The following is an excerpt from the latest edition of Yahoo’s fantasy football newsletter, Get to the Points! If you like what you see, you can subscribe for free here.
If you need help setting your fantasy football lineups for Week 1, Scott Pianowski offers some assistance.
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Green Light
RB J.K. Dobbins vs. Titans: Most see rookie RJ Harvey as the long-term upside play in Denver, but don’t be surprised if the veteran Dobbins is the featured option to start. Dobbins has already proven his value in pass protection, which protects his snap rate. Game flow should also be friendly to Dobbins with the Broncos favored by 8.5 points.
RB Chuba Hubbard at Jaguars: The football world is excited about Liam Coen potentially fixing the Jacksonville offense, but how quickly can the Jags get their defense up to code? Jacksonville’s front seven was the AFC’s easiest mark for running backs last year, so Hubbard should hit the ground running.
TE David Njoku vs. Bengals: Njoku was the TE6 two seasons back, fueled by a late-season run tied to QB Joe Flacco. Obviously Flacco is back in Cleveland again, and these guys take aim at a Cincinnati defense that was blasted by opposing tight ends last year.
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RB TreVeyon Henderson vs. Raiders: The rookie was New England’s most exciting skill player in the preseason, and now he’s looking to exploit a Las Vegas defense that has holes in the front seven. OC Josh McDaniels might wind up using Henderson like the Saints used Alvin Kamara in his dynamite rookie season.
Yellow Light
WR Calvin Ridley at Broncos: Your roster depth might not allow for you to bench Ridley, but the Broncos defense is probably the best in the league, coming off 63 sacks and a stingy 86.2 QB rating allowed.
WR Garrett Wilson vs. Steelers: Scoring expectations are muted for this opener, with the total set at a modest 38.5 points. It’s nice that Wilson had two years of Ohio State experience with new Jets teammate Justin Fields, but New York could have the highest run bias in the league.
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TE Tyler Warren vs. Dolphins: We can’t unsee those 104 catches from Penn State last year, and Daniel Jones at least gives the Indianapolis passing game some theoretical upside. But the Colts also have a talented group of wideouts, and it’s likely the Indianapolis offense will look to hide Jones somewhat as it tries to navigate a winnable opening game.
RB Nick Chubb at Rams: Major injuries wrecked his last two seasons and the Texans don’t have much on the offensive line. But given the injury to Joe Mixon and the modest depth after Chubb on the Houston depth chart, it’s possible the veteran back already has 12-15 touches in his back pocket before the Texans get off the bus. Opportunity is still the most important thing to consider as we project fantasy running backs.
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Red Light
QB Jordan Love vs. Lions: The Packers are excited about rookie WR Matthew Golden, but most of the veterans in this receiver room are dealing with injuries. Detroit’s defense was riddled with injury last year, but it’s a plus-unit when healthy (it also allowed the lowest QB rating last year, despite the rotten injury luck). Josh Jacobs steered the Green Bay offense in the second half of 2024, and I suspect the fresh season will also open that way.
RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt vs. Giants: New York’s run stopping was slightly below average last year, but JCM nonetheless is a tricky Week 1 play given the crowding in the Washington backfield. Austin Ekeler looks like the pass-catching back, Chris Rodriguez Jr. might be the goal-line preference and uber-athletic QB Jayden Daniels is going to run a bunch, too. Let some dominoes fall before you consider a start here.
QB Caleb Williams vs. Vikings: He performed surprisingly well last year against the aggressive Minnesota defense, but it should take time to master the Ben Johnson offense, so I’m not expecting miracles early. The Lions also present a difficult draw in Week 2.
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RB Kaleb Johnson vs. Jets: The Steelers targeted Johnson for his fit in the Arthur Smith running scheme, but the rookie had a sluggish summer and might open the season as Pittsburgh’s No. 3 back. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jaylen Warren was the best RB for the Steelers all season.
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