Nothing beats the excitement of Week 1 in the NFL. From the moment the Super Bowl ends, we turn our attention to the NFL Draft and minicamps, eagerly awaiting the start of the best ball. Fantasy Football season.
Then comes training camp, where the volume of season-long fantasy drafts finally picks up. Once training camp is over, all eyes are on Week 1, where we'll finally see what we got right and what we got wrong. Of course, nothing can derail your draft plans more than an injury to a key player, such as a quarterback.
There was an audible collective gasp from fantasy managers when Jordan Love went down with a knee injury during the league's first-ever “Friday Night Football” game in Brazil, and his breakout in 2023 has him drafted as a top-10 fantasy quarterback with a sixth or seventh-round pick this season.
The crisis was averted with news that his ACL was intact and he'll only be out three to four weeks with a sprained MCL, but this is still an issue if you want to get your fantasy season off to a good start.
Fortunately, there will be some players available on the waiver list. Derek Carr has looked remarkably at home in the Saints' new West Coast offense. A supportive ground game will take a lot of pressure off Carr, and his short, high-percentage passes will not only keep him efficient, but also help him pass better downfield. Carr finished Week 1 with just 200 passing yards, but he completed 82.6 percent of his passes with three touchdowns.
Also worth noting is Baker Mayfield, who has been a standout player for the Buccaneers and threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns in a win over the Commanders. New offensive coordinator Liam Cohen said he wanted Tampa Bay to throw more passes this season, and that's exactly what happened. With a potentially tough matchup against Detroit next week, Mayfield is a viable option.
And then, of course, there's Justin Fields. Everyone loves a quarterback with rushing talent. With Russell Wilson out over the weekend with a calf injury, the Steelers turned to Fields, who led the team to a 18-10 comeback win over the Falcons. Granted, defense was a big factor in the win, but 156 yards passing, 57 yards rushing and no turnovers was a great start considering Fields hasn't played much with the first team this summer.
Anyone who says rubbing and losing is better than not rubbing is probably not talking about fantasy football. If they are, they know how much of a pain this will be at the start of the season, but it's not an insurmountable problem. It's a bump in the road, but you can fix it off the waiver wire and be on your way.
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Howard Bender is Fantasy AlarmFollow him on .X Translator He is featured on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show,” which can be heard weekdays from 6-8pm on the SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Channel. Fantasy Alarm We bring you all the fantasy football news and advice.
