Best Week 1 Moves From Our Experts: Michael Mayer Belongs in Lineups
Best Week 1 Moves
Whether you're playing redraft or dynasty, knowing what moves to make is crucial to success.
That's why we're having each of our fantasy football experts give you one move to take advantage of this week.
Snag (and start) Michael Mayer
Reports that Brock Bowers had his meniscus trimmed on Tuesday and will miss "a game or two" put Michael Mayer in line for a substantial boost in production.
In Bowers’ four missed games in 2025, Mayer posted three top-20 fantasy finishes and averaged 6 targets, 4.5 receptions, 49 yards, and 0.25 TDs.
Bowers was projected to lead the Raiders in targets, and that TE-heavy approach should continue even with him sidelined. The Raiders have one of the thinnest WR rooms in the league, and new HC Klint Kubiak comes from a Seattle system that utilized 12 personnel at the eighth-highest rate last season.
Mayer was trending as a low-end TE2 before Bowers' latest setback. Now that Bowers is out for multiple games, Mayer is pushing toward weekly TE1 status and should be added and started wherever he's available, with a chance to keep standalone value even after Bowers returns.
Get Jacob Rodriguez
I highlighted Miami’s rookie LB in my late-August IDP Sleepers article and bumped him way up the rankings after the Dolphins dumped Tyrel Dodson. Hopefully you’re reading this and thinking, “Already got him.”
But Rodriguez remained just 51st among LBs in FantasyPros' final “expert” consensus rankings. If that matches where he was going in even the latest of drafts, then the second-round pick probably sits on plenty of IDP waiver wires right now.
If that sounds like your league, grab him before Rodriguez shows everyone his production potential.
A Week 1 matchup with a Raiders offense likely to lean heavily on RB Ashton Jeanty and TE Michael Mayer should only create more short-range chances for defensive stats.
Stash Malik Davis
Davis won Dallas’ No. 2 RB job late, so he’s still available in 85% of Sleeper leagues and 94% of Yahoo leagues.
Davis looks like a clear-cut handcuff in a Cowboys offense that ranks fourth in implied points per game and first in our Fantasy Environment Score. That would make him at least a rock-solid RB2 if Javonte Williams misses time this season.
Our Injury Predictor tags Williams as a Medium Risk with a 43% chance of missing time this year.
Don’t Overthink Your Week 1 Starters
Everyone is excited for a new fantasy season to begin. We’ve been poring over stats, rankings, and more for months.
But don’t let the excitement lead to overthinking how to set your lineup this week. Typically, your highest-drafted players are the ones you want to plug into your lineups (barring injuries).
We don’t know how good each defense will be yet, so trying to play matchups based on guesses about “good” and “bad” defenses isn’t advised. Stick with your talent and then start adjusting next week.
Of course, the best way to set your lineup is through our Team Dashboard. It's powered by our projections to factor in injuries, limited players, and more.
