Author: Quicktasy Team

  • What’s Up , Doc? (Week 1)

    Injuries can create one of the biggest edges in fantasy football. When a star is ruled out, the touches don’t disappear, they get redistributed. For Week 1 of the NFL season, there are already some impactful injuries, so here is what they mean for fantasy football and the players that benefit the most in FanDrill Drafts through Smart Variations.

    #1 Brock Bowers (TE – LV)

    If you completed your FanDrill draft earlier in the week, this news was heartbreaking. Brock was a second-round pick and against a weak Miami Dolphins secondary, the odds he would outplay his projections were high. So that begs the question, what is the plan to replace him?

    This is where the Smart Variations feature comes into play, where you will be doing a Double Swap. 

    Tight end is one of the least valuable positions in fantasy, simply due to production. There are cheap options to replace Brock Bowers later, but there are many early third round flex plays that you can swap Bowers with. 

    Double-Swap Part 1: Chris Olave (WR – NO)

    Chris Olave is going against the Detroit Lions’ weak and injured secondary in week 1. Without Jordyn Tyson, Tyler Shough will have to look his way. In 9 games with Tyler Shough as the starter last season, Olave had 71 targets (ninth), 660 yards (ninth), and 6 touchdowns. He is the perfect swap for Brock Bowers this week. A great matchup, and a guaranteed high target share, there is no better option. 

    Double-Swap Part 2: Greg Dulcich (TE – MIA)

    To replace Bowers, you also have to grab a tight end and swap him with one of your late round picks. According to FanDrill’s Opponent Rank, the Las Vegas Raiders are the tenth easiest matchup for tight ends in week 1. 

    Greg Dulcich has no proven target competition, outside of Devon Achane. In a Miami offense full of rookie wide receivers, Dulcich may quickly become Malik Willis’ favorite target in the middle of the field and he could outperform his projection this week.

    #2 Jeremiyah Love (RB – ARI)

    Jeremiyah Love is listed as questionable for his NFL debut against the Los Angeles Chargers, and was also named the RB2 on the depth chart behind Tyler Allgeier. I expect that Mike LaFleur will want to ease him in as he tends to that high-ankle sprain. With an ADP also in the third round, there are two running backs that you can swap him for.

    Option A: D’Andre Swift (RB – CHI)

    Swift has a great matchup in week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, who are the tenth easiest matchup for running backs this week. Kyle Monongai was cleared to play Sunday, but he missed a lot of time with his injury so it wouldn’t be shocking to see Swift get the majority of the workload in the backfield.

    The Bears will be running a lot of 12 and 13 personnel (two and three tight end) sets, and Ben Johnson’s run scheme is one of, if not, the best in the NFL. In heavy personnel packages, the Bears will look to run the ball with their explosive outside zone back. He could go for a big week in Charlotte.

    Option B: David Montgomery (RB – HOU)

    The Texans new shiny toy looks great in week 1. Against a Buffalo Bills run defense that allowed the fifth most yards per game and were tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the most touchdowns allowed, David Montgomery has a real chance to have a blowup week.

    The Texans offense is not inspiring in general, but they went out of their way to improve the offensive line and trade for Montgomery to build an identity in the trenches and the run game. In what looks to be a low scoring affair, David has a real chance to outplay his 11.4 point projection, with touchdown upside.

    #3 Malik Nabers (WR – NYG)

    Malik Nabers is coming off a major injury, tearing his ACL & meniscus. If you drafted Malik Nabers this week and he is ruled out, or you are scared how he will look in his first game back from injury, don’t fret, there are options out there.

    Option A: Jameson Williams (WR – DET)

    The NFL’s biggest “boom or bust” player, even though I disagree, that’s the consensus. He is going against the Saints defense which FanDrill opponent rankings have as the eleventh easiest matchup of the week. This will be a high-scoring game, Vegas projects it to have the second-highest projected total on Sunday. Two bad defenses, with the Lions great offense, Jameson Williams has explosive play potential in this matchup.

    In the back half of last season, Dan Campbell took over playcalling duties and utilized Jameson Williams in ways the NFL hasn’t seen before, and he was one of the best receivers in the league. He should keep that same role in 2026, despite the playcalling change. 

    Option B: Tetairoa McMillan (WR – CAR)

    McMillan has been a controversial player all summer long as Bryce Young doesn’t inspire much confidence, but that shouldn’t matter for week 1 against the Chicago Bears, the eighth best matchup for wide receivers. 

