Fantasy Football is all about the matchups. Even though you drafted your team with certain hopes and intentions, your weekly lineup decisions shouldn't be determined by the order you picked your players in. You need to check who your players play and make sure you've got the right guys in -- and the wrong guys out.
It's too early to be absolutely sure on which matchups will be easy and which ones will be tough, but we can take some educated guesses based on healthy personnel, defensive schemes, track records and key details of offenses. The things we know can help us minimize the impact of the things we don't know. This should lead to better decisions being made.
We'll go through every game and highlight the players who aren't obvious starts and sits (because you don't need to be told to start Jonathan Taylor). You should feel more comfortable starting or sitting players based on the information given, and feeling comfortable with your Fantasy lineup before the games start is the best feeling in the world.
All lines from Caesars Sportsbook.
Back in January the Ravens ran the ball on 28% of their plays, their lowest rate by eight percentage points in any game from 2023 and tied for their lowest rate in any game over the past five seasons. Of note: The Ravens are 5-11 in their games since 2019 when they've run the ball less than 40% of their snaps. Now that they have Derrick Henry, expect them to fire back with a big dose of the run -- and play-action passing to come off of it. The Chiefs' run defense was stellar in the playoffs -- no rushing touchdowns and three runs of 10-plus yards allowed to running backs -- so this figures to be a titanic test all the way around but especially for the Ravens' offensive line.
STARTS: Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Isiah Pacheco, Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews
FLEX: Zay Flowers, Xavier Worthy
SITS: Ravens DST, Chiefs DST
Jordan Love was lights-out toward the end of last year but this will be a tough test right away for him against an Eagles defense re-tooled under new defensive boss Vic Fangio. That should mean the Eagles won't blitz much and aim to keep Love grounded in the pocket and hope to force some mistakes. If Love is willing to settle for underneath throws then he'll be effective but perhaps not ridiculously explosive. One key factor: Josh Jacobs is perfect for this matchup as the Eagles won't stack the box often nor cover Jacobs tightly on his routes.
STARTS: Jalen Hurts, Jordan Love, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith
FLEX: Christian Watson, Jayden Reed
SITS: Romeo Doubs, Dallas Goedert, Luke Musgrave, Eagles DST, Packers DST
I'm really interested to see how both run defenses do. Both were top eight in rushing touchdowns allowed last year, both were top-13 in rate of runs of five-plus yards allowed, and when both teams had their run-stuffing monsters (Grady Jarrett in Atlanta, Cameron Heyward in Pittsburgh) they were even better including being under 4.0 yards per rush. Expect the Falcons run defense to have a bigger impact on the Steelers run game than the other way around, specifically because Bijan Robinson is the best rusher in this game and the Falcons O-line is in a much better place than the Steelers'.
STARTS: Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Falcons DST (one-week option), Steelers DST (low-end option but keep them because they play Denver in Week 2)
FLEX: George Pickens, Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren (PPR)
SITS: Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Darnell Mooney, Pat Freiermuth
Because their pass rush and secondary are so underwhelming, it would be surprising for the Cardinals to head into Buffalo and limit Josh Allen & Co. But the Cardinals are catching the Bills without stud linebacker Matt Milano and with a changing of the guard at safety, so perhaps there will be opportunities for Kyler Murray to have a huge game. I'd expect the Cardinals to attack the middle of the field with Milano sidelined and new safeties in town, staying away from the perimeter cornerbacks who were both solid last year. That could make this a big game for Trey McBride to come through on higher-than-normal target volume, especially if the Bills are going to try putting the clamps down on Marvin Harrison Jr.
STARTS: Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, James Cook, James Conner, Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride, Dalton Kincaid
FLEX: Khalil Shakir (PPR)
SITS: Ray Davis, Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Bills DST, Cardinals DST
Look for the Titans defense to be more blitz-happy and man-coverage focused this season, beginning in this game against rookie Caleb Williams. Last year's Titans got pressure on just 31.9% of dropbacks, fifth-worst in the league, and it was because they didn't blitz much. New defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson will definitely dial up some blitzes, but it remains to be seen if he has the talent to routinely disrupt Williams and the Bears offense. Remember: Williams is known for his creativity when things break down, and if he thrives there then the Titans will be in for a long day.
STARTS: D'Andre Swift, DJ Moore,
FLEX: Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard,
SITS: Caleb Williams, Will Levis, Tyjae Spears, Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, DeAndre Hopkins, Tyler Boyd, Cole Kmet, Bears DST, Titans DST
Cincinnati should win the line-of-scrimmage battle on both sides of the ball, a blessing given its situation with Ja'Marr Chase. The favorable opponent should take the pressure off of Joe Burrow to lean heavily on Chase (if he even plays!) and instead give the Bengals a shot at being a little more run heavy with Chase Brown and Zack Moss. Expect Tee Higgins to be the top option for Cincy through the air (he has some monster games when Chase has been out or limited), and there's some sleeper appeal in second-year wideout Andrei Iosivas.
