The San Francisco 49ers defense / special teams unit opens up against the New York Jets at home on Monday night. San Francisco entered 2023 projected to be a Top-3 fantasy squad but failed to hit such a lofty mark, finishing 11th in the NFL by Yahoo default scoring. It wasn't that the Niners were bad, they just didn't produce in a wildly unpredictable but important stat -- touchdowns (1). They also didn't get to the quarterback at a high level, finishing near the middle of the pack in sacks. Part of that may be attributable to edge rusher Nick Bosa's holdout and subsequent rustiness at the beginning of last year, so there's room for optimism on that front as well. San Francisco's is still a quality unit worth rostering. A healthy Jets offense will provide a formidable test on Monday night though, as Aaron Rodgers brings Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, and PFF's fifth-ranked offensive line. Consider the 49ers D/ST to be on the back end of the Top 5 in Week 1.

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New England Patriots running back Antonio Gibson (hip) is anticipated to suit up for Sunday's game versus the Bengals. The former Commander appeared in Thursday's edition of the injury report because of a hip issue, which limited his participation at practice. Fortunately, he felt a little better on Friday, so things were moving in the right direction regarding his availability against Cincinnati. With that in mind, Gibson will be behind Rhamondre Stevenson. However, with questions surrounding the potential of the New England offense, it will be tough for anyone on that side of the ball to do anything meaningful for fantasy managers, at least consistently. Keep Gibson benched in all fantasy setups in Week 1.

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San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody will open his sophomore season with a Monday night home game versus the New York Jets. Moody finished his rookie season in 2023 tied with Atlanta's Younghoe Koo as the K17 in fantasy points per game. Moody and Koo took very different routes to those numbers, though. Moody only attempted 25 field goals to Koo's 37. The difference was made up in extra points, as Moody led the league in the category and set a record with 53 straight. Lack of opportunity aside, Moody does have room for improvement in his accuracy; he recorded an 84% last year, which was near the bottom of the league. The Jets defense is expected to be stout but if their defense is anything like last year's, the 49ers should be able to move the ball on the ground at least. The weather in Santa Clara on Monday night is expected to be near-perfect. Moody is a back-end fantasy starter in Week 1.

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San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle will open his eighth NFL season when the team hosts the New York Jets on Monday night. The former Iowa Hawkeye had another successful season in 2023, finishing with 1,020 yards on 60 catches and six touchdowns, which earned him the overall TE5 slot in half-PPR. While the Jets were elite against the pass last year -- ranking second-best in the NFL in passing yards -- they were ordinary at preventing TE fantasy production (13th). While Kittle may have been pushed down in ADP this year by younger dynamic tight ends like Detroit's Sam LaPorta and Arizona's Trey McBride, Kittle is still worthy of starting lineups when healthy. Roll with Kittle in the middle of the TE1 landscape this week.

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Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff will begin the 2024-25 campaign on Sunday night against the Rams, his former club. The 29-year-old had arguably his best season in 2023-24, throwing for 4,575 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, adding two scores on the ground. As a result, Detroit rewarded him with a lucrative contract extension in the offseason. Without question, the Lions offense is loaded with talent, with Amon-Ra St. Brown, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Sam LaPorta on the roster. With all those weapons in Goff's arsenal, he's a must-start in all fantasy formats in Week 1. Unless things go in a completely different direction from last season, fantasy managers will likely keep Goff in the lineup for the entire year.

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According to Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, wide receiver Keenan Allen (heel) is expected to be on the field for Week 1 against the Titans. The 32-year-old has been battling a heel issue and carried a questionable designation. However, barring a setback, it appears all signs are pointing toward his availability versus Tennessee. Allen spent his entire career with the Chargers before finding his way to The Windy City this offseason. He had a solid 2023-24 campaign, amassing 108 grabs (150 targets) for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns. Although there could be issues caused by the inexperience of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, there's no way fantasy managers would feel comfortable keeping Allen on the bench. Granted, he'll also primarily compete for targets with DJ Moore, who is coming off a monster season. But until Allen shows signs of regression, he's a must-start in all formats in Week 1.

