FantasyPros: The 10 Biggest Fantasy Football Questions for Week 1

Ep. 1690 | Released September 5, 2025
Host: Ryan Warmley
Co-hosts: Pat Fitzmaurice (“Fitz”), Derrick Brown (“Dbro”)

Episode Overview

This week’s Friday show is the annual kickoff of FantasyPros’ “Key Questions” format—a lively, wide-ranging roundtable in which Ryan, Fitz, and Dbro tackle one or two of the most pressing fantasy football questions for every Week 1 matchup. Expect deep-dive analysis, strong takes, some friendly roasting, and practical advice for your lineup as the NFL season begins.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Housekeeping Notes, Drafts, and Vibes

• The episode was recorded before Thursday Night Football; no Thursday game reaction.
• Fitz is out due to his long-standing tradition of a post-opener draft that “starts in week two… a cooling off period. It’s like buying a handgun—you can’t use it in anger right away.” (Fitz, 02:42)
• Ryan sports a Georgia Tech sweatshirt after a fortuitous bet on a Yellow Jackets win.

Chiefs vs. Chargers: Flex Dilemma — Omarion Hampton (RB18) vs. Xavier Worthy (WR18)

• Dbro: Favors Hampton for volume and touchdown equity, despite “veteran ceremonial start” whispers about Najee Harris. (05:42)
• Fitz: Leans toward Worthy, especially with Rashee Rice out and Worthy ending last year with 50+ catches in 8 games. Cites Chiefs’ run defense: “Steve Spagnolo’s defense has always been murder against the run.” (Fitz, 06:28)
• Dbro’s concern about Worthy: Efficiency against “too high” coverage is poor (“basement level” production). (08:20)

Buccaneers at Falcons: Emeka Egbuka Breakout?

• Fitz: “Egbuka should have a favorable matchup in the slot… Billy Bowman Jr., rookie safety-turned-corner. I’d expect Egbuka to win that.” (Fitz, 10:14)
• Dbro: “Wheels up, dude. He should be ranked as a WR2. Atlanta’s secondary is a major positive for him.” (Dbro, 11:03)
• Fitz, on positioning: wonders if Egbuka will play more Z or slot; Dbro expects him to be 60%+ in the slot (12:46).
• Dbro: “He should probably be a weekly WR2 in ranks … it’s a narrow target tree.” (13:10)

Notable Quote:

“If you want to just talk about rookie corners in general... they usually struggle and find their feet.”
— Dbro, 12:12

Bengals at Browns: Will Cincinnati Start Fast?

• Dbro: Bengals played starters in preseason to avoid a repeat of last year’s slow start; expects strong Week 1. “The Browns are not anything that I’m worried about… big day for Jamar Chase.” (Dbro, 15:57)
• Fitz: Sees merit but cautious: “A divisional game on the road against a hostile crowd. Not an easy thing.” (Fitz, 17:37)
• Consensus: Bengals’ studs are obvious starts; Browns’ Dillon Sampson is not startable outside of deep leagues.

Dolphins at Colts: Pass Catchers to Start in Indy

• Fitz: Only Tyler Warren is recommended (“demon after the catch”). Has him as TE9. Thinks Warren “will gut the value of Josh Downs.” (19:33)
• Dbro: Also sees value in Downs due to matchup, Miami’s poor slot defense. “I’d feel fine flexing both Downs and Warren.” (20:37)
• Miami doubts: Fitz and Dbro are both pessimistic about Dolphins' season-long prospects, citing “bad vibes” and potential for a mid-season collapse.

Panthers at Jaguars: Projecting Target Volume for Tet McMillan and Travis Hunter

• Fitz: “McMillan: 10 or more targets—absolute target hog early.” (25:59)
• Dbro: Aggressive comp: “What’s to stop Ted McMillan from having a Puka Nacua week one, 15 targets?” (26:33)
• Hunter: Tougher matchup, expect 6–8 targets, not a ceiling week.

Raiders at Patriots: Drake Maye (QB) or Ashton Jeanty (RB) Higher Finish?

• Dbro: “Drake Maye, easily. The Patriots are going to absolutely eviscerate the Raiders.” (Dbro, 30:07)
• Fitz: “Jeanty is special—Mount Rushmore of RB prospects in the last decade. Raiders will work him hard.” (Fitz, 32:15)
• Split opinions; Jeanty ranked RB6 (Fitz), Maye QB10.

Cardinals at Saints: Will We Like Marvin Harrison Jr. Usage?

• Dbro: “Emphatic false. This coverage structure is Kyler and MHJ’s kryptonite… I look at this as a huge game for Trey McBride and James Conner.” (Dbro, 37:04)
• Fitz: Reluctant true, but “If the Cardinals keep foolishly using him as a vertical receiver, he’ll disappoint. They HAVE to solve this.” (Fitz, 38:16)

Steelers at Jets: Who Can Outperform Consensus in a 39-Point Total?

• Fitz: “Jalen Warren. All signs are he’s Pittsburgh’s RB1, ECR hasn’t caught up.” (Fitz, 39:55)
• Dbro: “Mason Taylor could get a ton of targets this week. Over 19.5 yards prop.” (40:45)
• Both expect a “rock fight,” ugly low-scoring game. Dbro: “This is a 14–10 type of game.” (42:42)

Giants at Commanders: How Many RBs to Flex?

• Dbro: Two possible names: “Tyrone Tracy for presumed volume, and Bill Jacari Crosby-Merritt for flex in some deep leagues.” (44:05)
• Fitz: Prefers not to start any unless in a true pinch. (45:18)

Titans at Broncos: Fade Ridley, Pollard & Ward?

