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Who should I start for Week 1? Fantasy football outlooks for Emeka Egbuka, Tetairoa McMillan, Rome Odunze. Our expert fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks.
Football is back! The NFL season gets underway on Thursday, September 4, so it's time to get your fantasy football lineups locked and ready to go for Week 1. Many players have been getting hyped coming into the season, and it's time to start seeing which of those players are really ready to make an impact. Three young receivers, Emeka Egbuka, Tetairoa McMillan, and Rome Odunze, were selected early in fantasy football drafts as they get ready to begin what could be huge seasons for them. Each has a unique story and an opportunity to make an immediate impact in Week 1.
Egbuka and McMillan are in very involved roles as they make their NFL debuts, while Odunze is starting his second season in the league with a new offense in place. Each of the three has an extremely high ceiling this season and is hoping to emerge as a top receiver in the league. While they were all drafted outside the top 20 receivers by average draft position, they have the upside to climb into the top 10.
This article will break down their matchups and opportunities to help you decide if any of these young receivers are startable in Week 1.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
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Should I Start Emeka Egbuka for Fantasy Football Week 1?
The Buccaneers drafted Egbuka with the No. 19 pick in this year's draft out of Ohio State, and he could become the latest Buckeye receiver to make a splash in the NFL. He joins a good offense led by Baker Mayfield that likes to throw the ball down the field, but it's also an offense that has lots of playmakers to choose from when everyone is healthy.
For Week 1, though, the Bucs won't have Jalen McMillan (neck), who could be out until midseason with a severely strained neck. Chris Godwin (ankle) was activated from the active/PUP list before the season and looks like he'll be back before McMillan, but he's still not expected to return until October. Tight end Cade Otton (leg) is also potentially going to miss the start of the season, opening up even more targets. Without Godwin and McMillan, Egbuka will have a chance to seize a huge role in the offense out of the gate.
Throughout the Bucs' offseason, everyone raved about Egbuka's ability to step in and produce right away. Mayfield said he was “the real deal,” and said the team “can plug-and-play him at any of the three receiver spots right now.” While I'm sure Mayfield wasn't hoping the team would have to do that in Week 1, that's the way the situation has played out.
Egbuka had a 21-yard catch in his preseason debut and a five-yard touchdown in the second game against the Steelers.
EMEKA EGBUKA CATCHES IT WITH ONE HAND 🤯 pic.twitter.com/BeDUhp25Up
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) August 16, 2025
The Bucs start the season on the road in Atlanta against the Falcons, who gave up more fantasy points per game to wide receivers than any other team in the NFL last year. With so much opportunity available and a great matchup, Egbuka has an extremely high ceiling in his debut. He's a top-25 play at receiver who should be started in almost all formats in Week 1.
As the team gets healthy, his role could be reduced as the season progresses, but everything is setting up for a fast start for the rookie.
Should I Start Tetairoa McMillan for Fantasy Football Week 1?
McMillan is another rookie receiver whose situation is set up for him to have a huge role in Week 1. He was the only receiver drafted higher than Egbuka in this year's draft, after the Panthers aggressively snagged him at No. 8 overall out of Arizona.
Quarterback Bryce Young looked much better last season after he returned to the lineup following an early season benching, and he made the most of a shaky receiving corps that needed a playmaker. McMillan is exactly the kind of young, dynamic receiver the offense needed, and the Panthers aggressively tried to give Young to tools to succeed by taking T-Mac in the top 10.
Unlike Egbuka, who is behind veteran stud Mike Evans, McMillan is the top option in the Panthers passing game. He had a very strong training camp that drew rave reviews from teammates, coaches, and beat reporters. He made several highlight-reel grabs in camp and also delivered a big play in the preseason.
Bryce Young goes up top to Tetairoa McMillan for the big gain!
CLEvsCAR on @NFLNetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/R6FwKTnAjm— NFL (@NFL) August 8, 2025
The 6-foot-4 receiver has shown the ability to make all the plays and should be heavily featured in the offense. The Panthers traded veteran slot receiver Adam Thielen back to Minnesota this preseason and also lost Jalen Coker (quad) to IR. While they brought back Hunter Renfrow to help carry some of the load, McMillan should get all the targets he can handle early in the season.
McMillan missed a week of practice with hamstring soreness, but he has returned to practice and looks to be on track to play in the season opener.
Like Egbuka, McMillan is in a smash spot against the Jaguars, who allowed the most passing yards per game last season, giving up over 250 yards per game. He's a little higher risk since his overall offense is not as solid, and he's also got that injury to monitor.
He has an immensely high ceiling, and I have him in my top 30 receivers for Week 1, so he should be started in just about all formats either as a WR3 or a flex play. Since the Panthers have so few other pass-catching options, he should be very busy in his debut.
Should I Start Rome Odunze for Fantasy Football Week 1?
Odunze is the only non-rookie in this post, but in many ways, he's getting a fresh start with Ben Johnson as head coach and a new offense for the Bears. Odunze was a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and finished with 54 catches on 101 targets for 734 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his rookie year.
This offseason, the Bears let Keenan Allen depart as a free agent, but they did bring in rookie Luther Burden III, who will compete for touches. In the preseason, Odunze was quiet until the third game, dropping his only target. He did deliver in the third preseason game, though, catching three of five targets for 45 yards and a touchdown.
Odunze is a huge wild card coming into the season, with the potential for a breakout year, but also the possibility of falling behind Burden and ending up in a very reduced role.
Is Rome Odunze the Bears' WR1? 🤔
ESPN's @CourtneyRCronin thinks so 👀#BigPFBShow pic.twitter.com/IYjI3ae5yb
— Bears on CHSN (@CHSN_Bears) August 29, 2025
In Week 1, Odunze's Bears host the Vikings on Monday Night Football. While he does have upside, he isn't a locked-in starter in most formats. He's a WR4 in 10-team leagues, which means he could be a flex play if you're desperate or a depth option you can hold and play if he starts having a breakout under Ben Johnson.
Since he doesn't have as clear a path to playing time, I'd play both McMillan and Egbuka ahead of Odunze and view him as a boom-or-bust fringe flex play for Week 1. Down the road, Odunze has huge amounts of upside, but most teams can wait until Week 2 to put him in their lineup.
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 Emeka Egbuka, Tetairoa McMillan, and Rome Odunze. 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 -- Emeka Egbuka, Tetairoa McMillan, and Rome Odunze. 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 that 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 Emeka Egbuka, Tetairoa McMillan, and Rome Odunze compared to others:
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