Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 1? Tony Pollard, Zach Charbonnet, Aaron Jones, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Dylan Sampson, Cam Skattebo, Brian Robinson Jr., Bhayshul Tuten, Quinshon Judkins

September 6, 2025

Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Tony Pollard, Aaron Jones, Zach Charbonnet, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Dylan Sampson, Cam Skattebo, Brian Robinson Jr., Bhayshul Tuten, Quinshon Judkins.

Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Tony Pollard, Aaron Jones Sr., Zach Charbonnet, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Dylan Sampson, Cam Skattebo, Brian Robinson Jr., Bhayshul Tuten, Quinshon Judkins,. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 1. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.

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Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks

Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 1:

Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard opens the 2025 season with a difficult Week 1 matchup against the Denver Broncos.

Pollard averaged 67.4 rushing yards per game last season, and he's facing a Broncos defense that allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards and fourth-fewest rushing touchdowns to opposing running backs last year.

While Denver did show some susceptibility against pass-catching backs, Pollard will likely need to touch the ball around 20 times (or score a touchdown) to make him a meaningful fantasy starter. Managers should treat him as an RB3/FLEX option heading into this weekend.

Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet will enter the season backing up Kenneth Walker III. However, Charbonnet should have stand-alone fantasy value given how much he has impressed the coaching staff. Charbonnet and the Seahawks draw a solid matchup for running backs in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2024. With how highly Seattle's coaching staff has spoken of Charbonnet this offseason, a few extra carries and targets could go a long way in Week 1. Additionally, if Charbonnet continues to play at a high level, he could eat more and more into Walker's workload.

It is difficult to get a feel for the split in this backfield, but reports suggest close to a 60/40 split in Walker's favor to begin the season. That split could approach 50/50 as the season wears on. You likely drafted Charbonnet as a bench player, but he should see enough work to merit flex consideration in Week 1 in a pinch.

Dylan Sampson, RB, Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson will make his NFL debut at home against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. Sampson, a fourth-round pick in this year's NFL draft, is expected to open the season as the team's change-of-pace back behind starter Jerome Ford.

The exact extent of Sampson's role is yet to be seen, but he could see plenty of work in the passing game in a contest where the Browns may have to pass frequently to keep up with a high-powered Cincinnati.

Dylan Sampson checks in as a Week 1 dart-throw flex option who is worth a look in deep leagues as a potential fantasy football sleeper.

Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

ESPN's Dan Graziano thinks that Jacksonville Jaguars rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten could come out of nowhere to surprise everyone in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers. Graziano doesn't think the Jaguars even know yet how their backfield will shake out in 2025.

Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby are the incumbents, but the team took both Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. in this year's draft. Graziano writes that while Etienne and Bigsby will get the first shot, the "new front office and coaching staff drafted Tuten and Allen and have plans for them."

Tuten is a "home run hitter" and is the most explosive of the group, and his explosiveness "could lead to greater opportunities sooner rather than later." The 23-year-old is an interesting watch candidate in shallow fantasy leagues to begin the season and is worth a stash in deeper leagues, especially if you already have Etienne or Bigsby rostered.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt's role in the backfield is still unclear for Week 1 against the Giants. Croskey-Merritt, or who many now refer to as "Bill," was recently listed as RB4 on the team's unofficial depth chart.

It becomes a question of whether the Washington coaching staff opts to keep four running backs active on gameday. Austin Ekeler will be in line to see most of the snaps, while Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jeremy McNichols could also be in the mix for touches and play special teams. He is the most explosive and shifty runner in Washington's running back room, which should lead to some touches even if he isn't the starter right away.

Croskey-Merritt has been one of the more trendy names of draft season, and he is one of the better upside picks to take. However, the usage is tough to predict for Week 1 and should likely stay on benches.

Who Should I Start Tool

You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.

Week 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Tony Pollard, Aaron Jones, Zach Charbonnet, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Dylan Sampson, Cam Skattebo, Brian Robinson Jr., Bhayshul Tuten, Quinshon Judkins. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 1.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.

Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players that are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.

Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.

Popular Week 1 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 1 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.

Popular Week 1 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 1 for Tony Pollard, Aaron Jones, Zach Charbonnet, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Dylan Sampson, Cam Skattebo, Brian Robinson Jr., Bhayshul Tuten, Quinshon Judkins: