In today’s Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Mike’s Hard Lemonade:

You would think that this would be the calm before the storm.

Preseason football is over. Our first game is still a few days away. Things will probably stay quiet until week 1 kicks off… right?

Wrong.

There has been a major shakeup in the Kansas City Chiefs backfield over the past few days, with some pretty major implications for the fantasy world.

Last week KC RB signed Together Perine from the Free Agent pile after being released by the Denver Broncos.

Yesterday it was announced that Clyde Edwards-Helaire will miss at least the first four games of the season as he has been placed on the reserve/non-football sick list.

We now have a new direct backup for Isaac PachecoIf something were to happen to Pacheco, Perine would likely lead the backfield in touches.

But this goes beyond just contingent value. Perine is an extremely good pass-catcher and could easily provide Jerick McKinnon-like production as a regular contributor in passing situations.

There’s no reason to fear Pacheco — he’ll get as much rushing work as he can handle — but Perine quickly went from an afterthought in the Broncos’ backfield to an indispensable player as the No. 2 player in the best offense in football.

For more early Week 1 waiver additions, check out Kendall’s piece below…

What else is in today’s newsletter?

• Kendall Valenzuelas Week 1 Waiver Wire
• Water cooler: Injury news
• Ian Hartitz’s Sheesh Report

Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

Congratulations everyone! You’ve officially made it to Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. We’re finally here, which means most of your fantasy football teams have been drafted.

You’ve worked hard, so take another victory lap and give your roster one last look. I hope you got the quarterback of your dreams, the best value picks available, and the late-round running back that’s sure to win your league.

Draft season may be over, but the fun part is just beginning. What now?

Waivers, baby! Now is the time to be a real fantasy manager. We know how the season is going to go. There will inevitably be injuries, usage changes, and players seemingly coming out of “nowhere.”

This will be your guide to the 2024 fantasy football season. Each week I will highlight the biggest waiver wire targets worth claiming, players to keep on your radar, and also the recommended FAAB. Most importantly, WE NEVER GIVE UP. Injuries happen, but we can come out of anything. It’s a fresh start, a new season… so let’s get started.

Samaje Perine, RB – Chiefs (3% on Yahoo)

As Pete mentioned above, this could be the waiver wire pickup of the week, so don’t miss out.

The Kansas City Chiefs drafted running back Clyde Edwards–Helaire on the reserve list for sick/non-football players, which means he will miss the first four games of the season (at least).

To me this means that the Together Perine The signing was more than just a depth addition. Add to that the fact that the Chiefs were reportedly trying to Josh Jacobs during the off-season and we have to conclude that perhaps Isaiah from Pacheco The workload will not increase for him this season.

Perine will look to take over the passing-down and third-down roles we saw Jerick McKinnon have in 2023. Pacheco is of course the team’s RB1, but Perine is now a solid backup to target on the waiver wire this week.

Jaleel McLaughlin, RB – Broncos (33% on Yahoo)

So, Javonte Williams wasn’t deleted (LOL), but that doesn’t mean we should stop looking for value in this backfield. Jaleel McLaughlin is the team’s No. 2 RB, giving him a chance at relevance.

Last season he averaged 5.4 yards per carry, better than Williams (3.6) and Together Perine (4.5). He also ranked second among running backs in targets per route run, which is a sign that the coaching staff was ready and willing to give him the ball when he was on the field.

With Perine out of the picture, Williams could be the one to get the spotlight in two-minute situations. Even though he’s the lead back, there’s no guarantee he’ll do the bulk of the work. I really like McLaughlin this season, with a bigger role on the horizon.

Fantasy Life predicts McLaughlin will score 525 rushing yards, 241 receiving yards and five total touchdowns.

More additions ahead of week 1

🍋 Fancy an ice cold Mike’s Hard Lemonade?

Ask yourself this question: Was your day hard enough?

Slow drafts that never end, draft rooms getting finished, lopsided trade offers, that one leaguemate who’s always so extra… we know living a fantasy life is hard and Hard days deserve a hard lemonade.

To find a Mike’s near you, go to www.MikesHard.com.

The latest fantasy trivia, nonsense and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds:

📈 Utilization forecasts for the 2024 season. Let’s get ahead of the game.

😆 The 5 Phases of a Fantasy Football Draft. Check out.

🐬 One Miami Dolphin in every draft. Always a good rule.

❌ No tweets from the press box in Brazil?! What a wild bunch.

🚑️ An injury worth keeping an eye on. The JSN season is here.

🤯 Josh Jacobs almost ended up in which team?? Wild.

⚔️ Discussions about RB depth charts. What to do with the Steelers, Titans and Cowboys?

Sheesh Report!: Reliving fantasy nightmares?

There will be all sorts of “Sheesh!” moments to analyze in a week. From dropped TDs to voided scores to just about everything Kadarius Toney does: Fantasy managers are about to face a LOT of incredibly game-changing moments where things almost go wrong.

But before that: We still have a chance to learn from two particularly tasteless 2024 standings that revolve around unrealized air yards and goal-line TDs. After all, what’s the point of reliving our fantasy nightmares if we don’t learn something along the way?

🤦 Unrealized airspaces

Air yards measure the distance a random pass travels (wait for it) through the air. By subtracting yards after the catch from each player’s total receiving yards before taking the difference from total air yards, we can determine exactly how many air opportunities a player didn’t have for one reason or another.

Sometimes unrealized airspaces look more like “prayer rooms” because the pass was not really catchable in the first place, while other times a bad drop is the culprit. Sharpening the old film helps identify these types of situations.

Anyway, here are the top 10 WRs who had the most unrealized air yards last season:

While guys like Adams, Ridley, Wilson, Diggs and McLaurin indeed have new and (perhaps) improved QBs under center for 2024, the rest of the group will have to ride or die with the same quarterback who produced all this shit last season.

New year, new fantasy results. Just think how much cooler it would be if all parties involved could come to a resolution and, you know, score more fantasy points this season.

🤏 So close, yet so far away

Getting all the way to the one-yard line and not scoring a touchdown is objectively a sad feeling, especially when fantasy managers are forced to go to a different player screams the TD on the very first play (looking at you, Taysom Hill).

Here are the players who were stopped at the one-yard line at least five times in 2023 and then failed to score a touchdown on that same drive:

These totals also include the number of times a player was stopped just short of the goal line during the same drive, which explains why a certain ex-Eagles RB didn’t lead the way.

Naturally, Saquon-Barkley is the new man in charge of pushing Jalen hurts‘tush if the Eagles reach the opponent’s one-yard line. Unfortunately (for fantasy managers), this trajectory has resulted in Eagles RBs ranking 30th in carries from the one (10) over the past three seasons, but intriguingly they rank 10th First in rushing attempts from their opponent’s 2-5 yard line during this period.

Bark should get at least one chance to score if the Eagles cross the goal line—he better make use of it.