Fantasy Life Articles

Matthew Stafford, the reigning MVP, was held without a touchdown pass in the Rams' 27-7 opening loss to the 49ers in Australia; despite the Week 1 dud, he still has Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to throw to in an explosive offense, making him a conservative bid target to upgrade at QB.

Colston Loveland was chopped despite the Bears scoring 59 points in Week 1, receiving just 2 targets and zero receptions with no injury explanation; the source characterizes this as likely a one-down week and notes Loveland is a top-3 talent in what could be the best offense in the NFL, recommending bidding accordingly.

Omarion Hampton, drafted around the 1-2 turn, posted just 12 carries for 43 yards and a score in Week 1, with a fumble limiting him to 8.3 points and zero targets; despite the source's belief in a Mike McDaniel running game with Hampton getting 75% of rush attempts, he is expected to draw significant FAAB bids.

Saquon Barkley was chopped after Week 1 despite posting 83 yards on 15 carries, a workload that does not feel choppable; he is ranked RB8 heading into a tough matchup with the Titans' run defense, but the source recommends being ready to bid up for him.

Jaylen Waddle was expected to post a top-12 WR season after his trade to the Broncos and preseason hype, but got chopped after Week 1 when the Denver offense looked out of sorts on Monday night in Kansas City; bid conservatively in case the offense needs time to gel.

Drake London laid an egg in Week 1 with 4 targets, 2 catches for 29 yards; unlike Ja'Marr Chase, London is not catching passes from an elite QB—Cooper Rush was throwing short a lot, which is not London's game; bid conservatively until Michael Penix is healthy and under center.

Ja'Marr Chase was chopped after Week 1 despite the Bengals' 33-27 win, posting just 4 targets, 2 catches for 12 scoreless yards; the source argues this may not be a time for conservative bidding, as Chase is unlikely to be available again this season and could enter a run of 100-yard games and/or multiple TD performances.

A.J. Brown is on injured reserve and will miss the next four games, sidelining him until at least Week 6; the Patriots' Week 11 bye further complicates his timeline, making him a pass for now despite preseason optimism about his connection with Drake Maye on deep balls.

Brock Bowers underwent surgery days before the opening game; early reports indicate he will miss a game or two, making aggressive bidding inadvisable despite his second-round draft capital.

Kyler Murray suffered a concussion in Week 1 after throwing just 5 passes with 1 interception and could miss another week if he does not pass concussion protocol; conservative bidding recommended given uncertainty on return timeline.

Jaylen Waddle is mentioned in the player list with Week 1 utilization data showing 0.7 PPG and a projected 10.8 PPG for the season, indicating he is a key player under discussion for FAAB bidding in Week 2 guillotine leagues.

Drake London is mentioned in the article title and player list with Week 1 utilization data showing 4.5 PPG and a projected 9.7 PPG for the season, indicating he is a key player under discussion for FAAB bidding in Week 2 guillotine leagues.

Colston Loveland is mentioned in the article title and player list with Week 1 utilization data showing 0.0 PPG and a projected 8.9 PPG for the season, indicating he is a key player under discussion for FAAB bidding in Week 2 guillotine leagues.

Ja'Marr Chase is mentioned in the article title and player list with Week 1 utilization data and a projected 12.4 PPG for the season, indicating he is a key player under discussion for FAAB bidding in Week 2 guillotine leagues.

Fantasy Life recommends bidding $301 (30.1%) on George Pickens, slightly below the tool's average recommendation of $314. The source is in line with the average bid recommendation and believes you can save a couple dollars by going just over $300, given Pickens' contingent upside in a pass-happy Cowboys offense with strong QB play.

George Pickens led all Cowboys receivers with an 89% route rate compared to CeeDee Lamb's 81% in Week 1, despite Lamb besting him in TPRR (28% vs 19%) and target share (26% vs 19%). Pickens accounted for 40% of the team's air yards and an elite 18.0-yard average depth of target. There may not be a receiver with more contingent upside than Pickens, who gave top-five WR upside with Lamb out last season; Dwain McFarland has Pickens as a low-end WR1 for the rest of the season, a projection that would skyrocket if Lamb were to miss time.

The Hoarder bid recommendation tool suggests $304 (30.4%) for De'Von Achane, which feels steep given concerns around the Dolphins' offensive environment and Achane's scary-low floor. Fantasy Life recommends a lower bid of $150 (15.0%), characterizing this as not a can't-miss star to be upset about losing.

