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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Michael Penix Jr., Cam Ward, Matthew Stafford, Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, Geno Smith, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, Daniel Jones, Bo Nix.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Michael Penix Jr., Cam Ward, Matthew Stafford, Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, Geno Smith, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, Daniel Jones, Bo Nix. 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.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
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:
Michael Penix Jr., QB, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will make just the fourth start of his professional career on Sunday, coming into the Week 1 contest with a 58.1 percent completion percentage and a 3:3 TD:INT.
While that may not inspire confidence, the former eighth-overall draft pick has had plenty of time to prepare for the home matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that ranked third-worst in terms of passing yards per game (245.3) and allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing signal callers in 2024.
However, the Bucs' pass defense will be healthier than they were last season, will have added veteran linebacker Haason Reddick, and the Falcons will be without starting right tackle Kaleb McGary and backup Storm Norton, leaving the 25-year-old's blind side to third-stringer Elijah Wilkinson. Mix in a banged-up Darnell Mooney (shoulder), and the University of Washington product should be considered a low-end QB2 in Week 1.
Cam Ward, QB, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans quarterback Cameron Ward opens his NFL career on the road against the Denver Broncos in Week 1. This matchup would have an unfavorable outlook for any quarterback, and that's especially true with a rookie who has not yet played a regular-season snap.
While Ward did show that he can handle tough matchups in college, a Broncos defense led by Patrick Surtain II and Nik Bonitto is a whole different beast. Fantasy managers should expect that Denver will implement a game plan intended to rattle Ward early.
Whether that game plan is effective remains to be seen, but with such a difficult matchup waiting for him, Ward can be left on the bench in most fantasy leagues this week.
Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is healthy for the 2025 season, and he'll have some low-end fantasy appeal when he takes the field in Week 1 against the Houston Texans.
While Stafford lacks the rushing upside needed to be a top fantasy quarterback, his strong and accurate arm puts him in the conversation as a starter in two-quarterback leagues. The Texans ranked near the middle of the league in most metrics against quarterbacks last year, although their 19 interceptions did rank second-most in the NFL.
However, Stafford has a track record of playing clean, turnover-free football, so this matchup isn't a major concern. The presence of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams should elevate his game (and his fantasy production) in Week 1.
Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is not worth starting in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers project to have a solid defense with coordinator Robert Saleh back in the fold, and it remains to be seen if Darnold's breakout season in 2024 was a mirage.
However, Darnold's level of play is worth monitoring in Week 1. He is joining an offense coordinated by Klint Kubiak with ties back to Darnold's year in San Francisco as a backup quarterback. The offense is going to play to Darnold's strengths, and he could very well succeed at a high level this season. Darnold is coming off a season in which he was the QB9 in Minnesota.
While we certainly do not expect that of Darnold without wide receiver Justin Jefferson in 2025, he could still be an excellent streamer or QB2. Watch Darnold closely in Week 1. Even solid success against the 49ers' defense would suggest that we are in for another season of fantasy fun with the eight-year veteran.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will take the field for the first time in black and gold against the New York Jets in Week 1. While Rodgers will surely be motivated to face the team he spent the last two seasons with, this simply isn't a matchup to target for fantasy production.
The Jets surrendered the fifth-fewest passing yards and 11th-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2024, and they were even tougher on the position the year prior. In addition, this contest carries the lowest-projected point total of the week.
All things considered, Rodgers was solid last season, but he scored as a top-12 fantasy QB just six times. The 41-year-old should only be considered in superflex leagues as a low-end QB2 on Sunday.
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 - Michael Penix Jr., Cam Ward, Matthew Stafford, Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, Geno Smith, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, Daniel Jones, Bo Nix. 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 who 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 Michael Penix Jr., Cam Ward, Matthew Stafford, Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, Geno Smith, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, Daniel Jones, Bo Nix:
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