Faux Football Preview - Week 1
Chew previews Week 1 in the NFL with some redraft and dynasty fantasy advice.
The highly anticipated event is finally here! Yes, I am talking about Week 1 of the NFL. Fantasy football is finally about setting lineups and scoring points instead of just offseason trades and rookie drafts.
Each week, I will review the prior week and offer a look at the week ahead. With this being Week 1, there is nothing but retrospection needed. Both redraft and dynasty are considered in this weekly roundup, so without further ado, let’s get to it.
DYNASTY BUY/SELL
Once the NFL season starts, the dynasty mindset can take a backseat to the redraft mindset. Each week, I will highlight two players to buy and two players to sell in dynasty, providing examples for each. As always, the trades are taken from the dynasty-daddy.com trade database.
Buy #1 - RASHEE RICE
Rice is set to miss the first six games of the 2025 season via suspension. By all accounts, Rice has recovered from his 2024 injury, but a few extra weeks of rest could help in a strong performance from Week 7 and on. I have written several articles about the dynasty upside of Rice and I think he will pick up where he left off.
Trade #1: Rashee Rice ←→ James Conner + Keon Coleman
Trade #2: Rashee Rice + ‘26 1st round pick ←→ Marvin Harrison Jr. + ‘26 2nd round pick
Sell #1 - D’ANDRE SWIFT
Swift stands tall as the starter for the Bears despite a new regime in town. However, I do not believe Ben Johnson would view Swift as a bell cow or anything close to it. If Swift flounders early in 2025, his dynasty value could crater without a track record of sustained fantasy success.
Trade #1: D’Andre Swift + ‘26 4th round pick ←→ Xavier Legette + Javonte Williams + ‘26 3rd round pick
Trade #2: D’Andre Swift ←→ Calvin Ridley
Buy #2 - RICKY PEARSALL
If you are an offensive playmaker on the 49ers, you are likely injured. Fortunately for Pearsall, he is by all accounts healthy and ready to pick up where he left off in the last two games of the 2024 season. Look for Pearsall’s dynasty value to rise in a creative San Francisco offense that is waiting for Jauan Jennings (contract/injury) and Brandon Aiyuk (injury) to return.
Trade #1: Ricky Pearsall + ‘26 2nd round pick ←→ Colston Loveland
Trade #2: Ricky Pearsall + Zach Charbonnet ←→ Rome Odunze
Sell #2 - JACORY “BILL” CROSKEY-MERRITT
We all love an underdog story, but I am leery to go all in on the idea that it is now Croskey-Merritt’s backfield in the nation’s capital. Bill does have a skill set as a shifty, one-cut runner that neither Austin Ekeler nor Chris Rodriguez hangs their respective hats on. But with Jayden Daniels under center, Bill may find it difficult to have a steady flow of meaningful touches every week.
Trade #1: Jacory Croskey-Merritt + Justin Fields ←→ Michael Penix
Trade #2: Jacory Croskey-Merritt + ‘26 4th round pick ←→ ‘26 2nd round pick
HANDCUFF HEIRARCHY
The running back position can be one of frustration in fantasy as we scour the bench and waiver wire to fill in when injuries and bye weeks strike. But since we are just now getting started with the NFL season, here is a look at the various tiers for all 32 backup running backs. As the season progresses, we will see players rise and fall amongst the tiers, so stay tuned!
*This list only includes each team’s RB-2; thus, if the RB-1 is injured, then the RB-3 will take the place of the RB-2 on this list.
STANDALONE VALUE
These players have flex appeal even with the RB-1 being healthy in Week 1.
Some exciting names on this list could overtake the current RB-1s even without injury.
Does TreVeyon Henderson live up to his preseason hype, or is he restricted to PPR upside?
Can Dylan Sampson usurp Jerome Ford in the absence of Quinshon Judkins?
Most importantly, can Jacory Croskey-Merritt turn this into a full-time gig?
SPOT STARTER
The initial RB-1 is injured, and everyone moves up the depth chart, or a specialized role is created for the player.
There are some touchdown vultures and gameflow beneficiaries that could creep into flex territory if the stars align.
With Jaylen Wright on the shelf, can Ollie Gordon be the thunder to De’Von Achane’s lightning?
Will Dameon Pierce’s services be needed if/when Nick Chubb’s age and injuries take their toll?
Can Jaydon Blue elevate himself in a lackluster Cowboys backfield?
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
If you are in a DEEP league, these are the rest of the bunch that you’re picking from for Week 1.
I expect some of these names to change as Week 1 could reveal a change in the RB-2, as compared to the current depth charts.
How many touches does Brashard Smith get?
Does Cam Skattebo leapfrog Singletary?
Was Brian Robinson acquired to save Christian McCaffrey for the playoffs?
TIGHT END STREAMERS
Of all the fantasy-relevant positions, it’s the tight end that is my favorite to stream. If you were not fortunate enough to get one of the top few tight ends, it can be a futile process to find fantasy points at the tight end position. Here are three tight ends ranked outside the top 12 who are stream-worthy in Week 1.
HUNTER HENRY (TE-14) v. LV
The Patriots’ offense will (hopefully) take a big step forward this season. Drake Maye made it through 2024 and showed some flashes, all while not physically crumbling behind New England’s Swiss cheese offensive line. There have been improvements to the Patriots’ offense, but one constant is Hunter Henry.
Henry is coming off a season where he saw career-highs in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. Despite the additions of veteran Stefon Diggs and rookie Kyle Williams, Henry is poised to have a steady role in the Josh McDaniels-orchestrated offense. If Henry’s targets were to be tapered, this can be more than supplemented by an improvement on his two touchdowns in 2024.
ZACH ERTZ (TE-17) v. NYG
A return to fantasy relevance was not expected for Zach Ertz in 2024. As his time in Arizona came to an end, Ertz joined the Commanders with a new offensive regime under Kliff Kingsbury. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels elevated the Washington to new heights, and Ertz played a big part with a career high in touchdowns (seven).
Offseason holdout Terry McLaurin is back, and veteran acquisition Deebo Samuel has had a great training camp. Regardless of the offensive weapons around Ertz, he has weekly TE-12 upside, especially in the right matchup. While the Giants have one of the top defensive lines in the league, the back seven could be exploited by the ascending offense in the nation’s capital.
BRENTON STRANGE (TE-18) v. CAR
A beneficiary of Evan Engram’s injury-riddled 2024 season, Brenton Strange is atop the tight end depth chart despite a new regime being implemented. Last season’s fantasy production was bolstered by an eye-popping twelve targets in Week 15 against the Jets, which resulted in a TE-2 finish on the week. This was an outlier from the three to five targets that we can expect weekly, but Strange should have room with the defense’s attention drawn to Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter.
The 2025 Panthers’ defense is not the historically bad defense of 2024; however, question marks still exist at the linebacker and safety positions. And with Liam Coen joining Jacksonville, there is much excitement around the creativity of how both runners and pass catchers will be utilized. I am betting on the three to five target floor with the hope of a touchdown.
So you made it this far, and hopefully you enjoyed it (that’s what she said). If you wouldn’t mind sharing this in your group message with your fellow fantasy football degenerates, I would greatly appreciate it!
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