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Should I Start Travis Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan, or Emeka Egbuka in Week 1? Andrew breaks down the fantasy outlooks for these rookie wide receivers in 2025.
Drafting and starting a rookie in Week 1 is a venture into the unknown. How often will coaches call their number? How often will they be on the field? Are they even good enough to be an impact player?
Those are just some of the questions we will see answered on Sunday. We know some rookies will be fantasy football future stars, with some making their mark as early as this season. It's what makes them the most enticing players on draft boards. But can you confidently start them in Week 1, before we've seen them play an NFL snap?
Below, we look at the Week 1 outlooks for rookie wide receivers Travis Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan, and Emeka Egbuka.
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Should I Start Travis Hunter in Week 1?
Two-way superstar Travis Hunter was one of the more difficult players to project in the offseason because we didn't know how he would split his snaps between offense and defense. There's a little more clarity going into Week 1 - he's listed as a starting wide receiver and a backup cornerback on the depth chart - but we're still in wait-and-see mode.
#Jaguars Week 1 Depth Chart vs #Panthers is here
Travis Hunter listed as starting WR, 2nd team DB.
Devin Lloyd ~or~ Ventrell Miller listed as starter at ILB opposite Foye Oluokun. #Jaguars | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/qGVB3NXUEB
— Mia O'Brien (@MiaOBrienTV) September 2, 2025
If fantasy managers are confident he'll play 75-80% of the offensive snaps in Week 1, then Hunter can be a slam dunk. The matchup against Carolina, the league's worst scoring defense last season, is the ideal scenario. The matchup has a 47-point over/under, and Hunter is, theoretically, the second-best weapon behind Brian Thomas Jr.
The usage ambiguity pushes Hunter down in the rankings a few spots. He's still an excellent WR3/Flex candidate and could turn in a memorable NFL debut, but there's the chance he plays more cornerback than the fantasy football community would like, which stunts his ceiling.
Should I Start Tetairoa McMillan in Week 1?
On the flip side of the Carolina-Jacksonville matchup is another first-round rookie wide receiver, Tetairoa McMillan. Unlike Hunter, we know how Carolina will use the eighth overall pick. Adam Thielen was shipped to Minnesota, and Jalen Coker (quadriceps) is on injured reserve. It's the McMillan main course, with a side of Xavier Legette.
Bryce Young showed steady improvement as a passer in the final games of the 2024 season, and adding a dominant receiver for him to target was the next step in his development. Confidence is high that he can support a WR1/2 in fantasy football.
Interestingly, Jacksonville's deployment of Hunter could impact both his and McMillan's Week 1 stat line. The Jaguars were dreadful against the pass last season, allowing the most yards per game through the air (257.4), third-most to the wide receiver position (174.8), and seventh-most fantasy points to receivers, according to NFL.com scoring. Hunter could help shore up those issues, but Jacksonville may opt to use him on offense to try to outscore the Panthers.
Spoke to someone with the #Panthers about rookie WR Tetairoa McMillan and the early returns have been glowing.
“He’s been even better than advertised — smooth, explosive, and already gaining trust from the QBs. You can’t take your eyes off him at practice because he’s making so… pic.twitter.com/gX6H4ud69J
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 31, 2025
There are things we love to see in fantasy football: A high-scoring affair, a clear-cut alpha wide receiver, and a weak opposing secondary. This checks all the boxes. Start McMillan confidently as a WR2.
Should I Start Emeka Egbuka in Week 1?
The third of four first-round wide receivers from the 2025 NFL Draft, Emeka Egbuka's initial outlook was cloudy. He joined a Tampa Bay team that had a top-heavy wide receiver depth chart. With Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan, how many opportunities would Egbuka get?
Since then, he's steadily increased his stock to the point where he was a mid-round selection in redraft leagues. Godwin (ankle) and McMillan (neck) are out of the lineup for several weeks, if not more. Plus, Egbuka was the talk of training camp and developed a rapport with Baker Mayfield.
#Bucs OC Josh Grizzard said that WR Emeka Egbuka was already going to have a big role even before they knew they were going to without Chris Godwin Jr. and Jalen McMillan pic.twitter.com/MCGA5MbjUC
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) September 4, 2025
Our first look at the Ohio State product comes against the Atlanta Falcons, and yes, Las Vegas predicts another shootout in the NFC South. The last three matchups between these two teams have resulted in each team scoring at least 25 points. That's, in part, because of Atlanta's inability to stick to wide receivers. They allowed the fourth-most receptions, most touchdowns, and most fantasy points to the position last season. The only alteration they made to their secondary was the addition of fourth-round pick Billy Bowman Jr.
Evans is still the WR1 for the Tampa Bay offense, but we know this offense can support more than one receiver. Egbuka is that guy now, and can start as a WR2 this week.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Travis Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan, Emeka Egbuka. 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 - Travis Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan, Emeka Egbuka. 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 Travis Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan, Emeka Egbuka compared to others:
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