Fantasy Football Recap Week 1: 17 Things You Need To Know

Well, that was certainly worth the wait! Week 1 of the 2025 fantasy football season finally arrived and brought with it all the elite performances, mysterious disappearances, and edge-of-your-seat fantasy football action we have been missing for nine months. Plenty of players on fantasy rosters performed up to expectations, while others left fantasy managers wanting much, much more. Before we come down from the adrenaline high of the Buffalo Bills-Baltimore Ravens Sunday Night Football contest (best game of all time?), let’s sort through the good, the bad, the ugly, and the injured from a wild Week 1.

Stud Players

Which players put up the best performances in Week 1?

Lamar Jackson versus Josh Allen certainly lived up to the extreme hype of being the delectable dessert at the end of a Sunday afternoon meal. In a thrilling, come-from-behind 41-40 win for the Buffalo Bills, both Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen shone. They finished as two of the top four quarterbacks of the day and combined for over 700 total yards and seven touchdowns between them. Josh Allen threw for 251 yards in the fourth quarter alone. In a game like this, these elite quarterbacks bring every one of their skill players with them, meaning all of Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, Keon Coleman, Dalton Kincaid, and James Cook finished in the top five of their position. Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman ended up being the only players left out of the offensive party.

Daniel Jones proved Shane Steichen right, at least for Week 1. The newly named quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts torched the hapless Miami Dolphins at home for 272 passing yards, one passing touchdown, 26 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns. He did everything a pocket passer needed to do and added the rushing element that many thought would make Anthony Richardson the favorite to win the job. If there are a few more performances like this one, Richardson can say goodbye to that potential opportunity.

Bijan Robinson stood out among running backs in a day when running back scoring was largely down (unless your name is Derrick Henry). Robinson and his 21.40 half-PPR points on Sunday made him one of only two running backs to cross the 20-point threshold. He didn’t get it done on the ground (just 24 rushing yards on 12 attempts), but caught six passes for 100 yards and a score. He conceded 19 snaps to Tyler Allgeier, including the first rush attempt of the game, but scored 10 times the points Allgeier did.

Emeka Egbuka showed fantasy football managers exactly what he can do when given a lot of targets for an NFL team. The rookie out of Ohio State was dominant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against Atlanta, demanding six targets and turning them into 67 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Egbuka played eight more snaps than any other wide receiver on the team and even received a rush attempt, which he turned into nine yards.

Dud Players

Which players disappointed fantasy managers the most in Week 1?

Every single member of the Detroit Lions disappointed fantasy football managers, unless you got desperate and had to start rookie wideout Isaac TeSlaa. Before TeSlaa’s last-minute garbage-time touchdown, no skill player for the Lions had more than 10 fantasy points. Jahmyr Gibbs saw an insane 10 targets (catching all 10 of them) but managed only 31 yards with those receptions as he was swarmed by defenders all day. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams were the biggest duds, combining for just eight catches for 68 yards.

Nico Collins should have had his imprint all over this game between the Houston Texans and the Los Angeles Rams. Christian Kirk was out. C.J. Stroud was once again under pressure all day. But he managed just three short catches for 25 yards. With a poor offensive line and no running game to speak of, defenses are going to be selling out to stop Nico Collins in the weeks ahead.

Kenneth Walker III was outplayed and outperformed by Zach Charbonnet, and I’m not so sure we should call Walker the starter anymore. Charbonnet played more snaps, ran more routes, had more carries, and got the goal-line work in a game that was in neutral game script for its entirety. Walker finished with just 20 rushing yards and four receiving yards, while Charbonnet had 47 yards and a touchdown against San Francisco.

Ja’Marr Chase, what are you going to us, man? A consensus top-two pick this season, Chase bombed just like the other non-Chase Brown Bengals and delivered just two catches for 26 yards. He did have coverage draped over him all day long, and the Bengals are notorious slow starters, so maybe this is a blip on the radar. But it was not what fantasy managers expected when they locked him into their lineups. Chase did have the most snaps and most routes run on the team, so he should be fine going forward.

Thud Players

Which players can we shove off our fantasy rosters after Week 1?

Russell Wilson was not given a vote of confidence by head coach Bryan Daboll after his abysmal Week 1 performance, and the New York Giants would not let Jaxson Dart talk to the media after the game. What do we think is coming next? Wilson was horrific in this game, finishing with 168 scoreless passing yards on 37 passing attempts (he only completed 17 of them). Every throw was short and risk-averse. My preseason expectation was that Dart would start by Week 5, and it looks like maybe I should have taken the under.

Tua Tagovailoa was the loser of the Whose Coach Gets Fired First Bowl, and the Miami Dolphins played about as dysfunctionally as they appeared during the offseason this year. Tagovailoa managed a touchdown to De’Von Achane late in the game to get his score away from zero, but he also had two interceptions and a lost fumble in this game. Jaylen Waddle got hurt during the game (shocker!), Tyreek Hill was a disappointment, and Malik Washington almost outscored both of them. Until further notice, Tagovailoa can not be started in a fantasy matchup.

Kyle Williams was a sleeper rookie for the New England Patriots as the 2025 preseason ended, but we can officially put him to bed now after Week 1. He played as the WR5 on Sunday and finished with fewer snaps than four wide receivers, two tight ends, and two running backs.

Speaking of rookie fantasy football sleepers, many thought it was inevitable that Kaleb Johnson would take over for Jaylen Warren early this season as the primary running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Well, you have to be on the field to be able to do that, and Johnson did not possess that skill on Sunday. He played two snaps (compared to 29 for Kennth Gainwell and 25 for Jaylen Warren), and did not contribute at all. Could that change later this year? Sure, but are you going to clog up a wasted roster spot until then?

Bad Blood Players

Which players’ injuries are worth monitoring after Week 1?

Drake London suffered what is being called a shoulder strain and is currently day-to-day as we inch into Week 2. London had an insane 15 targets before he exited late on Sunday, so it’s clear Michael Penix Jr. is still looking his way almost every play. London should be able to play next week, but monitor this through the next five days.

George Kittle left the game against Seattle with a hamstring injury and didn’t play in the second half. He was in street clothes during the game, and it’s been reported that he will undergo an MRI on Monday. Given his injury history in the past, fantasy managers might need to prepare for at least a week’s absence, if not more.

Kittle’s teammate Jauan Jennings also left this game with a shoulder injury and did not return. He tried to catch passes on the sideline, but the pain would not let him continue. The NFL on Fox broadcast later said he can “barely lift his arm,” so that does not sound good, and Jennings might join Kittle on the bench for a week or two.

Brock Bowers left the game against the New England Patriots with what the team called a knee injury, but reports are that it is not serious. Bowers was apparently lobbying to come back into the game, but the coaching staff overruled him as a precaution. He will get tests early in the week to make sure there is nothing wrong with the MCL or the bone, and we should have more news regarding his status on Wednesday at the latest.

Evan Engram went to the medical tent multiple times in the game against the Tennessee Titans. It turns out he was dealing with some kind of calf injury all game and was in and out of the matchup several times. No news was provided after the game, so this is another wait-and-see situation as to whether or not Engram will need to be replaced in lineups for Week 2.