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Scott Engel supplies you with fantasy football lineup starts/sits for Week 1 (2025). He features key NFL players to start when faced with tight Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions.
Welcome back to our Key Starters and Tough Calls article for Week 1 of the 2025 season! Scott Engel's weekly Lineup Spotlights showcase key players to consider for your fantasy football lineups. "The King" features players to go with when dealing with challenging lineup calls.
The players that are covered in this article are based on Scott's Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available in the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass. You can get access his full player rankings, and also unlock a full suite of tools and analysis for in-season usage.
When mulling over the players presented here for Week 1 lineups, be sure to also consult the RotoBaller staff fantasy football rankings and free Who Should I Start? tool for comparing up to four players. The skill position analysis below is based on Scott's Week 1 PPR rankings. Good luck in Week 1 RotoBallers!
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Running Backs - Fantasy Football Week 1
TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots
Some might hesitate to start the highly-touted Patriots rookie because he is not listed as the No. 1 guy on the depth chart to open the season. But just because Henderson won’t be starting for the Patriots doesn’t mean he won’t play a notable role in the season opener vs. Las Vegas.
The TreVeyon Henderson screen TD was more than just speed and poor defensive design.
Texas FS Andrew Mukuba has the pursuit angle, but Henderson is so dang good in the open-field. He anticipates the block of Hinzman #75 and then cuts behind it (all while at full speed). pic.twitter.com/s1EYp3qe6W
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 11, 2025
In fact, Henderson just won’t be on the field with the offense when their first possession begins. Rhamondre Stevenson has already shown he is on shaky ground in New England, and it may just be a matter of time before he cedes much work to Henderson. The quicker the rookie gets up to speed, the more he will be in a position to steal some work from Stevenson.
You didn’t draft Henderson to bench him, though, and he already demonstrated in the preseason that he can rip off a big play at any time. Depending on Henderson, early in his career, could be relying on efficiency, but the potential upside is so promising that you don’t want to leave that kind of fantasy potential on the fantasy bench.
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
Many fantasy drafters overlooked Warren as a starting RB over the past few weeks. I saw him fall to the sixth and seventh rounds in many drafts. When that happened in my league drafts, I gladly tabbed Pittsburgh’s lead RB as a third or even fourth RB on my teams.
The Steelers have clearly paved the path for Warren to be their No. 1 RB. Kenneth Gainwell is no real threat to his overall workload, and rookie Kaleb Johnson, who was supposed to threaten Warren’s job right away, had a disappointing preseason. This might not even be the year that he makes a major impact on the Pittsburgh offense.
At the beginning of September, the Steelers rewarded Warren with a two-year contract extension. That deal signals the team’s commitment to him at least for this season, in a significant way. Warren is versatile, and Aaron Rodgers lacks a reliable WR other than DK Metcalf. He may throw to Warren frequently enough for him to build quality stat lines, beginning this week against the Jets.
Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns
If you are looking for a flex play or need an RB plug-in because you waited too long to draft a starter at the position, Sampson can be a viable lineup plugger for NFL Week 1. He was the second of the two rookies drafted by the Browns this season, and with Quinshon Judkins out for now, Sampson could lead the Browns in rushing in the season opener.
Dylan Sampson started over Jerome Ford in the final Browns preseason game. He also did this! pic.twitter.com/NbqSqIsuKU
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) August 24, 2025
Cleveland needs to establish a solid ground game in a matchup with a potent Cincinnati offense. Experienced fantasy players know that they can’t count on Jerome Ford, and Sampson did flash some of his promise during the preseason. If he can perform well in the opener, he could start to get more carries at Ford’s expense early in the season before Judkins potentially returns.
If the game turns out to be high-scoring as expected, the Browns could roll up enough points to possibly include Sampson in their TD output. They also need him and Ford to ease pressure on Joe Flacco and control the clock as much as possible. Consider Sampson as a Week 1 flex play or RB starter at the position if your roster is very thin at the position.
Wide Receivers - Fantasy Football Week 1
Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns
Consider this version of the Fantasy Football Spotlight to be the rare edition that features the Cleveland Browns. But as most fantasy players know, almost any team that faces the Bengals in any week carries several players to consider for fantasy lineups.
