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Should you start Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, Mason Taylor in fantasy football Week 1? Aidin's fantasy outlooks for these rookie running backs in 2025.
We're now two games into the 2025 NFL season, and things have been incredible so far. Established stars such as Justin Herbert had huge games, while rookies like Omarion Hampton got their first taste of NFL action.
Speaking of rookies, three standout rookie TEs, Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, and Mason Taylor, will all make their NFL debuts this week. But can any of them be fantasy football difference makers this early on?
Without further ado, let's look at my fantasy outlook for each player and determine whether they're worth starting in Week 1 of the 2025 season.
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Should I Start Tyler Warren in Week 1?
After recording 606 receiving yards in his first four years at Penn State, Tyler Warren had an outstanding 2024 season, as he put up 1451 yards and 12 touchdowns from scrimmage, which caused the Colts to pick him with the 14th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.
New #Colts TE Tyler Warren on having an inevitably decreased workload at the next level (Q: @JakeArthurNFL):
“I don’t see it as being an issue. I could have 10 catches in a game or block for 70 snaps. That’s the thing about playing TE. I’m just gonna do my job.”
🎥: @Colts pic.twitter.com/eMcRkcX7ib
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) April 25, 2025
Warren looked solid in the preseason and should be one of the Colts' main targets in Week 1 as they take on the Dolphins. Miami gave up 13.1 PPR points per game to TEs last season, the 11th-highest mark in the NFL.
However, his QB, Daniel Jones, remains a question mark. In his five previous Week 1 starts, Jones hasn't shown much love to his tight ends. Only 7.4% of his yardage in these opening games has gone to his TEs (76/1024).
Should I Start Colston Loveland in Week 1?
Most analysts viewed Tyler Warren as the TE1 heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Chicago Bears took the risk of drafting the younger Colston Loveland as the first TE off the board.
Tight ends are cooking on this @ChicagoBears opening drive 🍳
Watch on FOX
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/pYf5JIjVRo— NFL (@NFL) August 18, 2025
Despite his less impressive numbers compared to Warren, Loveland won a national championship at Michigan and theoretically has more upside, considering his age.
Loveland will have a lot to prove this year, as he has to battle for targets and snaps with proven veteran Cole Kmet, while also having to stand out in a receiving room featuring Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, and Luther Burden.
The Vikings gave up just 11.4 PPR points per game to opposing TEs in 2024, and Ben Johnson's tight end last year, Sam LaPorta, only managed to record 16.8 total PPR points against them in two outings.
Loveland has the tools to become a star in the future, but he might not be ready to start winning fantasy matchups for you right now.
Should I Start Mason Taylor in Week 1?
Despite Jayden Daniels' departure after the 2023 season, TE Mason Taylor had his best season for LSU with the new starting quarterback, Garrett Nussmeier, and was taken 42nd overall by the New York Jets in the 2025 NFL Draft.
"We feel like he's in a really good spot heading into the game"
-OC Tanner Engstrand on rookie TE Mason Taylor pic.twitter.com/JbFoD42wkx
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 4, 2025
The son of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor and nephew of fellow Hall of Famer Zach Thomas, Mason Taylor will have to learn from their experiences to help him overcome his first-game jitters. However, he will most likely be limited to blocking in most of his snaps early on.
The Jets have made no secret about the fact that they will be a run-first team in 2025, and they will likely give Taylor a few games before featuring him in the passing game.
Verdict: Start Warren.
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 Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, Mason Taylor. 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 - Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, and Mason Taylor. 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 Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, Mason Taylor compared to others:
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