New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed is starting his first regular-season game since a season-ending meniscus tear in October 2024. Over his first three seasons, he's averaged 16.6 yards per reception but only 47.2 yards per game with a 62.7% catch rate. With second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler under center, Shaheed remains volatile, though he's always one explosive play away from taking the top off a defense. Against the stingy Cardinals, he profiles as a boom-or-bust WR4 worth a flier in deeper leagues thanks to his 4.3 speed, but he's unreliable as a week-to-week starter.

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Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Zay Jones hasn't exactly been fantasy-relevant since his best season with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022. Outside of that year, he's gone for more than 600 yards once, back in 2018 with the Buffalo Bills. Last year with the Cardinals, Jones appeared in 11 games and received 11 targets, which turned into eight receptions for 84 yards. He seems to be headed for more of the same this season, as the RotoBaller rankers slotted him in at WR113 for this season. For their Week 1 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, Jones is projected to get 2.3 fantasy points, which leaves him well off of the fantasy radar.

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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks returns to the Big Easy after previously playing with the team from 2014-2016. Last year in Dallas, he caught 26 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games. Cooks was named one of eight team captains ahead of Week 1 against the Cardinals and is listed as a starter. However, he'll have to compete with Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and star running back Alvin Kamara for targets while second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler is under center. For fantasy purposes, Cooks should be off radars, with only slight appeal if any of the primary pass-catchers miss time.

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New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor will make his Jets debut this Sunday when his team hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium. The 21-year-old rookie was an ascending talent during his time with LSU, garnering the role of a three-year starter. Taylor set the Tigers' single-season tight end reception record in his final campaign (55) and will get an opportunity to impact the NFL field immediately. New York's passing game is lacking in strong options behind wide receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall, leaving a significant portion of quarterback Justin Fields' passing volume ripe for the taking. It remains to be seen how often the Jets will air it out, but Taylor is an above-average athlete and runs a diverse route tree. He's one to watch early on, even if it might take him a bit to get going. The first-year pro comes in at RotoBaller's PPR TE30 for his NFL debut.

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Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride has improved his numbers each year over the first three seasons of his career. Last season, he finished with 111 receptions for 1,146 yards and two touchdowns on 147 targets. He finished as the TE2, despite having the fewest touchdowns among the top 11 at his position. A positive regression seems to be plausible when it comes to that department, and given good health, he should be able to produce 100 catches and over a thousand yards yet again. In Week 1, RotoBaller has him projected to score 13.1 fantasy points, which would leave him second to only Brock Bowers. As long as he's on the field, McBride is a must-start in all fantasy formats.

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Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson has been quite disappointing through the first two seasons of his career. He was healthier last season and suited up for three more games than his rookie year, yet he put up fewer yards and only one more touchdown with 13 more targets and nine more receptions. He's borderline third/fourth in the receiving pecking order if you include the backfield, after James Conner saw 55 targets compared to Wilson's 71. In Week 1, Wilson is better left off of fantasy lineups, unless it's a very deep league. Currently, RotoBaller has him projected as WR67 with 6.3 fantasy points against a weaker defense in the New Orleans Saints.

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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave enters the season as the clear No. 1 option in the passing game, but he remains difficult to trust as a weekly fantasy starter. Now in his fourth season, Olave has already suffered four concussions, including one that sidelined him for the final eight games in 2024. Before that, he topped 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. While he's likely to see a high target share, Spencer Rattler under center makes it uncertain whether Olave can replicate the 72.7% catch rate he posted last year. Against the Cardinals, Olave profiles as a boom-or-bust WR3 in a sneaky difficult matchup.