STARTS: Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase (assuming he practices), Hunter Henry (streamer), Bengals DST (one-week option)
FLEX: Chase Brown, Rhamondre Stevenson, Zack Moss, Andrei Iosivas (if Chase is OUT)
SITS: Jacoby Brissett, Ja'Lynn Polk (still worth rostering), Mike Gesicki, Patriots DST
In 18 snaps last season, Anthony Richardson had two rushing touchdowns against the Texans. There's no way the Texans forgot about that, nor did they forget about the numbers put up on the ground by Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson and Will Levis in the regular season, or Lamar Jackson in the playoffs. What did Houston do to fix this problem? Adding edge player Danielle Hunter and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair will help, but it's still to be determined if they have the speed and discipline to stymie Richardson. Given how dicey he was throwing this preseason, expect the Colts to try to grind their way to a win on the ground with Richardson and Jonathan Taylor. It makes for a very tough first test for the Texans run defense -- but their pass defense should have a shot at some turnovers.
STARTS: C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor, Joe Mixon, Nico Collins, Texans DST (low-end starter)
FLEX: Stefon Diggs, Michael Pittman, Tank Dell
SITS: Dalton Schultz, Colts DST
Both pass rushes are going to be fascinating to watch. Miami's is depleted with Bradley Chubb on the shelf and Jaelan Phillips coming back from his torn ACL. Rookie Chop Robinson was a nightmare in joint practices and is desperately needed by Miami to rattle Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars seem to be anticipating a breakout year from Travon Walker, who along with Josh Hines-Allen and Arik Armstead make up perhaps the most underrated pass rush trio in the league. Miami's offensive line has been a shaky spot all summer and will get a test here -- bank on Tua Tagovailoa getting the ball out quickly on plenty of his pass attempts. Lest we forget that Tua had the shortest time to throw of any qualifying quarterback last season (2.35 seconds).
STARTS: Tua Tagovailoa (low-end starter), Trevor Lawrence (sleeper), Travis Etienne, De'Von Achane, Raheem Mostert, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Evan Engram
FLEX: Christian Kirk, Brian Thomas Jr.
SITS: Dolphins DST, Jaguars DST
Under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero last year, the Panthers played the third-most zone coverage in the league and was over 70% zone every single week. It would be stunning if they changed course now, especially given their lack of pass rush. That figures to benefit the Saints, potentially to the point of masking some of their O-line issues. It should also mean some solid target volume for Alvin Kamara -- he had a target per route run rate of 34.4% versus zone last year, second-highest of any running back (Javonte Williams was first).
STARTS: Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Saints DST (one-week option)
FLEX: Chuba Hubbard, Diontae Johnson
SITS: Derek Carr, Bryce Young, Rasheed Shaheed, Adam Thielen, Juwan Johnson, Ja'Tavion Sanders, Panthers DST
What kind of defense will Daniel Jones see when he's back under center for the Giants? One that will definitely blitz him -- the Vikings led the NFL with a ridiculous 50.7% blitz rate last season, failing to blitz less than 35% of opponents' dropbacks in just two games (vs. New Orleans, at Denver). Slight chance they reel in their blitzers figuring Jones could make mistakes on his own, which is in line with his career stats. His TD rate and INT rates are nearly identical whether he's blitzed or not, and his efficiency when he's not blitzed is basically the same. If anything, the decision to not blitz Jones would give Malik Nabers a chance to see cleaner targets. Maybe the Vikings start the game without bringing heat and only dial it up more if the Giants are able to move the chains early on. The Vikings' heavy lean toward zone coverage from last year suggests positives for Nabers to make plays across the middle, too.
STARTS: Aaron Jones, Justin Jefferson, Malik Nabers, Vikings DST (one-week low-end starter)
SITS: Sam Darnold (DFS sleeper), Daniel Jones, Devin Singletary, Jordan Addison, Giants DST
Both D-lines and pass rushes could be fun. We know Maxx Crosby coming off the edge is a nightmare for offenses, but by adding massive D-tackle Christian Wilkins, the Raiders run defense figures to improve, too. It's going to be a pretty interesting first test for the Chargers newer, tougher offensive line spearheaded by bookend tackles Rashawn Slater and rookie Joe Alt. A hunch: they'll be able to take down the Raiders with Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman's trademark dose of running and big gains off of play-action.