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Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard will likely take on the majority of the work for their season debut against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. With rookie Jonathan Brooks (knee) still not available, Hubbard will take on the starting role, splitting reps with Miles Sanders. Hubbard finds himself with a decent matchup against New Orleans defense, a unit that allowed the thirteenth-fewest fantasy points to opposing RBs last season, as well as the eleventh-most rushing yards. Considering Hubbard will take on most of the work for Carolina, he does provide a safe enough floor to be targeted as a potential RB2 for fantasy managers.

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According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (calf) plans to play in Sunday's matchup versus the Atlanta Falcons. However, team doctors are pumping the brakes on his plans, with Schefter adding that a "final decision" will be made on Sunday morning. ESPN's Brooke Pryor also reported that Wilson will test his ailing calf during pregame warm-ups, but he's been doing anything imaginable to feel his best. Wilson will potentially debut with the Steelers in Week 1 after a subpar tenure with the Denver Broncos. Yet, he was limited during training camp, and with the possibility of residual issues caused by the injury, fantasy managers may want to look in another direction for a starting quarterback on Sunday. The same will be true if backup Justin Fields ends up under center.

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. should be the focal point of the team's passing attack when they host the New York Jets at home on Monday night. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Saturday that Samuel Sr.'s counterpart Brandon Aiyuk would not play as many snaps as usual following his "hold-in". This should lead to at least a slight increase in targets for Samuel Sr this week. It is also conceivable that he sees increased action in the running game as well with All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey questionable (calf/Achilles). The only significant thing working against Samuel Sr. would appear to be the strength of New York's pass defense, which allowed the second-fewest yards per game through the air last year and has returned most of their key players. It's worth noting that Jets head coach Robert Saleh said in the offseason that lockdown cornerback Sauce Gardner would spend more time following around opponents' No.1 WR this year, which in this case would seem to be Aiyuk, reduced snaps notwithstanding. Samuel Sr. rates as a high-end WR2 in fantasy this week.

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Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson will make his team debut this Sunday when the Panthers travel to take on the New Orleans Saints. Johnson was brought in to provide additional support to a unit that severely underperformed in 2023, and looks to be the WR1 for the offense. He faces a Saints defense that was above average against the pass last season, allowing the tenth-fewest receiving yards and thirteenth-fewest fantasy points to the position. That being said, the former Steeler should drive a strong target share, making him a more than viable option in the matchup. Fantasy managers should prioritize Johnson as a WR2/3

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Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young looks to get off on the right foot in his sophomore campaign when the Panthers travel to take on the New Orleans Saints. Young struggled in his rookie season, throwing for 2877 yards with 11 touchdowns, 10 INTs and a 2-15 record. Although the Panthers have tried to reload on both sides of the ball, Young and the Panthers face a stout Saints defense that allowed the ninth-fewest fantasy points to QBs last season. On top of that, this game also projects to be one of the lowest scoring in Week 1's slate, limiting any potential upside Young might have. Fantasy managers should wait and see how this Panthers offense performs before considering Young in lineups, and he can comfortably left on the bench in most formats this week.

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will open the 2024 season at home versus the New York Jets vaunted pass defense on Monday night. The 26-year-old comes into the game fresh off a four-year $120 million extension inked just over a week ago after a long holdout which caused Aiyuk to miss all of camp and the preseason, though he did attend meetings. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said during a Saturday presser that Aiyuk is in good shape, but because of the demand of the wide receiver position, he will probably play a little less than usual. Aiyuk managers with other WR/FLEX options may want to consider benching Aiyuk this week, especially since the Jets pass defense ranked 2nd in the NFL in yards allowed last year and are returning most of their key players. There will probably be weeks this season when Aiyuk projects as a back-end WR1, but this week isn't one of them. Consider him an upper-edge WR3/FLEX for Monday.

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The Denver Broncos defense/special teams unit had a rough start to last season before actually turning things around in a big way and being a streaming option in deeper leagues and during byes late in the year. But in Week 1 of 2024 on the road against a Seattle Seahawks offense that is expected to be dynamic under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, nobody is expecting much. Denver's D allowed 19.3 points per game from Weeks 6-18 last year after giving up 36.2 points per game over the first five weeks. A second year under defensive coordinator Vance Joseph should help make them more consistent, and reinforcements along the D-line should help them improve a rushing D that ranked 30th in rushing yards allowed per game in 2023. But both Kenneth Walker III on the ground and Geno Smith through the air will test them. In Week 1, fantasy managers should have better options to start.