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New York Jets running back Braelon Allen is set to work behind incumbent starter Breece Hall in the team's opening matchup with the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers. The Wisconsin alum handled a modest workload during his rookie season, combining for 482 yards and three total touchdowns on 111 touches. 2025 will be a different story, though, as the second-year pro should see a sizable workload rotating in behind Hall. New York projects to funnel most of their offense through the rushing attack, though that will include quarterback Justin Fields, and potentially third-string rushing option Isaiah Davis. Allen doesn't figure to seize the starting role outright with Hall healthy, but head coach Aaron Glenn has made it clear that he plans to use multiple running backs in their offensive scheme. We don't yet know if the 21-year-old will garner standalone fantasy value, but he's currently one of the upper-echelon options as far as handcuffs go. He comes in at RotoBaller's PPR RB40 for Week 1.

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Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. entered his rookie year in 2024 with insane expectations as his ADP in fantasy drafts was a late first-round pick. If that price tag weren't so high, a rookie year with 62 receptions, 885 yards, and eight touchdowns on 116 targets would probably have been a little more appreciated. His connection with Kyler Murray was very disjointed in that first season as well, but that seems to be changing heading into his second season. Harrison and Murray looked like they were on the same page through joint practices and training camp, and the former fourth-overall pick put on around 10 pounds of muscle. Against a lower-level defense like the New Orleans Saints in Week 1, this is Harrison's chance to start off with a bang. RotoBaller's projections have him sitting around WR20 in Week 1, but he carries some big upside if he does take that second year leap.

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Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III set new career highs in targets (87), receptions (62), and yardage (686) in 2024, sailing past his previous career marks. However, with just a single touchdown reception, the 5-foot-9 receiver was primarily only viable in PPR leagues. With a low average depth of target (aDOT) of 6.77 yards, the 28-year-old relies on yards after the catch to pad his stats. He'll take on a Tampa Bay defense that was porous against the pass in 2024, and with Darnell Mooney (shoulder) a game-time decision, McCloud could see an extra target or two in this matchup, however, he'll still be the third or fourth receiving option, with running back Bijan Robinson involved in the passing attack as well in addition to WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts. Unlikely to find the end zone, the seventh-year pro sets up as no more than an option in deep PPR leagues as a WR4/5 on Sunday.

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New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields will face stiff competition in Week 1 when he squares off against his former team, the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers. New York's offense figures to take a run-centric approach this season, and that includes their new signal caller, who is capable of wondrous fantasy feats with his legs. His prowess as a thrower, however, is the asset in question, as Fields has yet to completely take the reins of an offense using primarily his arm. Whether that takes place in 2025 remains to be seen, but the 26-year-old could have trouble finding room on the ground during his first appearance in Jets green. Pittsburgh was a top-12 unit against opposing ground attacks in 2024 (109.8 yards per game), and they yielded the seventh-fewest points per game (20.8). Fields comes in at RotoBaller's QB8 this week due to his upside as a rusher, but fantasy managers will want to temper expectations in a contest with the lowest projected combined point total of the week (38.5).

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Miami Dolphins kicker Riley Patterson will take the place of an injured Jason Sanders (hip) as the team's starting kicker in Week 1 against the Colts. The journeyman is suiting up for his sixth team in the last three seasons after stints with the Browns, Jets, Jaguars, Falcons, and Lions. He was signed to the practice squad and is expected to be elevated for kicking duties in Week 1. He'll be kicking on his 26th birthday on Sunday, and the veteran is 63-for-74 (85%) on field goal attempts in his career and has made 109 of his 113 extra-point attempts. He is the K22 this week in RotoBaller's rankings, making him nothing more than a one-week desperation fill-in for fantasy until he secures a more permanent role. He is kicking indoors in a decent matchup, though, so he isn't the worst option as a one-week patch.

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New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson will be put to the test in Week 1 when his team squares off against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home on Sunday. Wilson is the clear-cut No. 1 option in Gang Green's passing attack and should again benefit from enormous volume in his fourth professional season. However, he'll again have a new quarterback at the helm, this time in his ex-college teammate, Justin Fields. The former Buckeyes will hope that their collegiate chemistry spills over onto the NFL field, although that isn't a guarantee. Despite the duo's familiarity with each other, they're still essentially brand-new teammates in a new offensive system. If Fields can take a step forward in 2025, Wilson would project to have a tremendous season. As of now, he'll be a bit of a riskier option than he has been in years past. The 25-year-old is RotoBaller's PPR WR30 ahead of Sunday's slate of action.

