RADIO
Atlanta Falcons Defense Less Enticing Due to Key Pieces Missing
The Atlanta Falcons DEF/ST surprised last season with its ability to get to the quarterback, tallying 57 sacks, which was the second-highest total in the league, and produced the eighth-most turnovers (16 interceptions, seven fumble recoveries). Unfortunately, due to the suspension of James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker's (knee) ACL injury, the Atlanta defense has taken a hit early in 2026, with those two accounting for 16 of the team's sacks from a season ago. Nevertheless, Atlanta will take on Carolina in Week 2, helmed by Bryce Young who was sacked twice last week and threw an interception, with wide receivers also losing two fumbles. Despite the missing pieces on defense, the Falcons' Za'Darius Smith was able to record two sacks last week against the Steelers, so look for him to be active again in Week 2. All in all, the Falcons defense projects as a top-20 unit at RotoBaller, No. 19 specifically, but there are likely better options available for season-long and DFS managers.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Willson Contreras Still Out on Saturday
Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (hand) remains out of the team's starting lineup for Saturday's contest against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays for the second straight day, per MLB.com. Nick Sogard will make another start at first base and will bat fifth against Rays right-hander Freddy Peralta. Contreras was diagnosed with a bruised right hand after leaving Thursday's game against the Texas Rangers after he was hit by a pitch. X-rays came back negative, though, so he is considered day-to-day and could make his return in Sunday's series finale in Tampa. Fantasy managers are hoping to get the 34-year-old Venezuelan back in their starting lineups as soon as possible, as the four-time All-Star has hit a career-high 27 home runs while driving in 81 runs in 129 games and 533 plate appearances in his first year with the club. Various injuries have limited Contreras to only four games so far in September, though, and he has gone 4-for-12 with a homer and two RBI.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Cedric Tillman Still Waiting for his Opportunity With Saints
Wide receiver Cedric Tillman was waived by the Cleveland Browns this summer while he dealt with an undisclosed injury. The 26-year-old wideout joined the New Orleans Saints' practice squad in early September with rookie first-rounder Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) starting the year on Injured Reserve, but he was not called up to the 53-man active roster for the Week 1 season-opening loss to the Detroit Lions in overtime last Sunday. Tillman could get an opportunity to make his debut with the Saints if Chris Olave (hamstring), who is listed as questionable for Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens, is unable to play this weekend. Beyond Olave and Devaughn Vele, New Orleans' pass-catching corps is rather thin, with rookies Barion Brown and Bryce Lance as the only other receivers on the active roster. Tillman, a third-rounder by Cleveland in 2023 from Tennessee, caught 71 of his 132 targets for 833 yards and five touchdowns in his first three NFL seasons. Until further notice, Tillman is off the fantasy radar in all leagues.
Source: Pro Football Reference
Source: Pro Football Reference
Kyle Larson Could Absolutely Dominate the Bristol Night Race
This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series is at Bristol Motor Speedway, which means one thing: Kyle Larson is probably going to lead some laps. Over the last four races here, Larson has led a ridiculous 1,157 laps (out of a possible 2,005, equaling 57.7%), and that's even more impressive when you consider the fact that he didn't lead a single lap here in the fall race last season. In other words, Larson is averaging 385.7 laps led per race at Bristol over the last three races that he has led at here. "Impressive" doesn't even begin to describe this. Additionally, Larson is coming off of his first win of the season at Gateway, and he will start on the pole for this weekend's Bass Pro Shops Night Race. As far as DFS goes, Larson ($11.5K on DraftKings) has massive dominator upside and should be a key driver to build around with your daily fantasy lineups.
Source: Hendrick Motorsports
Source: Hendrick Motorsports
Ryan Blaney Starts Deep in the Field at Bristol
Practice and qualifying was cancelled at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend due to weather, which means the starting lineup for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race was set by the metric. And thanks to Ryan Blaney blowing a brake rotor at Gateway last weekend, that means he will be starting 29th for this race at Bristol. Thankfully for Blaney, he's one of the best at Bristol Motor Speedway, and he has shown in the past that he can move through the field here (he started 22nd and finished sixth in the 2024 night race). Over the last four races at Bristol, Blaney has finished sixth or better each time, and nearly won from the pole here in the spring this season after leading 190 laps. With his 29th-place starting spot this weekend, Blaney is a massive Place Differential play in DFS, and if he can get to the front in the race late, he could definitely contend for the win. He's an elite daily fantasy pick for Bristol this weekend, even at his high salary of $11.2K on DraftKings.
