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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Caleb Williams, J.J. McCarthy, D.J. Moore, Aaron Jones Sr., D'Andre Swift, T.J. Hockenson, Rome Odunze, Jordan Mason, Adam Thielen, Luther Burden III.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Caleb Williams, J.J. McCarthy, D.J. Moore, Aaron Jones Sr., D'Andre Swift, T.J. Hockenson, Rome Odunze, Jordan Mason, Adam Thielen, Luther Burden III. 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:
Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams kicks off his sophomore season on Monday Night Football against the division-rival Minnesota Vikings. As a rookie, the 2024 first-overall pick averaged 15.3 fantasy points per game, finishing as the QB16 on the year. Now, he enters Week 1 with a fresh start under new head coach Ben Johnson, the offensive mind behind Detroit's high-powered attack from 2022-2024.
This matchup is no cakewalk, as Minnesota's defense allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks last season, while leading the league in interceptions forced. Still, Williams should benefit from an upgraded offensive line and a quarterback-friendly scheme designed to maximize his playmaking ability.
For fantasy purposes, Williams has long-term upside, but given the tough Week 1 opponent, he's best viewed as a low-end QB2 in his 2025 opener.
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings
It has been a long wait, but quarterback J.J. McCarthy is a playable option in Superflex leagues with his Minnesota Vikings set to take on the Chicago Bears in Week 1. The second-year quarterback missed his entire rookie season after sustaining a meniscus injury, but it's now his show in Minnesota after the Vikings parted ways with Sam Darnold in the offseason.
He'll start with a road game against a strong Bears pass defense that allowed the fewest passing touchdowns in the NFL and ranked seventh in pressure percentage in 2024.
With a rebuilt interior offensive line, capable veterans at all skill positions -- including All-Pro Justin Jefferson at receiver -- and a quarterback-friendly coach, McCarthy is still worthy of holding a QB2 spot in Week 1.
Aaron Jones, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. should be viewed as a flex/RB2 candidate as his team takes on the Chicago Bears in Week 1. A polarizing mid-round draft pick, the veteran back is one of the bigger wild cards in fantasy this season.
Jones is a strong receiver who caught 50 passes in addition to surpassing 1,000 rushing yards last year and plays on a capable offense that rebuilt its interior line, but is now 30 years old, playing alongside a first-time starting quarterback, and most importantly, now sharing touches with Jordan Mason, whom the Vikings acquired this offseason.
Though a rotation is likely, Jones is still the team's best pass-catching back and should continue to get a steady volume of receiving targets, which will be especially valuable in PPR formats.
Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze begins his sophomore season on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings. The 2024 ninth-overall pick had a quiet rookie year, averaging 6.9 half-PPR fantasy points per game and finishing as the WR49, while playing behind two veteran receivers.
Now in 2025, Odunze has a prime opportunity to step forward in new head coach Ben Johnson's offense. With Keenan Allen gone, the Bears vacate over eight targets per game, opening the door for Odunze and others to take on a much larger role.
The matchup is ideal, as Minnesota's defense allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers in 2024. Still, Odunze's production will hinge on how quickly Caleb Williams can take a step forward in year two. Given the favorable matchup, Odunze is a high-risk, high-reward WR3 in Week 1.
Jordan Mason, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Running back Jordan Mason will make his Minnesota Vikings debut on Monday against the Chicago Bears, against whom he should be viewed as a viable flex option. The Vikings have been dreadful in short yardage in recent seasons, but completely revamped their interior line and traded for the 26-year-old running back, who rushed for a career-best 789 yards in relief of Christian McCaffrey with San Francisco last season.
Minnesota also brought back Aaron Jones Sr., so uncertainty surrounding the Vikings' backfield relegated both backs to the middle rounds of fantasy drafts. Ultimately, there is a reason Minnesota traded for Mason, who is likely to see regular short-yardage carries, including those near the goal line.
Jones is the better receiving back, but Mason figures to still get enough touches to be fantasy relevant.
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 - Caleb Williams, J.J. McCarthy, D.J. Moore, Aaron Jones Sr., D'Andre Swift, T.J. Hockenson, Rome Odunze, Jordan Mason, Adam Thielen, Luther Burden III. 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 that 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 Caleb Williams, J.J. McCarthy, D.J. Moore, Aaron Jones Sr., D'Andre Swift, T.J. Hockenson, Rome Odunze, Jordan Mason, Adam Thielen, Luther Burden III:
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