Week 1 Fantasy Football Busts: Beware of Patrick Mahomes and James Cook III

Sports Week 1 Fantasy Football Busts: Beware of Patrick Mahomes and James Cook III Superstars are difficult to keep out of your fantasy lineups, but a stretch of poor games or a bad matchup warrants doing just that (or at least thinking about it). Here are five potential busts who fit that bill. For all of your final lineup decisions, be sure to check out Start 'Em, Sit 'Em and my weekly fantasy football player rankings, which are updated daily throughout the season. Fantasy Starters Who Could Bust In Week 1 Patrick Mahomes vs. Broncos (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN): Mahomes is coming off a torn ACL, so he could have a slow start to the season. What's more, his Week 1 matchup against Denver isn't favorable at all. Their defense allowed just 14.2 fantasy points per game to enemy quarterbacks in 2025, and just four beat them for multiple touchdown passes. What's more, Mahomes has averaged fewer than 15 fantasy points in his last two games against them. James Cook III at Texans (1 p.m. ET, CBS): No one is going to sit Cook, but he certainly didn't draw a great matchup in Houston. Their defense was arguably the best in the league a year ago, holding all but two backs to 85 or fewer rushing yards. The good news is that Cook did beat them for 116 rushing yards and 21.9 fantasy points in a Week 12 contest. However, that doesn't change the fact that the Texans are a seriously formidable opponent. In Week 1. Quinshon Judkins at Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of Judkins, but I know a bad matchup when I see one. He could struggle to produce this week against the Jaguars, who allowed only 11 total touchdowns and the second-fewest points to runners a season ago. The Browns are also as much as an 8.5-point underdog in this game, so their offense might have to abandon the run in the second half to try and erase a deficit. Christian Watson at Vikings (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): It'll be tough to sit Watson in the season opener, but I would temper expectations against the Vikings. No team in the league allowed fewer points to wideouts a season ago, and perimeter receivers combined to average a mere 79.3 yards per game against them. Watson has also failed to score more than 9.9 fantasy points in any of his five career games against Minnesota, so he comes with some risk. Brian Thomas Jr. vs. Browns (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Thomas was one of the biggest busts in all of fantasy football last season, so he's looking to rebound in 2026. It might be tough for him to start on a high note, though, as a tough matchup against the Browns awaits. Their defense allowed the sixth-fewest yards per game to perimeter receivers last season, and only three receivers beat them for more than 90 yards. BTJ is probably best used as a risk-reward flex option. This article was originally published on www.si.com as Week 1 Fantasy Football Busts: Beware of Patrick Mahomes and James Cook III. Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved. This story was originally published September 8, 2026 at 12:47 PM.