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Fantasy football start em, sit em lineups advice for the Patriots vs. Seahawks Wednesday game in Week 1 (2026). NFL matchups analysis and starts/sits for Week 1.
The NFL season is almost here! The first game of the season will kick off on Wednesday in a rematch of Super Bowl LX. The New England Patriots will travel across the country to Seattle to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. This exact matchup ended the 2025-2026 season and will start the 2026-2027 campaign.
In this article, we will dive into the best starts and sits of the week in that NFL opener between the Patriots and Seahawks. The rule of thumb for Week 1 is to always start your studs and don't worry too much about the matchups. However, there are a few undervalued players who fantasy managers should think about starting in this Week 1 matchup.
So, here are the best starts and sits for Wednesday's game between the Seahawks and Patriots. You can also check out our main Week 1 start 'em, sit 'em matchups article for all other games on the Week 1 slate.
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New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
Wednesday, September 9th, 8:00 PM ET
Below are some notable injuries for this game. Be sure to also check out our updated NFL injuries report for constant updates:
- Zach Charbonnet (RB - SEA) - ACL - OUT
- Tory Horton (WR - SEA) - Undisclosed
- TreVeyon Henderson (RB - NE) - Ankle
Matchups We Love
TE Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Hunter Henry will enter Week 1 as a viable TE1 play in deeper formats. The addition of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs in this offense could make Henry a more hit-or-miss tight end play this season, but the veteran playmaker will still be a major part of this New England passing attack. The good news for him is that he has a favorable matchup in Week 1 against the Seahawks.
HUNTER HENRY MAKES IT A TWO-SCORE GAME
LACvsNE on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/MuIjMaqOpn— NFL (@NFL) January 12, 2026
As great as Seattle's defense was last year, this unit allowed the 12th-most fantasy points, fifth-most receptions, and fourth-most receiving yards to opposing TEs. That means there is an opportunity for Henry to post solid numbers in this matchup. He's a potential TE1 play in 16+ team leagues this week.
Matchups We Hate
QB Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Fresh off winning last year's Super Bowl, Sam Darnold will look to continue that success into 2026. From a fantasy perspective, though, Darnold should not be started in most one-quarterback leagues to open the season. The only scenario in which the 29-year-old should be started is in deeper Superflex formats.
Darnold scored under 13 fantasy points in four of his last five games last season, which included scoring just 12.6 fantasy points in the Super Bowl against the Patriots. Considering New England gave up the fifth-fewest fantasy points and seventh-fewest passing yards to QBs in 2025, it's best to sit the Seahawks signal-caller in most leagues.
RB Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks
With the offseason departure of Kenneth Walker III and Charbonnet still recovering from a torn ACL, Jadarian Price will lead this Seattle backfield in Week 1. However, expectations should be tempered for the first-round rookie running back. He will be a riskier low-end RB2 option to open his NFL career.
Rookie RB @Jadarian15 is impressing at Seahawks camp 👀
Watch the first episode of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the @seahawks now on @hbomax pic.twitter.com/Uz7hiZz82y
— NFL (@NFL) August 6, 2026
Although Walker ran all over this New England front seven in the Super Bowl, this group held RBs in check throughout the 2025 season. The Patriots allowed the second-fewest fantasy points and fifth-fewest rush yards to opposing RBs. Additionally, George Holani and Emanuel Wilson are expected to be mixed in this backfield early in the year, which means Price might not actually have that workhorse role.
RB TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots
Update - Henderson has been ruled out ahead of Wednesday's contest.
TreVeyon Henderson is currently nursing an ankle injury that he recently suffered, but the expectation is that the second-year running back will be good to go for Week 1. Even if he does suit up for the season opener, he has an extremely tough matchup against the Seahawks. Don't forget, Henderson ran for just 19 yards in the Super Bowl against this same defense.
Last year, Seattle gave up the ninth-fewest fantasy points, second-fewest rush yards, and fewest rush touchdowns to opposing RBs. The only area in which the Seahawks struggled was allowing a ton of receiving work to RBs. However, the Patriots really didn't use Henderson in the receiving game down the stretch, as he ranked as the RB31 in route participation and as the RB24 in target share. He'll only be a flex option this week.
WR Romeo Doubs, New England Patriots
Romeo Doubs comes over to New England after spending his first four NFL seasons in Green Bay. Doubs will look to be a consistent target in this Patriots passing attack, but this isn't really a matchup that benefits the 6-foot-2 playmaker. The Seahawks allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points, eighth-fewest receptions, fifth-fewest receiving yards, and the lowest yards per completion in 2025.
With Doubs entering a new offensive scheme, it might take some time for him to get going. As a result, the new Patriots WR will be a riskier flex play to open the season.
Other Fantasy Football Matchups
QB Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Drake Maye will open the season as a strong QB1 play against this Seahawks defense. Maye threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns against this defense in the Super Bowl and has an upgraded supporting cast in the passing game this time around. The addition of both Brown and Doubs will help in a game like this.
MONDRE IN THE AIR NOW‼️@dreeday32 | @DrakeMaye2
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/H9wRiLDBa5
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 28, 2025
The Seahawks were also a bit suspect against rushing QBs last season. They gave up the 12th-most rushing yards per game to that position group, so there is some opportunity for Maye to rack up some rushing yards in this contest. The MVP runner-up should be started in most leagues to open the 2026 campaign.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Update - Henderson has been ruled out, which should provide Stevenson an even higher floor this evening.
This is definitely a tough matchup on the ground for Rhamondre Stevenson. Seattle has a really good defense and allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points, second-fewest rush yards, and fewest rush touchdowns to opposing RBs last season. But there is some potential for Stevenson in this game, thanks to his potential role in the passing game.
The Seahawks allowed the most receptions and fifth-most receiving yards to opposing RBs. Given that Stevenson caught at least three passes in three of New England's four playoff games and led all running backs in yards per reception, the Patriots RB is a low-end RB2 in Week 1.
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
There isn't much to say about Jaxon Smith-Njigba. You are starting him with full confidence in this matchup against the New England Patriots. Most fantasy managers drafted him with a top-8 pick in drafts this year. Start your studs and don't worry so much about this matchup against Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
WR A.J. Brown, New England Patriots
Brown is another player that every fantasy manager should be starting no matter what in Week 1. He was a top-30 pick in almost every fantasy draft this summer and should be in all fantasy lineups. Brown will come in as a high-end WR2 in this matchup against a tough Seattle secondary that allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs last season.
TE AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks
AJ Barner had some solid fantasy weeks throughout the 2025 season. He finished as the overall TE14 in PPR formats and averaged a solid 8.7 PPR fantasy points per game. However, Barner should only be started in extremely deep leagues in Week 1. He's a very touchdown-dependent option. In games in which he didn't score, he averaged only 5.9 PPR fantasy points.
With Barner, you're hoping for touchdowns. Unfortunately, the Patriots allowed just 0.3 touchdowns per game to opposing TEs in 2025 (12th-fewest).
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Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rhamondre Stevenson, A.J Brown, Jadarian Price, Romeo Doubs, Hunter Henry, AJ Barner:
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