De'Von Achane's talent and role are unquestioned—he posted an 88% snap share, commanded 85% of rushing attempts, and posted a 78% route rate in Week 1—but still managed only 10.6 fantasy points in what might have been his most favorable spot of the season. The Dolphins are not running enough plays (50 in Week 1) and won't score enough to unlock the elite RB1 upside seen last season, while he maintains a scary-low floor given the offensive environment. He is not the RB1 in fantasy land that we've grown accustomed to seeing.

Drake Maye has upside and finished as QB3 last year, but losing his WR1 for the next six weeks lowers both his floor and ceiling; he also draws a tough matchup against the Steelers defense in Week 2. While he may be a better long-term answer than current starters like Jaxson Dart, the long-term opportunity cost does not justify bidding on him this early on the waiver wire.

Maye posted 9.8 fantasy points in Week 1 and faces a tough matchup against Pittsburgh in Week 2. The source echoes that the QB position is not a priority early on the waiver wire unless a truly game-breaking QB is available (like Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson). While Maye has upside and finished as QB3 last year, losing his WR1 for the next six weeks lowers both his floor and ceiling. The source does not believe the long-term opportunity cost is worth making an effort to bid on Maye in Week 2. Recommended bid: None, or $5-$10 if unusually desperate.

Stafford posted 4.1 fantasy points in Week 1 and faces a favorable draw against the Giants in Week 2. The source keeps the writeup brief given the lack of importance at the QB position this early in Guillotine Leagues, as the position is too deep to spend meaningful money on. Stafford ranks as QB15 in Freedman's early Guillotine Leagues rankings, so he's not an upgrade unless you started someone like Bryce Young in Week 1. The source believes the tool's most conservative bid recommendation of $97 (9.7% FAAB) feels far too high and recommends no bid, or a $5-$10 bid if unusually desperate.

Loveland posted 0.0 fantasy points in Week 1 but the source is more excited to bid on him than any other player this week. Despite being a popular preseason darling, he will come at a fraction of the price of other players on the list. The source values the tight end position's ability to distance from the field and trusts Loveland's breakout potential. He posted an elite 89% route rate (higher than every other tight end including Trey McBride) and averaged over 15 points per game with a 28% target share (29% TPRR) toward the end of last season. His floor is clearly low, so the source is not getting aggressive, but wants to take a stand and trust the buy-low window. Recommended bid (No Tomorrow, most aggressive setting): $125 (12.5%), though the source notes the aggressive bid recommendation of $50 feels too light given preseason hype.

Hampton posted 8.3 fantasy points in Week 1 and can be acquired for significantly less FAAB than Saquon Barkley. The Chargers disappointed overall in Week 1, and Hampton ceded pass-game work to Keaton Mitchell, but he commanded 75% of rushing attempts. He has a lower floor in trailing game scripts but gets a favorable bounceback spot in Week 2 against Las Vegas. Hampton finds himself in the same low-end RB1 tier as Barkley but at a discount on the waiver wire. The source is happy with a conservative bid despite not reaching the tool's average recommendation of $234. Recommended bid (Conservative): $163 (16.3% of FAAB).

Barkley posted 9.0 fantasy points in Week 1 against a defense that allowed over 140 rushing yards per game in 2025, which was disappointing. However, he averaged 5.5 yards per carry (elite) and the Eagles ranked top-five in run-block grade in Week 1 (75 per PFF). He faces an elite matchup in Week 2 as the Eagles are 7-point road favorites against Tennessee. The source disagrees with the waiver wire tool's average bid recommendation of $374 (37.4% FAAB), citing too much downside from Barkley over the last year. The source recommends a conservative bid of $175 (17.5%), lower than the tool's lowest recommendation of $239.

Waddle posted only 1.2 fantasy points in Week 1 but the source is more inclined to bid on him than Drake London because he plays in a much better offense that sputtered in a brutal road spot at Arrowhead. He ran 82% of routes and posted a team-high 33% target share on third/fourth downs. The source trusts the offseason drumbeat of Waddle being the fixture of the passing game with movement all over the field in an offense that will pass frequently. Week 2 matchup vs. Jacksonville should be a back-and-forth affair. Recommended bid (Average): $83 (8.3% of FAAB).