Flacco is opening the season as the starting QB for the Browns, which is best for the fantasy appeal of Jeudy right now. With a passer feeding him the ball consistently, Jeudy should be very busy early in the season, especially in the opener vs. the Bengals.
Jeudy led the Browns with career highs in catches (90) and yards (1,229) in 2024. The 90 receptions were a Browns franchise record. He had 5+ catches and 70+ yards in each of his final five home games in 2024. Jeudy is a good WR3 play in Week 1 and has some good statistical promise in a friendly matchup.
Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
What happens when a WR is attached to the worst QB situation in the league? Fantasy players just don’t want to draft him as one of their preferred fantasy starters. In drafts this season, Olave sometimes slipped to the fourth WR spot on some rosters.
The wide receiver whisperer, @MattHarmon_BYB, believes Chris Olave is in line for a bounce-back season in 2025! He picked him at pick 67 in the @KingsClassicFF draft live from the @ProFootballHOF!
Will you give him another chance on your #FantasyFootball team? @RotoWire… pic.twitter.com/HR8dyQQFyb
— Fantasy Sports Radio (@SiriusXMFantasy) August 9, 2025
Yes, the Saints have the worst possible QB outlook in the NFL. But even the lowest-rung passers can often feed their No. 1 pass-catchers with enough targets to give them a respectable statistical floor. Olave is still New Orleans’ clear top WR, and he doesn’t have too much significant competition for targets.
When he is healthy and available, Olave might be involved enough in the Saints’ offense to supply decent fantasy production. If New Orleans is staying in the game, he will likely be involved, and he can also pad the receiving totals working in catch-up mode. If you need just an adequate amount of production at a thin WR3 or flex spot, consider starting Olave in Week 1.
Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers
I will actually give you a player to consider reserving in your fantasy football season opener. I pointed out Pearsall as a Week 1 disappointment in this week’s RotoBaller Roundtable of Sleepers and Busts. Recently, reports surfaced that Pearsall might not be quite as productive as hoped right away this season. His season-opening matchup is also not a good one.
Sure, Pearsall still seems to have some elevated appeal considering other injuries on the San Francisco offense. But the Seattle secondary is one of the most complete units in the game, and the 49ers' WR is going to draw Devon Witherspoon often in coverage. That’s not a friendly matchup whatsoever. Consider reserving Pearsall in Week 1. Seattle-San Francisco may be a low-scoring game that just doesn’t produce many favorable fantasy performances.
Quarterback and Tight End - Fantasy Football Week 1
Justin Fields, New York Jets
Overall, it seems fantasy players were quite skeptical about Fields during the preseason. He actually went undrafted in one of my leagues. New York’s latest starting QB opens the Jets portion of his career with a matchup against his former team, the Steelers. Pittsburgh is not a good draw for any fantasy QB, especially one playing with a new team for the first time.
Jets QB Justin Fields has his best chance of NFL success yet in 2025 with a HC in Aaron Glenn that trusts him, comfort with WR1 Garrett Wilson + a new practice learning tool.
More for @nflnetwork The Insiders: pic.twitter.com/p34BOecQOz
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) June 5, 2025
Fields also lacks receiving depth outside of Garrett Wilson, and Jets-Steelers could be one of the lower-scoring games in Week 1. But let’s also not forget that Fields finished as fantasy QB6 the last time he started over a full season in 2022. Defenses are well aware that Fields is such a dangerous runner, but that doesn’t mean he can be contained, either.
When receivers aren’t open, Fields will take off and challenge any opposing defense. He can score from anywhere on the field, and the new Jets coaching staff won’t hold him back from running. If the Jets only score one or two TDs, Fields might notch one of them. He has some upside in any matchup and can be started as a superflex QB2 or by those who waited until the late rounds to draft him.
Evan Engram, Denver Broncos
Engram’s fantasy stock dropped later in the preseason when it became apparent that he might share some snaps in his first year with the Broncos. But he has also arrived in a situation where he has a head coach who always looked to involve the TE in the flow of the passing game.
Sean Payton now has his most ideal TE since he arrived in Denver. Fewer potential reps won’t keep Engram from being targeted often enough when he actually is on the field. I expect Engram to become an integral part of the Broncos’ passing game, beginning in Week 1.
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