Week 1’s Patriots-Raiders tilt features a rare cross-team tie-in: nine players once wore both uniforms, shaping Week 1 depth charts and fantasy upside. Jakobi Meyers anchors the Raiders’ passing game while Mack Hollins, Austin Hooper, Thayer Munford Jr., Ben Brown, K’Lavon Chaisson and Robert Spillane bring Patriots familiarity to the field; Antonio Mafi, Adam Butler and Elandon Roberts fill Raiders’ interior or edge roles with veteran experience.

Fantasy takeaway centers on Hollins and Hooper as Week 1 safety valves for New England, Meyers as a high-floor threat for Las Vegas, and Chaisson/Spillane as opportunistic depth pieces. Monitor practice-squad movements and how both teams deploy these crossover veterans in the opener for immediate value and rostering leverage.

Patriots add Will Campbell, Jared Wilson and Marcus Bryant to a reshaped 2025 offensive line, with Wilson moving to left guard and Brown battling for the same spot. Campbell is pegged as the likely starter at left tackle, while Morgan Moses holds the right edge and Bradbury is expected to anchor center. Campbell’s status tightens the left side, as Brown’s summer performance keeps the door ajar. Vrabel won’t name an official five ahead of the opener against the Raiders, emphasizing competition and daily improvement.

Two Tuesday MLB bets center on interleague firepower and pitching duels. Cubs at Blue Jays features Ben Brown against Jose Berrios, with Brown’s road woes and Berrios’ home vulnerabilities guiding a First Five-run parlay and Addison Barger's hit prop, plus Kyle Tucker’s big-game upside versus Berrios for additional bases. A second, Pirates at Brewers tilt spins around Paul Skenes vs Freddy Peralta, focusing on a no-more-than-four-run F5 and Freddy’s strikeout ceiling. The plays hinge on early offense, park factors, and bullpen mix, offering sharp leverage for fantasy-minded bettors and DFS lineups alike.

In the Toronto clash, Brown’s 6.04 ERA and lefty-hit meltdown potential clash with Berrios’ deceptive 3.89 ERA and elevated barrel rate. Barger's success against righties at home makes him a solid F5-hit prop, while Tucker’s success vs Berrios (career impact in limited PAs) adds a homer/extra-base angle. The Brewers-Pirates set pairs Skenes’ sub-2.00 ERA with Peralta’s home-leaning numbers, yielding a lower-scoring F5 and a high-strikeout upside for the Brewers’ ace. Overall, Tuesday’s card blends deliberate risk with upside in two distinct dfs-friendly narratives.

Ben Brown's recent outing against the St. Louis Cardinals showcased the stark contrast of his performance as he struggled with control and execution. After an encouraging beginning, a couple of pivotal moments unraveled his game, culminating in four home runs allowed, leading to an 8-2 loss for the Cubs. Two-run blasts by Lars Nootbaar and Willson Contreras highlighted Brown's inconsistency. This marked the highest earned runs allowed by a Cubs starter since Jon Lester in 2020.

Brown acknowledged his frustration, expressing the difficulty of maintaining a consistent performance. Manager Craig Counsell emphasized the importance of growth for the young pitcher, indicating that the potential is there, but execution needs refinement. With competition for rotation spots intensifying, a demotion to Triple-A could be in Brown's near future, allowing him the opportunity to recalibrate before returning to the major leagues.

Shota Imanaga, the ace left-handed pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, is making strides towards recovery from a hamstring injury that sidelined him since May 4. Known for his impressive 2.82 ERA over 44.2 innings, Imanaga's return would significantly bolster a Cubs rotation that has been plagued with injuries. However, his comeback will necessitate crucial decisions regarding the team's starting lineup.

Ben Brown, a right-handed pitcher struggling with a 5.57 ERA this season, may be the one to lose his spot in the rotation. Recent reports suggest the Cubs should send him to Triple-A Iowa for further development, particularly after Cade Horton’s more consistent performances in his MLB debut. This transition could allow Brown to regroup and refine his skills in hopes of rejoining the big league roster.