low RBs)
With a rough week 1 for a lot of players, what RBs should I be trying to “buy-low” right now? – Shux
Answer: Another buy-low question, but one for an entirely different position, and one with an entirely different outlook. Despite the usual suspects of Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, James Cook, and Bijan Robinson putting in the work, Week 1 was particularly gruesome for some of the RBs taken more towards the middle rounds of fantasy drafts.
Despite their hefty draft capital, Kenneth Walker III (RB17), RJ Harvey (RB22), and Isiah Pacheco (RB23) all finished outside the top-30 at the position in week one, with Ken Bone and Pacheco ending the week barely as RB4s. Yes, there are obvious red flags for each of these players, whether it be potentially more talented team-mates, established veterans dominating touches, or a system which simply doesn’t allow the RB to flourish (see if you can match those up FootClan) – but behind those red flags are gold-framed windows of opportunity, each ready to be busted wide open by any of the names above.
If I had to rank them, I’d be shooting my shot on the rookie RJ Harvey first and foremost – especially after the former UCF product showed us his speed on a 50-yard breakaway run against the Titans last weekend. Despite only getting five carries last week in the defeat against the Chargers, Pacheco would be my number two target – his 5.0 Y/A was solid despite a small sample. That means Walker takes the bronze medal on my short list, he is arguably the most talented of the three, but Charbonnet’s involvement in the Seahawks’ run game gives me the fear. Proceed with caution and don’t overpay.
Question #4 – The Ultimate Dashboard Advice
Can you explain why, in some cases, the lineup optimizer on The Ultimate Dashboard will recommend starting a player with a tougher matchup over another with a perceived easier matchup?
– 6RingsMakaveli
Answer: Thanks for your question 6RingsMakaveli, and hopefully I can provide some clarity for you!
The Lineup Optimizer located in The Ultimate Dashboard takes into consideration a number of factors relating to your lineup, including a player’s matchup for the week as well as how they project to perform compared to other players on your roster. Whilst a player may have a more favourable matchup, other players at the position (be that in a positional or a FLEX spot) may simply project to score more points…even if they are going up against a stronger opponent.
Let’s look at Week 2 for some context. This week, Christian McCaffrey goes up against the New Orleans Saints, ranked 21st against the run after giving up 146 yards on the ground to the Cardinals last weekend. Now, let’s compare CMC to Jaylen Warren, set to take on Seattle on the road up in Washington. The Seahawks currently rank at the 2nd easiest matchup for RBs so far on the season based on collected data, but we are all still starting CMC. McCaffrey projects to score 17.4 fantasy points compared to Warren’s 11.4, despite going up against a supposedly tougher defensive unit.
Matchups play a significant part in our start/sit suggestions, but don’t quite tell the whole story. Andy, Mike, Jason, and the team at Ballers’ HQ take into consideration not only the opponent but also implied team point totals, game lines, stadium type, and even the weather when making their projections. Remember, the Lineup Optimizer is a suggestion based on our rankings; it’s just a guide to try to help you set your lineups every week. Always lock in your starters based on what YOU want to do, after all, it is your team!
Question #5 – Waiver Wire (Must Add TE)
Sup’ Ballers! My league has late-running waivers – would you add Harold Fannin Jr. even if you already have David Njoku? – Ridley Me This
Answer: Talk about a guy who came out of nowhere! Selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 3rd round, the 67th overall pick in this year’s draft led the team in targets in the narrow 17-16 defeat to division rivals Cincinnati, toting up an impressive 63 yards on his seven receptions (just three yards shy of top receiver Jerry Jeudy)…not too shabby for your first outing on an NFL field!
I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself – after all, I too am a David Njoku manager in my main League of Record – but not only am I considering picking up Fannin…I’m weighing up the prospect of doing it at the expense of the eight-year veteran. It may have only been one game, but I feel we are perhaps seeing a changing of the guard at the TE position in Northern Ohio, with the rookie out of Bowling Green set to cement his place as one of the main focal points in this Browns’ passing offense. Fannin may not have gotten the same level of hype as fellow rookie TEs Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland, but this dude can ball. Fannin Jr. led the entire NCAA in both receptions and receiving yards in 2024 as a TE…yes, you read that correctly – more catches and yards than Tetairoa McMillan, Travis Hunter, Emeka Egbuka, or Matthew Golden…all of whom were Day 1 selections back in April.
If he’s available, go grab him — even if it means rostering two TEs. Njoku should still be a useful asset over the next few weeks, giving you either two startable guys at the position, or one to package in a trade and strengthen at RB or WR – pick him up, and do it quickly.
Question #6 – Streaming Advice (Don’t Panic on Dak)
Should we be viewing Dak Prescott as a locked-in, every week starter or is he more in the streamer category? – Iwana b da very 100th Percentile
Answer: Week 1 was an absolute gift for Dak Prescott truthers who failed to pick up their man during draft season. Sure, the Cowboys lost the game, and his stat line of 188 yards for zero TDs looks like a pile of steaming hot garbage, but if you actually watched Dallas’ defeat on the road to the reigning Super Bowl Champions, you would have seen a very competent display from Prescott, let down badly by his receiving corps, in particular CeeDee Lamb.
Dak was threading passes to his receivers, including four absolute darts that Lamb just couldn’t keep his hands on. On another day, Prescott could have easily finished the game with over 300 yards and 3+ scores, and that’s exactly why you should keep starting him, or if he’s not on your roster, go out and trade for him on the cheap.
With the Cowboys back home in Arlington for their second divisional match-up in as many weeks, expect Dak and co to be far more comfortable at Jerryworld, regardless of which way the sun is shining. Their opponents this Sunday – the New York Giants – were a top-10 unit against the pass last season…but don’t be put off by the threat of a Giants’ resistance – this should be one-way traffic for Dak and Co. The Ballers have Prescott as a consensus QB6 heading into Week 2, with Mike Wright ranking Dak as his QB4 ahead of Jalen Hurts and Bo Nix.
Until his performances on the field start to look bad, Dak is a locked-in, set it and forget it starter for me.
*Bonus Question #7* – NFL Players as Music Acts
Heyoo Ballers! If you had to compare your favorite band or singer with a fantasy player, who would it be and why? – D. J. Moore
Answer: I am going to age myself terribly here, but as a near-40-year-old who grew up in the pop-punk era of the late 1990s and early 2000s, my favorite band to this day remains South Florida’s New Found Glory. The reason I love them as much as I did as a teenager is simple – they found a sound that worked for them, and never changed…unlike a number of other acts who “evolved” with the times. If I were to compare them to an NFL player for fantasy purposes, I would say they remind me of The Abominable One, King Henry himself, Derrick Henry. Not only has The Yeti been at the top of his game for 10 years now (an eternity in RB terms) – he’s done it his way, and has never really changed his style of wearing down opponents with his relentless energy.
So here’s to as many more years for both Derrick Henry and New Found Glory – hopefully neither of which will be performing a farewell tour anytime soon.
Good luck in Week 2, FootClan!