London posted 5.5 fantasy points in Week 1 and faces a tough Week 2 matchup against Carolina. The source is bearish on London for Week 2 bidding despite his elite receiver status, citing the putrid Atlanta quarterback situation and the looming Michael Penix return as uncertainty. The source recommends fading him entirely on the Week 2 waiver wire and targeting him on later wires, hoping for more duds until the QB room stabilizes. If bidding, a conservative approach is recommended. Recommended bid (The Hoarder): $180 (18.0% of FAAB).

Chase is a legitimate needle-moving, league-winning alpha WR despite posting only 3.2 fantasy points in Week 1, a pattern that has repeated in four of the last four seasons. He maintained a 97% route rate and faces a tough Week 2 matchup at Houston, but the source recommends bidding aggressively because he has the ability to individually carry a team each week. This is an exception to the unwritten rule of not splurging after Week 1 duds. Recommended aggressive bid: up to $496 (49.6% of FAAB), though the source warns not to exceed this amount as it will hamstring FAAB for the next 16 weeks.

The quarterback situation in Atlanta is a mess, and the offense will continue to funnel through Bijan Robinson and Drake London, making it hard to start Pitts in Week 2 regardless of who's under center in a divisional tilt against the Panthers. The source recommends starting alternatives like Juwan Johnson, Dalton Kincaid, or Mark Andrews over Pitts.

Pitts failed to score a single fantasy point in Week 1 with a 6% target share despite being on the field for more than 80% of pass plays, making him a complete afterthought in the Falcons offense.

Fannin is a significant downgrade for Week 2 against the Buccaneers due to the ineptitude of Deshaun Watson at quarterback and the inability of the Browns offense to support a trio of fantasy-relevant pass catchers, projecting as a low-end TE1 at best.

Despite playing 81.6% of snaps with a 77% route rate, Fannin only drew 3 targets in Week 1, something that only happened once in 17 games last season (2 targets in Week 17). Added target competition from Denzel Boston (4 targets) and KC Concepcion (5 targets) has significantly impacted his upside, leaving him with just a 14% target share.

With a limited playing-time ceiling and an already-low aDOT of 5.6 yards in Week 1, Reed projects as no better than a mid-range WR4 in Week 2, lacking a floor/ceiling combination that would support higher-end production.

Despite the Packers' pass-heavy approach with Jordan Love passing for over 380 yards on 42 dropbacks, Reed only played 56.7% of snaps with an 18% target share (24% TPRR). His Utilization Score of 42 is dwarfed by both Watson (83) and Golden (88), positioning him as the odd-man-out in 2-WR sets with a limited playing-time ceiling.

Moore goes from the toughest matchup in the league (Texans) to a Thursday Night Football showdown against a leaky Lions secondary in what could be one of the highest-scoring games of the week, positioning him as locked and loaded as a high-end WR2.

Moore proved skeptics wrong in Week 1 against the Texans and Derek Stingley Jr., posting 100 yards and a touchdown on 8 targets (5 catches). He posted a 27% target share on 81% of routes, a 21.9-yard aDOT, 46% of team air yards, and 33% target share on third/fourth downs, with underlying metrics pointing to more production ahead.

Watson feels like a sure-fire WR1 for Week 2 and a potential WR1 for the rest of the season if his breakout performance continues.

Watson gets an unimposing matchup against the Jets as a 3.5-point road favorite, with the Packers projected as 6-point favorites by the NFL Betting Game Model (five-star bet). The Packers will put up points with most production funneling through the air (380+ passing yards for Jordan Love in Week 1) with Watson as the centerpiece.

Watson posted 32.7 fantasy points in Week 1 against the Vikings defense on a 21% target share and 83% route rate, with 25% of snaps from the slot and 15% in motion plays. His 3.87 yards per route run showcases game-breaking upside, evidenced by his 81-yard touchdown.

Williams gets a very leaky Commanders rush defense that allowed over 140 rushing yards per game last season in Week 2, positioning him as a borderline RB1/high-end RB2 in what should be another high-scoring affair.

Williams was a workhorse in Week 1 against the Giants, accounting for 73% of snaps (6th), 75% of rushing attempts (6th), 100% of inside-the-five carries (1st), and a Utilization Score of 90 (8th), finishing as RB9 with 24.2 points. He posted a 25% TPRR while playing 73% of two-minute snaps, showcasing passing-game upside despite expectations for a run-heavy role.