The NFL season is finally here and with that, comes fantasy football. That also means the return of my favorite on-going series, the B-Team. Each week I will construct a hypothetical fantasy football lineup consisting of a quarterback, two runningbacks, two wide receivers, a tight end and two flex players in hopes of scoring 100 fantasy points.
This is a series where I construct a hypothetical fantasy football lineup using players that are owned in less than 40-percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. The goal of the series is to top 100 PPR fantasy points using the make-shift team. The premise is to show that there is readily available value at all times across most waiver wires. You can find last week’s results below and the result of previous weeks at the bottom of this article in the future!
With this being Week 1, there are no results.
Week 1 Lineup
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - Owned in 32% of Yahoo and 32.1% of ESPN Leagues
A season ago, the Washington Commanders allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. The Commanders didn’t do much to improve their defense from a season ago either. Mayfield has been serviceable for the Buccaneers since taking over in 2023. He isn’t going to be lights out, but offers what could be assumed to be a safe floor here in Week 1.
Runningbacks
Jaleel McLaughlin (Denver Broncos) - Owned in 38% of Yahoo and 46.1% of ESPN Leagues
First off, I know he’s owned in more than 40-percent of leagues on ESPN, but is owned in less than 40-percent of leagues on Yahoo. Either way, I love McLaughlin both this week and for this season. The Denver Broncos, led by rookie quarterback Bo Nix, take to Seattle for their home opener. Nix has been known as the check-down king during his time in college. We can also assume the Broncos will be playing from behind in Seattle, forcing them to abandon the rushing game and go with the passing game.
Antonio Gibson (New England Patriots) - Owned in 25% of Yahoo and 42.7% of ESPN Leagues
This second runningback selection is a tough one. I went back-and-forth on who to play and settled on Gibson. Much like my conversation about McLaughlin, the Patriots are in Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. We can assume they’ll be playing from behind and forced to use the passing game more. We know Gibson is a great receiving back from his time in Washington.
Wide Receivers
Brandin Cooks (Dallas Cowboys) - Owned in 33% of Yahoo and 30.9% of ESPN Leagues
I’ve been super high on Cooks during the draft process and the late-round value he offers. From Week 10 to the end of the season last year he was the WR14 in all of football during that time. As defenses focus on CeeDee Lamb, Cooks is going to get plenty of chances. The matchup with Cleveland isn’t ideal as Cleveland has one of the best defenses in the league, but this Dallas offense is going to be a problem for opposing defenses all season long.
Adonai Mitchell (Indianapolis Colts) - Owned in 32% of Yahoo and 35.6% of ESPN Leagues
I’m taking the chance on the rookie wideout before seeing him in a regular season game. Josh Downs will likely miss Week 1, which frees up targets alongside Michael Pittman. We saw the Colts use the 6-foot-2 Mitchell in the slot in the pre-season which is promising that they don’t just see him as a deep ball, outside threat. The Colts also get division rival Houston in their opening which could be a high scoring affair.
Tight End
Juwan Johnson (New Orleans Saints) - Owned in 3% of Yahoo and 14.9% of ESPN Leagues
Johnson is another guy I’ve been super high on during the pre-season process. He didn’t get to play in pre-season for the Saints but will be ready for Week 1, which has kept his already low draft value even lower. He’s going to end up being one of Derek Carr’s favorite options and he gets the Panthers in Week 1.
Flex
Wan’Dale Robinson (New York Giants) - Owned in 9% of Yahoo and 7.1% of ESPN Leagues
In this series, I have to swing for the fences with a few of my suggestions to meet my goal. That’s where Robinson comes into play. He comes in as the WR2 in New York. I know that doesn’t mean much, but the team added Malik Nabers via the draft to help take some pressure off the other receivers. With improved weapons, I think Danny Dimes can have a half-way decent season and Week 1.
DeMario Douglar (New England Patriots) - Owned in 16% of Yahoo and 44% of ESPN Leagues
At this point, there is no clear cut WR1 in New England. It very well could be rookie Ja’Lynn Polk but to start the season, I think it’ll be Douglas. Douglas showed some signs a season ago and comes in as the WR1 on the Patriots’ depth chart. I’m going with a potential volume play here with Jacoby Brissett throwing the football against the Bengals.
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