September 6, 2025
The Houston Texans' backfield is in flux, with
Nick Chubb and
Dameon Pierce taking "all the reps" with the first-team offense in practice. They're filling in for starter
Joe Mixon, who remains on the NFI list without a clear timetable for return. Chubb looks like the early favorite for lead-back duties, as he handled every touch alongside
C.J. Stroud and the starters in Houston's second preseason game against Carolina. Still, Pierce is expected to carve out a meaningful role as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. The situation is a setback for rookie
Woody Marks, currently buried as the RB4 on the depth chart. Until Mixon's status clears up, it's tough to trust any Texans running back in fantasy lineups. However, the Week 1 matchup against the Rams will give managers the first real look at how Houston intends to split carries and could quickly shift fantasy value in this backfield.
--Nathan HarveySource: Sam Warren - Houston Chronicle
September 6, 2025
New York Jets running back
Isaiah Davis will operate as the team's third option this Sunday when his team lines up against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers. The South Dakota State product recently dealt with an ankle injury, but avoided the Jets' injury report this week as the organization gears up for their home opener. Before injuring his ankle, Davis briefly appeared with the starting offense during New York's first preseason contest with the Packers before finishing out the game. Head coach Aaron Glenn has noted on numerous occasions that Davis, along with backfield mates
Braelon Allen and
Breece Hall, will all be used in some fashion of a committee. How that shakes out remains to be seen, but Hall and Allen figure to handle most of the work while Davis spells them both. The 21-year-old doesn't forecast to have standalone value, but this backfield is worth monitoring - at least in the early going - until the roles are more defined. He's RotoBaller's RB79 in PPR formats ahead of Week 1.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
September 6, 2025
Cincinnati Bengals running back
Chase Brown had a slow start to the 2024 campaign, at least in the first three games. However, after establishing himself as the clear No. 1 option on the depth chart, there was no looking back. He would go on to finish the year by finding the end zone 11 times while barely missing the 1,000-yard rushing mark. The Bengals will begin the year with a Week 1 matchup versus the Cleveland Browns. Brown didn't play his best in two meetings with the Browns in 2024, combining for 33 carries for 135 yards and only 27 yards off five grabs. To be fair, he had trouble from a consistency standpoint against all of the teams in the AFC North. Although that makes him a risker DFS option, he's still a must-start in season-long fantasy setups.
--Dennis ClausenSource: ESPN
September 6, 2025
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver
Adam Thielen spent part of the offseason training with quarterback
J.J. McCarthy, logging 6-8 throwing sessions together before his late-August trade back to Minnesota for a fifth-round pick. The 35-year-old veteran is eager to contribute, saying he's "excited to be a part of (McCarthy's) journey." With
Jordan Addison suspended to start the season, Thielen is projected to open as the WR2 in Week 1 against the division-rival Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. It's not the friendliest matchup, as Chicago allowed the fewest fantasy points to wide receivers in 2024, but Thielen's expanded role and early chemistry with McCarthy give him a path to targets.
--Nathan HarveySource: Sean Borman - KFAN1003
September 6, 2025
The Arizona Cardinals defense/special teams was very inconsistent last season, which was a common theme amongst the entire squad. They were smack in the middle of the pack at 15th for points against (22.3 per game), and they ranked 20th in takeaways. This past offseason, however, the team focused on bolstering the defense in a big way. They added Josh Sweat, Calais Campbell, and Will Johnson while drafting defensive prospects in each of the first five rounds of the NFL Draft. Their first matchup is against the New Orleans Saints, who are rolling out
Spencer Rattler to start the season. That has huge streaming value written all over it after the Saints' offense looked abysmal last season with Rattler under center.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
September 6, 2025
The Jacksonville Jaguars start off the season with a fantastic matchup against the Carolina Panthers, which is great news for
Brian Thomas Jr. fantasy managers. The second-year receiver was stellar last year, especially down the stretch, despite catching passes from Mac Jones. With
Trevor Lawrence back at QB and offensive-minded Liam Coen at head coach, Thomas Jr. has a chance to go nuclear in Week 1 against the worst defense in the NFL last season. He does have more target competition with
Travis Hunter and
Dyami Brown at WR, but that shouldn't stop Jacksonville's clear alpha from thriving. Fantasy managers should have no problem starting the LSU product in Week 1, who could be in line for a huge day.
