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Who should I start for Week 1? Fantasy football outlooks for Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, Elijah Arroyo. Our expert fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks.
As we enter September and fantasy football drafts wind down, it's time to start shifting our focus to Week 1. Start/sit decisions are never easy, so now's a good time to start thinking ahead.
That is very important if you waited to select a tight end in your draft. If you went that direction, you're not alone. Plenty of gamers believe in the streaming the position. Several potential tight streamers for Week 1 are rookies Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, and Elijah Arroyo. Rookie tight ends are tricky and can be wildcards. While some excel right out of the gate (Brock Bowers and Sam LaPorta), others are nonexistent as rookies (Trey McBride and Travis Kelce are good examples).
So, what should gamers do with Warren, Loveland, and Arroyo in Week 1? Let's take a few minutes and discuss.
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Should I Start Tyler Warren for Fantasy Football in Week 1?
Warren played well this preseason, and it looks like he will be a big part of Indianapolis’ offense this year.
Tyler Warren down the sideline from Daniel Jones!
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/S0wrhDePFD
— NFL (@NFL) August 16, 2025
The Colts draw a home matchup with the Miami Dolphins to begin the season. Miami finished 18th in defensive passing DVOA last year, but struggled to guard tight ends. The Dolphins were 28th in defensive DVOA against tight ends and allowed 5.8 receptions and 55.9 receiving yards per game to tight ends, too.
With Daniel Jones slated to start for Indianapolis, Warren could be peppered with plenty of short-area targets. That makes him a potential TE1 play right out of the gates.
This is a good opening matchup for the Colts' rookie. Gamers should start him with confidence.
Should I Start Colston Loveland for Fantasy Football in Week 1?
The Ben Johnson era in Chicago kicks off with a Monday Night matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota’s defense was quite good last year, so this is a tough opening assignment for Chicago. Loveland was the first tight end selected in the 2025 NFL Draft after Chicago selected him 10th overall. He figures to be a huge part of Chicago's offense eventually.
However, Week 1 may not be the best time for fantasy managers to start him. Per Fantasy Football Today, Minnesota allowed the 20th most PPR points per game to tight ends last year. It also ranked eighth in DVOA against opposing tight ends in 2024.
This game figures to be a low-scoring, defensive battle, and we may not see many fantasy points. That means it might be better for managers to leave Loveland on the bench and start other options in Week 1.
Should I Start Elijah Arroyo for Fantasy Football in Week 1?
Seattle selected Arroyo in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
With the No. 50 overall pick in the 2025 @NFLDraft, the @Seahawks select Elijah Arroyo.
📺: #NFLDraft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/j05N17cMIU— NFL (@NFL) April 26, 2025
He is an exceptionally athletic prospect with an extremely high ceiling. Seattle has raved about his ability to play outside and line up as a receiver. We could see the team deploy him in such a role. However, while Arroyo is a fun prospect, it’s not entirely certain that he will be the team’s starting tight end for Week 1.
Second-year pro A.J. Barner is also in the mix for targets. While he doesn’t offer the same upside as Arroyo, he’s arguably the more well-rounded player and could be the favorite to start. That could make it hard for Arroyo to see consistent playing time to start the year.
Arroyo will also be stuck behind veterans Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp for targets. Rookie wide receiver Tory Horton will also factor in and could relegate Arroyo to the fourth or even fifth option in this offense. Considering Seattle will likely focus on running the football, that won’t leave much room for Arroyo to be a usable fantasy asset this year.
All that aside, Arroyo also doesn’t draw the best Week 1 matchup. Seattle plays the division rival San Francisco 49ers to begin the year. Despite its overall defensive struggles last year, San Francisco guarded tight ends quite well in 2024. The 49ers allowed the sixth-fewest PPR points per game to opposing tight ends in 2024 and allowed the sixth-fewest receiving yards per game to tight ends as well.
Arroyo is a fun dynasty football stash, but he doesn’t offer much value to redraft players in Week 1. Leave Arroyo on the bench and consider other options.
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 Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, and Elijah Arroyo. 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 in on specific players - Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, Elijah Arroyo. 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, 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 that 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 Week 1 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, and Elijah Arroyo compared to others:
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