I’ve waited all offseason to type this one out….

WELCOME TO WEEK 1 OF THE 2025 NFL SEASON! It’s felt like an eternity, but we made it. If the Thursday or Friday games are any indication for Week 1 of 2025, I think we’re in for a crazy ride.

Cancel those plans, put on those sweatpants and order the food you’ve been craving…we’ve got you covered for what you need to know for Week 1 to start out with a W.

The only bad news of the week? RedZone is officially going to include commercials for the first time. If my octobox ever looks like this, I’m throwing my TV off the nearest bridge.

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— Sean

Week 1 Starts/Sits

Graham Barfield dishes out the stats you need to help make your toughest lineup decisions for Week 1

Start Chuba Hubbard. JAX has the least-talented defensive interior in football and the Panthers are only a slight underdog (+3.5). Hubbard will lose some work to Dowdle and rookie Trevor Etienne, but he should be a set-and-forget RB2 this week.

Start Deebo Samuel. Washington OC Kliff Kingsbury called a screen pass on 16.1% of Daniels’s attempts last season, fourth-highest in the NFL. 25.3% of Deebo’s targets in 2024 were from designed plays like screens, fifth-highest amongst WRs. This is a match made in heaven, but keep expectations tame.

Start Tony Pollard. In four games without Tyjae Spears last season, Pollard played on 87% of the Titans’ snaps and his role was worth 19.6 expected half-PPR FPG. Volume should help Pollard get to his floor even with their lowest implied point total (17.0) for Week 1.

Sit Calvin Ridley. Ridley will draw shadow coverage from defensive player of the year Pat Surtain….no thanks. Surtain allowed a league-low 0.13 fantasy points per route run in his coverage last season. Be safe and stay away.

Sit Jared Goff. This is the first time the Lions have been underdogs since Week 17, 2023. Since joining the Lions in 2021, Gof has averaged just 14.3 FPPG across 29 starts when Detroit is an underdog…you likely can find better options.

Sit Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby. This is a homerun matchup against Carolina, but we have no idea what the split is going to be with these two backs, and rookie Bhayshul Tuten is a complete wildcard. This committee is going to be a headache.

Read the full article for advice on who to start & sit throughout the entire Week 1 slate

Washington Commanders (32%) vs NYG. Russell Wilson has led the NFL in sacks taken twice in his career. The Giants’ line might be better, but the Commanders have playmakers on all three levels of defense. Pick-six incoming, per Drake’s Week 1 Streaming D/STs.

The Bucs think Emeka Egbuka is special, a high-floor prospect with high football IQ, toughness and YAC ability. He’ll play in the Godwin role, who led the NFL in receptions (50) and receiving yards (576) through seven weeks last year before getting hurt. The Falcons allowed the second-most FPG (30.4) and the third-most receptions per game (13.5) to WRs…he gets rolling early, per Brolley’s Week 1 Game Hub.

Cardinals OL vs Saints DL. This game has James Conner written all over it. He’s one of the most underrated players in the NFL and his downhill, direct run style is perfect for the way the Cardinals OL operates. Expect them to lean on Conner in this one against a weak Saints defensive line, per DiBendetto’s Scouting the OL/DL Matchups: Week 1.

NFL Coaches “My Guys”

Greg Brainos dissects the key off-season coachspeak to determine what fantasy football players’ actual NFL coaches are talking them up the most

Greg Brainos watches every single press conference from every NFL head coach, offensive coordinator and general manager - writing down all of the important quotes and placing them into his Coachspeak Index.

The following is a list of players whom NFL coaches have been talking up the most this offseason:

💎 Chase Brown (RB, Bengals)

If you had Chase Brown last year, you’re already in love with him - but it sounds like the Bengals coaching staff is too. If they make Brown a true priority in this offense, expect an explosion year from him.

• Notable coachspeak: HC Zac Taylor (June 12): He’s done a great job edging in there with a ton of great playmakers on offense and making himself a priority, like, we gotta get this guy ball in as many ways as possible…”

• Notable coachspeak: OC Dan Pitcher (July 23): I think Chase Brown is going to, by the end of the season, be a household name. He’s everything that Austin Ekeler was…I think by the time the season’s over, you’ll all know who he is."

💎 Garrett Wilson (WR, Jets)

There’s a very common theme in Aaron Glenn’s press conferences this year…and it’s Garrett Wilson. He wants to get him the ball early and often. If the volume is there, the (likely) poor quarterback play won’t matter.

• Notable coachspeak: HC Aaron Glenn (March 31): "Garrett Wilson “is a dynamic player, so I’m looking forward to being able to get him the ball as much as possible.”

• Notable coachspeak: HC Aaron Glenn (May 21): [on what he’s learning about Garrett Wilson] “Give him the ball as much as possible. Give him the ball as much as possible. That’s it.”

• Notable coachspeak: HC Aaron Glenn (August 2): “We have to get Garrett Wilson the ball as much as we can.”

💎 Jameson Williams (WR, Lions)

Dan Campbell heralded Jamo’s 2024 breakout, beating the drum every chance he got last offseason. He has a 90% reliability rating on depth chart coachspeak and usage/workload coachspeak - so believe him when he talks. Now the new OC, John Morton, is doing the same.

• Notable coachspeak: OC John Morton (May 13): Jameson Williams can go from 0 to 60, fast. It’s amazing, I haven’t been around a guy like him. I mean, it’s two players with him and Jahmyr Gibbs. That explosion. I was around Reggie Bush, and that kind of explosion is impressive. Those two guys have it.”

• Notable coachspeak: HC Dan Campbell (May 30): “So much versatility with him. There are so many things that we can do just with his routes on the outside. And we can do things on the inside. With his speed, and he’s gotten so much stronger. His ability to stop and put his foot in the ground. When you can run like he can run, and you can stop on a dime, you’re talking about a hard cover.”

• Notable coachspeak: OC John Morton (July 28): You’ve seen Jameson Williams’ skill set. He’s explosive. He’s gotten better every year. I want to take that skill set and isolate him…I’m very excited where he’s at right now. He’s gonna help us win some big games.”

Read the full article to see all of the coachspeak and learn who might get more opportunities this season

💸 Best Bets

Every Sunday, the Guru includes his Top-5 Sunday Props. These are his top priorities for Week 1:

• Amon-Ra St. Brown O64.5 receiving yards (-113, DraftKings)

• Joe Flacco O244.5 passing yards (-112, DraftKings)

• Brian Thomas Jr. O76.5 receiving yards (-112, DraftKings)

• Josh Downs O47.5 receiving yards (-110, DraftKings)

• Jonnu Smith O26.5 receiving yards (-112, DraftKings)

Best Week 1 props from our team:

• Guru’s Best Bets: Week 1

• Barfield’s Best Bets: Week 1

• Paul’s Props and Touchdowns: Week 1

• Brolley’s Best Bets: Week 1

• 2025 Week 1 Staff Picks

• Week 1 Fantasy Points Data Prop Bets

• Week 1 DFS Main Slate Breakdown

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