Week 1 is finally here! It’s time to #PropUp at ThriveFantasy and take a look at some of the props for Sunday’s action! One of my favorite things about ThriveFantasy’s Sunday contests is that they give props for games all throughout the day, so you aren’t just limited to the 1:00 and 4:25 games. Do you want the late night hammer or sweat it out all day? You can do that!
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Here are a few of my favorite props on Thrive Fantasy for Week 1!
Christian McCaffery OVER 71.5 Rushing Yards
McCaffery missed all but three games last year, but there’s no reason to think that Carolina doesn’t force feed him the ball in his return to the lineup. Sure, this line is only focused on his rushing yards, but this seems too low. Plus, you get extra points for taking the over! In his three games last year, he notched 23, 18 and 18 carries, averaging 3.81 yards per carry. The Jets allowed four yards per attempt last season and they are a bit banged up on the defensive side of the ball. Take the over here, as we may never see McCaffery’s line this low again.
Kyler Murray OVER 296.5 Passing and Rushing Yards
The over is the slight favorite here, but that’s okay with me, as 95 points is still solid. This game has the third-highest total for the week, and with the Titans having the fifth-highest implied team total, Arizona is going to have to put points up on the board. In 2020, the Titans allowed the ninth-most passing yards in the league, and allowed over four yards per carry for opposing quarterbacks. Tennessee's implied team total is just short of 27 points, and in the eight games that Arizona allowed at least 26 points in a game last year, Murray surpassed 296.5 passing and rushing yards five times. I love taking the over here.
Matthew Stafford OVER 23.5 Completions
If Jared Goff can complete 67 percent of his passes last season, despite how rough he could be at times, I’m excited for Stafford in Sean McVay’s offense. Goff only surpassed this line five times last year, but in Stafford’s debut with the Rams, I expect a lot of high-percentage passes early on to boost the confidence, and the injury to Cam Akers could lend itself to some inconsistency out of the backfield with Sony Michel and Darrell Henderson. If the Rams struggle to run the ball, expect screen passes and quick-hitters to Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp to be the de facto run game, pushing Stafford’s completions north of 23.5 on Sunday night.
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Player News
Panthers released TE Jordan Matthews.
Matthews converted to tight end a few years ago and hasn’t made much noise at the position. The change has, however, likely kept him in the league for a few more seasons. He appeared in four games with the Panthers last year but didn’t record any stats on offense. The Panthers also released or waived WR Dax Milne, C Andrew Raym, and TE Colin Granger.
Dolphins released LS Blake Ferguson.
The team also waived CB Ryan Cooper Jr., DT Neil Farrell and OL Chasen Hines. Ferguson has been the team’s long snapper for five seasons and earned a three-year contract extension just before the 2023 season. He should be able to find work snapping footballs farther than the average snap elsewhere in the league.
DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman believes rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa “could make his earliest impact on special teams.”
It’s not much of a surprise, as most rookies cut their teeth with special teams duties. Twentyman mentioned return duties as a possibility, though the former Razorback never returned kicks or punts in college. At 6'4/212 with 4.43 wheels, TeSlaa is an explosive athlete who never translated his physical traits to on-field production at Arkansas. The Lions clearly saw potential for him to do so in the pros and traded two future third-round picks to move up to No. 70 overall for him. It’s going to be a slow burn for TeSlaa in the pros, making him a dynasty-only fantasy option.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team does not “have any feelings on competition” when asked about the quarterback room.
O’Connell was asked about a potential quarterback competition on the Rich Eisen Show Wednesday and was unclear on whether J.J. McCarthy would have to compete to start. He said, “we’ve got an obligation as coaches to put our players in position to attack that competition phase.” O’Connell discussed first putting Brett Rypien and the newly acquired Sam Howell in a position to play before any competition would occur. He continued that McCarthy is “owning it” this offseason and is taking snaps from starting center Ryan Kelly. After missing last season with a torn meniscus, McCarthy has been ramping up workouts in the offseason and is the front-runner to start for the Vikings in 2025. As of now, Howell looks to be reinforcement at the backup spot in case it turns out McCarthy is not ready to start.
Texans re-signed DT Foley Fatukasi.
Fatukasi initially joined the Texans last offseason on a one-year contract. The 30-year-old was a rotational defensive lineman, tallying four tackles for loss and one sack. He returns to Houston for 2025, where he will be a part of a deep Texans front seven.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Tyreek Hill’s second wrist surgery was part of the original plan and his timeline remains unchanged.
Hill announced the second surgery on social media and Pelissero quickly added some context to the situation. The speedy receiver suffered the wrist injury just before the start of the season and it lingered throughout the year, though he never missed a game because of it. If the second surgery truly is a non-story, an offseason to recover might be what Hill needs to return to form after a down 2024 season. On the other hand, Hill is 31 years old, played his worst football last year, and his offense prioritized targets for Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane. As it stands, Hill might have the highest risk-reward split in fantasy drafts.