TEXANS-SAINTS SHOULD BE A FANTASY EXPLOSION

Week 1 fantasy football rankings

Week 1 fantasy football rankings
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images

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.

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QB

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

RB

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

WR

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

TE

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

DEF

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

KICKER

Bob Levey/Getty Images

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

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Can Houston survive these setbacks? Composite Getty Image.

As the Houston Astros continue to navigate a season riddled with injuries and inconsistencies, the question looms larger than ever: can they keep their heads above water? With a barrage of pitching injuries threatening to derail their season, the Astros are finding themselves in a position where every decision matters more than ever.

The recent setbacks to the pitching staff (Hayden Wesnieski, Ronel Blanco) have placed even more pressure on the club. Lance McCullers, whose performances have been inconsistent, is now squarely in the spotlight. The Astros will need him to step up and shoulder a larger portion of the load. At the same time, the bullpen, which has been a bright spot so far, must continue its elite play to keep the team afloat. In particular, Houston can't afford to make mistakes in its decision-making, whether in the lineup or on the field.

Take, for example, the decision to give Chas McCormick a second start after his costly mistakes in Game 1 against the Rays. McCormick’s two pick-offs in that game showed he's lacking focus, yet he was given another chance to start Game 2. Houston needs to be making the right calls on the field, and this was a moment where the manager’s trust in McCormick might have been better placed elsewhere, considering his lack of success in the series.

On the offensive side, the Astros’ struggles have been just as apparent. Jose Altuve, a cornerstone of the franchise, has been attempting to bunt while hitting in the 3-hole. It’s a strategy that just doesn’t make sense. With the Astros needing to produce runs, Altuve's role is to drive them in, not waste strikes with ill-timed bunt attempts.

Is Houston's roster poorly constructed or just unlucky?

Given the pitching woes and offensive troubles, some are beginning to question whether the Astros’ roster is poorly constructed, or if it’s simply been an unfortunate series of events. The bad luck with pitching injuries is undeniable, but the offense tells a different story—particularly when it comes to the lineup’s balance.

One glaring issue is the team’s heavy reliance on right-handed hitters. With players like Christian Walker struggling at the plate, it’s hard to overlook the potential misstep in roster construction. Walker’s performance this season has been abysmal, and it’s fair to wonder if the Astros would have been better off investing in a more flexible first-base platoon. Players like Jon Singleton, Victor Caratini, Zach Dezenzo, Yainer Diaz, and even Mauricio Dubon could have filled in at first base, providing much-needed depth at a fraction of the cost. At this point, they couldn’t have done worse than Walker, who has posted a paltry .199 batting average, .270 OBP, and .607 OPS on the season.

In comparison, Walker’s numbers this season are worse than Jose Abreu’s 2023 campaign with Houston (.237 batting avg, .296 OBP, .680 OPS). Walker is a player known for slow starts, but nothing quite as severe as what we’ve seen in 2025. His struggles are reminiscent of a disastrous start to the 2022 season that saw him fail to find his rhythm until much later in the year, but even then, his slugging percentage was significantly better than what we’re seeing now.

Would a return of “career Yordan Alvarez” fix Houston’s offensive woes?

Amid the offensive malaise, the return of a fully healthy Yordan Alvarez could certainly provide a much-needed spark. If Alvarez were to return to his “career” form, with a healthy pitching staff, an intact bullpen, and a potential resurgence from key hitters, the Astros could see a drastic improvement in their fortunes. However, this is all contingent on a lot of “ifs,” and there’s no guarantee that a turnaround is on the horizon.

Observations and further concerns

As if the struggles on offense and pitching weren’t enough, the Astros’ defense has also been plagued by lapses in fundamentals. One of the more puzzling trends this season has been the number of stolen bases allowed, especially at third base. If the Astros continue to give up steals at this rate, it will be difficult for the pitchers to recover, especially if they are walking batters and putting runners in scoring position with alarming frequency.

We have so much more to get to. 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! Note: because of the holiday weekend, our next episode will be after Memorial Day on Tuesday.

*ChatGPT assisted.

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