Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 1? Jaylen Warren, Jaylen Waddle, Xavier Worthy, David Montgomery, Matthew Golden, Garrett Wilson, DJ Moore, Travis Etienne, Deebo Samuel, Cooper Kupp

Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Jaylen Warren, Jaylen Waddle, Xavier Worthy, David Montgomery, Matthew Golden, Garrett Wilson, DJ Moore, Travis Etienne, Deebo Samuel, Cooper Kupp.

Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Jaylen Warren, Jaylen Waddle, Xavier Worthy, David Montgomery, Matthew Golden, Garrett Wilson, DJ Moore, Travis Etienne, Deebo Samuel, Cooper Kupp. 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.

 

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:

Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy will take on the Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo for their Week 1 matchup. The 22-year-old had a solid rookie season, coming on strong down the stretch, and should be able to build on that success in his sophomore year. ]

Worthy will be a strong beneficiary of Rashee Rice's suspension since his absence clears the runway for Worthy to take off. The young speedster proved to be a reliable option for Patrick Mahomes in the passing game towards the end of the regular season and into the playoffs.

If the duo has built on their chemistry this offseason, Worthy could be poised to take a step forward. The Chargers were middle-of-the-pack in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers in 2024, so the matchup should not be an issue this week. Worthy is ranked WR27 in our RotoBaller rankings this week, putting him in the WR2/3 range for this contest.

David Montgomery, RB, Detroit Lions

When asked if he envisions a similar workload split this year between running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in 2025, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator John Morton smiled and said, "We'll see." In 2024, Montgomery would often open the game in the backfield before giving way to Gibbs on the second offensive series of the game, but that could change in 2025 with Ben Johnson out of town.

Lions beat writers got the impression during training camp this summer that Gibbs might be the "starter" to begin games this year, which would make fantasy managers that invested a top-five pick in him pretty happy. Montgomery is still going to be involved as long as he's healthy, though, and he could steal valuable goal-line touches from Gibbs.

Both RBs should be rostered in all formats, but Gibbs' fantasy upside feels higher than it ever has before.

Matthew Golden, WR, Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden has done nothing but impress since the team selected him in the first round out of Texas in April. "Phenomenal," one team source said of Golden's presence. "Makes a wow play every day." The 22-year-old is already listed as a starter on Green Bay's depth chart, and the Packers "aren't hiding their affection for him."

Although the Packers will use plenty of two-tight end sets, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler writes that Golden's "talent looks undeniable." With Jayden Reed (foot) up in the air to play in Week 1 against the division-rival Detroit Lions this Sunday, Golden could be a big part of Green Bay's passing attack right away, putting him in the WR3/flex conversation immediately in fantasy.

Dontayvion Wicks and Savion Williams have also been banged up, giving Golden a clear path to opportunity.

Deebo Samuel, WR, Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders have been "blown away" by wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr.'s "commitment to recapturing as much of his prime as possible," according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic. Samuel Sr. has reportedly shed weight over the offseason after being acquired by Washington from the San Francisco 49ers.

The 29-year-old is coming off an underwhelming season, recording 806 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns on 93 total touches across 15 games for San Francisco. Recapturing his peak form from 2021, when he recorded 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns, may be a stretch, but Samuel Sr. could conceivably bounce back to somewhere in between his best season and his most recent one.

He's the clear WR2 behind Terry McLaurin in Washington, and he may get multiple touches per game as a rusher as well. Samuel Sr. could easily end up being undervalued as a low-end WR3/high-end WR4 in fantasy drafts.

 

Who Should I Start Tool

You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.

Week 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus in on specific players - Jaylen Warren, Jaylen Waddle, Xavier Worthy, David Montgomery, Matthew Golden, Garrett Wilson, DJ Moore, Travis Etienne, Deebo Samuel, Cooper Kupp. 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 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 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 1 for Jaylen Warren, Jaylen Waddle, Xavier Worthy, David Montgomery, Matthew Golden, Garrett Wilson, DJ Moore, Travis Etienne, Deebo Samuel, Cooper Kupp:

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