Start George Kittle? Planning For Week 1 Fantasy Football Decisions

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Around the Watercooler

It’s Week 1 and your favorite football nerds are back and bringing you the latest news, content and memes from the NFL universe …

Week 1 Waiver Wire Targets

Kaelon Black | 34% Rostered

A rookie drafted 90th overall in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, Black is one of my favorite low-owned running back handcuffs going into 2026. 

There were question marks earlier in the offseason as to whether it would be second-year back Jordan James or Kaelon Black serving as the RB2 behind Christian McCaffrey, but we’ve since gotten confirmation that Black will have the first crack at this role.

Black’s prospect profile is not one that inspires a ton of confidence in his talent, and I personally believe he was significantly overdrafted by the 49ers. I’m not sure that really matters, though. The 49ers clearly have one of the most valuable backfields across the entire league when it comes to fantasy production, and we know CMC struggles with extended injuries on occasion. Black needs to be rostered everywhere going into Week 1.

Malik Davis | 18% Rostered

After a surprising turn of events this offseason, including the release of second-year backs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, it appears Malik Davis is locked into the Dallas Cowboys RB2 role. I view Davis similarly to Kaelon Black—significant question marks around both of their individual talent profiles, but the environment is so conducive to scoring fantasy points that I’m not super worried.

One thing worth mentioning about Davis’ prospect profile (he’s been in the NFL since 2022, so take this with a grain of salt) is his receiving ability. Throughout Davis’ college career from 2017-2022:

• 0.06 avg FDPRR (82nd % among all RBs since 2014)
• 0.18 avg TPRR (75th%)
• 1.52 avg YPRR (71st%)

Obviously it’s been a while since we’ve seen this receiving work on full display, but it bodes well for Davis’ fantasy upside if Javonte goes down. I view him as a must-add in all formats before this season kicks off.

The Top Three DST Streamers For Week 1

We are so back. The 2026 fantasy football season is upon us, which means that it is time to set those starting lineups. We spend the whole offseason evaluating the QB, RB, WR and TE positions, but most fantasy managers tend to only think about which DST they should draft a few minutes ahead of time.

For Week 1, most draft platforms require you to draft a full starting lineup, so you won't truly be 'streaming' the position in Week 1. As a result, this is focused on non-premium DSTs that we recommend targeting in the final few rounds of your draft (or on the waiver wire if you’ve already drafted).

Jacksonville Jaguars

There is no better opposing offense to target than the Cleveland Browns. If I had to guess, this article will feature the Browns' opponent every week that they qualify under the 50% rostered threshold.

The last time we saw Deshaun Watson as a starter in 2024, he was one of the worst QBs in the league. He took 33 sacks in the seven games he started and only threw multiple passing TDs in one of those games. Since then, he has suffered two Achilles injuries, which can't have helped his mobility. Cleveland also has a poor offensive line, which PFF ranked 31st heading into this season.

The Jaguars have a solid but unspectacular defense, but Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker are plenty good enough to get after Watson in his first start since Week 7 of the 2024 season. It also helps that Jacksonville is at home and favored by 7.5 points, which is an ideal setup for a pass rush to rack up opportunities for sacks and turnovers.

The only downside is that you probably won't want to keep them for more than one week, as they have a run of games against the Broncos, Patriots, Bengals and Eagles in Weeks 2-5.