First&One

Fantasy — Week 7

The
Desk.

Start/Sit for the arguments, not the locks. Obvious first-tier starts stay off the recommended list. Rankings, and a mailbox the desk reads Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, sit beside it.

First&One fantasy calls are editorial opinions for entertainment. They are not news, not injury reports, and not a promise of points.

Week 4

The locks can start themselves.

Week 4. Second tier, third tier, and a few bold calls. The obvious starts are not on the list.

First&One Fantasy Desk

Statuses checked Wednesday, Sept. 30

Publishing cadence

Posted every Wednesday. Updated Friday afternoons.

PublishedWednesday, September 30

Friday refresh lands Friday afternoon, on this same column.

First&One Desk calendar. These dates mark the column, not a live news clock.

Bijan Robinson, Christian McCaffrey, Josh Allen, and Jahmyr Gibbs are not in the Start list. Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Jared Goff, Jordan Love, Davante Adams, Chris Olave, and George Kittle are not in it either. They are too obvious. None of those seven is on the Week 4 injury report, so this is a tier cut, not an injury note. The same door stays closed on the other locks: the rest of the elite quarterbacks, the workhorse backs, the alpha receivers, and the two tight ends you were never sitting, Brock Bowers and Trey McBride. If you needed a column to start them, the column was never the problem.

This is the Wednesday piece for the rest of a normal league. Second tier, third tier, and lower. A few predictions are labeled bold. They are a handful, not the slate. Sits are players a real roster is deciding on. We are not sitting injured players, third-string backs, or fifth receivers. A star sits only when the week actually demands it, and we will say why. Most weeks the stars start without us.

News, the call, and the risk are different sentences. A status tag is a report. Questionable means check Sunday inactives, or the final word before a Thursday kick. Confirmed and Reported are labeled. These are opinions for entertainment, not guarantees, not injury reports, and not a promise of points.

The column posts Wednesday. When the desk posts a Friday afternoon update, it lands on this same piece. There is no Friday refresh in this file.

Checking the Wire for citations under the desk calls.

Not playing this week

These names are not Start, Sit, or Flex calls. One factual line each.

  • IR

    De'Von Achane

    MIA · RB

    Torn ACL against the Chiefs. On injured reserve. Out for the season.

    Confirmed, ESPN, Sept. 28 (Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport). Dolphins placed him on IR Monday.

  • IR

    A.J. Brown

    NE · WR

    High-ankle sprain. On injured reserve. Misses the Bills. Eligible to return in Week 6 at the earliest.

    Confirmed, Patriots.com, Sept. 12

  • OUT

    Josh Jacobs

    GB · RB

    On the Commissioner's Exempt List. Not permitted to play. ESPN lists him out, estimated return Oct. 11.

    Confirmed, ESPN injury report (Adam Schefter, Sept. 13)

  • OUT

    Baker Mayfield

    TB · QB

    Dislocated throwing-hand thumb. Expected to miss three weeks. Not a sit. He is not playing.

    Confirmed, Todd Bowles via Adam Schefter/ESPN, Sept. 28

  • IR

    Jaxson Dart

    NYG · QB

    Knee surgery. On injured reserve. Out for the regular season.

    Confirmed, Mike Garafolo/NFL Network, Sept. 24. John Harbaugh said the regular season.

  • OUT

    Travis Etienne Jr.

    NO · RB

    Hamstring. The coach said he will lose some time. Not a lineup chip.

    Confirmed, Kellen Moore via Mike Triplett/NewOrleans.Football, Sept. 28

  • IR

    James Conner

    ARI · RB

    Foot. Still on injured reserve. ESPN's estimated return is Oct. 11, which is after this week.

    Confirmed, ESPN injury report (John Gambadoro/Arizona Sports 98.7, Aug. 30)

  • IR

    Isiah Pacheco

    DET · RB

    Back surgery. On injured reserve for a significant stretch.

    Confirmed, Nolan Bianchi/The Detroit News, Sept. 14

  • IR

    David Njoku

    LAC · TE

    Fibula. The Chargers placed him on injured reserve.

    Confirmed, ESPN injury report, Sept. 23

  • IR

    Jordan Mason

    MIN · RB

    On injured reserve. ESPN's estimated return is Oct. 25.

    Confirmed, ESPN injury report

  • IR

    Ricky Pearsall

    SF · WR

    Season-ending knee surgery. On injured reserve.

