QB:
Jayden Daniels, Washington–With Washington’s running game still a little suspect, it makes sense that Daniels will have to do most of the heavy lifting. Making his case even better is that the Giants have a solid pass rush, which might require him to use his mobility even more than usual. Look for Daniels to lead the Commanders with 250 yards passing to go along with 50 yards rushing and at least one touchdown in the air and one on the ground.
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay–Tampa and Atlanta always seem to have high-scoring games as the Buccaneers never seem to take their foot off the gas pedal when they have a divisional opponent on the ropes. What I like so much about Tampa Bay this week is that their route tree is very concentrated with all the injuries they have, so Baker will force feed the ball to Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka, who have plus matchups against the Falcons mediocre secondary. Lock Baker in for 250 yards and two TDs.
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville–This is the first game for Lawrence and the Jaguars under a brand-new regime. Luckily for the Jaguars, they get to play the Panthers, who have a lot of issues on defense. Lawrence should have plenty of time in the pocket, and he should be able to make some big plays downfield to the tune of 245 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Daniel Jones, Indianapolis–Is there a world where Daniel Jones shocks everyone and plays well and leads the Colts to victory? That world is possible as Miami’s defense doesn’t have great secondary play. Jones underperformed in New York, but Indianapolis brought him in to be the starter, and he’s got some terrific skill players around him. He’s going to lead Indianapolis to a shocking victory as he throws for 230 yards and 1 touchdown and runs for another 40 yards.
Honorable Mention: Joe Flacco, Drake Maye
RB:
De’Von Achane, Miami–Fantasy Football: Doc’s Visionary Plays for Week 1, 2025Absolutely no one is talking about Achane, instead preferring to talk about rookie Ollie Gordon. We don’t know anything about Gordon at this point. Could he get 5 carries? Could he get 10? What we do know is that Achane has a great relationship with Tua, and every time they play together, he seems to get another 6 to 8 receptions. Achane should get 60 to 70 yards rushing and another 8 receptions for 50 yards or so, making him one of the possible top fantasy plays of the week.
Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas–People seem to be enamored with Omarion Hampton of the Los Angeles Chargers and the other young running backs, but I’m not sure why more people are not talking more about Jeanty in Las Vegas. The Raiders are going to lean on him, and he is clearly the bell cow of their offense. I would be shocked if he doesn’t get 20 rushing attempts as well as maybe 3 to 4 targets out of the backfield. He’s also one of the safer bets of the week to score a touchdown. Jeanty should have about 15 to 18 fantasy points this week.
James Conner, Arizona–It really feels like Arizona is on the precipice of becoming a playoff team in the NFC. For this to happen, they are going to need to win road games that are winnable, just like this one against New Orleans. Connor should have about 20 to 24 touches and should easily have chances to score. Let’s put him down for 90 yards and a touchdown with a chance for more.
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans–With the Saints likely playing from behind, Spencer Rattler will have little choice but to throw the ball in the second half. Nobody is better in garbage time production than Kamara, who always seems to get 6 or 7 receptions late in the game when New Orleans is behind. He feels like a lock for 100 total yards from scrimmage with a good shot at a touchdown.
Honorable Mention: Jonathan Taylor, Jahmyr Gibbs
WR:
Brian Thomas, Jr., Jacksonville–The beautiful thing about Brian Thomas Jr. is that the Jaguars can move him around. He’ll play a little bit on the outside; he’ll play a little bit in the slot and basically be all over the field. He could be the fantasy star of the week, as he goes for well over 100 yards and a touchdown.
Nico Collins, Houston–It was recently reported that Christian Kirk is dealing with an injury, which leaves Collins starting along with a bunch of rookies. The Rams have a very strong pass rush, but they are weak in the secondary, and my guess is that Stroud will pepper Collins with targets all game long. Look for him to have over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown.
Drake London, Atlanta–Darnell Mooney is just returning from an injury, and Kyle Pitts cannot be trusted, making London the clear alpha receiver for Atlanta. It wouldn’t shock me to see him get at least a dozen targets and maybe more in a game that should be wide open. Look for him to have about 20 fantasy points and be one of the big fantasy players of the week.
Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay—Egbuka is getting the opportunity to start because of the injuries to both Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan. But even more so, he’s getting this opportunity because he earned it in training camp. Baker Mayfield had wonderful things to say about him, saying that he was playing more like a veteran than a rookie already. If the Falcons key in on Mike Evans, Baker Mayfield will look for Egbuka to be open over the middle. I think he goes for about 13 fantasy points with the possibility of more if he can score.
Honorable Mention: Josh Downs, Tetairoa McMillan
TE:
Trey McBride, Arizona–McBride is a target monster who Kyler Murray always seems to find whenever Arizona needs a big first down. New Orleans has struggled in the past against opposing tight ends, so look for McBride to have about 12 to 14 fantasy points this week.
George Kittle, San Francisco–With San Francisco suffering so many injuries to their receivers, they are down to Ricky Pearsall and George Kittle as their main two guys. There are some weeks where Kittle may only have four or five catches, but two of those catches go for touchdowns. It feels like one of those weeks for Kittle as he should find the end zone.
David Njoku, Cleveland–I’m not sure there’s a tight end with a better matchup than David Njoku against Cincinnati. Cincinnati struggled mightily stopping tight ends last season, and Njoku was arguably Cleveland’s most reliable target. Joe Flacco will love throwing him the ball in the red zone, and Njoku should be able to score at least once in a high-scoring game.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville–Liam Cohen showed that he can use the tight end effectively, as he proved last year with Cade Otton in Tampa. Strange is a very big target, especially in the red zone, and Trevor Lawrence showed that he doesn’t mind throwing him the ball in tight spots. Look for him to have 50 receiving yards and score a touchdown on Sunday.
Honorable Mention: Zach Ertz, Tucker Kraft
