Imagine scoring 36.5 points in your Week 1 matchup...

In today’s Fantasy Life Newsletter presented by Pubilc Rec:

• 3 quick injury updates
• Buy/Sell/Hold. Cooterdoodle gives you market advice
• The worst fantasy team we've ever seen
• Sam's Waiver Wire Diving: 4 adds for Week 2
• Dear Pete: Send in your questions!
• Sam's Breakout Watch: A Jags RB

Tuesday is moving day in the fantasy sphere.

We got MNF in the books (what the hell was that, Denver?), mounds of Week 1 data to sift through, and waiver wire bids to place (below Sam shares how to handle the Eli Mitchell and Najee Harris injury reports).

Before we dive in, here are three quick updates on a few other injury situations that should be on your radar:

⏩ Dak Prescott - Our worst fears were confirmed yesterday with Jerry Jones announcing Prescott will undergo surgery on his right thumb. He is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. Cooper Rush takes over. If you have Cowboys on your team, I don't really know what you can do other than pray. 

⏩ Keenan Allen - Allen pulled his hamstring against the Raiders Sunday and is unlikely to play against the Chiefs on a short week. Hopefully Mike Williams can take advantage on Thursday.

⏩ Chris Godwin - Godwin also suffered a hamstring strain on Sunday night and is expected to miss time. There's "optimism" that it's not a major injury, but the team will wisely be cautious. It's a tough blow after his quick recovery from his ACL tear. 

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Each week during the season, Cooterdoodle walks us through the fantasy trade market from a buy, hold, sell perspective...

🦵 AJ Dillon

I’ve been yapping about Dillon all off-season, and I won’t be stopping now. Aaron Rodgers utilized him on the ground and through the air during an otherwise hard-to-watch game on Sunday where Dillon still managed 101 yards and one TD. This may not be a textbook ‘Buy Low’ scenario, but I’m willing to pay up for Dillon, especially in PPR leagues. There’s enough room for both AJ and Aaron Jones to succeed on this offense - we’ve seen it before.

But if you play the “wait and see” approach, you may miss your chance, and you’ll have to sell all that crypto you’ve been bragging about to be able to afford him. 

⌛️ DJ Moore

While everyone is drooling over the whopping 5-102-1 from Robbie Anderson this Sunday, it’s worth noting that 75 of those yards and the TD came from a single play in the 4th quarter. DJ Moore has always been the WR to roster in Carolina - one play doesn’t change that.

While I wouldn’t trade away my finest assets to acquire Moore, you likely won’t need to. He’s probably got a frustrated fantasy manager analyzing his three lonely receptions. Take advantage of the Week 1 overreaction and see if you can buy low on Moore.

📣 Kyle Pitts

This trade target comes with a disclaimer.

The disclaimer: Good freaking luck.

More than likely, no one wants to trade away their early-round draft pick after one disappointing week. However, know your league. We all know that one guy who makes shotgun trades and overreacts to any subpar performance. If he has Pitts, MAKE YOUR MOVE. Get in there!

Don’t be shy! And if it works, tell me about it so I can live vicariously through you. 

HOLD

🛑 Allen Robinson

What’s the opposite of stars aligning? That’s what happened to Robinson in Week 1.

The Bill’s defense dominated, and Matthew Stafford relied heavily on Cooper Kupp. Check out a video of Robinson’s highlights here. But on a serious note, Robinson was on the field for 97% of snaps and managed to get open, he just never got…the ball. This should change. Don’t sweat it yet.

Sell 

What do they say? Keep It Simple Stupid and Sell Sell Sell. We don’t need to get lost in the weeds here. Sell high on Devin Duvernay. Sell low on CeeDee Lamb. Sell for the right price Dontrell Hilliard. 

😭 The worst fantasy week I've ever seen. Absolutely disgusting.

🤯 A shocking player tops the largest targets per route. What the hell??

🚀 Why the Commanders will surprise this year. Very bullish Week 1.

🖼️ Gorgeous play call by the Chiefs. I don't know how you stop this.

🤭 Even Ravens players forgot to start Duvernay in fantasy. Whoops.

📺 Pregame shows are much better these days. Hot damn, lol.

🤠 How the Steelers tamed Joe Burrow. Great Week 1 recap by Dan Pizzuta.

Waivers are a critical component of fantasy football, and nabbing the next league winner ahead of your leaguemates can help you edge out that title. Each Tuesday, Sam Wallace will highlight players to target in your redraft leagues. Here are four players you should scoop up before your leaguemates..