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New York Jets running back Breece Hall draws an unfavorable matchup this weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers in his team's home opener. The Iowa State product is an uber-talented athlete, but he's set to share a larger portion of New York's backfield touches this season with second-year pro Braelon Allen, and potentially even Isaiah Davis in the fold. Hall's skill as a pass-catcher should help keep his fantasy value afloat in 2025. However, he'll be subject to Allen and even quarterback Justin Fields vulturing goal-line opportunities. It's still possible talent wins out here, but Hall owners should expect the situation in New York to be more fluid than in years past. He's a mid-low-end RB2 ahead of Sunday's slate of action, and officially RotoBaller's PPR RB20 for Week 1.

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Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson produced a very forgettable rookie season in 2024. He registered a total of 69 touches (63 carries, six receptions), 350 yards from scrimmage, one rushing touchdown, and one fumble. The Cardinals hope he eventually becomes the successor to James Conner, but the veteran set career highs in yards and carries last year while Benson gave up touches to Emari Demercado and Michael Carter. During training camp and preseason, the team did talk about getting Benson more involved, but his upside currently revolves around whether or not Conner can stay healthy. In 12-team leagues, it's better to avoid Benson in Week 1 until we see how their game plan shakes out.

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler won the starting job over rookie Tyler Shough and will lead Kellen Moore's new-look offense against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1. In three preseason games, Rattler completed 30 of 43 passes for 295 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while adding 41 rushing yards on seven carries. He's still trying to rebound from a rough rookie year in 2024 that saw him complete just 57% of his passes with four touchdowns, five interceptions, and five fumbles. Facing an Arizona defense that allowed the fifth-fewest passing scores last season, Rattler belongs on waivers in standard leagues and is only a fringe option in deeper two-QB or superflex formats.

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It's no surprise that New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is locked in as the Saints' lead back ahead of Kendre Miller and rookie Devin Neal. Despite coaching changes, offensive line struggles, and shaky quarterback play, Kamara has averaged over 1,440 total yards and 10 touchdowns per season across eight years. The Saints' offense is likely to run through him, with Kamara handling the bulk of carries and seeing heavy involvement in the passing game. At 30, he enters the "dreaded" age for running backs, and it remains to be seen if his production as a pass-catcher will start to decline. With second-year QB Spencer Rattler under center, the offense as a whole is questionable, but Kamara profiles as a high-upside RB2 for Week 1 against the Cardinals.

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New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller appears locked into the backup role behind starter Alvin Kamara. Miller came through the preseason healthy, and head coach Kellen Moore has expressed excitement about the third-year back, saying, "What we've seen has been awesome." With the Saints potentially leaning on a committee approach and Kamara entering age 30, Miller is best viewed as a deep-league stash for now, valuable only if Father Time starts catching up to Kamara.

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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua remains a must-start in fantasy football, and he could be a legitimate mid-range WR1 in his upcoming matchup against the Houston Texans. Not only is Nacua a star receiver, averaging 6.6 catches and 88 yards per game throughout his young career, but he also benefits from a favorable matchup. The Texans allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to wide receivers last year, as well as the second-most touchdowns to the position. While Nacua isn't known for being a touchdown threat, his odds to find the end zone certainly increase against this Houston defense. Start him with confidence.

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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams will make his team debut against the Houston Texans on Sunday, and he carries significant value as a mid-to-low WR2 option. While Puka Nacua is expected to be the No. 1 receiver in Los Angeles, Adams will step in as an immediate contributor alongside him. Splitting last year between the Raiders and Jets, the veteran averaged 6.1 catches, 75.9 receiving yards, and 0.6 touchdowns per game. Now, with the Rams, he gets a quarterback upgrade while playing in an offense that should find the end zone far more often. Plus, he opens the year with a favorable matchup; the Texans allowed the eighth-most fantasy points and second-most touchdowns to wide receivers in 2024.

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