Justin Boone provides a weekly look at undervalued fantasy players to consider starting this week and potential busts you might want to leave on your bench.
[It’s not too late — join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
For the rest of your lineup and roster decisions, consult his Week 1 Rankings and Trade Value Charts.
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Starts
Baker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers
at Falcons
Mayfield threw for three touchdowns in each of his games against the Falcons in 2024, including a 330-yard outing in their last encounter.
That’s not surprising since the Falcons gave up the sixth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks a year ago and I don’t see enough changes on their defense to think that’s going to improve significantly.
The Bucs-Falcons game also has one of the higher projected point totals on the week at 47.5 and the Bucs have one of the highest implied point totals at 25.
With Emeka Egbuka showing up and filling in for Chris Godwin, Mayfield has more than enough firepower to throw it all over the yard again as a strong QB1 in the opening week.
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Other QBs to start:
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Trevor Lawrence vs. Panthers
James Conner, RB, Cardinals
at Saints
Each offseason, I feel the need to jog everyone’s memory when it comes to Conner being a top-15 fantasy back on a per-game basis ever since arriving in Arizona.
Any concerns about the 30-year-old’s durability are also not as prevalent at the start of the season, so there should be no reason to question Conner’s fantasy outlook in Week 1.
The matchup with the Saints is a friendly one, after New Orleans was the fifth-easiest opponent for fantasy backs in 2024.
With the Cardinals entering the game as 6.5-point favorites, Conner should have plenty of opportunities to rack up points as a top-12 RB option this week.
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Other RBs to start:
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TreVeyon Henderson vs. Raiders
Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Panthers
at Jaguars
Trusting rookies in their NFL debut might feel risky, but it all depends on which first-year player you’re thinking about starting.
McMillan is a top-10 pick who profiles as a true No. 1 receiver in the Panthers offense. He was a big-time target earner in college, with stat lines of 90-1,402-10 and 84-1,319-8 in his final two seasons.
With Adam Thielen traded away and Jalen Coker on injured reserve, there will be more than enough volume for McMillan to be a fantasy WR2 right out of the gate.
It doesn’t hurt that his first opponent is the Jaguars, who have one of the more suspect secondaries in the league and allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to wideouts last season.
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Other WRs to start:
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Travis Hunter vs. Panthers
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Vikings
at Bears
Hockenson missed the first eight weeks last season as he recovered from ACL and MCL tears suffered in 2023. When he returned to the lineup, it was clear he wasn’t completely back to form and his production reflected that.
Even so, Hockenson still managed a pair of strong performances against the Bears, with 12 receptions and 166 yards over their two meetings.
Jordan Addison is suspended for three games and Thielen just arrived back in Minnesota, so the Vikings’ passing attack will revolve around Justin Jefferson and Hockenson in Week 1.
A healthy Hockenson is one of the five best tight ends in the NFL and he’s going to remind people of that fact this season.
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Other TEs to start:
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Tyler Warren vs. Dolphins
Sits
Jared Goff, QB, Lions
at Packers
We know Goff lost his star playcaller in Ben Johnson and some key pieces on the interior of his offensive line with Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler departing.
We should also be aware by now that Goff has generally been a much more productive quarterback when playing in a domed environment like the one at Ford Field.
Unfortunately for him, he’s heading to Green Bay, where he’s struggled in the past. Despite all his success in recent years, Goff was held to just 145 yards and a touchdown on the road against the Packers in 2024 and 210 yards, a TD and an interception in 2023. He finished outside the top-20 fantasy QBs in both of those games.
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To make matters worse, Micah Parsons has joined the Packers’ pass rush. This isn’t the week to start Goff.
Other QBs to sit:
-
Justin Fields vs. Steelers
D’Andre Swift, RB, Bears
vs. Vikings
Swift held onto his starting job in Chicago almost by default this offseason after the Bears just barely missed out on several early-round rookie running backs. In the end, they drafted Kyle Monangai late, but he showed enough in training camp and the preseason to earn a role.
It could be a slow first couple weeks for everyone in this backfield, given their tough divisional games against the Vikings and Lions, who were bottom five in rushing yards and fantasy points allowed to running backs in 2024.
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That makes Swift more of a risky fantasy RB3 for his Week 1 matchup with Minnesota, so consider your other options before you play him. And be prepared for his name to show up on this list next week on the road in Detroit.
Other RBs to sit:
Calvin Ridley, WR, Titans
at Broncos
Ridley has a lot of things working in his favor this season with the arrival of quarterback Cam Ward providing the biggest upgrade for his fantasy outlook.
The lack of target competition will lead to huge volume that should make Ridley an easy fantasy start most weeks — just not this time around.
The Broncos boast one of the best defenses and their crown jewel is shutdown cornerback Pat Surtain II. Expect the reigning Defensive Player of the Year to cover Ridley on the majority of his routes this week, turning the Titans’ top wideout into a fantasy WR3.
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However, you can already pencil in Ridley’s name as a buy-low option prior to Week 2.
Other WRs to sit:
Evan Engram, TE, Broncos
vs. Titans
Engram has been a productive fantasy player in the past, but we still don’t know what kind of ceiling his role in Denver will offer.
When asked, Sean Payton was quick to call him a potential “Joker” in his scheme, but some cold water was thrown on Engram’s outlook when he split snaps with Adam Trautman in the preseason.
This also doesn’t look like a boom week for him against a Titans defense that gave up the fifth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends last year.
You might not have a better option at a one-off position like tight end, just know that Engram profiles as a risky low-end starter for fantasy in Week 1.
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Other TEs to sit:
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Colston Loveland vs. Vikings
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