I'll be using ESPN's "percentage rostered" data. Players are listed in order of priority, by position. Only players who are available in at least 75% of leagues are considered.

➕ Curtis Samuel  (Available in 91.5% of leagues)

Samuel appeared in just five games last season but was the most involved wideout for the Commanders in their Week 1 victory. His 11 targets were six more than the next closest receiver. He also tallied four carries and scored through the air.

If he can remain healthy, his usage should remain high. WR Terry McLaurin will remain the de facto WR1 and rookie WR Jahan Dotson scored twice in his debut, but Samuel’s dual-role will keep him involved moving forward.

➕ Jaylen Warren (Available in 98.7% of leagues)

RB Najee Harris left his Week 1 matchup with a foot injury and did not return. He was already dealing with a Lisfranc injury prior to this game. The undrafted rookie RB Warren took every RB carry following Harris’ departure.

Warren is an average athlete with 4.55-40 speed but he did top 1,100 rushing yards and scored eight TDs in his final season at Oklahoma State. As of Monday afternoon, it sounds like Harris is good to go, but Warren could be in line for an expanded role if Harris suffers any setbacks.

➕ Jeff Wilson (Available in 96.5% of leagues)

Eli Mitchell has a sprained MCL and is expected to miss about two months.

Jeff Wilson was the only other RB to record a rushing attempt in Week 1 and is the next man up. Wilson, who has spent his entire career in San Francisco, will undoubtedly have an expanded role, but a committee approach could be on the horizon. Expect more designed rushes for WR Deebo Samuel and potentially QB Trey Lance.

➕ Rex Burkhead (Available in 82.6% of leagues)

The fantasy community wanted RB Dameon Pierce to be the star of the Texans’ backfield. Instead, they got a healthy dose of a savvy veteran. Burkhead out-touched Pierce 19-12 while earning eight targets.

The Texans don’t project to be a strong team. Negative game scripts will be the norm which provides added intrigue for Burkhead, a pass catching specialist. Adding a 32-year old RB isn’t something I generally advise, but until Pierce gets comfortable on offense, Burkhead will have value.

Feeling lost in life? Need help with your fantasy football team?

Peter is here to help.

Send your fantasy questions to dearpete@fantasylife.com for a chance to get them answered each Saturday in the Fantasy Life newsletter.

Playing safe ain't it. We need to make big moves to win our leagues. Today, Sam Holt shares a RB she thinks is primed for a breakout...

🚀 James Robinson: RB Breakout, The Sequel

Week one is in the books, and at first glance, it appears that the Jaguars backfield is going to be evenly split. James Robinson and Travis Etienne each had 31 snaps a piece against the Commanders. For two backs returning from injuries, this is exciting to see. However, looking a little deeper, I think Robinson’s the clear RB that should be started in all your leagues over Etienne. 

Robinson was the leader in rushing attempts, with 11 attempts for 66 yards and a rushing TD. He also had two targets, for one reception made in the endzone for a TD. The two TD day for Robinson was a fantastic start to the season given his Achilles injury last year. On the other side, Etienne had four targets to his two catches, 18 yards, and a costly fumble, which would have resulted in a TD.

Etienne’s rushing stats were left feeling empty with only 4 attempts for 47 yards. Given their 50/50 snap split, I’d have expected far more production from Etienne. Robinson was more efficient with his opportunities and looked like the more confident, fluid and field ready of the two.

In 2020 during Robinson’s breakout season, he had 240 rushing attempts, 1070 rushing yards, and seven rushing TDs, and in the receiving game, he had 49 receptions on 60 targets for 344 yards and three TDs. 

Then the 2021 Urban Meyer era came, and Robinson’s talent was squandered. So much so that Trevor Lawrence finally said, “James is one of our best players, and he's got to be on the field and we addressed it”. Unfortunately, only a couple of weeks later, Robinson had a season-ending injury against the Jets. The 2020 stats do, however, give us a gauge for his potential ceiling. 

I believe Robinson has a high potential to produce a breakout sequel, especially when the Jaguars find themselves down early as they did against the Commanders. Robinson saw the bulk of his success in the second half of the game, showing Lawrence has early confidence in leaning on him as the RB1.

You just know this dude is rolling in Kohl's Cash.

— Dana Wessel (@DanaWessel)
Sep 12, 2022