RADIO
Each week we will be taking a look around the NFL at all of the weekly fantasy football matchups, and will be trying to help put together your optimal winning lineups. If you aren't sure if you should start or bench a player, or are looking for potential weekly sleepers, you've come to the right place.
Below is part one of our Week 1 start/sit and fantasy football matchups analysis, providing advice and recommendations on matchups that we love, matchups that we hate, and some high risk/high reward players as well. Check back for part two of our matchups piece tomorrow. Part Two: Start/Sit Analysis for Games 9-12, and Part Three: Start/Sit Analysis for Games 13-16.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:
- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) rankings
- Quarterback (QB) rankings
- Tight end (TE) rankings
- Defense (D/ST) rankings
- Kicker (K) rankings
- FLEX rankings
- Dynasty rankings
Editor's Note: make sure to also bookmark our famous fantasy football waiver wire pickups list to find those waiver wire gems, and dominate your football leagues. Our waiver wire list is updated throughout each week of the fantasy football season, for all positions. Good luck RotoBallers!
Packers @ Seahawks
Matchups We Love
Russell Wilson: Wilson's coming off a monstrous preseason with some high potential. This is a good matchup for him against a struggling defense.
Marshawn Lynch: Lynch is up against a defense with run stopping troubles and has their starting NT on IR.
Matchups We Hate
Jarrett Boykin: This isn't the right week to try out Boykin.
Packers Defense: Bench. With the amount of momentum the Seahawks offense has had this preseason, you've got to let them cool off before starting anyone against them. Especially at home.
High Risk, High Reward
Randall Cobb: The Seahawks struggle against small speedy receivers (see T.Y. Hilton, 2013). This could be Cobb's time to shine.
Saints @ Falcons
Matchups We Love
Jimmy Graham: Is there a matchup you wouldn't love Graham against?
Drew Brees: Same question as above, especially against the Falcons.
Matt Ryan: The Saints defense might be able to keep the Falcons from winning but they won't be able to stop Ryan from connecting with Julio and Roddy all game long.
Matchups We Hate
Saints Defense, Falcons Defense: This is really a bad game to be hoping for either defense to do anything.
Vikings @ Rams
Matchups We Love
Two teams with weak quarterbacking and a stout defenses. Hard to find something to love.
Matchups We Hate
There's no big bad matchup here.
High Risk, High Reward
Cordarrelle Patterson: If there's a game for Patterson to break out, this is the one. The Rams lack the corners to deal with someone like him and have a very weak back end.
Browns @ Steelers
Matchups We Love
Steelers Defense: A perennial backup QB on the road with his best offensive weapon out? I'd believe in the Steelers defense this week.
Antonio Brown: Both times he faced Haden last season he had 10 or more targets and 80 or more yards.
Brown might have been kept out of the end zone, but a 100 yard game from him is totally on the table.
Matchups We Hate
Brian Hoyer: If you were thinking of starting Hoyer this week, this isn't the week to try him out.
Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount - The Cleveland run defense has looked very stout this preseason and the addition of Karlos Dansby only makes it better. Can't recommend benching Bell (especially since he still gets passing game touches) but Blount isn't in the best position in this game as the change of pace back.
Jaguars @ Eagles
Matchups We Love
Every Single Player On The Eagles Offense: The Eagles are bound to come out swinging and their up against the weak Jaguars defense that could see the field all game long. Lots of scoring potential here.
Matchups We Hate
Toby Gerhart: Not that Gerhart is up against a particularly stout run defense but the Eagles are going to run up the score. Gerhart's looking at an uphill battle if he expects a lot of touches this game.
High Risk, High Reward
Eagles Defense: Yes, the Jaguars offense is weak but with the way the Eagles play offense, their defense is going to see the field a lot. Does that mean they allow more scores than you expect or get more sacks, ints and fumbles?
Raiders @ Jets
Matchups We Love
Jets Defense: The Raiders are on the road, starting a rookie QB who has yet to play with the first team, with a weak offensive line, against one of the best front 7's in the NFL.
To make matters worse, the only strength the raiders showed this season (their run game) is going up against one of last years best run stopping teams.
Geno Smith: Yes, I'm still begging everyone to pickup on Geno Smith. For those of you streaming QBs, Geno has a very nice streaming QB schedule early in the year and this matchup is one of them. Oakland doesn't boast any sort of competitive passing defense and their pass rush is minimal.
Matchups We Hate
Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden: As put up above, the Jets run defense is a smothering group. MJD and DMC would be entirely dependent on a big play in order to put up points this week.
High Risk, High Reward
Raiders Defense - Even though I'm high on Smith, last season's turnovers could still carry onto this season and the Raiders could find themselves with a pick 6. It's a desperate play, but it's one you can take.
Derek Carr - Although the Jets will be putting pressure on Carr all game long, they'll also be doing it with a decimated group of CBs. If Carr can get enough time to make some deep throws (and has a receiver that can actually come down with it) he could come out of this game smelling like roses.
Bengals @ Ravens
Matchups We Love
None of the matchups here stand out as particularly good.
Matchups We Hate
These might be the most evenly matched up teams this week.
High Risk, High Reward
Torrey Smith: I don't know what it is that makes me like Torrey's chances. Maybe it's that the Bengals safeties aren't very good. Maybe it's that Leon Hall is coming off an achilles tear that forced him out all of last season. Maybe it's that the Ravens are at home. There's something to like about Smith's matchup this week.
Bills @ Bears
Matchups We Love
Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall - The Bills don't have corners that can keep up with either of these monsters and with the loss of Byrd, the deep throws should be wide open.
Matchups We Hate
EJ Manuel - Manuel has enough going wrong right now in preseason.
But to make matters worse he's going up against a completely revitalized Bears defense with Tillman returning and the additions of interior rushers Houston and Ratliff. This is a hard matchup for Manuel to prosper in.
High Risk, High Reward
C.J. Spiller - Last season the Bears run defense was worst in the league but in an attempt to make it a point of strength, they added Jay Ratliff and Houston (which were mentioned above). Both are good run defenders and showed it in the preseason, but it's hard to know if that preseason strength will also be there in the regular season. Spiller is an especially risky play this week.