STARTS: Davante Adams, Brock Bowers (low-end option), Chargers DST (keep them for good upcoming matchups)
FLEX: Zamir White, Gus Edwards (non-PPR), Josh Palmer, Jakobi Meyers (PPR)
SITS: Justin Herbert (DFS sleeper), Gardner Minshew, JK Dobbins, Raiders DST
If the name of the game for Nix is to throw short and accurately while taking what Seattle's defense gives him, then he should expect to be pressured a bunch and struggle to complete downfield throws against this talented secondary. But one way to get around that is for Nix to utilize his running backs in space against Seattle's linebackers -- newcomer Jerome Baker allowed an 86% catch rate against RBs with the Dolphins last year. This could be an exploitable path for the Broncos, making Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin interesting plays -- Williams more so since he figures to see more high-value touches.
STARTS: Kenneth Walker, Javonte Williams, DK Metcalf, Seahawks DST
FLEX: Courtland Sutton (PPR), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (low-end in PPR), Jaleel McLaughlin (low-end in PPR)
SITS: Geno Smith (DFS sleeper), Bo Nix, Tyler Lockett, Noah Fant, Greg Dulcich, Broncos DST
New Dallas defensive playcaller Mike Zimmer was Kevin Stefanski's boss in Minnesota. The two will meet for a second time since then; Cleveland beat Minnesota in a low-scoring matchup back in 2021. Stefanski should find Zimmer's scheme familiar as it sounds like he hasn't budged much from the 4-3 format with plenty of man coverage principles. But the talent in Dallas is very good, making the matchup very tough. It doesn't help that both Browns starting tackles were limited in practice with knee injuries to start the week. Amari Cooper will get his numbers, but expect Deshaun Watson to get the ball out quickly, something that would help David Njoku and Jerry Jeudy see a decent dose of targets.
STARTS: Dak Prescott (low-end), CeeDee Lamb, David Njoku, Jake Ferguson, Browns DST, Cowboys DST
FLEX: Amari Cooper, Rico Dowdle (low-end), Jerome Ford (low-end)
SITS: Deshaun Watson, Ezekiel Elliott, Jerry Jeudy,
One of the concerns about Daniels during the draft process was that he got walloped frequently when trying to avoid sacks. The number one thing to expect from Todd Bowles' defense is pass rush pressure -- they blitzed at the third-highest rate in 2023 (42%) and have annually been top-10 in blitz rate since Bowles arrived in Tampa Bay in 2019. Bank on the Bucs testing Daniels' ability to adjust to the blitz, but that's not a guarantee that Daniels will flounder. At LSU, Daniels completed 50% of his throws when pressured, albeit with an 18% off-target rate, for an FBS-best 11.1 yards per attempt and a third-best 10% TD rate. The NFL's a different speed and this is Daniels' first game after all, but I suspect he won't flop.
STARTS: Jayden Daniels (low-end starter), Rachaad White, Brian Robinson Jr. (low-end in PPR), Mike Evans, Terry McLaurin, Chris Godwin (PPR), Zach Ertz (low-end starter)
FLEX: Austin Ekeler (low-end in PPR)
SITS: Baker Mayfield (DFS sleeper), Bucky Irving, Cade Otton, Buccaneers DST, Commanders DST
Once Cooper Kupp got as close to full health as he could late last season, Matthew Stafford went on a tear that included 22-plus Fantasy points in 6 of his final 7 games. That includes the wild-card loss at Detroit when he threw for 367 yards and two touchdowns while getting pressured on 34.2% of his dropbacks. The Rams O-line is a legit concern, but he worked around that issue back in January. Detroit's the one with the larger concern with a pair of rookie cornerbacks potentially being put into action and in the cross-hairs of the Rams well-schemed passing game.
STARTS: Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, Jahmyr Gibbs, Kyren Williams, David Montgomery (more in non-PPR), Amon-Ra St. Brown, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Sam LaPorta
SITS: Jameson Williams, Blake Corum, Rams DST, Lions DST
Fantasy managers will have to navigate through some trust issues in this matchup. For the Niners, Brock Purdy is getting Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams back with just a handful of practices together in the books versus a really tough Jets defense. And Aaron Rodgers will throw just his second regular-season pass in his last 610 days against a really tough 49ers defense, potentially with receiver Mike Williams only getting a few practice reps in himself. The fun quirk? Both teams run the same kind of defensive scheme, albeit the Niners will have Nick Sorensen bring a fresh perspective to the style. It might mean epic nights from the running backs in the pass game.
STARTS: Christian McCaffrey, Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk (lower expectations),
SITS: Aaron Rodgers, Brock Purdy, Mike Williams
