🏈 Week 1 Fantasy Mega-Preview

Check out the Start/Sit tool for all of your tough Week 1 lineup decisions!

Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Week 1 Starts, Sits, and Sleepers

Quarterbacks

Start: Drake Maye (vs. Raiders) offers excellent rushing upside, and he is facing a defense that does not pose an immense threat outside of Maxx Crosby. This game is projected to be high-scoring and competitive, and we are projecting that aforementioned game script to be conducive to Drake Maye's success.

Start: Kyler Murray (vs. Saints) offers lots of production in the run game, and he is taking on the worst team in the NFL in the Saints. If you drafted Kyler Murray, there is no reason to not start him in Week 1 unless you have one of the top-tier studs as well.

Sleeper: Bryce Young (vs. Jaguars) came alive towards the end of last season, and he has an excellent matchup with Jacksonville in Week 1. He offers some rushing ability, and if you are in a pinch, Bryce Young is a sleeper quarterback with a large ceiling this week.

Running Backs

Start: R.J. Harvey (vs. Titans) is ranked as our RB20 this week in the WalterPicks app, six spots ahead of J.K. Dobbins. In PPR formats, Harvey has a great ceiling given his pass-catching prowess and dynamic talent. Start Harvey if you drafted him.

Start: Omarion Hampton (vs. Chiefs) is someone you drafted to play. Najee Harris is likely to see some work, but Hampton is the more talented back, and Coach Harbaugh will be calling upon him heavily in his pro debut against the Chiefs. He is our RB18 on the week.

Sleeper: Tyrone Tracy Jr. (vs. Commanders) is not a flashy running back play, but he has a nice floor against the Commanders, and he has a good chance of garnering 12-15 touches in this matchup and a goal line opportunity or two. You can start Tracy with a decent amount of confidence.

Wide Receivers

Start: Matthew Golden (vs. Lions) is likely to be Jordan Love’s top target in Week 1 against the Lions. This matchup has a huge over/under, and we are projecting Golden to be one of the reasons for that. He is our WR36 on the week.

Start: Jerry Jeudy (vs. Bengals) has an excellent matchup with Cincinnati. He is someone we recommend prioritizing in your lineup against one of the worst secondaries in the NFL. He is projected as our WR19 on the week, ahead of players like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, DJ Moore, and Marvin Harrison Jr.

Sleeper: Cedric Tillman (vs. Bengals) is someone you can start this week. When he was last healthy, he was a dominant force, and we are projecting him to be capable of similar production this season, particularly in this advantageous matchup.

Tight Ends

Start: Tyler Warren (vs. Dolphins) is making his pro debut this week, and we are projecting him to make an immediate impact. He is Walter's TE9 on the week, and he could easily be the most targeted weapon on the Indianapolis offense.

Sleeper: Brenton Strange (vs. Panthers) is a great sleeper option at tight end. In deep leagues, Strange is someone to consider starting if you do not have one of the top-tier options. He can easily be the second option on the offense, and he has a good matchup with Carolina.

Things to Watch Closely for Fantasy in Week 1

• The workload split between De'Von Achane and Ollie Gordon II

• Dont'e Thornton's target share for Las Vegas

• The Commanders backfield (is Bill Croskey-Merritt legit?)

• Rookie running backs in their backfields (TreVeyon Henderson, Kaleb Johnson, R.J. Harvey, and Dylan Sampson)

• The target distribution for Buffalo

• Adam Thielen's role in the Minnesota offense

• The Lions offense without Ben Johnson and two of their starting offensive linemen from last season

• Is there a second fantasy-relevant pass-catcher in Pittsburgh?

• Is this Kyle Pitts year?

• Emeka Egbuka, Matthew Golden, and Tet McMillan's debuts

DFS Favorites

These are some of the players Walter recommends prioritizing in your FanDuel and DraftKings lineups.

Ricky Pearsall, FD price: $5,300 DK Price: $4,500, has an excellent ROI against Seattle as one of Brock Purdy's only targets. Play Pearsall with confidence.

Chris Olave, FD Price: $5,900 DK Price: $5,100, is the top target for New Orleans against the Cardinals. He is not a sexy pick, but he will be low-owned and can dominate a matchup, given how talented he is.

Joe Flacco, FD Price: $6,600 DK Price: $4,900, has a stellar matchup with Cincinnati in Week 1. The Browns will be forced to play catch-up all game long, and the Bengals defense is very susceptible to allowing massive performances from opposing offenses (long-winded way of saying they are BAD). He is a cheap option that is worth stacking with Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, or David Njoku.

The Rams Defense, FD Price: $3,700 DK Price: $3,400 are a sneaky good option against the Texans. Their defensive line is very strong, and the Texans offensive line is very weak. They have great turnover potential and are a unit to target.

To see the rest of our 30+ DFS favorites, look at our DFS Optimizer and DFS Favorites tools in the WalterPicks app!

My Favorite Upset Pick of Week 1

Panthers to beat the Jaguars on the road.

Odds: +160

Spread: Jax -3.5

Reasoning: My reasoning for this upset pick boils down to one major reason. These teams are very similar. Both have weak defenses, and the offenses are also reminiscent of each other. It is also worth noting that the Jaguars do not possess a very impressive home field advantage. Give me the Panthers to win this matchup against Liam Coen in his head coaching debut.