Week 1's top-5 fantasy QBs averaged 31.4 points. I have a spreadsheet that tracks these and similar statistics going back to 2015. 31.4 is the highest average.
Week 1's top-5 fantasy RBs averaged 33.6 points. Again, the highest average of the past 11 years, and possibly much longer. For context, it's 6.0 points more than the 2015-2025 average.
Week 1's top-5 fantasy WRs averaged 30.9 points, which isn't the highest since 2015. But it is higher than the 2015-2025 average.
And the Week 1 top-5 TEs averaged 22.6 points, which is the highest since 2021 and more than three points higher than the 2015-2025 average.
Entering one of the most chaotic waiver periods of the season, we should recognize that this year's Week 1 was, on balance, more fantasy-friendly than ever before. It might signal that this entire season will be more fantasy-friendly. Or it could be a misleading sign.
Jalen Coker will be one of the most popular waiver adds this week. He entered Tuesday rostered in 50.7% of ESPN leagues. He led all wideouts with 33.8 points. Last year he was the WR58 in points per game. His Sunday breakout came at Tetairoa McMillan's expense. It also was due in large part to the Panthers frantically playing catch-up against a weak Bears defense -- a perfect storm of success. Yes, Coker should be rostered, but not because he's a top-20 WR. It's because he's the clear-cut #2 WR on a team that will be playing catch-up a lot.
Devaughn Vele is a similar case, operating as the temporary #2 WR in New Orleans. Managers should keep in mind that Tyler Shough threw it 56 times on Sunday. When the catch-friendly Alvin Kamara returns, and when Shough returns to roughly 28-to-32 pass attempts per game, Vele will be more of a deep-league streamer. As with Coker, he should be rostered because of his depth-chart positioning. But the conditions that made him a fantasy hero in Week 1 won't easily be replicated.
Mike Gesicki is a more extreme case. I've heard from several of you who are planning to pick him up. Consider that against Tampa Bay, he led Cincinnati in targets and receiving yards while netting their only TD reception. Tee Higgins was quiet. Ja'Marr Chase shockingly was quieter. Last year Gesicki never had more than six targets and cleared 47 yards only once. If he wasn't rosterable in 2025, then nothing notable has changed since then to merit rostering him.
When a secondary or tertiary offensive option breaks out -- and if it's not because a starter is hurt -- there are often multiple reasons for it, and those reasons generally aren't sustainable.
If you're desperate for a starting WR or TE in Week 2, or even if you're trying to pad your bench, you could do a lot worse than Coker, Vele, and Gesicki. Simply remember that next week at this time, we could have the same conversation about a whole new batch of trendy waiver adds. Because Week 1 doesn't tell us enough about Week 2 and beyond. And based on historical numbers, this year's surprising Week 1 stars probably have inflated values compared to previous years' surprising Week 1 stars.
So if you don't have any glaring holes, it's okay to sit and wait. Coker, Vele, and Gesicki are more "gap fillers" than building blocks for a championship.
---
* Today's FF4W podcast, episode 254: "Jaylen Waddle" -- podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fantasy-football-for-winners/id1800490745
* Sign up for Text Anytime ($30/month):
(1) Venmo -- venmo.com/u/ff4winners
(2) Cash App -- cash.app/$ff4winners
(3) PayPal -- paypal.me/bjrudell