Fantasy football draft season is in our rearview mirror. Rosters have been selected and now it’s time to start the long grind of the NFL regular season. Just as important as hitting on your draft picks is making the correct moves throughout the season. That could be starting or benching the certain players, making a good trade or adding a valuable player off waivers.
As we turn our attention to the full Sunday slate of games, here are some players to keep an eye on during Week 1.
1. Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets
2024 Stats: 119.1 Fantasy Points (Rank: QB31)
Fields doesn’t bring a ton of fantasy value with his arm. He has never thrown for more than 2,562 yards and 17 touchdowns in a season. However, he can run his way into fantasy relevancy. In 2022, he ran for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns while playing for the Bears. Last season, he ran for 289 yards and five touchdowns while playing just 10 games for the Steelers.
The Jets brought in Fields to be their starting quarterback. While they have a No. 1 wide receiver in Garrett Wilson, they figure to deploy a run-heavy offense centered around Fields and running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen. If Fields can approach 10 carries in his Week 1 matchup against the Steelers, it could be a sign of big things to come for him on the fantasy front.
2. Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Jacksonville Jaguars
The important thing to watch with Hunter is, where does he play the most? In college, he spent time at both wide receiver and cornerback. On the receiving side of things, he finished with 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns last year. His contributions on both sides of the ball helped him win the Heisman Trophy.
The Jaguars selected Hunter with the second pick in the 2025 Draft and intend to play him on offense and defense. However, excluding IDP leagues, Hunter splitting time on offense and defense might not be ideal for his fantasy value. Week 1 brings a great matchup against the Panthers, who allowed the most receiving touchdowns in the league last season. If Hunter gets enough snaps on offense, he should be able to shine. However, seeing him spend the majority of his time on defense could be a bad omen for his season-long outlook.
3. Nick Chubb, RB, Houston Texans
2024 Stats: 58.3 Fantasy Points (Rank: RB56)
Joe Mixon was expected to lead the Texans rushing attack again this season. Last year, he ran 245 times for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns. That marked the fifth time in his career that he rushed for at least 1,000 yards. However, he is now dealing with a foot injury that will keep him out for at least four games.
Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale and Woody Marks are now battling for carries on the Texans. Chubb is the most established player, having posted at least 1,000 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in a season four times during his career. However, he only averaged 3.3 yards per carry last season for the Browns while working his way back from a major knee injury. If he can be more efficient against the Rams in Week 1, he could run away with the Texans’ starting job.
4. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders
In a bit of a surprising move, the Commanders decided to shop Brian Robinson Jr. during the preseason. They ultimately dealt him to the 49ers, opening up a lot of carries in their backfield. Some of them should be filled by veteran Austin Ekeler, but he is more of a threat in the passing game at this stage of his career.
In addition to Ekeler, the Commanders have Croskey-Merritt, Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. to soak up Robinson’s carries. Croskey-Merritt was a flashy name during the preseason and could end up being a breakout fantasy option. He’s only two years removed from rushing for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns in college. The question is, will the Commanders give him double-digit carries against the Giants in Week 1, or will the four total running backs on the roster eat into each other’s fantasy value?
5. Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants
No one can replace Saquon Barkley, but Tyrone Tracy Jr. did not struggle while taking over as the Giants’ primary running back last season. He combined for over 1,100 yards and scored six touchdowns. Still, the Giants selected Skattebo in the fourth round of the 2025 Draft to add more talent to their backfield.
Given his success last season, Tracy should be the main man at running back for the Giants. However, Skattebo is a hard-nosed player who had 21 rushing touchdowns in college last season. When the Giants face the Commanders in Week 1, keep an eye on which running back they turn to inside the red zone. There’s a chance that Skattebo could receive the majority of the goal-line work. If he succeeds in that area, his role could continue to expand as the season moves along.
SportsMoney, /sportsmoney, Business, /business, standard Fantasy football draft season is in our rearview mirror. Rosters have been selected and now it’s time to start the long grind of the NFL regular season. Just as important as hitting on your draft picks is making the correct moves throughout the season. That could be starting or benching the certain players, making a good trade or adding a valuable player off waivers.
As we turn our attention to the full Sunday slate of games, here are some players to keep an eye on during Week 1.
1. Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets
2024 Stats: 119.1 Fantasy Points (Rank: QB31)
Fields doesn’t bring a ton of fantasy value with his arm. He has never thrown for more than 2,562 yards and 17 touchdowns in a season. However, he can run his way into fantasy relevancy. In 2022, he ran for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns while playing for the Bears. Last season, he ran for 289 yards and five touchdowns while playing just 10 games for the Steelers.
The Jets brought in Fields to be their starting quarterback. While they have a No. 1 wide receiver in Garrett Wilson, they figure to deploy a run-heavy offense centered around Fields and running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen. If Fields can approach 10 carries in his Week 1 matchup against the Steelers, it could be a sign of big things to come for him on the fantasy front.
2. Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Jacksonville Jaguars
The important thing to watch with Hunter is, where does he play the most? In college, he spent time at both wide receiver and cornerback. On the receiving side of things, he finished with 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns last year. His contributions on both sides of the ball helped him win the Heisman Trophy.
The Jaguars selected Hunter with the second pick in the 2025 Draft and intend to play him on offense and defense. However, excluding IDP leagues, Hunter splitting time on offense and defense might not be ideal for his fantasy value. Week 1 brings a great matchup against the Panthers, who allowed the most receiving touchdowns in the league last season. If Hunter gets enough snaps on offense, he should be able to shine. However, seeing him spend the majority of his time on defense could be a bad omen for his season-long outlook.
3. Nick Chubb, RB, Houston Texans
2024 Stats: 58.3 Fantasy Points (Rank: RB56)
Joe Mixon was expected to lead the Texans rushing attack again this season. Last year, he ran 245 times for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns. That marked the fifth time in his career that he rushed for at least 1,000 yards. However, he is now dealing with a foot injury that will keep him out for at least four games.
Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale and Woody Marks are now battling for carries on the Texans. Chubb is the most established player, having posted at least 1,000 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in a season four times during his career. However, he only averaged 3.3 yards per carry last season for the Browns while working his way back from a major knee injury. If he can be more efficient against the Rams in Week 1, he could run away with the Texans’ starting job.
4. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders
In a bit of a surprising move, the Commanders decided to shop Brian Robinson Jr. during the preseason. They ultimately dealt him to the 49ers, opening up a lot of carries in their backfield. Some of them should be filled by veteran Austin Ekeler, but he is more of a threat in the passing game at this stage of his career.
In addition to Ekeler, the Commanders have Croskey-Merritt, Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. to soak up Robinson’s carries. Croskey-Merritt was a flashy name during the preseason and could end up being a breakout fantasy option. He’s only two years removed from rushing for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns in college. The question is, will the Commanders give him double-digit carries against the Giants in Week 1, or will the four total running backs on the roster eat into each other’s fantasy value?
5. Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants
No one can replace Saquon Barkley, but Tyrone Tracy Jr. did not struggle while taking over as the Giants’ primary running back last season. He combined for over 1,100 yards and scored six touchdowns. Still, the Giants selected Skattebo in the fourth round of the 2025 Draft to add more talent to their backfield.
Given his success last season, Tracy should be the main man at running back for the Giants. However, Skattebo is a hard-nosed player who had 21 rushing touchdowns in college last season. When the Giants face the Commanders in Week 1, keep an eye on which running back they turn to inside the red zone. There’s a chance that Skattebo could receive the majority of the goal-line work. If he succeeds in that area, his role could continue to expand as the season moves along.
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