Through one week of the NFL season, things are already getting shaken up! We have starting quarterbacks set to miss time, stud tight ends going on IR, top-40 wide receivers with shoulder injuries, and starting kickers getting cut! And that’s all just the 49ers! After one week, we will probably have some holes to fill in our squads. I want to preach caution in streaming these guys; however, if your studs struggled in week one. I’m going back to Mark Andrews, Ja’Marr Chase, and even Kenneth Walker.
That having been said, if you have a hole you need to fill on your foster, below are three players at each position available in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues, with one player per position available in at least 90% of Y! leagues. Without further ado, let’s dive into these folks who won’t save your mortal soul, but they might save your fantasy football season.
QUARTERBACKS
Trevor Lawrence at Cincinnati (47% rostered)
While Lawrence disappointed last week (10.32 fantasy points), I am going back to the well. In watching last week’s game tape, Liam Coen worked his magic again, just as he did with Baker Mayfield. Unfortunately, the Panthers put Brian Thomas Jr. in a blender, leading to just two of his seven targets graded as “catchable” (with one of those being a dropped screen pass). The Panthers then lay down and died, going down 20-3 at halftime, and the Jaguars abandoned the run, dropping back just 12 times in the second half of the game.
This week, Lawrence will get a much bigger test against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns got the best of Cincy last week, holding them to just 17 points. This feels like a shoot-out, where two constipated passing games get some relief this week. The Jaguars have a 23-point implied Vegas total, the highest for an underdog this week.
Geno Smith versus L.A. Chargers (25% rostered)
The Patriots-Raiders game started strong last week, with Geno Smith uncorking downfield shots to Brock Bowers and Tre Tucker on some impressive drives to start the game. He finished the week with the second-highest average depth of target (10.6 yards downfield), and despite the Chiefs mostly dinking and dunking in week one, the Chargers were exceptionally susceptible to passes that traveled over 10 air yards in week one. Of the 31 teams to see over two passes that traveled 10+ air yards downfield last week, they had the highest yards per attempt allowed (17 Y/A).
The Chip Kelly Raiders are set to push the ball downfield frequently with Geno Smith at the helm and Kelly’s new offense focusing on chunk plays rather than moving as quickly as possible. The Chargers and Raiders should provide for a good matchup, and they will give Geno enough opportunities to produce that he should have a nice fantasy day, even if he doesn’t get any of his chip-in rushing statistics.
Michael McCorkle “Mac” Jones at New Orleans (1% rostered)
I’m reading the tea leaves here with Kyle Shanahan admitting that Brock Purdy’s toe might lead to a multi-week absence. That tells me that Shanahan doesn’t want to risk it with Purdy against a moribund New Orleans Saints team that barely put up a fart of an effort against the Arizona Cardinals last week.
The Saints gave up two touchdowns to Kyler without him even trying particularly hard last week, so they likely won’t put up much of a fight against Jones. The former first-rounder flamed out with New England, but found success down the stretch in Jacksonville last year, as “Swag” Jones averaged 235 passing yards, 1.5 TD, 0.8 INT, and 17 rushing yards per game. If you’re in a massive bind, you’ll likely find Jones on the wire in a primo matchup.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Keon Coleman at N.Y. Jets (38% rostered)
Keon Coleman was the hero of the Bills’ comeback in week one, posting seven catches for 95 yards and a touchdown on eight targets in the fourth quarter against the Ravens. Some, like my venerable Football Absurdity Podcast cohost Walker Kelly, want to point out that he did the vast majority of his damage in the fourth quarter, and that doesn’t necessarily mean that he will continue.
That may be true, but the Bills found a winning formula in that fourth quarter, pushing it downfield and pushing it hard, en route to a dominating fourth quarter that fueled their comeback. Here’s the thing about NFL coaches: if it’s not broken, they won’t fix it. (And let’s be clear, if it is broken, they will find ways not to fix it.) The genie is out of the bottle with Coleman, and after they gave up four passing touchdowns to Aaron Rodgers, the Jets aren’t likely to put up much of a defensive fight, especially since Sauce Gardner gave up four catches and over 80 yards to D.K. Metcalf in week one. The Bills’ receiving corps isn’t fully defined, but Coleman is the closest to a stud receiver they have, and he will show it again on Sunday.
Hollywood Brown versus Philadelphia (20% rostered)
“Look, I don’t want to rely on Hollywood Brown, either, but here we are.” That’s what Patrick Mahomes is likely telling himself in his heart of hearts. Xavier Worthy returned to practice on Thursday, but his much-ballyhooed return to the practice field came in the form of some light catches and a drill. I’m sure Worthy will try to play, but it could just as easily be a smokescreen to force the Eagles to prepare for Worthy this weekend.
That being said, the Chiefs likely turn to Hollywood, whether or not Worthy plays, as Brown filled the Rashee Rice role in this offense: short-area, quick-strike targets to move the chains methodically (he had a 6.4 average depth of target, with 12 first-read targets). He’s going to turn in a massive PPR scam game, just like he did in week one, and at 20% rostered, he’s free in four out of every five leagues.
