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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Terry McLaurin, Austin Ekeler, James Conner, Tank Bigsby, Chuba Hubbard, Keenan Allen, Tyreek Hill, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jayden Reed, Tee Higgins.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Terry McLaurin, Austin Ekeler, James Conner, Tank Bigsby, Chuba Hubbard, Keenan Allen, Tyreek Hill, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jayden Reed, Tee Higgins. 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:
Austin Ekeler, RB, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler was once again deployed as the team's RB1 during practice on Wednesday. During a QB/RB drill, JP Finaly of NBC4 reported that Ekeler was given the first opportunity, while seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt followed him. Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. followed behind him as the third and fourth running backs.
Earlier in the week, Ekeler was listed first on the team's depth chart, and his usage during Wednesday's practice seems to solidify his role as the lead option. During his debut season in Washington, Ekeler served as the primary pass-catching back, but was still very effective on the ground, posting a 4.8 YPC.
Given his projected role, Ekeler carries RB2 upside in PPR leagues and strong flex value in standard formats facing the New York Giants in Week 1.
Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
On the Jacksonville Jaguars' first unofficial depth chart of the regular season, they have listed running backs Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby as co-starters, according to Demetrius Harvey of the Florida Times-Union. Rookie Bhayshul Tuten is the RB3, and LeQuint Allen Jr. comes in at RB4 heading into the Week 1 matchup against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
The Jaguars are keeping it close to the vest how their RB usage will shake out between Etienne and Bigsby on Sunday against a Panthers defense that was the worst unit against the run in all of football.
Both Etienne and Bigsby could both see decent workloads in the season opener against a defense that was downright awful in 2024, putting them both in the RB3/flex conversation for fantasy. Meanwhile, Tuten should open the year in a change-of-pace role for Jacksonville.
Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen is set to start against the Kansas City Chiefs in the team's Week 1 showdown in São Paulo, Brazil. Returning after a one-year stint with the Chicago Bears and healthy following a heel injury last season, Allen will face a less favorable matchup against Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson.
While Allen has a proven track record, posting 70 catches for 744 yards and seven touchdowns last year, his role is less specific with the emergence of Ladd McConkey and the return of Quentin Johnston (concussion).
Although Allen is an experienced pro with a strong connection with quarterback Justin Herbert, the combination of a tough individual matchup and an offense that will lean on the run makes him a riskier start. RotoBaller projects him as the WR47 this week. Fantasy managers should consider Allen a low-end WR3/FLEX option in this matchup.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (oblique) is "absolutely" on track to play in the Week 1 season opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, per head coach Mike McDaniel. It's what fantasy managers want to hear after drafting the Cheetah at a discounted price after a disappointing 2024 campaign (by his standards).
The 31-year-old speedster missed a good chunk of training camp while working through an oblique injury, but he was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday and could be cleared entirely from the Week 1 injury report on Friday if he's able to upgrade to a full practice session.
The Dolphins should also have running back De'Von Achane (calf) available as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the rest of the offense look to bounce back. Treat Hill as a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 in fantasy lineups in Week 1.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders head coach Kliff Kingsbury acknowledged the preseason "hype train" for rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt leading into the 2025 regular season during a press conference on Thursday. Kingsbury also mentioned that he has a lot of respect for Croskey-Merritt's journey from being a practice-squad player to making it to the NFL.
"He can't get enough," Kingsbury said. The 24-year-old's love for football has catapulted him to potentially having a big role in Washington's backfield in his rookie season.
However, the Commanders listed him as the RB4 on their first unofficial depth chart of the year in what is shaping up to be a full-blown committee involving JCM, Austin Ekeler, Chris Rodriguez Jr. and even Jeremy McNichols. Ekeler is probably the safest flex play in PPR leagues in Week 1 against the Giants, but it's a dicey fantasy situation right now.
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 - Terry McLaurin, Austin Ekeler, James Conner, Tank Bigsby, Chuba Hubbard, Keenan Allen, Tyreek Hill, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jayden Reed, Tee Higgins. 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 Terry McLaurin, Austin Ekeler, James Conner, Tank Bigsby, Chuba Hubbard, Keenan Allen, Tyreek Hill, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jayden Reed, Tee Higgins:
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