The NFL is finally back! And to start the fantasy football season, we are kicking off our week 1 start/sit decisions for each NFL game, starting with:
Thursday, September 5th
Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs (-3)
O/U: 46.5
Jakar’s Pick: Kansas City (23-20)
The season kicks off with a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game. Kansas City is looking to be the first team in NFL history to win 3 Super Bowls in a row, and with a revamped offensive personnel, they can start this season strong. Baltimore is looking for revenge and trying to embark on a Super Bowl, as one of the main contenders in the AFC. I expect this to be a very close game throughout.
| Baltimore | Start/Sit Decision | Kansas City | Start/Sit Decision |
| Lamar Jackson, QB | START | Patrick Mahomes, QB | START |
| Derrick Henry, RB | START | Isiah Pacheco, RB | START |
| Zay Flowers, WR | START | Rashee Rice, WR | START |
| Rashod Bateman, WR | SIT | Justin Watson, WR | SIT |
| Nelson Agholor, WR | SIT | Xavier Worthy, WR | START |
| Mark Andrews, TE | START | Skyy Moore, WR | SIT |
| Isaiah Likely, TE | SIT | Travis Kelce, TE | START |
Bold-Ish Predictions
Baltimore: Andrews finishes week 1 as the TE1 overall. There were some questions about Andrews as he missed some time from a car accident, but has been practicing as of late and will be Lamar’s go-to guy in this game.
Kansas City: Xavier Worthy scores a 60+ yard TD. With Hollywood Brown out at least for week 1, I expect Worthy to have more snaps. In fact, I expect this to be the first TD of the season.
Friday, September 6th
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles (-3)
O/U: 48.5
Jakar’s Pick: Green Bay (28-27)
The NFL’s first international game of 2024 starts in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I expect this game to be a back-to-back affair, with Green Bay coming out on top.
| Green Bay | Start/Sit Decision | Philadelphia | Start/Sit Decision |
| Jordan Love, QB | START | Jalen Hurts, QB | START |
| Josh Jacobs, RB | START | Saquon Barkley, RB | START |
| MarShon Lloyd, RB | SIT | A.J. Brown, WR | START |
| Romeo Doubs, WR | SIT | Devonta Smith, WR | START |
| Christian Watson, WR | START | Jahan Dotson, WR | SIT |
| Jayden Reed, WR | START | Dallas Goedert, TE | SIT |
| Dontayvion Wicks, WR | SIT | ||
| Luke Musgrave, TE | SIT | ||
| Tucker Kraft, TE | SIT |
Bold-Ish Predictions
Green Bay: Both Watson and Reed score a TD. I think Reed can get open against slot DBs and linebackers and have a solid day for this up and coming offense.
Philadelphia: Devonta Smith finished with a better fantasy finish than A.J. Brown. Brown will likely be shadowed throughout the game by Jaire Alexander, one of the best corners in the league. Not saying Brown will be shut down by any means, but I think Devonta can have a great game matched up on Eric Stokes.
Sunday, September 8th
Pittsburgh at Atlanta (-3.5)
O/U: 42.5
Jakar’s Pick: Atlanta (27-13)
| Pittsburgh | Start/Sit Decision | Atlanta | Start/Sit Decision |
| Russell Wilson, QB | SIT | Kirk Cousins, QB | SIT |
| Jaylen Warren, RB | SIT | Bijan Robinson, RB | START |
| Najee Harris, WR | SIT | Tyler Allgeier, RB | SIT |
| George Pickens, WR | START | Drake London, WR | START |
| Van Jefferson, WR | SIT | Darnell Mooney, WR | SIT |
| Pat Freiermuth, TE | SIT | Kyle Pitts, TE | START |
Bold-Ish Predictions
Pittsburgh: The Steelers finish with under 200 yards of total offense. In Russ’ first game against the Steelers, the team struggles. The offensive line is beat up and affects how much the team can get going.
Atlanta: Bijan Robinson finishes with 2 TDs, 1 rushing and 1 receiving. He gets the work he should have gotten under Arthur Smith.
Arizona at Buffalo (-6.5)
O/U: 48.5
Jakar’s Pick: Buffalo (27-17)
| Arizona | Start/Sit Decision | Buffalo | Start/Sit Decision |
| Kyler Murray, QB | START | Josh Allen, QB | START |
| James Conner, RB | START | James Cook, RB | START |
| Trey Benson, RB | SIT | Keon Coleman, WR | START |
| Marvin Harrison Jr., WR | START | Khalil Shakir, WR | SIT |
| Michael Wilson, WR | SIT | Curtis Samuel, WR | SIT |
| Trey McBride, TE | START | Dalton Kincaid, TE | START |
Bold-Ish Predictions
Arizona/Buffalo: Both starting TEs (McBride and Kincaid) will finish as the team’s leader in targets. For Buffalo, I like Coleman to be this team’s WR1 in snaps. While I don’t think he’ll finish with the most targets, I like that Buffalo will move him around in the outside and the slot.