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Dynasty | Eagles running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns while adding two catches for 23 yards and another score in his Philadelphia debut. Dynasty Analysis: The Eagles offense struggled in its first two series but came to life after with Barkley leading the way. It couldn't have gone much better for Saquon as he had 24 of the 25 running back carries with Kenneth Gainwell garnering just one tote. While we have a long way to go before declaring Barkley as being totally back, this was a pretty awe-inspiring debut for his new team.

Dynasty | Packers receiver Jayden Reed had four catches for 138 yards and a touchdown while adding a 33-yard rushing touchdown in Green Bay's season-opening loss to the Eagles. Dynasty Analysis: Reed was a fantasy dynamo at times last year and this game showed that was no fluke. It looks like Reed, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are the top receivers in this offense and while any ot them can post a big game, Reed certainly looks like the best bet of the trio at the moment. The big concern with him is clearly the health of Jordan Love, so stay tuned.

Dynasty | Packers running back Josh Jacobs rushed for 84 yards and caught two passes for 20 yards in Green Bay's opening night loss to the Eagles. Dynasty Analysis: Jacobs had one 32-yard gain but was otherwise quiet on the night. This will certainly not be the case every week and he may be even more important to the offense should Green Bay lose Jordan Love for an extended period of time. Regardless, Jacobs is a fringe RB1 most weeks and this seems like a game that would be closer to his floor than ceiling this year.

Dynasty | Packers receiver Dontayvion Wicks was held without a catch in Green Bay's season-opening loss to the Eagles. Dynasty Analysis: Wicks was targeted three times but failed to record a reception. This was a major downer for many dynasty managers who bought into the hype surrounding Wicks all off-season. While it's just one game, it does seem as if he's a distant fourth option behind blossoming star Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson. Wicks remains a hold in dynasty leagues for now but expectations should be tempered.

Dynasty | Eagles receiver Jahan Dotson was held catchless in his Eagles debut. Dynasty Analysis: Yuck. Even worse, Dotson garnered just one target on the night. While it's just one game, the notion Dotson would take a few targets away from AJ Brown or DeVonta Smith early on can be put to rest. Dotson is a hold in dynasty leagues but his value arrow is pointing straight down at the moment.

New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers (hip) was added to the Week 1 injury report on Saturday and is now questionable to suit up for the season opener on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Peppers is one of the team's key defenders, not just in the secondary, so not having him on Sunday would be a big blow as the Pats try to slow down a Bengals offense that could be without its top two receivers in Ja'Marr Chase (holdout) and Tee Higgins (hamstring). The 28-year-old is worth stashing in IDP leagues but should probably be on benches in Week 1 now that he's up in the air to play. The former 25th overall pick in 2017 out of Michigan is heading into his third year in New England after racking up 87 solo tackles, seven tackles for loss, two interceptions, eight pass breakups, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and a sack in 32 games (20 starts) over the last two years.

San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason has an outside chance to draw a start when the team opens the 2024 season at home against the New York Jets on Monday night. All-Pro starter Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) has been listed as questionable ahead of the game despite head coach Kyle Shanahan maintaining throughout the preseason that the injury would not cause McCaffrey to miss Week 1. During the preseason Mason earned the task of backing up McCaffrey, showing adequate burst and vision. Last year, Mason averaged 5.2 yards per carry and three touchdowns with minimal involvement in the passing game, mostly in garbage time. If McCaffrey cannot go on Monday night, Mason is worth considering for a starting slot in fantasy lineups. Last year, New York's defense was much better against the pass than the run, ranking 25th in the league in yards per game allowed and could be even worse this year, with the loss of key personnel and new acquisition Haason Reddick to miss the game due to a holdout. Mason managers should keep an eye on McCaffrey's status leading up to Monday, although news will probably come too late for most.

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