    Confirmed, Ricky Pearsall via David Lombardi/SF Standard, Aug. 13

  • IR

    Jonathon Brooks

    CAR · RB

    Core-muscle surgery. On injured reserve. Expected to miss at least six weeks.

    Confirmed, Ian Rapoport/NFL Network, Sept. 23

Recommended starts

Second tier and lower. Not the locks. If a name has a status tag, read it before you lock the lineup.

  1. Start

    C.J. Stroud

    HOU · QB

    Start against Dallas. Nico Collins is questionable and is not a Start chip in this column. Stroud is not on the ESPN injury report. Start the quarterback. Watch the receiver.

    First&One Desk

  2. Start

    Javonte Williams

    DAL · RB

    Start at Houston. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Malik Davis is on injured reserve (Adam Schefter/ESPN, Sept. 12). Williams is the Cowboy back in this column.

    First&One Desk

  3. Start

    D'Andre Swift

    CHI · RB

    Start against the Jets. Swift is not on the ESPN injury report. The risk is Caleb Williams, who is doubtful. That is news about the quarterback. The call is still to start the back.

    First&One Desk

  4. Start

    Kyren Williams

    LAR · RB

    Start at Philadelphia. A back a normal league starts, not a first-tier lock. He is not on the ESPN injury report. No speech required.

    First&One Desk

  5. Start

    Cam Skattebo

    NYG · RB

    Start against Arizona. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Dart is on injured reserve for the regular season (Mike Garafolo/NFL Network, Sept. 24). That is the risk. The call is still Start.

    First&One Desk

  6. Start

    David Montgomery

    HOU · RB

    Start against Dallas. Not a workhorse you took in the first round, which is why he is here. He is not on the ESPN injury report.

    First&One Desk

  7. Start

    Chuba Hubbard

    CAR · RB

    Start on Sunday night against Detroit. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Brooks is on injured reserve after core-muscle surgery (Ian Rapoport/NFL Network, Sept. 23). Hubbard is the back we are starting.

    First&One Desk

  8. Start

    Aaron Jones

    MIN · RB

    Start against Miami. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Mason is on injured reserve, with an estimated return of Oct. 25. Jones is the start.

    First&One Desk

  9. Start

    Alvin Kamara

    NO · RB

    Start on Monday against Atlanta. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Etienne is out with a hamstring (Kellen Moore, via NewOrleans.Football, Sept. 28). Kamara is the back we are using.

    First&One Desk

  10. Start

    Garrett Wilson

    NYJ · WR

    Start at Chicago. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Geno Smith is the quarterback (ESPN, Sept. 16) and is not listed hurt. This is a second-tier start. That is the column.

    First&One Desk

  11. Start

    Tee Higgins

    CIN · WR

    Start against Jacksonville. He is not on the ESPN injury report. The other Bengals receiver is a lock and is not in this Start list. Higgins is the one you are allowed to overthink. Stop.

    First&One Desk

  12. Start

    Drake London

    ATL · WR

    Start at New Orleans on Monday. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Michael Penix Jr. is the quarterback (ESPN, Sept. 16) and is not listed hurt. The risk is the offense. The call is still Start.

    First&One Desk

  13. Start

    DeVonta Smith

    PHI · WR

    Start against the Rams. He is not on the ESPN injury report. The obvious names are in someone else's lineup. Smith is the start.

    First&One Desk

  14. Start

    Courtland Sutton

    DEN · WR

    Start at San Francisco. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Waddle is questionable and lives in Watch. Sutton is the Denver receiver we are starting.

    First&One Desk

  15. Start

    Marvin Harrison Jr.

    ARI · WR

    Start at the Giants. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Conner is on injured reserve. That is a backfield fact, not a fade of the receiver.

    First&One Desk

  16. Start

    Jameson Williams

    DET · WR

    Start at Carolina. He is not on the ESPN injury report. The Lions' other receiver is an alpha and is not in this Start list. Williams is the one we are starting.

    First&One Desk

  17. Start

    Tetairoa McMillan

    CAR · WR

    Start on Sunday night against Detroit. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Coker is questionable with a minor quad strain (Ian Rapoport/NFL Network, Sept. 28). You do not need Coker to start McMillan.

    First&One Desk

  18. Start

    George Pickens

    DAL · WR

    Start at Houston. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Lamb is the alpha and is not in this column. Pickens is the receiver we will argue for.

