Fantasy Football is back!

By Martin Richardson

Welcome back to week 1 of Fantasy football! It’s so good to be back.

This year I’m going things a bit different again, because why not. I’ll be covering those favourable matchups for players in your fantasy lineups as well as those sneaky players who could make a difference in you early season match ups, with hopefully a little bit of mirth along the way.

Now without further unnecessary pontification, let’s dive into the who is worth watching this week in for Fantasy footballers across the land.

BRONCOS AGAINST THE TITANS

Anyone who read my articles over the summer will not be surprised to see that in week 1 I’m picking up the Broncos to do well. It also helps that they are playing the Titans, and they could well against a defense that was practically the worst in the NFL.

Bo Nix has the chance to sling the ball over field to veterans like Courtland Sutton and new TE1 Evan Engram, both of whom will benefit for a more established QB under centre. One thing to note is that in the second half of the season, Nix didn’t throw it as far as he did earlier on in the season. And it was in those earlier games he threw his interceptions, a blow for any Fantasy player. Now, with a cleaner game of short gains and more options at both WR and TE, Nix has a chance to become a top 5 Fantasy QB.

They have a new running back in RJ Harvey and he has a chance to make an impact very early against a porous defense that allowed the most touchdowns to RB’s in the NFL last year. So even with the arrival of JK Dobbins, a player who just can’t stay healthy, Harvey will have a chance to make early inroads to become Fantasy relevant in 2025.

DOLPHINS AGAINST THE COLTS

Just like the Titans, I hope the Colts are not featured here for the fact that teams could walk all over them. It just so happens that this week there is some intrigue surrounding the Miami Dolphins heading into the first game of the season.

You have the previously fantastic and Fantasy Championship winning wide receiver Tyreek Hill who has been stripped of his captaincy and has all his previous laundry out for the world to see. I suppose the question here is, and I will frame this as best I can: just how much has the relationship with Tua been repaired? Against a team like the Colts, there is an opportunity for the likes of Tua and Tyreek Hill be starting the season well for Fantasy players and go beyond their projected their 14 and 8 numbers respectfully. Now there is also the case that someone like Hill could end up like AJ Brown in this week’s early fixture and have one target and reception for less than 10 yards. 

There is also great intrigue with the running backs in Miami, with Ollie Gordon slated to be in the backfield due to injuries to De’Von Achane, who was limited in practices this week. When asked about who would be taking the majority of snaps week 1, in typical Mike McDaniel fashion, for Fantasy players everywhere, he’s dropped this great sound bite:

Cheers Mike, that’s great when it comes to slotting in someone like Ollie Gordon as an RB2 or a FLEX, but not if you’re putting your hopes on Achane being healthy if he was a top end pick for you in your draft. Irrespective of his fortune cookie nonsense, Gordon should get some touches and against a Colts team that could feature in these articles a lot (for all the wrong reasons) why not try the rookie to see what he can do. It’s just if you want to risk him so early in your season or risk having Achane fill a spot if he doesn’t need to be risked.

In terms of the Colts, we get to see what TE Tyler Warren is really about and how he will cope in the NFL. The Colts have named Daniel Jones (yes really) as their starter for now and against a mean looking Dolphins front line, it could get ugly for Danny Dimes real quick. But, we know that if he can get the ball to someone like Warren, it may be good for Fantasy players for a starting TE to get them those valuable yardage points. It will just be if the Colts can get to the Red Zone to make it interesting for Warren et al at Indianapolis.

PATRIOTS AGAINST THE RAIDERS

The Patriots announced on Friday that rookie Will Campbell is Questionable going into the week 1 match up against the Raiders, which isn’t ideal for second year QB, Drake Maye. Now, I’m a big fan of Maye going into his second year and I was hoping he would fall to me in a Fantasy Draft but it wasn’t to be. He showed he had that big arm to move the ball down the field and against the Raiders he had the opportunity to gain Fantasy relevant points early on in the season. There are some questions about the depth at WR outside of new WR1 Stefon Diggs, but Maye also has that mobility to get either some rushing yardage or even a cheeky Red Zone rush. The Campbell injury is one to watch, but I think Maye’s quality will be fine against a Raiders team that doesn’t seem to have an identity yet.

The season hasn’t started yet and people are already saying he could be a Rookie of the Year candidate for new running back TreVeyon Henderson, and this week against the Raiders he could showcase that statement. Should the Patriots decide to keep things safe early, handing the ball off to Henderson for some chunk plays could pay off massively for Fantasy players.

There is Rhamondre Stevenson question, and his involvement will still be a factor (which I think diminishes week after week), but Henderson will be someone who gets reps this weekend and the legacy of Stevenson’s drops, fumbles and lack of production will be brought up very quickly if Henderson performs.

Projected to get 10 points minimum on ESPN, Henderson could easily eclipse that with a trip to the Red Zone. And with Drake Maye at the helm, it could very well be several trips and some chunk yardage plays.

Ones to Avoid:

Naturally, there will be teams that have a rough match up or something just doesn’t feel right in a particular week. Which means there will either be a few players to consider benching for at least a week or so in order to make sure you’re on track for a winning record. Who knows, maybe next week AJ Brown makes an appearance…

The PITTSBURGH Steelers

I’m going to go on record early and say I really don’t know what the Steelers are this season. They traded for DK Metcalf which for fantasy players can be seen as a decent move at first, but then they signed Aaron Rodgers which is just a progress stopping move in my opinion. He can hardly move, and we’ve seen the practice videos where he looks like an arthritic Bambi on ice so that’s not going to help anyone with Fantasy football.

Outside of DK Metcalf, they have no one who is Fantasy relevant, with Roman Wilson going into his second year and Calvin Austin III still lingering like a bad penny. The move for Jonnu Smith that ran side by side the Ramsey offers some options but isn’t exactly a splash Fantasy pickup if you want production and points.

They have drafted Kaleb Johnson who was electric on college, yet a new deal for Jaylen Warren seems to have put a stop to his sleeper tag in Fantasy markets. Even though Warren has never gone over 15 carries a game, they seem to have faith in him being a guy they can lean on.

They go up against a Jets team that is also looking for their identity and already have injury concerns with Alijah Vera-Tucker out for the year. But even then I’m not looking at any of those Steelers to have big games.

I may be wrong as the season progresses, but I can’t see it being an exciting start for the Steelers in week 1.

MARTIN RICHARDSON

NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST

A Yorkshireman living in Lancashire, Martin is a massive NFL fan but his heart belongs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Also a huge Fantasy Football enthusiast and spends far too long crunching the numbers! Follow him at @MRBucsFan31

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