    The Carolina Panthers pass-catching group outside of Tetairoa is weak, and we already saw him get a huge target share in his rookie season. Mix that in with his increased slot usage in the preseason, I think we can expect the new role and lack of competition to come to fruition for fantasy football early against a bad Chicago secondary.

  • 9 Targets for Week 1 SuperFlex

    Here at FanDrill, we created the game with this concept in mind: Real life stars should be fantasy stars, so we’ve corrected fantasy scoring and added a SuperFlex roster spot to standard DFS so that players like Patrick Mahomes and Matthew Stafford are top 10 players instead of outside the top 80. Passing touchdowns count for 6 fantasy points instead of 4, interceptions are -4 instead of -2, and passing yards are 25% more valuable than before. With 14 drafting teams and only 24 starting quarterbacks in the main slate, the positional scarcity creates extra value. Because of these changes, our ADP may be a bit different than you are accustomed to seeing. Today, I’ll point you to the players I’d be targeting at cost for Week 1 in a quick-hitting format for easy digestion and practical action. We’ll skip the first two rounds, as draft position will ultimately determine the best options when you are on the clock.

    1. Bryce Young (QB – CAR)

    • HOME vs CHI (top-quartile matchup)
    • +2.5 underdogs (+ game script)
    • 47.5 over/under (3rd highest on slate)
    • ADP: #52 overall, QB #27

    2. Tetairoa McMillan (WR – CAR)

    • Ideal matchup vs CB, Jaylon Johnson (CHI)
    • +2.5 underdogs (+ game script)
    • 47.5 over/under (3rd highest on slate)
    • ADP: #63 overall, WR #15

    3. Kimani Vidal (RB – LAC) **SLEEPER**

    • Will go undrafted in most instances
    • -10.5 favorites vs putrid ARI defense
    • Keaton Mitchell still injured makes Vidal #2
    • He’ll presumably split the workload with Hampton is the game is out of hand
    • ADP #201 overall, RB #57

    4. Chris Godwin (WR – TB) 

    • The only reason Godwin’s ADP is so low is injury risk; he’s healthy now
    • 51.5 over/under (highest on the week)
    • +3.5 dogs this week = plus game script
    • Versus miserable CIN pass defense; fireworks expected
    • Baker Mayfield has been praising Godwin as “the best version of himself”
    • ADP #97, WR #38

    5. Tony Pollard (RB – TEN)

    • It’s boring, but you won’t have many games with the Titans as favorites
    • Game script is projected to be a + with an top-quartile matchup vs NYJ
    • Good luck finding a RB drafted later with 2-TD upside in Week 1
    • ADP #87, RB #25

    6. Sam LaPorta (TE – DET)

    • +49.5 over/under (2nd highest on the slate)
    • Versus the Saints, who were among the most generous vs opposing TE’s last season
    • Laporta’s injury from 2025 dropped his ADP, but he’s healthy entering the season
    • He has an injury tag so roster-rates will be very low for a player with 2-TD upside.
    • ADP #119, TE #10

    7. Devaughn Vele (WR – NO) **CONTRARIAN**

    • Opposite end of the +49.5 over/under of Laporta and the Lions
    • With Jordan Tyson out, Vele gets the start against a terrible pass coverage
    • If you are looking for low-ownership with big upside, look no further
    • ADP #238, WR #95

    8. Kirk Cousins (QB – LV)

    • You may not like the Raiders offense, but they are favorites in Week 1
    • With Ashton Jeanty expected to miss, Vegas should pass more often
    • Opponent, Miami may be historically bad, especially on defense this season
    • Cousins wasn’t great last year, but is now two years removed from the Achillies
    • ADP #58, QB #27

    9. Chris Rodriguez Jr. (RB – JAX) **CONTRARIAN**

    • -7.5 favorites vs CLE (Myles Garrett is gone)
    • Liam Coen offense & coach says split backfield
    • As the power-runner in the scheme, he’ll presumably get bulk of work in blowout
    • Will be the goal-line back; can we squeeze a TD out of our 11th round pick?