Source: Catchfence
Source: Catchfence
Ollie Gordon II Sees his Stock Fall After Zero Touches in Week 1
Miami Dolphins backup running backs Ollie Gordon II and Jaylen Wright combined for eight offensive snaps in the Week 1 season-opening loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, with starter and workhorse De'Von Achane handling 86% of the snaps. The 22-year-old Gordon did not handle a single touch out of the backfield while also playing five snaps on special teams. Gordon will eventually get involved for the Dolphins, hopefully in Week 2 on the road against the San Francisco 49ers, but it looks like Miami's new coaching staff is content to ride their workhorse in Achane, which will leave little work for both Gordon and Wright behind him. The former sixth-rounder from Oklahoma State had just 70 carries as a rookie for 199 yards (2.8 yards per carry) and three rushing touchdowns in 17 games (one start) while adding seven catches for 32 yards and another TD. Gordon is only worth rostering in deep fantasy leagues as a handcuff to Achane. He is rostered in 1% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: Pro Football Reference
Source: Pro Football Reference
Cooper Rush a Very Low-End Option at QB in Week 2
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Cooper Rush didn't do much with his opportunity as starting QB in Week 1's loss to Pittsburgh, completing 12 of 22 passes for 143 yards and one touchdown while tossing two interceptions. The veteran QB will get another shot in Week 2 against a much softer defense as the Falcons take on the Panthers at home. Last week, Caleb Williams threw for 269 yards and two scores while adding 10 rushes for 65 yards and an additional two touchdowns. Rush is not the same caliber of quarterback as Williams, though, and with the Bears running at will against Carolina (two running backs had over 100 yards), the Falcons could very well try to do the same thing with Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. With a likely heavy dose of the ground attack and a low likelihood of being very effective through the air, the nine-year pro ranks as QB31 this week at RotoBaller, making him avoidable outside of Superflex leagues and sets him up as a DFS dart throw in tournaments.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Ty Gibbs is an Elite DFS Option at Bristol
Look for Ty Gibbs to be a contender at Bristol Motor Speedway in this weekend's Bass Pro Shops Night Race. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver got his first career Cup Series victory here in the spring and has finished 10th or better in four of his last five starts at this track. The exception? A 15th-place run here back in 2024. In total, Gibbs has led 465 laps in his career at this race track, which is sixth-best among active drivers despite him only having seven starts in Thunder Valley. This weekend, Gibbs will start from 13th-place for Saturday night's race, which gives him both Place Differential and race-winning upside in DFS contests. And priced at just $10.4K on the DraftKings slate, Gibbs appears to be an elite daily fantasy option this weekend.
Source: PitByNumbers
Source: PitByNumbers
Omar Cooper Jr. Heading to Injured Reserve
New York Jets rookie wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (ankle) is going to be put on Injured Reserve, sources told Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The move will give Cooper four weeks to recover from the ankle sprain that he suffered in the Week 1 season-opening win over the Tennessee Titans. The earliest that Cooper will be able to return will be on Oct. 18 on the road against the division-rival New England Patriots. The 22-year-old 30th overall pick from Indiana is not a must-stash in 12- and 14-team leagues while he recovers. Before injuring his ankle last Sunday, Cooper caught his only target for a 30-yard gain. With Cooper sidelined for at least the next four games, top wideout Garrett Wilson will have a larger target share from quarterback Geno Smith, while Adonai Mitchell should also become a much more attractive sleeper as a WR4/flex, beginning in Week 2 against the visiting Green Bay Packers.
Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
Cam Little a Lineup Lock in Week 2 Against Broncos
Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little should continue to perform well in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos. Little has earned his reputation as a consistent kicker with a big leg, making him always a threat to put up fantasy points. It also helps that the Jaguars offense has turned into a high-powered machine, consistently putting up points no matter the matchup. Against the Broncos, the offense should still be able to move the ball, but not quite as easily as they did against the Browns, which could mean more long field-goal attempts. Last week, Little hit four extra points and two 40-plus-yard field goals, giving him a solid fantasy outing. If Little manages to hit some 50-plus-yard field goals, he could be in for an even better fantasy day. Little should be viewed as an every-week starter at kicker in Week 2 and beyond until he proves otherwise.
