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| Sunday, September 13, 2020 |
| We're just about an hour and a half away from the first NFL Sunday kickoffs of the season, and wouldn't it be great to sit back, kick your feet up and just wait for the games to start? Unfortunately, that's not the situation we're dealing with this season, thanks to a bunch of high-profile injuries with legitimate questions about availability this week as well as the general lack of information we're dealing with thanks to the lack of a preseason. |
| But that's why we're here to help. The Fantasy Football Today team is firing on all platforms to make sure we're answering as many of your questions as possible. Of course, we're live on CBSSports HQ with Fantasy Football Today with Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard, and Heath Cummings, but we're also live on the FFT Twitch channel with Adam Aizer and I taking all of your questions live on air. |
| Get those last-minute lineup questions answered for Week 1 with all of our preview content here: |
Week 1 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | RB | WR Week 1 Injury Report Updates Starts and sits, sleepers and busts for every game Week 1 Cheat Sheets and Game Previews: PPR | Non-PPR Week 1 Position Previews: QB | RB | WR | TE
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| And here's what the rest of today's newsletter has in store to help you get ready for Week 1: |
➕Start or sit — Injury report edition
❓❓#AskFFT Mailbag |
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| 🏈Start or sit — Injury report edition |
| There are some big names on the injury report for Week 1, though more of them than expected should be ready to go. But should they be in your lineup just because they're suiting up? Here's how to handle the biggest injury questions: |
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| Tevin Coleman (Pre-existing condition) — Sit. This one came in pretty late, with Adam Schefter reporting at 11:15 that Coleman is uncertain to play in Week 1 due to the air quality issues in the Bay Area. Coleman carries the sickle cell trait, which can cause complications when playing in areas with poor air quality or limited oxygen — there have been questions in the past about whether Coleman would play in the thin air of Denver. Coleman may play a big enough role for San Francisco this season to be a starting-caliber option, but you can keep him on the bench this week. Courtland Sutton (Shoulder) — Sit. Sutton is actually a pretty easy decision to make, at least in my eyes: He's a game-time decision for the final game of the week, which means you should sit him. Sure, you could add Tim Patrick or Daesean Hamilton and start them in case Sutton doesn't play, but you're better off just avoiding the headache, especially because there's no way of knowing Sutton will be a full-go even if he does play. If you have Jerry Jeudy, that makes the decision easier — just start the rookie. David Montgomery (Groin) — Start, but not must-start. I'm a bit wary of starting someone who was given a 2-4 week timetable just 17 days after his initial injury, but Montgomery was able to make it through both Thursday and Friday's practice sessions in full without issue and is expected to have his typical role. Still, given how disappointing Montgomery's rookie season was, he's not a must-start option by any means — I would ride with Boston Scott over him. Mike Evans (Hamstring) — Start only if you're desperate. Evans is surprisingly expected to play, though he'll still have to go through pre-game warmups without issue, so it isn't risk free. I'm inclined to sit him — and did so in a couple of leagues, one for Will Fuller — even if he does play, given reports he may be on a snap count if he does play. In fact, my preference would be that he sits, making the decision easier for Fantasy players and limiting the risk of a setback that could cost him more time. Kenny Golladay (Hamstring) — Sit. Golladay has a "doubtful" designation on the injury report, so it would be surprising if he does play. That makes sitting him an easy call, even if he does play for some reason. Mike Williams (Shoulder) — Sit. We got conflicting reports on Williams' expected early season status, but as of Sunday morning, he seems likely to play in Week 1. I love Williams as a sleeper for 2020, and if he's on the wire in any leagues, go add him now. But you almost certainly have better options for Week 1 even if Williams wasn't coming back from this injury. |
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| 🔍#AskFFT Mailbag |
| You've got questions, we've got answers. We're answering your questions on Twitter — use "#AskFFT" when you send them in — and Adam Aizer and I are on Twitch from 11:30 to kickoff answering them as well. You can also email me at Chris.Towers@CBSinteractive.com with the subject line "#AskFFT" to get your questions answered. |
| Here are 10 of the most interesting questions I received this morning, beginning, of course, with Boston Scott, the Most Interesting Man in Fantasy Football for Week 1: |
| Nathan: Two separate leagues I need one for each: 1. Boston Scott or Marlon Mack or Jonathan Taylor. 2. James White or Terry Mclaurin |
| You can call me crazy if you want, but I'm viewing Scott as something like a must-start option, and I'd go with him over both Mack and Taylor. If it was either Mack or Taylor, it would be a different story. But Scott should get the bulk of the work for Philadelphia with Sanders out, and especially the most important touches — near the goal line and in the passing game. Scott saw a ton of those types of touches late last season and was hugely productive as a result. You may not have noticed, but Scott averaged 20.5 Fantasy points over the final four games of the season for the Eagles last year, including a whopping 35.8 points in Week 17 when he played 74% of the team's snaps. This is a great spot for a running back. |
| As for White vs. McLaurin, it's a pretty easy call for me: McLaurin. He's a borderline must-start WR entering the season, while I have real questions about how much White will be used with Cam Newton replacing Tom Brady. He could be fine, but I want to see how the offense works out before I roll him out there. |
| Jason: Need to fill a flex in full-point PPR. Boston Scott or Desean Jackson. |
| I actually like Jackson quite a bit in this spot — remember, he torched Washington for eight catches, 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Week 1 last season. He's a solid starter in all formats for Week 1 ... but he's not on Scott's level. Again, I may be overrating him, but Scott is a top-15 back and top-30 flex option for me this week. |