  • 5 Bold Predictions for Week 1 DFS

    The bold comes true every week in the National Football League. Whether it’s Matt Flynn throwing for six TDs and 480 yards, Jonas Gray scampering for 200 yards and four TDs, or the Muscle Hamster breaking out for 250, what would have seemed like an unspeakable prediction, let alone a bold one, happens more often than we tend to remember. In order to win top prizes in DFS, you have to be the one who can see what is possible, not what is likely. Today, I’ll give you five bold predictions for the main slate that have less than a 10% chance of happening in simulations, but are within the realm of possibility. If one strikes gold at 1% roster rates, you might find yourself sitting at the top of a mountain of money.

    #1 Caleb Douglas finishes in the top 10 wide receivers

    Woo, that’s a spicy one to start with, as Douglas is being undrafted in 94% of traditional fantasy leagues. But he’s starting, perhaps as the WR1 for the Dolphins. Keep in mind, this call checks all the boxes for a total mystery:

    1. Bobby Slowik takes over as offensive coordinator (served under Kyle Shanahan in the past)
    2. Quarterback Malik Willis gets his first look as a starter headed into the season.
    3. Douglas is a rookie with rave reviews from training camp.
    4. Most importantly, he matches up against third-round sophomore Dairen Porter, who has a great athletic profile but struggled in coverage as a rookie. We have no idea who Porter will be as a starter, but what we do know is that he didn’t often play in the secondary in college.

    This is the worst defense Douglas will play all season. There is a lot of upside in the Week 1 unknown here.

    #2 Rico Dowdle splashes for 110 yards and 2 TDs

    Keep in mind, we aren’t looking for what’s most likely, which is a split backfield between Warren and Dowdle. We are looking for the ‘what if’ that could win you first place. There is a chance Warren is used as a third-down back while Dowdle is leaned on heavily as the primary runner in 2026 for Pittsburgh.

    There is also a strong chance that the Falcons have one of the worst, if not the worst, run defenses in the NFL this season. They ranked in the bottom quartile of run-defense metrics last season, then lost Jalon Walker (torn ACL) for the season, James Pearce Jr. to an eight-game suspension, interior anchor David Onyemata, and linebacker Kaden Elliss this offseason.

    #3 Cade Otton surprises with a top-three finish among fantasy tight ends

    Every week, a tight end outside the top 20 finishes among the top performers. Much of it has to do with matchup, and if we learned anything in 2025, it’s that the Bengals are the defense to pick on for fantasy tight ends. Even with the improvements they made, a 35% improvement would still put them in the bottom 10. The difference between Cincinnati versus TEs (17.5 PPG allowed) and the second worst (13.4) was a larger gap than No. 2 and No. 23.

    Otton is coming back from a preseason injury and competing seemingly fourth in line for targets in a crowded Bucs’ receiving corps, but this matchup and game script scream 35 pass attempts from Baker with a pass funnel over the middle of the field. Don’t be shocked if he gets in the end zone once or twice in this slate-high +51.5 over/under shootout.

    #4 Kyler Murray ends up with 25 fantasy points

    Two words: Kevin O’Connell. Do you remember what Sam Darnold was before O’Connell got his hands on the now-Super Bowl champ? Enter Kyler Murray, a former No. 1 overall pick with breathtaking rushing ability, perhaps the most talented wide receiver in the world, and a very underrated No. 2 weapon in Jordan Addison, and we might be cooking with gas.

    What stands out to me here, though, is the uncertainty that is the Packers’ defense in 2026. Jonathan Gannon is a first-time defensive coordinator going up against the genius offensive mind of O’Connell. We all know the Packers lost all-universe pass rusher Micah Parsons until October, but that’s not all. They lost over 3,000 defensive snaps from their starters with the departures of Rashan Gary, Quay Walker, and Kingsley Enagbare, among others.

    #5 Dontayvion Wicks surpasses 100 receiving yards

    With the departure of A.J. Brown to New England, everyone has expected Makai Lemon to move right into the starting lineup for the Eagles. That’s easier said than done, however, when a rookie wideout is nursing a hamstring injury throughout portions of the preseason. Expect Wicks to play the majority of the snaps for Philadelphia early on.

    Wicks was reunited with his former assistant coach, Sean Mannion, this offseason and has been receiving rave reviews from beat writers and even opponents from joint practices. Carlton Davis Jr. called Wicks a “serious problem.” Perhaps best of all is his matchup against Commanders third-year cornerback Mike Sainristil. 68.5% of the passes targeting him were completed in 2025, and he allowed a 108.5 passer rating on those targets.