• Dbro: “Yes—sit if you can. Ridley goes into the shadow realm against Pat Surtain… Pollard is a volume bet but expect low output.” (46:04)
• Fitz: “I weigh volume over matchup. Pollard gets heavy work with Spears out. Ridley’s matchup is scary, but he could see 8–10 targets.” (46:59)

49ers at Seahawks: Start Jauan Jennings?

• Fitz: “No—have him WR42, tough matchup, bad offseason vibes, layoff, contract.” (48:35)
• Dbro: Slightly better: “If he plays full snaps, he’s a WR3, but don’t love the matchup. Pierceall over Jennings.” (48:57)

Lions at Packers: Should We Hesitate on Lions’ Weapons Without Ben Johnson?

• Fitz: “Ranking Detroit RBs normally. Passing game, I’m cautious—lowered Goff, Amon-Ra, Jamo, and maybe LaPorta.” (51:09)
• Dbro: “Think the Lions attack the Packers’ questionable secondary with the pass. ‘Not worried about Keyshawn Nixon, Nate Hobbs, or whoever is at nickel.’” (52:29)
• Betting: Both Dbro and Fitz are on Lions (+2.5), citing Dan Campbell’s dominance over Matt LaFleur. (53:41–54:47)

Texans at Rams: How Will the Houston Offense Look?

• Dbro: “Stroud’s set for a decent game—Rams’ secondary is a known liability. Multiple Texans could shine if Kirk is out.” (55:00)
• Fitz: Skeptical; O-line woes persist. “Good luck keeping Jared Verse out of Stroud’s face.” Likes the under at 43.5. (56:12)

Ravens at Bills (Sunday Night): Fade or Start All?

• Dbro: “Fade a lot. Under 50.5 is my favorite bet. Both teams have elite or near-elite defenses, none of the main skill guys played preseason.” (57:56)
• Fitz: “Start main characters, but not chasing Kincaid or Bateman. Bills defense above average but not elite, Ravens D is close to elite.” (60:24)
• Notable quote:

  “This game is not going to put up a ton of points. Maybe I’m wrong, but there’s nothing that says shootout."
  — Dbro, 58:08

Vikings at Bears (Monday Night): Caleb Williams vs. J.J. McCarthy

• Fitz: Leans McCarthy: “A good bet to follow O’Connell’s script. I just don’t know if Caleb can stick to one—he’s a chronic improv guy.” (64:01)
• Dbro: “McCarthy is the right answer—he’s spent all camp against Brian Flores defense, which will confuse rookie Caleb. I think this is low scoring; they’ll try to ease JJ in.” (64:53)
• ECR: Caleb QB18, McCarthy QB21. Dbro has Caleb QB21, Fitz has Caleb QB14, McCarthy QB20.

Memorable Quotes & Fun Moments

• Dbro on the preseason strain:

  “Every single week, it’s like the thing on my back I’m carrying… that primer being done, I feel I can breathe again, boys.” (01:24)

• Ryan on standalone NFL Twitter:

  “Twitter during a standalone game is like Wild West Saloon times 10. The hot takes are flying… someone’s getting thrown through a window.” (06:28)

• Dbro on Drake Maye vs. Raiders:

  “The Patriots are going to absolutely eviscerate the Raiders this week.” (30:07)

• Dbro on Marvin Harrison Jr.’s role:

  “We’re still hoping Drew Petsing learns how to use MHJ. He only had an 18.6% target share against two high. I don’t look at this as a Marvin type of game.” (37:04)

• Dbro on Steelers-Jets:

  “This is like a 14–10 kind of game—I bet the under. Ugly, rock fight.” (42:42)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 05:42 — Chiefs/Chargers flex: Hampton vs. Worthy
• 10:14 — Buccaneers/Falcons: Egbuka breakout?
• 15:57 — Bengals/Browns: Hot start for Cincy?
• 19:33 — Dolphins/Colts: Indy pass catchers?
• 25:59 — Panthers/Jaguars: McMillan & Hunter targets
• 29:57 — Raiders/Patriots: Maye vs. Jeanty & RB rankings
• 37:04 — Cardinals/Saints: Marvin Harrison Jr. usage
• 39:55 — Steelers/Jets: Overperforming consensus
• 44:05 — Giants/Commanders: RB flex options
• 46:04 — Titans/Broncos: Start/Sit Ridley, Pollard, Ward
• 48:35 — 49ers/Seahawks: Starting Jauan Jennings?
• 51:09 — Lions/Packers: Detroit weapons under new OC
• 53:41 — Lions/Packers: Who wins and why?
• 55:00 — Texans/Rams: Houston’s offensive outlook
• 57:56 — Ravens/Bills: Fade or start all?
• 64:01 — Vikings/Bears: Who outplays at QB?
• 67:37 — Closing & sign-off

Final Takeaways

• Trust volume and roles—rookie or not, favorable situations trump talent in many Week 1 cases.
• Unders abound: the hosts expect “rust” across much of the league with preseason rests.
• Several rookie WRs like McMillan, Egbuka, Egbuka, and Igbuka are primed for immediate big roles.
• Don’t expect fireworks in most early games; patience is key.
• The Bills/Ravens and Lions/Packers are marquee matchups, but don’t overrate expected shootouts—defense may rule the day.

Hosts’ parting mood: “We are very back. Looking forward to doing the show with you guys all season long, and winning some fantasy leagues this year.” (Ryan Warmley, 67:37)