| And, by the way, I do expect him to have stand alone value even when Sanders is back. I love Sanders, he's an RB1, but there should be enough room in this offense for Scott to be a flex option moving forward. |
| Matt: I have a bit of a flex dilemma. It's .5-PPR and I have to pick between Ronald Jones, A.J. Green and Anthony Miller. With questions surrounding Jones' role and it being Green's first game in 2 years with a rookie QB, am I crazy to think Miller might be the safest play? |
| Miller may actually be the "safest" play, though that says more about how precarious both Jones and Green seem right now — Miller was limited for large portions of training camp in his return from shoulder surgery. Jones, obviously, is dealing with the presence of Leonard Fournette and the as-yet-unknown impact that will have on his workload, while Green hasn't played in nearly two years and has a new quarterback and a coach he's never played for to deal with. That being said, I have this same decision to make in one of my leagues, and I'm going with Jones, at least for this week. I think he probably gets the most touches in that Tampa Bay backfield, and this should be a game with a lot of Fantasy points to go around. It's risky, but I feel just a bit more comfortable with him than Miller — as for Green, I'm trying to sit him in all leagues until we see what he looks like in this offense. |
| Paul: Dear FFT gang, Miles Sanders is out for Week 1 and I'm stuck on who to put in for my flex spot. Non-PPR. Zack Moss, CeeDee Lamb, or Leonard Fournette. |
| I'm not starting Fournette until I see him get a significant role — and that could happen in Week 1! But I want to see it first. I like both Moss and Devin Singletary in a game the Bills should run away with, but I'm actually going with Lamb here. I'm buying the hype on the Cowboys offense, and with Amari Cooper coming off a hamstring injury and dealing with Jalen Ramsey, I think Lamb could be the best Cowboys wide receiver for Week 1. They're going to look to get the ball in his hands any way possible, and with no tape to go on, he'll be a headache for defenses. |
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Jones: Pick 2 players to start in a PPR league:
Marlon Mack vs JAX
Jonathan Taylor vs JAX
Ronald Jones vs NO
Diontae Johnson vs NYG |
| I like Johnson quite a bit for the full season, but I wasn't starting him in Week 1 even before he missed practice with a foot issue. He could make me look foolish, to be sure, but given that he missed time in camp with a leg injury and really doesn't have any history with Ben Roethlisberger at QB, I'd rather steer clear until he establishes himself as a go-to option in a crowded receiving corps. |
| Which leaves the Colts backs vs. Jones, and I'll go with both Colts backs, actually. Mack should be the best option of the two, but there's room for both to be solid contributors in a game the Colts should handle fairly easily. |
| Paul: Rank these players: Tarik Cohen, A.J. Green, Zack Moss, Henry Ruggs. .5-PPR |
| I would rank them like this: |
| Tarik Cohen Zack Moss A.J. Green Henry Ruggs |
| I like Ruggs' weekly upside as a rookie, but I want to see the Raiders run an offense where Derek Carr actually consistently takes shots deep before I trust a receiver who will likely be pretty boom-or-bust-y most weeks. Cohen gets the edge on Moss and Green even with David Montgomery expected to play his usual role, because we know Cohen has a solid role no matter Montgomery's status. |
| Brendan: Rank for WR and Flex: Michael Gallup, Odell Beckham Jr., and Le'Veon Bell? |
| Le'Veon Bell Odell Beckham Jr. Michael Gallup |
| And boy, do I not feel good about that order! Any of the three could be the top player in this group, and Bell is obviously a huge risk for Fantasy right now. However, this should be a game where the Jets are playing from behind, and that figures to render Frank Gore's spoiler potential moot. Beckham and Gallup are separated by razor-thin margins, and if Gallup ended up as the No. 1 WR this week, I wouldn't be surprised at all. But I wouldn't be surprised if Beckham did either, and with Ravens corner Jimmy Smith added to the injury report with back spasms Sunday morning, this could be a better spot than it seems. |
| Dave: Jonathan Taylor or Zack Moss flex? DeVante Parker or Henry Ruggs WR2? |
| There was some weird movement away from Parker in training camp in Fantasy circles, largely because of Preston Williams' return from a knee injury, but we shouldn't overstate the impact Williams had on Parker's production last season. Parker had 10-plus PPR points in six of eight games Williams played, including touchdowns in four of the final five games they played together. Williams may be a 1b to Parker's 1a, but Parker's Fantasy value is going to come down to how good he can be and whether he can recapture his breakout season, not whether Williams is around. So, I'll go with him over Ruggs. |
| And I'll go with Taylor over Moss, but it's close. Both should get plenty of opportunity in what should be lopsided games in their teams' favor, and I like Taylor's offense more than Moss'. |
| Nate: Jarvis Landry or Jalen Reagor at flex? |
| In what has been a recurring theme here, I love Reagor — if he didn't have any questions about his health coming into the season, I think he'd be my pick for the top rookie WR — but I want to see it first. We know Landry is going to get a healthy number of targets, especially if the Browns have to play from behind, but we really don't know what Reagor's role will be given the injury and his lack of experience. If he plays most downs and sees a bunch of targets, then great, you've got a potential stud on your bench moving forward. |
| Sam: Amari Cooper, Breshad Perriman, or Christian Kirk got the flex spot? |
| I'm certainly a bit worried about Cooper given the hamstring issue and matchup against Ramsey, but don't overthink this. He still has stud potential in any given week even in this tough situation, and the hamstring may be a non-issue — he practiced in full for most of the week. Perriman and Kirk both have plenty of potential, and both should be rostered in all leagues, but I want to see how Kirk is used next to DeAndre Hopkins, while Perriman needs to prove he's healthy and has a connection with Sam Darnold after missing much of camp. |
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