The Subscriber Contest: Footballguys Roundtable Week 2

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The Footballguys Subscriber Contest is a favorite among staff and subscribers. It's a free event with a $35,000 prize pool this year. We also donate $5,000 in the winner's name to a food bank in the city of their choice. 

Good times. 

Welcome to Week 2 of the 2024 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.

This week's roundtable features these four topics:

• The 49ers Backfield
• Managing September
• The Subscriber Contest (see below)
• Week 1 Minefields

Let's roll.

The Footballguys Subscriber Contest

Matt Waldman: Tell us about your entry...

• List the players
• Give a brief overview of your strategy.
• Who is the most expensive player you're excited about?
• Who is the cheapest player you're excited about?
• How did you do in Week 1?

Let's go. 

Jeff Haseley: My strategy for this contest was to load up on some big names at each position with some high-value players sprinkled in. Watching the bye weeks is critical for advancing when you need as many opportunities for points as you can get. One week with 3 or more players off could severely hamper your team.

Here's my team and their salaries. 

QB Patrick Mahomes II - $27
QB Bryce Young - $11

RB Travis Etienne Jr. - $27
RB Kenneth Walker III - $20
RB Jerome Ford - $11
RB Jaylen Wright - $7
RB Kimani Vidal - $3
RB Justice Hill - $2

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown - $34
WR Tank Dell - $18
WR Ladd McConkey - $14
WR Rashee Rice - $13
WR Khalil Shakir - $10
WR Andrei Iosivas - $5

TE Trey McBride - $24
TE Greg Dulcich - $5
TE Colby Parkinson - $3

PK Greg Zuerlein - $4
PK Jake Bates - $3

Patrick Mahomes II ($27) is my most expensive player that I am excited about. I paired him with Rashee Rice to get a stack that should pay dividends in multiple weeks. I selected Bryce Young because he was cheap and Carolina plays vs Atlanta during Mahomes' bye week 6. Hopefully, Young will do enough for me that week, if I am still alive. 

I am most excited about Justice Hill ($2) however, once Keaton Mitchell returns to action, it may result in fewer snaps for Hill. He's a $2 flyer who has paid off so far. Colby Parkinson ($3) also looks like a good value, at least until Tyler Higbee returns and possibly longer. 

I survived Week 1 with 135.05 points (cut off was 122.50) despite a low game from Mahomes, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Tank Dell. Here's hoping they'll pick up their game soon enough. 

Ryan Weisse: I had an idea to start this lineup with all the guys I thought were underpriced. After a rough Week 1, it turns out they might have been priced appropriately. I wanted three cheap starting quarterbacks and tight ends and would fill in the rest with budget picks. It seems I would have been better off paying up for some stars at each position. 

QB Bryce Young - $11 
QB Derek Carr - $11 
QB Sam Darnold - $9 
  
RB Austin Ekeler - $18 
RB Najee Harris - $17 
RB Zamir White - $16 
RB Raheem Mostert - $16 
RB Blake Corum - $11 
RB Rico Dowdle - $8 
RB Bucky Irving - $5

WR DK Metcalf - $21
WR Diontae Johnson - $17 
WR Rashee Rice - $13
WR Brandin Cooks - $12 
WR Khalil Shakir - $10 
WR Troy Franklin - $5 
WR Andrei Iosivas - $5

TE Brock Bowers - $14 
TE Tyler Conklin - $10 
TE Chigoziem Okonkwo - $9

PK Jake Bates - $3
PK Cam Little - $3

TD Atlanta Falcons - $3 
TD Las Vegas Raiders - $3

My most expensive player is DK Metcalf, and he was still in the middle of the wide receivers. I am still excited for him and Brock Bowers. Metcalf faced off against the Bronco's great young corner, Patrick Surtain II, in Week 1. That was always going to be a tough matchup. Things will get better for Metcalf. Bowers led the Raiders in targets and had the second-most targets of any tight end in Week 1.

Landing Bucky Irving for just $5 makes him one of the cheapest running backs in the contest. He looked explosive in Week 1, averaging almost seven yards per carry, and should be an excellent complement to Rachaad White. As the season moves along, Irving should see more and more work.

This team only scored 126.8 points this week, and that put me just four points above the cutline. It could be a short run this year.