Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor is expected to settle back into his WR3 role in 2025. Nailor flashed last year with career-best numbers, 28 receptions, 414 yards, and six touchdowns. With Jordan Addison suspended for the first three games, there was speculation that Nailor might see an expanded role. Instead, Minnesota traded for veteran Adam Thielen, who remains a trusted target and is expected to step in as the WR2 behind Justin Jefferson in Addison's absence. That leaves Nailor as a complementary piece rather than a fantasy-relevant option in Week 1. Facing a Chicago Bears defense that allowed the fewest fantasy points to wide receivers in 2024, Nailor should be left on the waiver wire this week.

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New York Jets placekicker Nick Folk is set for an unfavorable matchup this Sunday when his team squares off against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers. Folk appeared in 14 games for the Titans last season, boasting an excellent 95.5% (21-of-22) rate on field goal tries and knocking through all 25 of his extra-point attempts. The 40-year-old was a perfect 6-for-6 on tries of 50+ yards in 2024 and should be a reliable asset for the Jets this year. However, New York could have a difficult time moving the ball against the Steelers in Week 1. Furthermore, Pittsburgh allowed the second-fewest fantasy points per game to kickers last season, and their matchup features the lowest opening-week combined point total in five years (38.5). Folk clocks in as RotoBaller's K31 to kick off 2025.

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Cincinnati Bengals running back Tahj Brooks was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after a lengthy collegiate career at Texas Tech. While he didn't do much in his two preseason contests, he reportedly looked good throughout training camp. With that in mind, Chase Brown is the undisputed No. 1 option out of the backfield. Samaje Perine is back in the mix after signing a two-year deal in the offseason. That leaves little room for Brooks, who will likely get the residual scraps left over by Brown and Perine in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns. That arrangement will likely extend moving forward. Unfortunately, that won't him a viable option in any format on Sunday and beyond, so he shouldn't be starting in any fantasy lineup.

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New York Jets running back Isaiah Davis will operate as the team's third option this Sunday when his team lines up against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers. The South Dakota State product recently dealt with an ankle injury, but avoided the Jets' injury report this week as the organization gears up for their home opener. Before injuring his ankle, Davis briefly appeared with the starting offense during New York's first preseason contest with the Packers before finishing out the game. Head coach Aaron Glenn has noted on numerous occasions that Davis, along with backfield mates Braelon Allen and Breece Hall, will all be used in some fashion of a committee. How that shakes out remains to be seen, but Hall and Allen figure to handle most of the work while Davis spells them both. The 21-year-old doesn't forecast to have standalone value, but this backfield is worth monitoring - at least in the early going - until the roles are more defined. He's RotoBaller's RB79 in PPR formats ahead of Week 1.

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The Houston Texans' backfield is in flux, with Nick Chubb and Dameon Pierce taking "all the reps" with the first-team offense in practice. They're filling in for starter Joe Mixon, who remains on the NFI list without a clear timetable for return. Chubb looks like the early favorite for lead-back duties, as he handled every touch alongside C.J. Stroud and the starters in Houston's second preseason game against Carolina. Still, Pierce is expected to carve out a meaningful role as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. The situation is a setback for rookie Woody Marks, currently buried as the RB4 on the depth chart. Until Mixon's status clears up, it's tough to trust any Texans running back in fantasy lineups. However, the Week 1 matchup against the Rams will give managers the first real look at how Houston intends to split carries and could quickly shift fantasy value in this backfield.

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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is coming off a dominant year. Without question, the 25-year-old was a problem for opposing defenses throughout the entire 2024 campaign. In 17 regular-season contests, he amassed 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns off 127 catches, all the most in the National Football League. Chase's 295 yards after contact and 787 yards after catch were also appreciated by fantasy managers. Unfortunately, the Bengals weren't able to sneak into the playoffs, although Chase, Joe Burrow, and the rest of the offense weren't to blame. Instead, the Bengals defense had trouble keeping teams off the scoreboard. With a new season on the horizon, the 25-year-old will look for a strong start to the season in the Week 1 AFC North showdown with the Browns. He combined for only 11 catches in two meetings with Cleveland in 2024. However, Chase at least made up for it somewhat by scoring a touchdown in each of those contests. With that in mind, his ceiling is higher than anyone else's at the position, so he should be included in every fantasy lineup. Of course, that's a no-brainer.

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New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough missed out on the starting job to second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler. Shough saw plenty of preseason action, going 36-for-54 for 333 yards with one touchdown and one interception over three games, while adding three carries for 23 yards, one touchdown, and one fumble. The 26-year-old will need to wait for his opportunity, which could come sooner rather than later given Rattler's likely short leash. He isn't worth rostering now but is worth monitoring for future fantasy relevance.