--Seth Quinn - RotoBaller
September 6, 2025
New York Jets wide receiver
Allen Lazard can't be trusted in fantasy for this week's home tilt with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lazard enters his third season with the Jets, a member of the team by way of longtime ex-teammate
Aaron Rodgers. He was productive early in 2024, but fell victim to a chest injury and struggled to produce after the team acquired star wide receiver
Davante Adams at the halfway point. Adams is gone, but Lazard still occupies the WR3 role on the team behind
Garrett Wilson and first-year Jet
Josh Reynolds. Furthermore, New York's projected propensity to run the ball could leave targets outside of Wilson sparse, and running back
Breece Hall is a threat through the air, too. The former Green Bay Packer's standing in the pecking order - and an overall smaller passing pie - leave him on the outside looking in regarding the Jets' passing attack for now. He's RotoBaller's PPR WR114 for his outing with the Steelers.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
September 6, 2025
New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback
Tyler Shough missed out on the starting job to second-year quarterback
Spencer Rattler. Shough saw plenty of preseason action, going 36-for-54 for 333 yards with one touchdown and one interception over three games, while adding three carries for 23 yards, one touchdown, and one fumble. The 26-year-old will need to wait for his opportunity, which could come sooner rather than later given Rattler's likely short leash. He isn't worth rostering now but is worth monitoring for future fantasy relevance.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: Pro Football Reference
September 6, 2025
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver
Ja'Marr Chase is coming off a dominant year. Without question, the 25-year-old was a problem for opposing defenses throughout the entire 2024 campaign. In 17 regular-season contests, he amassed 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns off 127 catches, all the most in the National Football League. Chase's 295 yards after contact and 787 yards after catch were also appreciated by fantasy managers. Unfortunately, the Bengals weren't able to sneak into the playoffs, although Chase,
Joe Burrow, and the rest of the offense weren't to blame. Instead, the Bengals defense had trouble keeping teams off the scoreboard. With a new season on the horizon, the 25-year-old will look for a strong start to the season in the Week 1 AFC North showdown with the Browns. He combined for only 11 catches in two meetings with Cleveland in 2024. However, Chase at least made up for it somewhat by scoring a touchdown in each of those contests. With that in mind, his ceiling is higher than anyone else's at the position, so he should be included in every fantasy lineup. Of course, that's a no-brainer.
--Dennis ClausenSource: ESPN
September 6, 2025
The New Orleans Saints defense/special teams will start the season without veteran Chase Young, who was ruled out on Friday's injury report. Team captains Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, and Justin Reid will lead the unit. The Saints recorded zero defensive touchdowns in 2024, and their only fantasy upside comes from wide receiver
Rashid Shaheed on punt returns. Ranked 26th this week by RotoBaller, the unit should not be rostered in any fantasy format.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
September 6, 2025
The Tennessee Titans have signed safety Amani Hooker on a three-year, $48.6 million extension, making him the ninth-highest-paid safety in the NFL on an annual basis. Hooker started 14 games in 2024 and was a playmaker in coverage, finishing sixth in the league with five interceptions. Hooker was the only Titans player to crack the top 10 at any position in the 2024 Pro Bowl voting, according to John Glennon of the Nashville Post. Now entering his seventh season, the former fourth-round pick is cemented as a cornerstone of a Titans secondary that quietly allowed the fewest passing yards in the NFL last year. With Hooker leading the back end and Tennessee's defense built to limit explosive plays, this unit could be a sneaky fantasy streaming option in 2025 matchups.
--Nathan HarveySource: Jeremy Fowler - ESPN
September 6, 2025
New Orleans Saints kicker
Blake Grupe earned a captaincy nod ahead of his third season in the Big Easy. Through his first two years, he's made 57 of 68 field goals (83.8%) and 71 of 73 extra points (97.3%). The Saints face the Cardinals in Week 1, who allowed the seventh-most points to kickers in 2024. With a potentially inconsistent offense, Grupe's upside is limited until the team can establish a rhythm. He ranks 30th of 32 starting kickers this week on RotoBaller.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: Pro Football Reference
September 6, 2025
Arizona Cardinals kicker
Chad Ryland finished in K2 territory (K18 overall) last season despite hitting 87.5% of his field goals. The Cardinals' offense stalled out in a handful of games, which hurt Ryland's overall production since he wasn't getting into field goal range all the time and wasn't bolstering his fantasy output with extra point attempts. According to RotoBaller's rankings, Ryland is projected to be the K15 and could even finish a bit higher if the offense can be more consistent this season. For Week 1, he's projected to get 8.1 fantasy points, but there are better options for teams in 12-team leagues.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
September 6, 2025
New Orleans Saints tight end
Juwan Johnson opens the season as the top option at the position ahead of rookie
Moliki Matavao. Over six seasons with the team, he has averaged 11.1 yards per reception, 24.2 yards per game, and a 65.8% catch rate. With
Spencer Rattler under center, the Saints may lean on the run and feed star receivers
Chris Olave and
Rashid Shaheed, leaving limited targets for Johnson. He should be left on waivers for the foreseeable future.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: Pro Football Reference
September 6, 2025
New York Jets wide receiver
Josh Reynolds is slated to make his Jets debut this Sunday when they take on the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium. Reynolds will play for his third team in three seasons after a brief stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024, operating as the Jets' de facto WR2 behind incumbent starter
Garrett Wilson. The 30-year-old doesn't offer much in terms of YAC and isn't a burner, but he's likely due for a solid share of targets. However, New York figures to establish the run and play sound defense under head coach Aaron Glenn, leaving Reynolds' prospective figure of looks uncertain. He's a reliable wide receiver, though, and his only real threat to targets outside of Wilson are running back
Breece Hall and rookie tight end
Mason Taylor. The veteran is nothing more than a DFS dart-throw for now, landing as RotoBaller's PPR WR80 ahead of Week 1.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
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