The first of 18 weeks in the NFL’s 106th season have come to an end, which either means you can brag to your friends that your Fantasy Football team is undefeated, or the doubts of that first-round pick are starting to creep in. Either way, you’re looking to bump up the win column this week and luckily, you’ve come to the right place.
Dos and Don’ts
Whether it’s a friend group, family, resident hall, staff or random league you find yourself in, coaching a Fantasy Football team is difficult. Making the right calls and executing them with perfect timing requires a great deal of focus and determination. However, here are a few quick tips to help you on your journey to glory and triumph.
Don’t panic! Week 1 is often filled with blowouts and upsets, so if you got crushed by someone who seems like a Fantasy guru, it’s okay — these things happen. Do make sure your bench is healthy, all your starters are active for this week, and that you’re checking on their status daily.
Don’t make any blockbuster trades yet, as the season has just rolled out and anything can happen in the NFL. Do look at the free agency and see if anyone has foolishly dropped a player too valuable to be left on waivers.
Don’t cut the guy you thought was going to drop 20 this week —and the players are now getting used to being under the lights. Do read up on practice reports to see who is catching the coach’s eye and who’s taking a back seat for the upcoming week.
Start, Bench, Cut
This week was filled with a lot of ups and downs in usual Week 1 fashion. While some players excelled on the gridiron, others seemed to have dropped the ball (no pun intended). Heading into Week 2 here are three quarterbacks that should either be started, benched or cut from the roster based on their performance this past Sunday.
Let’s start with Harbaugh’s “half beast, half man,” Justin Herbert. Facing off against the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs, Herbert threw for 318 yards, making 25 completions in 34 attempts. The sixth-year veteran looked like Philip Rivers in Sao Paulo while leading the Chargers to a 27-21 victory. This week, he’ll look to continue that undefeated record against the Las Vegas Raiders, who just gave up a 287-yard performance by New England Patriot Mac Jones. If Justin Herbert is one of the few quarterbacks on your roster, it would be wise to have him start when he steps into Allegiant Stadium. His three-touchdown performance against the Chiefs is a promising sign.
Moving from the west coast to the east, you’ll find seasoned pro Russell Wilson struggling in the Meadowlands in his 14th year as an NFL quarterback. Throwing for the New York Giants in a crushing 21-6 loss against the Washington Commanders, Wilson finds a “let’s ride” into the bench category for Week 2. Managers of Fantasy Football teams should look for other options, as the former Seahawk legend threw for 168 yards with a 45.9% completion rate. Wilson truly showed his age this Sunday as he completed zero touchdowns and only racked up 11.12 Fantasy points. As he looks to face the hungry Dallas Cowboys this Sunday in AT&T Stadium, Fantasy coaches should put #3 on the back burner. Giants rookie Jaxon Dart might even see the field for the first time this season too, making Russell Wilson even less desirable.
To wrap things up, we head down to the Carolinas and find Bryce Young, who continues to display a weak performance. To open the season, the Carolina Panthers battled against Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Young threw for 154 yards and completed a low of 18 passes on 35 attempts. The former Crimson Tide quarterback has struggled to make a statement in his NFL journey, and this past performance is living proof. Costing the Panthers two turnovers, Young lost 26-10 to begin the season 0-1. For those who held onto hope that things would turn around for the third year Panther, it isn’t looking so swell as the Panthers will face Budda Baker and the Arizona Cardinals this week in the Grand Canyon State. If Bryce Young is one of your quarterbacks, it’s time to release him to the world of waivers and survey for another backup. To recap, start Herbert, bench Wilson, and cut Young if you want to succeed this Sunday.
Best of luck Huskies.