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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, Travis Hunter, Matthew Golden, Tetairoa McMillan, RJ Harvey, Nick Chubb, Breece Hall, Rome Odunze, Stefon Diggs.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, Travis Hunter, Matthew Golden, Tetairoa McMillan, RJ Harvey, Nick Chubb, Breece Hall, Rome Odunze, Stefon Diggs. 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.
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Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 1:
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is set to make his NFL debut against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Bucs selected Egbuka with their first-round pick during this year's draft.
At first glance, Egbuka was brought in as depth, but has quickly moved up the depth chart due to injuries. Both Chris Godwin (ankle) and Jalen McMillan (neck) are sidelined to begin the season. That being said, Egbuka will line up as the No. 2 wideout alongside Mike Evans in Week 1. The expectation is that the rookie wideout is going to make an immediate impact in Tampa Bay.
The Falcons struggled to contain the passing game last season. It's tough to know how a rookie will perform in his first game, but given the circumstances, Egbuka figures to be able to offer WR3 value.
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots
New England Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson "moves like a much more experienced veteran, especially in pass protection," according to Jourdan Rodrigue. It's worth noting that this is Rodrigue's opinion, but she also quotes an unnamed coach who said Henderson has the makings of "a star."
Henderson's explosiveness and big-play ability are easy to project based on his work in both college and the preseason. If he is further along than the typical rookie running back in the finer points of the position, as Rodrigue suggests, Henderson could be ready to take over the New England backfield sooner rather than later.
He enters the year projected to split playing time with veteran running back Rhamondre Stevenson, but Henderson is unquestionably the higher-upside option. Henderson projects as a priority fantasy RB2 with major upside for 2025.
Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers
With the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers selected wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. The 6-foot-5 rookie is poised for an immediate impact after leading the Big 12 with 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns on 84 receptions last season.
His path to a significant role was cleared when fellow wide receiver Jalen Coker (quadriceps) was placed on injured reserve. The Week 1 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars presents a highly favorable opportunity for McMillan. The Jaguars' pass defense ranked last in the NFL in 2024 and struggled particularly against big-bodied receivers.
With the Panthers likely needing a pass-heavy approach, this contest provides an excellent chance for McMillan to establish chemistry with quarterback Bryce Young. Given the lack of depth behind him and the favorable matchup, McMillan should be considered a solid low-end WR2 or high-end WR3, despite the typical rookie inconsistencies.
RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos
Although Denver Broncos rookie running back RJ Harvey was drafted in the second round in April and impressed during training camp, he was listed as the RB2 behind J.K. Dobbins on the team's initial 2025 depth chart.
Dobbins is expected to "start" the Week 1 season opener on Sunday against the Titans, but fantasy managers shouldn't read too much into that and should still consider the 24-year-old Harvey worth starting as an RB3/flex in his first NFL regular-season game. Denver is currently eight-point favorites at home against Tenneessee, a team that allowed 133.9 rushing yards per game (seventh-most) and 22.1 half-PPR points to RBs (10th-most) in 2024.
Dobbins' presence surely lowers Harvey's fantasy ceiling, but the Central Florida product is younger, healthier, and has more home run potential. By season's end, Harvey is expected to take over the "starting" role from Dobbins.
Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze begins his sophomore season on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings. The 2024 ninth-overall pick had a quiet rookie year, averaging 6.9 half-PPR fantasy points per game and finishing as the WR49, while playing behind two veteran receivers.
Now in 2025, Odunze has a prime opportunity to step forward in new head coach Ben Johnson's offense. With Keenan Allen gone, the Bears vacate over eight targets per game, opening the door for Odunze and others to take on a much larger role. The matchup is ideal, as Minnesota's defense allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers in 2024.
Still, Odunze's production will hinge on how quickly Caleb Williams can take a step forward in year two. Given the favorable matchup, Odunze is a high-risk, high-reward WR3 in Week 1.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, Travis Hunter, Matthew Golden, Tetairoa McMillan, RJ Harvey, Nick Chubb, Breece Hall, Rome Odunze, Stefon Diggs. 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 name. In the second box, search for the second player 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, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with 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 circle), 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 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 1 for Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, Travis Hunter, Matthew Golden, Tetairoa McMillan, RJ Harvey, Nick Chubb, Breece Hall, Rome Odunze, Stefon Diggs:
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