The Rookies Have Arrived

Wow, what a week of football!

Not gonna lie, the first bit of Week 1 was a little interesting. The early games were not shaping up to be all that great before most of them took off in the second half. That’s when we saw the real NFL show up and offenses come alive.

We’ve got a lot to cover in this newsletter, and I’m going to start by going over Week 2 waiver adds and trade targets. Then we’ll jump into some quick firing observations from what I learned in Week 1 and what I’m paying close attention to in the coming days.

Waiver Wire Adds and Trade Targets

All adds are in order of preference. AKA I would target Allgeier over Kyren Williams, etc. Trade targets are not listed in order of preference, they are listed for you to decide what would be the best fit for your team. If that’s the third guy on the list, go for it.

• QB: Jordan Love (GB), Mac Jones (NE), Sam Howell (WAS)

• RB: Tyler Allgeier (ATL), Zach Moss (IND), Gus Edwards (BAL), Roschon Johnson (CHI), Kyren Williams (LAR)

• WR: Puka freaking Nacua (LAR), Rashid Shaheed (NO), Romeo Doubs (GB), Darnell Mooney (CHI), Rashee Rice (KC), Nico Collins (HOU)

• TE: Sam LaPorta (DET), Hayden Hurst (CAR), Hunter Henry (NE), Logan Thomas (WAS)

• DST: Cleveland DST vs PIT, New Orleans DST vs CAR

• Trade Targets: Christian Kirk, Alexander Mattison, Joe Mixon, Christian Watson, Josh Downs

Quick-fire thoughts on waivers. Top target? Puka Nacua. If I need a starting RB? Zach Moss. If I need a flex play and RB depth? Allgeier. Just need an upside shot for a solid team? Roschon and Rice.

Week 1 Observations

• Until further notice, Tyler Allgeier is a flex play in Atlanta. Their running game system is so good and productive that two backs can be productive, and it’s not the first time we’ve seen this in Atlanta either.

• 🐆 Calvin Ridley has not, I repeat, NOT, lost a step. Good lord the dude was a monster. Start him with confidence, he’s entering WR1 territory.

• Buy low on Christian Kirk. I doubt he has that kind of performance twice in a row. We saw the same thing last year when AJB went to Philly. Devonta Smith goosed and AJB was the cool new toy. Smith went on to have a great season. Kirk is too good to stay this low.

• 🐴 Josh Downs and Michael Pittman both saw their stocks go up this week. Anthony Richardson showed off his athletic ability and showed he can be an accurate QB. Try to trade for Downs while you can, because if he’s like most rookies, he’ll only get better as the year goes on. For what it’s worth, he was second on the team in targets with 7.

• Rashid Shaheed was quite the gadget/explosive play guy for the Saints. Really like him going forward.

• Don’t worry about Cincinnati, they’ll be fine. Bad day at the office for all of them, especially Tee Higgins.

• 🎖️ Speaking of struggling, Sam Howell had his fair share of struggles in what looked like a gimme against Arizona. But, Washington pulled out the win, and Howell gets to take a crack at Denver next week, who just lost to the Raiders 17-16.

• 🐦️ I don’t see a scenario where Baltimore doesn’t sign a running back. Gus Edwards is the name to know for now, but be on the lookout for guys like Kareem Hunt and Leonard Fournette to enter the scene. The team has said they like Melvin Gordon, but he’s a shell of his former self, I don't see how they don’t add someone.

• 🐏 The rookie receivers really showed up this week, Jordan Addison and Zay Flowers both had great days, but good lord Puka Nacua. That dude is my top waiver add for the week. Could be a product of the defense just not focusing on the rookie but his numbers from college look good, maybe it’s legit.

• As of writing, Monday Night Football has just finished, and we have yet to hear the full extent of Aaron Rodgers's injury. It’s feared it’s his Achilles. The Jets’ defense is good (great D) enough to pull them through a few weeks. A season though? I’m not so sure. Much like the 2022 Broncos in my opinion. Breece Hall is one bad dude, my goodness the guy picked up right where he left off. If the Jets must ride with Wilson all year, it brings down the ceiling of everyone, but I don’t think it drops them out of the high-end starter territory. Hall was good regardless of the QB. Wilson should be fine. Lazard could be sneaky. Dalvin? I’m not as in on but he’s an ok flex,

Thursday Night Football Fantasy Advice

We’ve got the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Minnesota Vikings, as expected the Eagles are heavily favored. Last year the Eagles crushed the Vikings 24-7, holding the Northmen to 62 rushing yards and 202 passing yards.

You’re starting Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, and Devonta Smith. Dallas Goedert is a little scary. Kenneth Gainwell is the man I’m willing to start in the backfield, as he led the Eagles in touches on Sunday. Swift may be more of a factor on Thursday than he was on Sunday, but I’m of the “wait-and-see” approach.

For Minnesota, Justin Jefferson is a lock regardless of the matchup. Mattison is a little scary against the Philly defensive front, especially after a meh performance against the Bucs. Addison is a flex play for me. Hockenson you’re starting because, quite frankly, you have to.

Final Thoughts

That is all I have for today! Don’t forget to check out the Discord! We’ve got conversations on redraft, dynasty, trades, DFS, and so much more going on!

See you on Friday! Can’t wait!