Elic Ayomanor versus L.A. Rams (6% rostered)
I believe in Ayomanor, and if his head coach literally knew the rules, then Ayomanor’s ho-hum debut could have looked more impressive. And by one metric, he had a more impressive rookie debut than Tetairoa McMillan, Travis Hunter & Emeka Egbuka. According to FantasyPoints Data Suite, Ayomanor had a 20% route win rate in week one, which put him at twenty-second in the league. That is to say, he bested his defender on one-in-five routes, and he was elite at it, at least last week. And that was against a nasty Broncos secondary. Ayomanor was also undoubtedly their WR2, ranking behind only Calvin Ridley in both routes run and targets in week one.
The Rams’ defense is strong, but their front-seven is their strength. The Titans should keep Ayomanor on the field, which means more opportunities to produce, and, hopefully, more fantasy points.
RUNNING BACKS
Trey Benson versus Carolina (48% rostered)
If you focus solely on running games in week one, then two things stood out to you that are relevant here. The first is that the Panthers were terrible at defending the run last week. The Jaguars ran the ball 32 times against them for 200 yards. Granted, a huge Travis Etienne run of 71 yards did the bulk of the damage, but on a down-to-down basis, the Jaguars gashed the Panthers. 15.6% of the Jags’ carries went for over 10 carries, compared to 9.4% of their carries getting stuffed. They also allowed the sixth-most yards after contact per carry, and the fifth-highest EPA per rush.
The second thing that likely stood out was Trey Benson looking good in the first game of his sophomore campaign. He had a 52-yard run, so his eight carries, 69-yard line is a bit skewed; 7 for 17 isn’t nearly as exciting, but the 52-yard run happened, so we can’t just strip it out to make an anti-Benson argument. Benson started to come around in the second half of 2024. If you watch his tape, he began to look a lot more like James Conner: patient, with good contact balance, and with an ability to maximize his blocks. The numbers bore this out, as well, as he went from a paltry 3.6 yards per carry before the Miami game to a 5.6 YPC during and after the tilt with the Dolphins.
On Sunday, these two facts collide as Benson and the Cardinals take on the woeful Carolina Panthers. Benson won’t catch any passes, but he should match J.K. Dobbins with his final line this week. If that intrigues you, go ahead and snag Trey Benson.
Kenneth Gainwell versus Seattle (3% rostered)
Like it or not, Gainwell is the Steelers’ RB1. He played on 54% of snaps in week one and had 11 opportunities to boot. A lot of prognosticators seem to believe that Kaleb Johnson will take over for Gainwell sooner rather than later, and that may be true, but that doesn’t mean that you should start Kaleb (especially since both Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin seem to hate him). Gainwell should lead the way for the Steelers in what will probably be a grinding slugfest between two teams who still don’t have a solid identity after week one.
Tyler Badie at Indianapolis (0% rostered)
Badie did not have an awe-inspiring week one; he finished with just 3.6 total yards, but he had six targets in week one as the two-minute drill and third-down back for the Broncos, a role that has found value in the past in Sean Payton’s offense. Badie’s blitz pickups and ability to handle exotic blitzes are both reasons that Payton cited for Badie getting increased snaps this week against Colts’ DC Lou Anarumo’s blitz-heavy defensive scheme.
This is a desperate play, and not one I would recommend outside of a deep PPR league, but it could blossom into something more fruitful. Do not forget that the reason people went out of their way to tout RJ Harvey was his supposed role on passing downs. Should Badie usurp that, then he, not Harvey, would have the PPR scam back on its head moving forward.
TIGHT ENDS
Harold Fannin Jr at Baltimore (37% rostered)
It’s hard to call Fanning a “sleeper” as no tight end received more buzz after week one. My stance was not to blow a massive hole in all your FAB to get Fannin, but now that he’s free… shoot, go get him. He could have a role as a top-ten tight end this season, as the usage is all there. The Browns ran 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) on over half their snaps last week, and Fannin played on 72% of his snaps. 33 tight ends ran at least 15 routes in week one, and Fannin was fourth in targets per route run, fifth in yards per route run, and ninth in first downs per route run. He could be the Next Big Thing at tight end, or he could be nothing, after just one game. It’s worth finding out, especially since he’s free.
Brenton Strange at Cincinnati (27% rostered)
Brenton Strange had a good week one (four targets, four catches, and 59 yards) against the Panthers, and he was the lone bright spot in the Jags’ week one passing game that was mostly uninspiring. However, the Bengals host them in week two, and through the last season and one game, they’re the worst team in the league at defending tight ends. They allowed the most receptions, second-most yards, and second-most touchdowns to the position in 2024, and the most receptions, and second-most yards in week one (but no touchdowns, because… Browns). So, you have an easy two-step here for Strange.
Mason Taylor versus Buffalo (8% rostered)
The Buffalo defense “held” Mark Andrews to one reception for five yards in week one, but the Ravens threw the ball just 19 times, and Andrews ran only 14 routes. So, it isn’t really a good measurement of their defense. In reality, however, this comes down to one word, a word you’re familiar with if you are looking at an 8% rostered tight end: desperation. Josh Reynolds will not play this weekend, and the Jets don’t have any NFL-quality receiving options outside of Garrett Wilson and Mason Taylor. So, good luck with the rookie tight end; the Jets might have no other choice.
