TEXANS-SAINTS SHOULD BE A FANTASY EXPLOSION
Week 1 fantasy football rankings
Sep 5, 2019, 12:37 pm
TEXANS-SAINTS SHOULD BE A FANTASY EXPLOSION
Football season is finally here, so let's take a look at how the fantasy ranks are stacking up for Week 1. Keep in mind, these are PPR rankings, and don't forget to set your lineup for Thursday Night Football. If you have any questions feel free to hit me up on Twitter. Be sure to check out my show MoneyLine with Jerry Bo on ESPN 97.5FM. We're on every Sunday from 10-noon, and we'll talk a lot of fantasy football and NFL gambling getting you ready for kickoff every Sunday.
Photo via Saints/Facebook
1Carson Wentz PHIvsWAS
2Patrick Mahomes KC@JAX
3Deshaun Watson HOU@NO
4Drew Brees NOvsHOU
5Baker Mayfield CLEvsTEN
6Aaron Rodgers GB@CHI
7Lamar Jackson BAL@MIA
8Jameis Winston TBvsSF
9Ben Roethlisberger PIT@NE
10Tom Brady NEvsPIT
11Russell Wilson SEAvsCIN
12Matt Ryan ATL@MIN
13Jared Goff LAR@CAR
14Dak Prescott DALvsNYG
15Cam Newton CARvsLAR
16Mitch Trubisky CHIvsGB
17Kyler Murray ARIvsDET
18Matthew Stafford DET@ARI
19Kirk Cousins MINvsATL
20Jimmy Garoppolo SF@TB
Photo via: Giants/Facebook
1Saquon Barkley NYG@DAL
2Alvin Kamara NOvsHOU
3Christian McCaffrey CARvsLAR
4Nick Chubb CLEvsTEN
5James Conner PIT@NE
6Dalvin Cook MINvsATL
7Le'Veon Bell NYJvsBUF
8Ezekiel Elliott DALvsNYG
9Chris Carson SEAvsCIN
10David Johnson ARIvsDET
11Todd Gurley LAR@CAR
12Mark Ingram BAL@MIA
13Leonard Fournette JAXvsKC
14Kerryon Johnson DET@ARI
15Joe Mixon CIN@SEA
16Devonta Freeman ATL@MIN
17Tevin Coleman SF@TB
18Austin Ekeler LACvsIND
19David Montgomery CHIvsGB
20Josh Jacobs OAKvsDEN
21Sony Michel NEvsPIT
22Duke Johnson HOU@NO
23Damien Williams KC@JAX
24Aaron Jones GB@CHI
25Marlon Mack IND@LAC
26Derrick Henry TEN@CLE
27James White NEvsPIT
28Phillip Lindsay DEN@OAK
29Tarik Cohen CHIvsGB
30Derrius Guice WAS@PHI
31Matt Breida SF@TB
32Kenyan Drake MIAvsBAL
33Latavius Murray NOvsHOU
34Justin Jackson LACvsIND
35Rashaad Penny SEAvsCIN
36Mile Sanders PHIvsWAS
Photo via New Orleans Saints/Facebook
1Michael Thomas NOvsHOU
2DeAndre Hopkins HOU@NO
3Davante Adams GB@CHI
4Julio Jones ATL@MIN
5Odell Beckham Jr CLEvsTEN
6JuJu Smith-Schuster PIT@NE
7Mike Evans TBvsSF
8Tyreek Hill KC@JAX
9Adam Thielen MINvsATL
10Julian Edelman NEvsPIT
11Keenan Allen LACvsIND
12Tyler Lockett SEAvsCIN
13Antonio Brown *Update: Out, inactive for Week 1.
14Brandin Cooks LAR@CAR
15Stefon Diggs MINvsATL
16Kenny Golladay DET@ARI
17Robert Woods LAR@CAR
18Chris Godwin TBvsSF
19Cooper Kupp LAR@CAR
20Tyler Boyd CIN@SEA
21Dede Westbrook JAXvsKC
22Josh Gordon NEvsPIT
23Amari Cooper DALvsNYG
24D.J. Moore CARvsLAR
25Emmanuel Sanders DEN@OAK
26Will Fuller HOU@NO
27Calvin Ridley ATL@MIN
28T.Y. Hilton IND@LAC
29Sterling Shepard NYG@DAL
30Mike Williams LACvsIND
31Marvin Jones DET@ARI
32Curtis Samuel CARvsLAR
33Allen Robinson CHIvsGB
34Robby Anderson NYJvsBUF
35Alshon Jeffery PHIvsWAS
36Jarvis Landry CLEvsTEN
37DeSean Jackson PHIvsWAS
38Larry Fitzgerald ARIvsDET
39Michael Gallup DALvsNYG
40Marquise Goodwin SF@TB
1Travis Kelce KC@JAX
2George Kittle SF@TB
3Zach Ertz PHIvsWAS
4Evan Engram NYG@DAL
5OJ Howard TBvsSF
6Hunter Henry LACvsIND
7Jared Cook NOvsHOU
8Vance McDonald PIT@NE
9Delanie Walker TEN@CLE
10Austin Hooper ATL@MIN
11Greg Olsen CARvsLAR
12T.J. Hockenson DET@ARI
13David Njoku CLEvsTEN
14Mark Andrews BAL@MIA
15Darren Waller OAKvsDEN
Photo via: Cowboys/Facebook
1 Ravens @MIA
2 Eagles WAS
3 Seahawks CIN
4 Cowboys NYG
5 Browns TEN
6 Broncos @OAK
7 Bills @NYJ
8 Bears GB
9 Chargers IND
10 Rams @CAR
11 Jets BUF
12 Vikings ATL
13 Saints HOU
14 Chiefs @JAX
15 Lions @ARI
1Justin Tucker BAL@MIA
2Greg Zuerlein LAR@CAR
3Wil Lutz NOvsHOU
4Stephen Gostkowski NEvsPIT
5Michael Badgley LACvsIND
6Ka'imi Fairbairn HOU@NO
7Jake Elliott PHIvsWAS
8Brett Maher DALvsNYG
9Jason Myers SEAvsCIN
10Matt Prater DET@ARI
11Dan Bailey MINvsATL
12Harrison Butker KC@JAX
13Mason Crosby GB@CHI
14Robbie Gould SF@TB
15Matt Bryant ATL@MIN
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
___________________________
*ChatGPT assisted.
Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!