    First&One Desk

  19. Start

    Zay Flowers

    BAL · WR

    Start against Tennessee. He is not on the ESPN injury report. A Ravens receiver a normal league can still bench by accident. Don't.

    First&One Desk

  20. Start

    Sam LaPorta

    DET · TE

    Start at Carolina. He is not Bowers and he is not McBride, which is why he gets a chip. He is not on the ESPN injury report.

    First&One Desk

  21. Start

    Tucker Kraft

    GB · TE

    Start at Tampa Bay. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Luke Musgrave is out on that same report. Mayfield's absence is Tampa's problem. Kraft is the start.

    First&One Desk

  22. Start

    T.J. Hockenson

    MIN · TE

    Start against Miami. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Josh Oliver went on injured reserve Tuesday (Craig Peters/Vikings.com, Sept. 29). Hockenson is the start.

    First&One Desk

  23. Start

    Minnesota Vikings

    MIN · DST

    Start at home against Miami, 4:05 p.m. ET on FOX. Official schedule, NFL Football Operations. The Dolphins are 0-3 (ESPN) and Achane is on injured reserve. No invented pressure counts.

    First&One Desk

  24. Start

    Baltimore Ravens

    BAL · DST

    Start against Tennessee, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS. Official schedule, NFL Football Operations. The Titans are 0-3 (CBS Sports, Sept. 29). No invented sack totals.

    First&One Desk

Bold starts

A handful. Each one says bold in the copy. The rest of the column is not a prediction pile.

  1. Start

    Ollie Gordon II

    MIA · RB

    Bold. Achane is on injured reserve with a torn ACL (ESPN, Sept. 28). In that game Gordon had 17 carries, 41 yards, a touchdown, and three catches (ESPN). Hafley said he still wants to run. The prediction is that Gordon is the Miami back you start at Minnesota. One game is not a season.

    First&One Desk

  2. Start

    Jaylen Warren

    PIT · RB

    Bold. Dowdle (toe) did not practice Monday or Tuesday and is questionable (NFL.com Week 4 report; ESPN, Sept. 29). Warren is not on the injury report. We are starting him Thursday before the last word. If Dowdle is active, you still started the back who has been available.

    First&One Desk

  3. Start

    Mack Hollins

    NE · WR

    Bold. Brown is on injured reserve and will not play at Buffalo (Patriots.com, Sept. 12). That site said Hollins stepped into the role after Brown left the opener. Hollins is not on the ESPN injury report. This is a prediction, not a target chart.

    First&One Desk

  4. Start

    Jadarian Price

    SEA · RB

    Bold. Charbonnet is out on the ESPN report, estimated return Oct. 11. Macdonald had only said a practice return was possibly on the table (via SI.com, Sept. 25). Price is not on the injury report. The prediction is that he is the Seattle back you can use against the Chargers.

    First&One Desk

Flex

Running backs, receivers, and tight ends only. Quarterbacks and defenses are Start, Sit, or Watch.

  1. Flex

    Omarion Hampton

    LAC · RB

    Flex at Seattle. A real back, not a must, and not a third string. He is not on the ESPN injury report.

    First&One Desk

  2. Flex

    TreVeyon Henderson

    NE · RB

    Flex at Buffalo. He is not on the ESPN injury report. A piece of the New England backfield, not a workhorse conversation.

    First&One Desk

  3. Flex

    Josh Downs

    IND · WR

    Flex in London against Washington. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Alec Pierce is on injured reserve with a heel injury and did not have surgery (Shane Steichen, via The Athletic, Sept. 28).

    First&One Desk

  4. Flex

    Jordan Addison

    MIN · WR

    Flex against Miami. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Jefferson is questionable, and that news is in Watch. Flex Addison either way. Check Sunday inactives on Jefferson, not on Addison.

    First&One Desk

  5. Flex

    Deebo Samuel

    SF · WR

    Flex against Denver. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Evans is questionable and is in Watch. Samuel does not need that result to be a flex.

    First&One Desk

  6. Flex

    DK Metcalf

    PIT · WR

    Flex at Cleveland on Thursday. Steelers.com lists him on the 2026 roster. He is not on the NFL.com Week 4 report. A flex, not a must.

    First&One Desk

  7. Flex

    Ladd McConkey

    LAC · WR

    Flex at Seattle. He is not on the ESPN injury report. A receiver a normal league can flex. Not an alpha you start with your eyes closed.

