Welcome to our Friday vibes! We do a lot of Very Serious Fantasy Football Content™ here at Optimus Fantasy. We’re here to help you win in fantasy football, of course. We still do that in this piece, but we were all football fans first and foremost before we joined the fantasy football industry. So, what are we looking forward to this weekend? What storylines are we following in Week 1? Where are our heads about our favorite teams? What are we looking forward to in fantasy this weekend?

We’ll explore those burning questions and more in this column all season. From the Optimus staff to you, here are our Friday Vibes!

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Lou Brunson:

So many questions, and so little space for answers! Does training camp matter at all for what I otherwise expect to be a killer passing offense for Matthew Stafford and the Rams? Is the progress we saw from Bryce Young last year real, and will the Carolina offense look real this year as a result? Will Patrick Mahomes rediscover the deep ball of his early years and remake the Chiefs into an explosive offense once again? Is that Pittsburgh offense really going to look as rough as it feels like it will with The Crypt Keeper Aaron Rodgers at the helm? At the end of the day, we’ll get answers to questions we didn’t even ask, and I’m thrilled that one of our 17 data points has been kicked off. Finally, football’s back, baby! 

Evan Sather:

How bad is the Saints offense really going to be this season? Sure, they’re starting Spencer Rattler at quarterback, and they also have: Alvin Kamara to wreak havoc, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed as two solid sets of hands, followed up with Juwan Johnson as a safety blanket at tight end that angers fantasy managers when he snipes a touchdown from another Saints player. Are these guys the most exciting offensive weapons on paper? No, of course not. Will the new additions to the Arizona Cardinals make them better than a mid-tier defense? Probably not. The fantasy football community is too low on Alvin Kamara.

Nate Polvogt:

It’s hard not to be a homer when you’re team could actually be good, and that’s where I’m at this weekend. I’ll be paying extra attention to the Denver Broncos, specifically on the offensive side of the ball, on Sunday. The biggest question I have is whether sophomore QB Bo Nix can build on what I would call a successful rookie campaign. Then the RBs, of course, are a mystery as well. Will it be a J.K. Dobbins grindfest, or will rookie R.J. Harvey play an immediate, impactful role? And of course, we all want to know: is Courtland Sutton indeed an elite WR, or a one-hit-wonder? We’ll likely have    

Carly Manger:

One of the biggest things I’ll be watching this weekend is how teams actually use their running backs. Preseason unofficial depth charts and coach-speak are one thing, but those first few drives tell the real story. Who’s getting the early-down work? Who’s trusted in pass protection? Who’s on the field in the red zone? Those little details can swing fantasy value in a huge way, especially in crowded backfields. A surprise starter or goal-line role showing up in September can be the difference between rostering a league-winner or a wasted spot. (This is a Bill Croskey-Merritt post.)

Bryan Rockwood:

I am incredibly curious as to how this Green Bay wide receiver room is going to look in Week 1. With injuries, a large depth chart, and a significant upgrade on the defense, I’m unsure how reliable this WR room is in fantasy. Matthew Golden feels like the betting favorite for the WR1 – but how good is he really?

Kevin Tompkins:

I’m excited to see the route percentages of all of the rookie pass-catchers in Week 1. Players who secure the immediate Week 1 role often become huge all-season producers, such as Malik Nabers, Brock Bowers, Ladd McConkey, Xavier Worthy, and Brian Thomas. Additionally, other rookies who made an impact throughout the season, including Jalen McMillan and Ricky Pearsall, who made his debut in Week 7, are notable examples. Players like Tetairoa McMillan, Luther Burden, Matthew Golden, Emeka Egbuka, Jayden Higgins and Elic Ayomanor could all see 75-percent routes or better in Week 1, where our opinion and perception of them is exponentially bullish in the lead-up to Week 2 versus our thinking of them before Week 1’s games.

Mike Vadala:

The 2024 wide receiver class entered the league with a bang. I’m excited to see Malik Nabers, Ladd McConkey, Marvin Harrison, and Brian Thomas Jr. follow up their already impressive rookie campaigns. Nabers’ offseason injury concerns and Harrison Jr.’s decision to bulk up in the offseason will both be watched with great intrigue. McConkey and Thomas Jr. both have new target competition in town, so it will be interesting to see if all of these second-year receivers can maintain their rookie-year production.

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