Fantasy Focus Football – The HARDEST Players to Rank for Week 1

Podcast: Fantasy Focus Football
Date: September 3, 2025
Hosts: Field Yates, Mike Clay, Daniel Dopp
Summary by: Fantasy Focus Podcast Summarizer

Episode Overview

The Fantasy Focus crew kicks off NFL Week 1 with a deep dive into one of the most critical topics for fantasy managers: the hardest players to rank for the opening slate. Field Yates, Mike Clay, and Daniel Dopp debate the uncertainty swirling around key players, highlight trending under-the-radar options, and share candid, sometimes comedic, insights about their own draft experiences. The episode’s backbone is an in-depth discussion of complex fantasy situations, ranging from changing quarterback landscapes to murky wide receiver pecking orders, and tricky running back committees. In the latter half, the team unveils sleeper starters who went undrafted or were late picks, drawing lines between preseason narratives and Week 1 start/sit realities.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Fantasy Draft Anxieties and Last-Minute Moves

• Draft Season Reflections: Field shares anxieties about missing out on high-end picks (Jamar Chase, Bijan Robinson, Jameer Gibbs) due to draft slot luck, highlighting the randomness many drafters face.
• Draft Prep Styles: The three reflect on the merits of knowing your draft position in advance—a luxury for some, a shrug for others, especially in leagues with complex setups.
• Fantasy Scheduling: The window for drafting extends up until kickoff of Sunday games, which prompts strategy questions about drafting after Thursday and Friday games.

Notable Quote:
"Chips will fall wherever they fall." – Field Yates (05:25)

2. The HARDEST Players to Rank: Crowd-Sourced Headaches

Chris Olave & Rashid Shaheed (New Orleans Saints)

• QB Uncertainty: Both WRs see target upside but have big question marks attached due to Spencer Rattler at QB and a possibly anemic offense.
• Fantasy Ceiling: Olave has WR1 pedigree but is buried in the WR4/WR5 tier for Week 1 due to team context.
• Trade Candidacy: If the Saints spiral, Olave could be an intriguing deadline name.

"If Chris Olave gets back to the form that we have seen earlier in his career, that's the kind of guy you'd want to extend… What an intriguing trade candidate Chris Olave would be."
– Field Yates (10:45)

Travis Hunter (Jacksonville Jaguars)

• Role Volatility: Uncertainty looms over how much Hunter will play on offense versus defense.
• Ceiling/Range of Outcomes: Could be a WR2, could be flex-only, or even less. The new OC (Liam Coen) fuels optimism, but snap counts and usage are guesswork for Week 1.

"He has the single toughest player to rank slash project in my time at ESPN."
– Field Yates (14:53)

Calvin Ridley (Tennessee Titans)

• Matchup Hell: Faces Pat Surtain, reigning DPOY, likely to shadow Ridley all game. Trepidation about starting Ridley in Week 1 given the elite cornerback matchup.
• Depth Chart Talk: Titans release an unofficial depth chart; Ridley is listed as a top WR, but usage and upside capped by the matchup.

Stefon Diggs (New England Patriots)

• Injury Recovery: First game post-ACL at age 30+ with rookie Drake Maye at QB. The uncertainty is balanced by a juicy Las Vegas matchup, but managers are wary about workload and explosiveness.
• Ranked as Flex: "I ranked him 42. I think 12 team leagues maybe as a flex option despite all the, you know, the great matchup. I think it's best to avoid in week one." – Daniel Dopp (23:58)

Breece Hall (New York Jets)

• Committee Concerns: Hall faces touch competition from Brayan Allen and Isaiah Davis, with a mobile QB (Justin Fields) also siphoning attempts.
• Low Confidence: Once an RB2 staple, now falling into RB3/flex range, even in large leagues.
• Steelers in Week 1: The matchup does no favors.

"You drafted him probably to be a starter for my team, but I don't want to start him in week one against Pittsburgh."
– Mike Clay (25:14)

Keon Coleman (Buffalo Bills)

• Potential Breakout: With Josh Allen potentially due for another MVP-level effort, is Coleman the WR to emerge? The team’s lack of established pecking order presents upside and risk; Field ranks him as WR45 in Week 1 but names him a potential league-winning pick if opportunity knocks.
• Draft Capital Debates: The psychological value between the 32nd and 33rd pick.

Cooper Kupp (Seattle Seahawks)

• Age & Wear: After flashing early last season, Kupp faded hard. New team, new system, age concerns lead to managers leaving him outside starting lineups, even though 8th-9th round cost is minimal.
• Post-hype Sell High: If he starts fast, cash out early.

"There were some snaps last year that looked sort of like burnt toast for Cooper Cup."
– Field Yates (37:28)

RJ Harvey (Denver Broncos)

• Depth Chart Noise: Listed behind J.K. Dobbins; hosts speculate about a slow start but eventual takeover. Week 1 projection is a wide touch-range (between 8–18 touches).

3. Undrafted/Late Picks – Surprise Week 1 Starters

• The second segment focuses on "players drafted late or not at all who are viable Week 1 starters." Some of these targets:
  • Jerry Jeudy (Cleveland Browns): Now Joe Flacco’s go-to, solid matchup versus Bengals’ thin secondary. (44:32)
  • Emeka Egbuka (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): Steps directly into WR2 role with Chris Godwin out, poised for heavy involvement. (45:50)
  • Michael Pittman Jr. (Indianapolis Colts): Support from Daniel Jones (new QB) and against a historically bad Miami secondary. (48:05)
  • Jerome Ford (Cleveland Browns): Lead RB by default until/if Quinshon Judkins signs; efficient track record as a starter. (52:31)
  • Ricky Pearsall & Jauan Jennings (San Francisco 49ers): Forced into large roles due to injuries; weekly WR3/4 value. (55:52)
  • Daniel Jones (New York Giants): Attractive streaming QB, thanks to offensive upgrades and dual-threat potential. (50:22)
  • Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys): Despite expectations of a shootout with the Eagles and doubts about Dallas’s defense, Dak’s volume should be sky-high. (53:10)
  • Drake Maye (New England Patriots): Rookie set up for a soft landing against the Raiders.
  • Garrett Wilson (New York Jets): Despite low vibes, talent prompts flex-start consideration in Week 1, but with reluctance.

