Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill is set to reprise his role as the pass-catching back this season after one of his best years in 2024. Throughout the 2024 season, Hill saw 42% of the offensive snaps, and he received 47 carries compared to 51 targets during those opportunities. His average depth of target was -0.5, so most of his work through the air came on dump-offs and screen plays. He's likely to see a lot more of the same as long as Derrick Henry is healthy. He's currently ranked around RB68 in the RotoBaller Week 1 rankings with a projected 3.7 fantasy points against the Buffalo Bills in PPR leagues. So, those in standard-sized leagues can look to better options in Week 1.

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Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud opens the season in Los Angeles against the Rams on Sunday afternoon, as he looks to start a bounce-back season. He took a step backwards last season after throwing for 4,108 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 15 games as a rookie. He finished with 3,727 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 17 games last year, while leading the Texans to a second straight AFC South title. He has a new Offensive Coordinator in Nick Caley, and the new system puts more responsibility on the quarterback at the line of scrimmage. Stroud is the QB16 this week against the Rams, who allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks last season. Stroud will be without Christian Kirk (hamstring), so he'll be working with an unproven group of receivers aside from his elite receiver option, Nico Collins. He's a strong QB2 with boom or bust upside in Week 1.

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The Kansas City Chiefs announced that wide receiver Xavier Worthy (shoulder) has been ruled out of returning to his team's season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. The second-year receiver concludes the game with one carry for no gain and one target without a catch. Frustratingly for K.C., the injury was the result of friendly fire. Worthy and tight end Travis Kelce collided with each other while running two short routes, with the much smaller Worthy coming up in obvious pain. Already without Rashee Rice (suspension), the Chiefs will be forced to lean on JuJu Smith Schuster and Marquise Brown at receiver.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is set to make his NFL debut against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Bucs selected Egbuka with their first-round pick during this year's draft. At first glance, Egbuka was brought in as depth, but has quickly moved up the depth chart due to injuries. Both Chris Godwin (ankle) and Jalen McMillan (neck) are sidelined to begin the season. That being said, Egbuka will line up as the No. 2 wideout alongside Mike Evans in Week 1. The expectation is that the rookie wideout is going to make an immediate impact in Tampa Bay. The Falcons struggled to contain the passing game last season. It's tough to know how a rookie will perform in his first game, but given the circumstances, Egbuka figures to be able to offer WR3 value.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans missed three games last season and still was able to keep his 1,000-yard streak alive. Evans is Mr. Reliable and he has earned that title after 11 straight seasons with 1,000 receiving yards or more. Fantasy managers should expect Evans to continue having success in 2025. The Bucs are shorthanded at wideout to begin the season with Chris Godwin (ankle) and Jalen McMillan (neck) both out. That being said, Evans is expected to be leaned on heavily in the passing game. The Atlanta Falcons aren't known for their elite defense, so fantasy managers should be able to count on Evans as a WR1 for Week 1. There should be plenty of opportunities for the 32-year-old as he looks to make it 12 straight seasons with 1,000 receiving yards.

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Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry remained a first-round fantasy draft pick in terms of ADP this year despite turning 31 years old and entering his tenth season in the NFL. The former Titan has been a freak of nature throughout his career, so the fact that he took on a heavy workload last season shouldn't scare anyone away. The only back with more yards last season was none other than Saquon Barkley after Henry amassed 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns on 325 carries. While Justice Hill should continue to get more of the passing work, Henry is lined up to see the same role from last season. Against the Buffalo Bills last year, their Week 1 opponent, King Henry combined for 283 yards and two touchdowns on 40 carries, and even registered a receiving touchdown in their regular season matchup. RotoBaller currently has him projected to finish as the RB5 in Week 1.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White is expected to take a backseat in the backfield in 2025. Last season, White began the season as the lead back, but ultimately lost the starting role to Bucky Irving. White saw his role in the offense decrease to the point where he only saw 20 touches over the final four games of the season. He finished last season with 613 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns on the ground. White also hauled in 51 receptions for 393 additional yards and six touchdowns through the air. The expectation is that Irving will do a majority of the ground work while White is the primary receiving back. That being said, White isn't going to offer a ton of fantasy value heading into the season opener versus the Atlanta Falcons. White should be viewed as a flex option in PPR leagues with Irving serving as the lead back now in Tampa Bay.

