Week 1 Fantasy Football Starts and Sits: The Phinest Insights

We already got a taste of some football action with the Thursday Night Game that got everything started! The Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys had some surprise fantasy production come out of the game. Jalen Hurts did his usual thing of using his legs to score for fantasy managers, posting 24.3 fantasy points on the night. Hurts ran the ball 14 times for 62 yards and two touchdowns. Cowboys running back Javonte Williams was also a nice surprise. He scored two touchdowns during the contest and posted 18.4 fantasy points from the contest.

Friday night, we got the Los Angeles Chargers taking on NFC West division rival Kansas City Chiefs. Everyone was excited to see what Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy could do as the WR1. Unfortunately, he ended up colliding with Travis Kelce on a crossing route. Worthy would be lost for the rest of the game thereafter. Marquise Brown took over the top receiver role. He caught 10 passes for 99 yards. His performance on 16 targets earned him nearly 20 fantasy points. Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston was all but left for dead this offseason. He re-emerged during the game leading all Chargers receivers in yards (79) and touchdowns (2). Don’t be surprised if you see him at the top of waiver wire articles for Week 2.

With all this football going on, there are still adjustments to be made in lineups. Here are some more options for fantasy managers heading into Sunday’s matchups.

Week 1 Starts and Sits

Quarterbacks

Starts

Michael Penix vs. TB

Michael Penix debuts this season as the starter for the Atlanta Falcons. What better way to set the tone? He starts by going up against an NFC South division rival. His opponent is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Week 1. Penix gets a defense in the Bucs that allowed 21 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks last season. The Bucs allowed 261 yards per game through the air and gave up 27 touchdowns to quarterbacks. Hopefully, Penix can take advantage of these weaknesses in the Bucs armor. He has a fully healthy offense led by Drake London. Bijan Robinson is also leading the offense.

Geno Smith vs. NE

The Raiders’ new quarterback, Geno Smith, looks to turn around the franchise after being traded from Seattle this offseason. Smith was a top 15 fantasy quarterback in 2024. Smith averaged 15.6 fantasy points per game and threw for a completion rate of 70.4. The Patriots are no sweet out as they held opposing quarterbacks to just 17.1 fantasy points per game. The Raiders’ offense looks to be more dynamic now. There are new additions like Ashton Jeanty. The Patriots will be without star cornerback Christian Gonzalez, as he’s been ruled OUT with a hamstring injury.

Honorable Mention: Matthew Stafford vs. HOU

Sit

Justin Fields vs. PIT

Justin Fields has some amazing potential for the 2025 season. But going up against the Pittsburgh Steelers for his first outing, against his former team might not pan out well. Fields will face off against a Steelers defense that revamped it’s secondary this offseason. With the additions of corners Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay, Fields might rely on dump off passes. He may also choose to take off running himself. Fields will generally have upside because of his rushing ability. However, it’s a tall order to expect more against this kind of opponent.

Honorable Mention: Cam Ward vs. DEN

Wide Receivers

Start

Tetairoa McMillan vs. JAX

Tetairoa McMillan is the crown jewel of the Panthers passing attack for the 2025 season. Investing a top 10 draft pick to bring him to Carolina, McMillan should see a huge target share this year. The Jaguars were not stellar against opposing wide receivers last year. They gave up 38 fantasy points per game to the position. This was the fourth-most for fantasy defense. The Panthers are expecting big things for this Bryce Young/Tetairoa McMillan combo. It might get off to a good start when facing the Jaguars to start the season.

Jaylen Waddle vs. IND

The target share pool was already substantial with a healthy Tua Tagoviloa on the field. With Darren Waller dealing with a hip injury and already ruled OUT for Week 1, the target share goes up. Waddle may be the number two wide receiver on the depth chart. He should be able to feast on the Indianapolis Colts secondary in Week 1. The Colts allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to wide receivers in 2024. They also gave up 151 yards per game to opposing wide receivers. The Dolphins are one of the more pass-heavy teams in the league. Expect Waddle to be involved early and often.

Honorable Mention: Marvin Harrison Jr. vs. NO

Sit

Garrett Wilson vs. PIT

Wilson could be skating uphill this week as the Jets take on the Steelers for Week 1. The Jets also want to be a run-heavy team as they have talked about that all offseason. Wilson will still see solid volume as the best (and only) pass-catching option for the Jets. However, the matchup isn’t great. As mentioned before (see: Justin Fields), Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay are now lurking in the secondary for the Steelers. The Jets want to run the ball. Justin Fields is likely to play the short game or run it himself. This isn’t the greatest of matchups to start the season.

Honorable Mention: Cooper Kupp vs. SF

Running Backs

Start

Alvin Kamara vs. ATL

We got word that Alvin Kamara was going to see a big workload this season. Who knew, right? Kamara has a great chance to post an impressive performance against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. Goal line work shouldn’t be a problem either with “do-all back” Taysom Hill out for the season. Kamara averaged 4.2 yards per attempt last season but led all running backs in targets with 89. Kamara gets a Falcons defense that allowed nearly 22 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. Volume and involvement in the passing game will be the keys to success for Kamara in Week 1.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. vs. WAS

The running back battle is over. Tracy secured the RB1 spot for the Giants over rookie running back Cam Skattebo. He gets a juicy matchup against the New York Giants. The Commanders allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs last season. That is the fifth-most among fantasy defenses. The Commanders also allowed 113.8 yards per game on the ground. Tracy also finished last season with 53 targets, showcasing his potential involvement in the Giants passing game. The Giants upgraded to Russell Wilson over Daniel Jones which should improve the Giants passing attack this season.

Honorable Mention: David Montgomery vs. GB

Sit

Jerome Ford vs. CIN

Ford heads into Week 1 as the top option for the Cleveland Browns. Ford was a decent fantasy option when he was the starter last season after Nick Chubb went down. And Ford did average 5.4 yards per carry last season. The Bengals are an average defense fantasy running backs, ranking 15th in fantasy points allowed to the position. However, this could be a game that gets out of hand early. Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense will have to score a lot of points. This pressure could force the Browns into more passing situations to keep up.

Honorable Mention:

Tight Ends

Start

David Njoku vs. CIN

David Njoku’s presence with Joe Flacco needs to be studied. With Flacco under center, Njoku finished the 2023 season strong, averaging 21.8 fantasy points per game from Weeks 14-17. Njoku also averaged nearly 10 targets per game with Flacco throwing passes. The Bengals were weak against defending tight ends last season, allowing 16.6 fantasy points per game. That was the most among fantasy defenses. Njoku has the volume and the matchup to put up numbers in Week 1.

Sit

Juwan Johnson vs. AZ

The Arizona Cardinals were one of the better units at defending the tight end position. The Cardinals allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to the position last season. Johnson also doesn’t have a stellar quarterback to rely on with Spencer Rattler as the QB1. Johnson could have some sleeper appeal later in the season if he can work well in Kellen Moore’s offense. Until we see that, fantasy managers might want to look for better options.