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Tony Pollard, Jerome Ford, Dylan Sampson fantasy football start em, sit em picks for Week 1 of 2025. Should I start Tony Pollard, Jerome Ford, Dylan Sampson?
It’s Week 1, Rotoballers—and the backfields are heating up faster than Florida in August (yes, I'm currently in Florida and it's super hot). From proven veterans to explosive rookies, we’ve got three running backs worth your attention right now.
Tony Pollard steps into a bigger role with Tyjae Spears sidelined, while Jerome Ford remains the safe, experienced anchor as the Browns shuffle their RB room. Can rookie Dylan Sampson crash the party and carve out snaps—or is he pencil-in deep-league lottery bait?
Now, let’s break down Pollard, Ford, and Sampson—what they bring, where they shine, and whether they belong in your lineup come Sunday.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Tony Pollard – Week 1 Fantasy Football Outlook
Matchup: Titans vs. Bears
Pollard enters Week 1 as Tennessee’s clear RB1 after Spears was ruled out, and the role couldn’t set up better. He should see the bulk of early-down work plus goal-line touches in an offense that leaned heavily on the run last year.
The Bears allowed over 120 rushing yards per game in 2024, and Pollard’s versatility makes him a dual-threat weapon in both the run and pass game. His workload alone locks him in as a top-15 RB option for Week 1.
Tony Pollard Still Viewed as the Featured Back in Tennessee https://t.co/aIXSU7fKJ5
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) August 4, 2025
Jerome Ford – Week 1 Fantasy Football Outlook
Matchup: Browns vs. Jaguars
Ford survived offseason competition and enters the season as Cleveland’s starter with Nick Chubb still working back from injury. He’s earned steady trust from the coaching staff and should dominate touches on early downs.
Jerome Ford with an incredible effort for the long run just short of the endzone:pic.twitter.com/J2SJxGYuSn
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) September 19, 2023
The matchup against Jacksonville is a neutral one, but Ford’s projected 15+ carries and goal-line opportunities give him a safe weekly floor. He isn’t flashy, but he profiles as a reliable plug-and-play RB2 or flex in Week 1.
Dylan Sampson – Week 1 Fantasy Football Outlook
Matchup: Browns vs. Jaguars
The rookie out of Tennessee turned heads in camp and preseason, flashing the burst that made him a college star. With Quinshon Judkins unsigned and Ford handling lead duties, Sampson has a path to carve out a change-of-pace and third-down role immediately.
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
He’s more of a stash than a start in Week 1 outside of very deep leagues, but managers should monitor his usage closely. If he continues to siphon snaps and looks comfortable with the first team, his role could expand quickly.
Start/Sit Recommendations for Week 1
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✅ Tony Pollard — volume-driven upside with WR1 status in SF’s offense
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🆗 Jerome Ford — solid floor with a favorable matchup against a potentially rusty defender
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🤨 Dylan Sampson — talented and involved, but likely constrained by elite Broncos defense
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Tony Pollard, Jerome Ford, Dylan Sampson. 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.
Week 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Jaylin Noel, Isaac TeSlaa, Pat Bryant. 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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, enhanced search results with data to compare, and 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 circles), 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 Week 1 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Tony Pollard, Jerome Ford, Dylan Sampson compared to others:
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