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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (shoulder) injured his right shoulder on the team's first drive of the game in Week 1 on Friday night in Brazil against the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers and is questionable to return. Worthy was seen walking to the locker room with trainers with a towel over his head and looked pretty upset. It didn't look good, and although we don't want to speculate on the severity, it initially looked like a potential disclocation, which would obviously be a big blow for Worthy and the Chiefs. KC is already without top wideout Rashee Rice, who is opening the year on a six-game suspension, so losing Worthy for an extended amount of time would further thing the Chiefs WR corps. We'll have more on the 22-year-old after he undergoes X-rays. If he doensn't return, Marquise Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster will see more targets, as well as Tyquan Thornton.

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is set to face off against the only guy who stood between him and a third MVP award last season. The two-time MVP is coming off a historic season where he threw for 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns, and only four interceptions, in addition to 915 yards and four more scores on 139 carries. The Ravens have most of the offense returning this year, and Jackson was able to put up a combined 410 yards and four touchdowns through the air, with 93 yards and a touchdown on the ground in two games against the Bills last season. It goes without saying that Jackson is a set-it-and-forget-it type of fantasy asset since he's always in play for the QB1 overall.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield looks to build upon his unbelievable performance from 2024. Last season, Mayfield threw for 4,500 passing yards with 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 17 games with the Bucs. The 30-year-old will look to keep the good times rolling against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. The Bucs are going to be playing shorthanded at wide receiver with both Chris Godwin (ankle) and Jalen McMillan (neck) sidelined. However, Mike Evans is one of the most consistent wideouts in the league. The Bucs also have Emeka Egbuka who figures to slot right alongside Evans as the No. 2 option. There were games last season that Mayfield didn't have Godwin or Evans and still posted QB1 numbers. Fantasy managers need to keep rolling with Mayfield who should be valued as a top 7-8 quarterback coming into the season.

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Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson will make his NFL debut at home against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. Sampson, a fourth-round pick in this year's NFL draft, is expected to open the season as the team's change-of-pace back behind starter Jerome Ford. The exact extent of Sampson's role is yet to be seen, but he could see plenty of work in the passing game in a contest where the Browns may have to pass frequently to keep up with a high-powered Cincinnati. Sampson checks in as a dart-throw flex option who is worth a look in deep leagues as a potential sleeper.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving is coming off a strong rookie campaign. Last season, Irving rushed for 1,122 yards with eight touchdowns while hauling in 47 receptions for an additional 392 yards through the air. Irving began the season as the backup, but quickly earned the starting role over Rachaad White. The 23-year-old took the starting gig and never looked back. Irving will now get the chance to be the full-time starter from Week 1. Fantasy managers should pencil him in as a RB1 for the upcoming matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. The Bucs are without Chris Godwin (ankle) and Jalen McMillan (neck) for this game. That being said, Irving should be involved plenty in the running and passing game.

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Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell will hope to build upon a stellar 2024 campaign when he opens the season against the New York Jets in Week 1. While there isn't expected to be an abundance of points scored in Sunday's contest, it's worth noting that New York surrendered the third-most fantasy points to opposing kickers last year. If Pittsburgh's offense struggles to finish drives in quarterback Aaron Rodgers' debut, Boswell could be called upon early and often. It's not the most appealing spot to start a kicker, but fantasy managers could do much worse than Boswell in Week 1.

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Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford will take on the Cincinnati Bengals at home in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. Ford is expected to operate as the team's workhorse back early in the season with Quinshon Judkins still unsigned and rookie Dylan Sampson ticketed for a change-of-pace role. The veteran Ford operated as the team's lead back for much of the 2024 season but only managed 565 rushing yards. Ford will take on a Bengals defense that allowed the 15th-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs last season in Week 1, but the Browns could be playing from behind for the majority of the game against a high-powered Cincy offense. Ford checks in as a low-end RB3/flex option this weekend.

