Week 1 of the NFL season is almost here! I mean, it is here, I guess, because I'm currently watching the Cowboys/Eagles game as I finish this up, but it's not going to feel all the way until Sunday morning gets here and I fire up the (no longer commercial-free) RedZone Channel.
Sunday morning is also when you get to make those final tweaks to your fantasy lineup. And while this early in the year, you're probably just playing the guys you drafted highest, maybe you hit an early spate of bad luck. Maybe you planned to play Amari Cooper in the flex only to see him unexpectedly retire on Thursday. Maybe you just decided you really don't want to play some particular dude.
If you find yourself looking for some lesser-rostered replacement options this week, then here are seven fantasy football sleepers for Week 1 who you should be starting.
QB Bryce Young - Carolina Panthers
The Jaguars' pass defense is coming off an absolutely awful 2024 season, with the team allowing a league-high 4,375 passing yards and picking off just six passes all season. The team also allowed the ninth-most rushing yards to opposing quarterbacks.
This seems to bode well for Panthers quarterback Bryce Young this weekend. What else bodes well for him? That the Jaguars look poised to use Travis Hunter at receiver more than at defensive back based on the team's depth chart, which lists Hunter as a starting receiver and backup corner.
I think the non-Hunter additions to this Jaguars secondary are being severely overrated as far as their ability to fix the team's issues on the back end. I love the idea of playing a mobile quarterback like Young here, because he'll be able to buy time to find his receivers once they inevitably come open/
RB Austin Ekeler - Washington Commanders
Sorry to rain on the Jacory Croskey-Merritt hype train, but Austin Ekeler is listed as Washington's starting running back for a reason, which is that the team knows what they have in the veteran.
Ekeler's numbers were down last year, but they weren't awful. He averaged 6.5 yards per touch, the most for him since 2019, and his most yards per rushing attempt since 2018. The issue, as far as fantasy goes, is that he wasn't getting enough touches for that to translate into consistent fantasy points.
But with Brian Robinson Jr. now gone, Ekeler has the first shot at the starting gig in Washington. A Week 1 meeting with a Giants defense that allowed the seventh-most receiving yards to running backs last season should bode well for his Week 1 fantasy value.
RB Ollie Gordon II - Miami Dolphins
2023 Ollie Gordon looked like the next big thing at Oklahoma State, but regression hit him hard in 2024 and played a major role in knocking Gordon all the way down to the sixth round of this year's draft.
Luckily, Gordon landed in Miami, where he gets to play for Mike McDaniel, who's basically the guy a running back should want to play for. In 2023, the Dolphins led the NFL in rushing touchdowns because McDaniel coached a breakout campaign out of Raheem Mostert.
De'Von Achane has been limited in practice with a calf injury, and while he's trending toward playing, it seems likely that he won't have a full workload. Gordon should get plenty of work in his NFL debut against a Colts run defense that allowed the seventh-most rushing yards to the running back position in 2024.
RB Trey Benson - Arizona Cardinals
If I'm playing a backup running back in Week 1, then I want to play a backup running back who faces a bad team, especially if said bad team allowed the league's second-most rushing yards a year ago and is arguably worse heading into 2025.
I'm talking about Trey Benson, who gets to play the Saints. James Conner is an obvious must-play in that matchup, but Benson should get enough work to hit as a deep-league flex option.
WR Jayden Higgins - Houston Texans
With Christian Kirk sidelined by a strained hamstring, rookie wide receiver Jayden Higgins should move into the starting lineup for the Texans.
Rookie receivers tend to be a mixed bag, but Higgins is a versatile receiver with size who should be able to make an early impact for the Texans. With Kirk out, expect to see him in the slot for a lot of snaps against the Rams. He's a risky fantasy option, but he has upside in full PPR because of the role he should have.
There's probably some concern about the fact that Xavier Hutchinson was originally named a starter over Higgins. I would respond to that by saying that Hutchinson had a good camp and preseason, but it's pretty clear that Higgins has more upside, so as long as he's out on the field, I'd bet on him over Hutchinson.
WR DeMario Douglas - New England Patriots
The addition of Stefon Diggs has the fantasy community collectively all-in on Patriots second-year quarterback Drake Maye, but it wouldn't be shocking to see the Patriots bring Diggs, who tore his ACL in 2024, along fairly slowly. If that's the case, DeMario Douglas could be in for a strong start to his 2025 season.
Douglas isn't destined to be a star, but he's talented enough to be a very good No. 2 receiver who can survive when pressed into a larger role, as he might be in Week 1.
The Patriots face the Raiders this weekend, who tied for the fifth-most passing touchdowns allowed in 2024. Douglas should benefit from playing in a Josh McDaniels offense this year, which will help emphasize getting the ball to him quickly out of the slot.
TE Brenton Strange - Jacksonville Jaguars
People need to talk more about Brenton Strange. After this week, they probably will be.
That's because Strange no longer has his path to targets blocked by Evan Engram. In 2024, Strange averaged 5.0 targets per game across the eight games Engram missed. He should see at least similar volume this season, if not an increase, as the Jaguars lack a ton of weapons. Sure, there's Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter, but Hunter probably won't be in full-time, so Strange could have stretches where he's the second read.
Also important: Jacksonville opens the season against the Panthers, who allowed the most passing touchdowns in the NFL last year, as well as the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. I'm starting Strange everywhere I can.