Notable Streaming/Deep Targets:

• Tyler Warren (TE, Indianapolis), Hollywood Brown (Chiefs), Taekwon Thornton (Patriots), Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars)

4. Game Theory and the Importance of Matchups

• Streaming Defenses: Field targets the Arizona Cardinals defense—not for season-long dominance, but for a plum Week 1 matchup against the inexperienced Saints.
• Matchup Swings: Consensus "good" defenses often have brutal Week 1 opponents, pushing managers to stream less sexy units.

5. Fantasy Philosophy & Upcoming Games Segment

• The group invents a new ultra-long shot touchdown prediction game: Each picks a sub–5% rostered player to score a Week 1 TD—think "Yahtzee" but for fantasy deep cuts. They agree to finalize picks next episode.

"Each week we bring to the table a player that is rostered in under 5% of leagues. ...and we nominate that player to score a touchdown."
– Field Yates (62:24)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Mike Clay ranks Travis Hunter as the hardest player to project in his ESPN tenure: (14:53)
• On Cooper Kupp fading fast:
  "He looked washed at the end of the season…" – Mike Clay (35:29)
• On Breece Hall:
  "I've got him ranked in week one as running back 25, and I would rather not play him if I don't have to." – Mike Clay (25:14)
• On Daniel Jones streaming appeal:
  "Top 12 quarterback for me this week." – Field Yates (50:22)
• On the uncertainty of preseason narratives:
  "There are a handful of players ... where I just want to get to the season because I'm so sick of ... imagine[ing] 19 different scenarios of how this could play out." – Field Yates (27:06)

Notable Quotes with Timestamps (MM:SS)

• "He's like a wide receiver four or five in week one in my rankings, but a player who has way more pedigree than a lot of the guys that we were talking about in that same rank." – Field Yates on Chris Olave (08:34)
• "He has the single toughest player to rank slash project in my time at espn." – Field Yates on Travis Hunter (14:53)
• "If you drafted him in the fourth round ... most likely. Maybe. I don't know, man." – Field Yates on Breece Hall (26:15)
• "It felt like the Rams were just like, all right, you know what, we're going to let Puka do our thing. And we don't think that Cooper could. Cup really has it anymore." – Mike Clay (36:14)
• "You're going to have to close your eyes, just hit, hit, submit, and you're probably going to have to live with it." – Mike Clay on Breece Hall (26:58)
• "If you told me right now you're from the future and he [Keon Coleman] finished wide receiver nine or something, I'd be like, okay, you know that does, that makes sense in this offense..." – Daniel Dopp (31:12)
• "My idea is each week we bring to the table a player that is rostered in under 5% of leagues. ...and we nominate that player to score a touchdown." – Field Yates (62:24)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Hardest Players to Rank (Main Roundtable): 07:03–41:00

  • Olave/Shaheed: 07:03–11:00
  • Travis Hunter: 12:18–15:50
  • Calvin Ridley: 19:19–21:41
  • Stefon Diggs: 21:51–24:04
  • Breece Hall: 24:23–27:06
  • Keon Coleman: 29:04–32:09
  • Cooper Kupp: 35:01–39:41
  • RJ Harvey: 33:40–34:50

• Sleepers & Late Picks You Can Start: 41:47–57:31

  • Jerry Jeudy: 41:48–44:32
  • Emeka Egbuka: 44:42–45:50
  • Michael Pittman Jr.: 48:05–49:48
  • Daniel Jones: 50:22–51:11
  • Jerome Ford: 51:12–53:01
  • Dak Prescott: 53:02–54:45
  • Ricky Pearsall & Juwan Jennings: 55:52–57:14

• Fantasy Philosophy and Long-Shot Game: 61:47–64:16

Tone & Language

• Conversational and Candid: The hosts alternate between analysis, playful ribbing, and ideal league-mate banter.
• Analytical but Relatable: Deep, nerdy stats balanced with admissions of uncertainty, frustration, and changing opinions.
• Viewer-inclusive: The team welcomes questions, encourages interacting with the chat, and illustrates that even experts agonize over lineup decisions.

Useful Takeaways for Week 1

• Don’t be afraid to bench a fourth-round pick like Breece Hall if the situation (committee, matchup) is murky.
• Streaming options—especially defense and QB—are plentiful due to bad matchups for traditional “lock” defenses.
• Pay close attention to mid-week injury news and actual roster moves (not just coach-speak) to maximize IR and waiver wire flexibility.
• If you’re desperate at WR, look to Jerry Jeudy, Emeka Egbuka, Michael Pittman Jr., or even deeper names like Ricky Pearsall.
• The fantasy landscape is especially volatile in Week 1. Accept the unknowns and be ready to pivot—often, the hardest players to rank can swing your opening week.

Closing Thoughts

The pod delivers classic Fantasy Focus: banter, a little Eagles optimism (Go Birds!), and a healthy dose of nuance about player uncertainty that sets up listeners for strong, flexible Week 1 management. Whether you’re streaming, sweating over ambiguous wideouts, or gambling on a post-hype sleeper, this episode arms you with both strategy and empathy for every tough call ahead.