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Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London logged 100 receptions and nine touchdowns last season, finishing with the fourth-most receiving yards (1,271) and the third-most targets (158) in the NFL. The fourth-year pro will take on a Tampa Bay defense on Sunday that was extremely susceptible to the pass last year, yielding the third-most pass yards per game (245.3). London had one big performance versus the Bucs last season and one clunker, but that was with Kirk Cousins under center, not Michael Penix Jr. Despite being a rookie QB, Penix Jr. did not shy away from targeting his top wideout, peppering him with eight, 13, and 18 targets over the final three games of '24, which translated to 22 catches for 352 yards and two touchdowns. With Darnell Mooney on the bad side of questionable for this contest, it could also mean a couple of extra targets for the Falcons' top wide receiver. All in all, it sets London up as a mid-range WR1 on Sunday.

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco will take on the Cincinnati Bengals at home to kick off the 2025 season. The Bengals struggled against the pass last season as they allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. There isn't much expectation for the Cincinnati defense to be improved heading into the upcoming 2025 campaign, giving the veteran signal-caller a plus matchup to kick off the year. That being said, Flacco did not play well in limited starts with the Indianapolis Colts last year, and it is unclear just how much the 40-year-old has left in the tank. Flacco checks in as Rotoballer's QB30 heading into Week 1 and is not a recommended starter outside of deep two-quarterback formats.

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Three-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher Za'Darius Smith signed an undisclosed one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, sources told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Smith spent the 2024 season with the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions and finished with nine sacks, 35 tackles (22 solo), nine tackles for loss and 17 QB hits in 17 regular-season games (16 starts). The 32-year-old was released by the Lions in March and will now head to the NFC East to add depth to an already stout Eagles defensive line, although they could be bracing for a suspension for defensive tackle Jalen Carter after he was ejected on Thursday night for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. The veteran Smith still has something left in the tank and has 69 sacks in his 10 NFL seasons. With Philly, he will probably be in a rotational role, limiting his appeal in IDP fantasy formats.

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New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Trevor Penning (toe) was unable to practice all week and has officially been ruled out for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. In addition to Penning, the Saints will also be missing defensive end Chase Young (calf) and defensive tackle Alontae Taylor (groin). With Penning out to open the year, the Saints will likely roll with Dillon Radunz and Cesar Ruiz at the two guard spots in the Big Easy against the visiting Cardinals on Sunday. With Young out, the Saints will look to mix and match off the edge with players like Carl Granderson, Cameron Jordan and Chris Rumph as they look to get pressure on quarterback Kyler Murray.

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Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers returns in 2025 after a career-best season in which he topped 1,000 yards for the first time. Despite offseason contract uncertainty, he remains a vital piece of the Raiders' passing attack, working as a trusted complement to tight end Brock Bowers. With rookies Dont'e Thornton Jr. and Jack Bech still acclimating to the NFL, Meyers' veteran presence will be leaned on heavily to stabilize the offense early in the year. The Raiders are expected to emphasize the run in Week 1, but Meyers' ability to create separation and operate effectively out of the slot makes him a strong flex option with steady volume potential.

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Washington Commanders veteran tight end Zach Ertz returns for a second season with the team, looking to remain a reliable target for young quarterback Jayden Daniels in Week 1 against the Giants. Ertz turned back the clock a bit in his age-34 season, racking up 66 catches for 654 yards and scoring seven touchdowns. His efficiency in particular rebounded significantly, with his 7.2 yards per target being the highest in a season since 2018. He served as a safety blanket for his young quarterback, consistently getting open in the red zone and on third downs. Ertz has spoken incredibly highly of Daniels since they've been together, comparing him to his former Stanford teammate, Andrew Luck. The ceiling isn't very high for Ertz in fantasy this season, but he is a safe and projectable option to pair with an upside bet at tight end late in drafts. He should be viewed as a low-end TE1 for the season opener on Sunday.

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