    First&One Desk

  8. Flex

    Dalton Kincaid

    BUF · TE

    Flex against New England. He is not on the ESPN injury report. If he is your tight end, flex him. LaPorta, Kraft, and Hockenson are the tight-end starts here. Kittle is a lock and is not.

    First&One Desk

  9. Flex

    Jake Ferguson

    DAL · TE

    Flex at Houston. He is not on the ESPN injury report. This is the Cowboy, not the Rams' Terrance Ferguson, who is doubtful.

    First&One Desk

  10. Flex

    Brian Thomas Jr.

    JAC · WR

    Flex at Cincinnati. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Rostered, not a must, and not a fifth option we are bothering to sit.

    First&One Desk

Sits

Tier two, three, and four. Players a normal league might actually start. Not the injured, not the unrostered, not the scrubs.

  1. Sit

    Bucky Irving

    TB · RB

    Sit against Green Bay. He is not injured and not on the ESPN injury report. Mayfield is out for about three weeks (Todd Bowles, via Adam Schefter/ESPN, Sept. 28). The sit is the quarterback.

    First&One Desk

  2. Sit

    Quinshon Judkins

    CLE · RB

    Sit on Thursday night against Pittsburgh. He is not on the ESPN injury report, so this is a football call. A normal league might flex the Browns back on a short week. We are not.

    First&One Desk

  3. Sit

    Tony Pollard

    TEN · RB

    Sit at Baltimore. He is not on the ESPN injury report. The Titans are 0-3 (CBS Sports, Sept. 29). A flex you can live without.

    First&One Desk

  4. Sit

    Emeka Egbuka

    TB · WR

    Sit against Green Bay. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Mayfield is out (Bowles, via Schefter, Sept. 28), and CBS Sports named undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels as the backup. We are not starting the receiver into that.

    First&One Desk

  5. Sit

    Kyle Pitts

    ATL · TE

    Sit on Monday at New Orleans unless the tight-end spot is empty. He is not injured and not on the ESPN injury report. The starts at the position are above. This one is a sit.

    First&One Desk

  6. Sit

    Isaiah Likely

    NYG · TE

    Sit against Arizona. He is not on the ESPN injury report. Dart is on injured reserve for the regular season (Mike Garafolo/NFL Network, Sept. 24). The tight end is the sit.

    First&One Desk

  7. Sit

    Bryce Young

    CAR · QB

    Sit on Sunday night against Detroit. He is not on the ESPN injury report. A normal league streams him when the week is desperate. This is not that stream.

    First&One Desk

  8. Sit

    Cam Ward

    TEN · QB

    Sit at Baltimore. He is not on the ESPN injury report. The Titans are 0-3 (CBS Sports, Sept. 29). We are not streaming the rookie into that game on a hunch.

    First&One Desk

  9. Sit

    Tampa Bay Buccaneers

    TB · DST

    Sit against Green Bay, 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX. Official schedule, NFL Football Operations. Mayfield is out. No invented defensive stats.

    First&One Desk

  10. Sit

    Denver Broncos

    DEN · DST

    Sit at San Francisco, 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS. Official schedule, NFL Football Operations. The 49ers are 3-0 on the NFL.com Week 4 report. A good defense, on the road, against that team, is the rare sit. No invented points allowed.

    First&One Desk

Watch

Status, not a lineup promotion. First-tier names here are not starts. Check inactives before you lock anyone with a tag.

  1. Watch

    Josh Allen

    BUF · QB

    Not a Start. He is a first-tier quarterback, and this column does not recommend those. He is questionable after a hit to the knee area. Joe Brady downplayed it and said they will see how he progresses. Check Sunday inactives. The tag is the news. There is no chip that says start him.

    Reported, Joe Brady via Alex Brasky/SI.com and the Bills' site, Sept. 28Questionable. Not a Start in this column. Check Sunday inactives.

    First&One Desk

  2. Watch

    Justin Jefferson

    MIN · WR

    Not a Start. He is a first-tier receiver. He sprained his left ankle and the Vikings are hopeful for Sunday. Kevin O'Connell said it is not long-term (ESPN, via CBS Sports, Sept. 29). Check Sunday inactives. If he plays, that is your roster, not our Start list.

    Reported, Ian Rapoport/NFL Network, Sept. 28Questionable, sprained left ankle. Not a Start in this column. Check Sunday inactives.