Source: Cam Little RotoBaller
Source: Cam Little RotoBaller
Tyler Reddick Has a Shaky History at Bristol
One driver that you would think would be better at Bristol is Tyler Reddick. Over 10 career starts in Thunder Valley, Reddick has just two good finishes: a fourth-place result back in 2020, and another fourth-place finish earlier this season. All eight other finishes for Reddick at this race track are 12th or worse, with four of those eight being 20th or worse. So what should we expect this weekend in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race? Thanks to qualifying being cancelled and the starting lineup being set by the metric, Reddick will start from the back in 20th place when the race goes green, which gives him good place-differential upside if he has similar speed as this spring. His DraftKings salary of $8.5K also makes Reddick a very valuable driver in DFS lineups. The question is, will the Reddick of old show up, or will the Reddick of the spring be back with respectable speed?
Source: Driver Averages
Source: Driver Averages
Jaguars D/ST Hungry for More Turnovers Against Broncos
The Jacksonville Jaguars defense/special teams unit will look to continue to cause chaos in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos. The unit forced two turnovers in Week 1 against Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns after finishing second in the NFL last season in turnovers forced. Bo Nix and the Broncos are coming off two turnovers of their own in a Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, so the Jaguars have a good shot of forcing more turnovers in Week 2. The Broncos also had two turnovers against the Jaguars last season in a 34-20 loss. Jacksonville is quietly becoming a top defensive unit in the NFL, making them consistently a reasonable fantasy start each week. In what serves as a solid matchup, the Jaguars D/ST is a fine start against the Broncos in Week 2.
Source: D/ST RotoBaller
Source: D/ST RotoBaller
Can Carson Hocevar Contend at Bristol?
It has been quite a while since we've talked about Carson Hocevar as a legitimate contender in a NASCAR Cup Series race, but the series is at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, so "The Hurricane" gets back into the discussion. In the first Bristol race this year, Hocevar had the third-best Total Speed Ranking in the race, although his finishing position of 10th isn't overly attractive. The spring 2025 race told a similar story, as Hocevar ranked third-fastest in total speed, but wound up finishing 11th when it was all said and done. This weekend, the No. 77 Chevrolet is set up for another strong run, as Hocevar will roll off the starting grid from fifth-place for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. And although this limits his Place Differential upside in DFS, that opens the door for him to be a dominator at some point. At his $7.9K salary on DraftKings, Hocevar is definitely a viable option in tournament-style lineup building.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Jakobi Meyers a Solid PPR Flex Option in Week 2
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (thumb) was limited at practice all week but is good to go against the Denver Broncos in Week 2. The Jaguars' passing attack will look to continue its stellar play stemming from last season against a defense with a strong reputation. However, the Kansas City Chiefs gashed the Broncos last week in a 31-10 victory, and the Jaguars scored 34 points on the Broncos in Denver just last season. Those signs point to what could be another great offensive outing, even in a much harder matchup than the Cleveland Browns from Week 1. Meyers doesn't have the upside of a Brian Thomas Jr. or Parker Washington, but he does have a decent floor, especially in PPR leagues. It is also promising that Meyers led Jaguars receivers in Week 1 snaps, although Thomas Jr. did miss some time in the first half with a shoulder injury. The Jaguars have a crowded room of pass catchers, but the offense does spread the ball around, meaning Meyers should be viewed as a flex option with a limited ceiling against the Broncos.
Source: Jakobi Meyers RotoBaller
Source: Jakobi Meyers RotoBaller
Xavier Legette Not a Trustworthy Starting WR
The emergence of Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker, who went off for eight catches, 138 yards and two touchdowns in the Week 1 season-opening loss to the Chicago Bears, has tanked the fantasy football value of former first-rounder Xavier Legette to open the 2026 season. In the 59-37 loss to the Bears last weekend, the 25-year-old Legette played just over half of the team's offensive snaps and failed to catch either of his two targets from quarterback Bryce Young. He added two kickoff returns on special teams for 51 yards. Legette has been a disappointment in Carolina after catching 84 of his 148 targets for 860 yards and seven touchdowns in his first two seasons, and he is clearly the WR3 for the team behind Coker and last year's first-rounder, Tetairoa McMillan. The Panthers should look to get Legette more involved in the passing attack this weekend against the division-rival Atlanta Falcons, but it is impossible to trust Legette in starting lineups right now, even in deeper formats.
Source: Pro Football Reference
Source: Pro Football Reference