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New York Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard can't be trusted in fantasy for this week's home tilt with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lazard enters his third season with the Jets, a member of the team by way of longtime ex-teammate Aaron Rodgers. He was productive early in 2024, but fell victim to a chest injury and struggled to produce after the team acquired star wide receiver Davante Adams at the halfway point. Adams is gone, but Lazard still occupies the WR3 role on the team behind Garrett Wilson and first-year Jet Josh Reynolds. Furthermore, New York's projected propensity to run the ball could leave targets outside of Wilson sparse, and running back Breece Hall is a threat through the air, too. The former Green Bay Packer's standing in the pecking order - and an overall smaller passing pie - leave him on the outside looking in regarding the Jets' passing attack for now. He's RotoBaller's PPR WR114 for his outing with the Steelers.

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Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen spent part of the offseason training with quarterback J.J. McCarthy, logging 6-8 throwing sessions together before his late-August trade back to Minnesota for a fifth-round pick. The 35-year-old veteran is eager to contribute, saying he's "excited to be a part of (McCarthy's) journey." With Jordan Addison suspended to start the season, Thielen is projected to open as the WR2 in Week 1 against the division-rival Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. It's not the friendliest matchup, as Chicago allowed the fewest fantasy points to wide receivers in 2024, but Thielen's expanded role and early chemistry with McCarthy give him a path to targets.

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Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown had a slow start to the 2024 campaign, at least in the first three games. However, after establishing himself as the clear No. 1 option on the depth chart, there was no looking back. He would go on to finish the year by finding the end zone 11 times while barely missing the 1,000-yard rushing mark. The Bengals will begin the year with a Week 1 matchup versus the Cleveland Browns. Brown didn't play his best in two meetings with the Browns in 2024, combining for 33 carries for 135 yards and only 27 yards off five grabs. To be fair, he had trouble from a consistency standpoint against all of the teams in the AFC North. Although that makes him a risker DFS option, he's still a must-start in season-long fantasy setups.

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New York Jets wide receiver Josh Reynolds is slated to make his Jets debut this Sunday when they take on the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium. Reynolds will play for his third team in three seasons after a brief stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024, operating as the Jets' de facto WR2 behind incumbent starter Garrett Wilson. The 30-year-old doesn't offer much in terms of YAC and isn't a burner, but he's likely due for a solid share of targets. However, New York figures to establish the run and play sound defense under head coach Aaron Glenn, leaving Reynolds' prospective figure of looks uncertain. He's a reliable wide receiver, though, and his only real threat to targets outside of Wilson are running back Breece Hall and rookie tight end Mason Taylor. The veteran is nothing more than a DFS dart-throw for now, landing as RotoBaller's PPR WR80 ahead of Week 1.

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New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson opens the season as the top option at the position ahead of rookie Moliki Matavao. Over six seasons with the team, he has averaged 11.1 yards per reception, 24.2 yards per game, and a 65.8% catch rate. With Spencer Rattler under center, the Saints may lean on the run and feed star receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, leaving limited targets for Johnson. He should be left on waivers for the foreseeable future.

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Arizona Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland finished in K2 territory (K18 overall) last season despite hitting 87.5% of his field goals. The Cardinals' offense stalled out in a handful of games, which hurt Ryland's overall production since he wasn't getting into field goal range all the time and wasn't bolstering his fantasy output with extra point attempts. According to RotoBaller's rankings, Ryland is projected to be the K15 and could even finish a bit higher if the offense can be more consistent this season. For Week 1, he's projected to get 8.1 fantasy points, but there are better options for teams in 12-team leagues.

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New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe earned a captaincy nod ahead of his third season in the Big Easy. Through his first two years, he's made 57 of 68 field goals (83.8%) and 71 of 73 extra points (97.3%). The Saints face the Cardinals in Week 1, who allowed the seventh-most points to kickers in 2024. With a potentially inconsistent offense, Grupe's upside is limited until the team can establish a rhythm. He ranks 30th of 32 starting kickers this week on RotoBaller.

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The Tennessee Titans have signed safety Amani Hooker on a three-year, $48.6 million extension, making him the ninth-highest-paid safety in the NFL on an annual basis. Hooker started 14 games in 2024 and was a playmaker in coverage, finishing sixth in the league with five interceptions. Hooker was the only Titans player to crack the top 10 at any position in the 2024 Pro Bowl voting, according to John Glennon of the Nashville Post. Now entering his seventh season, the former fourth-round pick is cemented as a cornerstone of a Titans secondary that quietly allowed the fewest passing yards in the NFL last year. With Hooker leading the back end and Tennessee's defense built to limit explosive plays, this unit could be a sneaky fantasy streaming option in 2025 matchups.

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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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