    First&One Desk

  3. Watch

    Puka Nacua

    LAR · WR

    Not a Start. He is a first-tier receiver. McVay said Monday the Rams are hopeful he plays at Philadelphia. That hope is not a chip. Check Sunday inactives. Adams is a lock and is not in this Start list either.

    Reported, Sean McVay via Adam Grosbard/Orange County Register, Sept. 28Questionable, hip. Not a Start in this column. Check Sunday inactives.

    First&One Desk

  4. Watch

    Nico Collins

    HOU · WR

    Not a Start. He is a first-tier receiver. Ryans said Monday he is hopeful Collins plays against Dallas. Hope is not a lineup order. Check Sunday inactives. Stroud is the start. Collins is the tag.

    Reported, DeMeco Ryans via Aaron Wilson/KPRC 2, Sept. 28Questionable, hamstring. Not a Start in this column. Check Sunday inactives.

    First&One Desk

  5. Watch

    Jayden Daniels

    WAS · QB

    Questionable. He is traveling to London for the Colts. Schefter reported that. Quinn has not said he will start. If he is active, he is a star and he is still not a Start chip in this column. Check Sunday inactives.

    Reported, Adam Schefter/ESPN, Sept. 29Questionable, elbow. Traveling to London. Check Sunday inactives.

    First&One Desk

  6. Watch

    Caleb Williams

    CHI · QB

    Doubtful. A Grade 2 hamstring, with doctors telling ESPN and NFL Network the usual window is three to four weeks (Sept. 27). Ben Johnson has called him week-to-week. We are not starting him, and we are not calling Sit on a player who may already be done for Sunday. Check the final designation.

    Confirmed, ESPN injury report. Grade reported by ESPN and NFL Network, Sept. 27Doubtful, hamstring. Check the final designation.

    First&One Desk

  7. Watch

    Breece Hall

    NYJ · RB

    Questionable. An MRI Monday showed the thigh injury was not as significant as feared, and he is week-to-week. That is not a start, and it is not a sit of an injured back. Check Sunday inactives before you use him against Chicago.

    Reported, Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter/ESPN, Sept. 28Questionable, thigh. Week-to-week. Check Sunday inactives.

    First&One Desk

  8. Watch

    Rico Dowdle

    PIT · RB

    Questionable, toe. He did not practice Monday or Tuesday. No one should sit him for sport, and no one should start him until Thursday's designation is final. Warren is the bold start. Dowdle is the tag.

    Confirmed, NFL.com Week 4 report and ESPN, Sept. 29–30Questionable, toe. Did not practice Monday or Tuesday. Check the final Thursday designation.

    First&One Desk

  9. Watch

    Jaylen Waddle

    DEN · WR

    Questionable for Sunday at San Francisco. He is a Bronco. The ESPN line does not name a body part, so we will not invent one. Check Sunday inactives. Sutton is the start. Waddle is the tag.

    Confirmed, ESPN injury reportQuestionable for Sunday at San Francisco. No body part on the ESPN line. Check Sunday inactives.

    First&One Desk

  10. Watch

    Mike Evans

    SF · WR

    Questionable, rib strain, day-to-day after he left the Arizona game. He is a 49er. If he is active he is a flex conversation, not a lock, and not a sit. Check Sunday inactives. Samuel is the flex that does not depend on this tag.

    Reported, Ian Rapoport/NFL Network, Sept. 28Questionable, rib strain, day-to-day. Check Sunday inactives.

    First&One Desk

  11. Watch

    Dallas Goedert

    PHI · TE

    Doubtful for Sunday against the Rams. We are not starting him and we are not sitting an injured tight end. Check inactives. The tight-end starts in this column are elsewhere.

    Confirmed, ESPN injury reportDoubtful for Sunday against the Rams. Check inactives.

    First&One Desk

  12. Watch

    Jayden Reed

    GB · WR

    Doubtful, neck. LaFleur said Monday he still has no timeline. That is not a sit of a player who may not dress, and it is not a start. Check the final designation. Kraft is the start in that offense.

    Reported, Matt LaFleur via Matt Schneidman/The Athletic, ESPN injury report Sept. 28Doubtful, neck. No return timeline from the coach. Check the final designation.

    First&One Desk

First&One fantasy calls are editorial opinions for entertainment. They are not news, not injury reports, and not a promise of points.