Tennessee at Chicago (-4)
O/U: 44.5
Jakar’s Pick: Chicago (24-20)
| Tennessee | Start/Sit Decision | Chicago | Start/Sit Decision |
| Will Levis, QB | SIT | Caleb Williams, QB | START |
| Tyjae Spears, RB | SIT | D’Andre Swift, RB | SIT |
| Tony Pollard, RB | SIT | D.J. Moore, WR | START |
| Calvin Ridley, WR | START | Keenan Allen, WR | SIT |
| DeAndre Hopkins, WR | SIT | Rome Odunze, WR | START |
| Tyler Boyd, WR | SIT | Cole Kmet, TE | SIT |
Bold-Ish Predictions
Tennessee: DeAndre Hopkins will play, but on a limited amount of snaps. This will result in Calvin Ridley seeing a healthy workload and finishing with over 100 yards on the day.
Bears: Caleb Williams finishes with a Kyler-esque rushing TD this game and finishes as a top-12 QB in week 1.
New England at Cincinnati (-8.5)
O/U: 40.5
Jakar’s Pick: Cincinnati (28-13)
| New England | Start/Sit Decision | CIncinnati | Start/Sit Decision |
| Jacoby Brissett, QB | SIT | Joe Burrow, QB | START |
| Rhamondre Stevenson, RB | START | Zack Moss, RB | START |
| Antonio Gibson, RB | SIT | Chase Brown, RB | SIT |
| Ja’Lynn Polk, WR | SIT | Ja’Marr Chase, WR | SIT* |
| DeMario Douglas, WR | SIT | Tee Higgins, WR | START |
| Hunter Henry, TE | SIT | Andrei Iosivas, WR | SIT |
Bold-Ish Predictions
New England: Behind this porous O-Line, this offense fails to get anything started. However, because of this, Rhamondre will see a ton of backfield targets. Rhamondre finishes with seven receptions in this game.
Cincinnati: Ja’Marr Chase will not play week one. And because of this, Tee Higgins finishes with a WR1 week, with 2 TD receptions and 100+ receiving yards.
Houston (-3) at Indianapolis
O/U: 48.5
Jakar’s Pick: Houston (28-24)
| Houston | Start/Sit Decision | Indianapolis | Start/Sit Decision |
| CJ Stroud, QB | START | Anthony Richardson, QB | START |
| Joe Mixon, RB | START | Jonathan Taylor, RB | START |
| Nico Collins, WR | START | Michael Pittman Jr., WR | START |
| Stefon DIggs, WR | SIT | Josh Downs, WR | SIT |
| Tank Dell, WR | START | Adonai Mitchell, WR | START |
| Dalton Schultz, TE | SIT | Kylen Granson, TE | SIT |
Bold-Ish Predictions
Houston: Joe Mixon will run in for a touchdown and have 80+ rushing yards.
Indianapolis: Adonai Mitchell will finish with 100 receiving yards on the day and will be the most selected waiver pickup after week 1.
Jacksonville at Miami (-3.5)
O/U: 48.5
Jakar’s Pick: Miami (35-24)
| Jacksonville | Start/Sit Decision | Miami | Start/Sit Decision |
| Trevor Lawrence, QB | START | Tua Tagovailoa, QB | START |
| Travis Etienne, RB | START | Raheem Mostert, RB | START |
| Brian Thomas Jr, WR | SIT | De’Von Achane, RB | START |
| Christian Kirk, WR | START | Tyreek Hill, WR | START |
| Gabe Davis, WR | SIT | Jaylen Waddle, WR | START |
| Evan Engram, TE | START | Jonnu Smith, TE | SIT |
Bold-Ish Predictions
Jacksonville: While I like BTJ a ton this season, he’ll likely be facing a hungry Jalen Ramsey, which makes way for Christian Kirk in the slot. Kirk finishes with over 90 receiving yards this game.
Miami: Tua finishes as the QB1, throwing for over 400 yards and 3 passing TDs.
Carolina at New Orleans (-4)
O/U: 41.5
Jakar’s Pick: New Orleans (21-16)
| Carolina | Start/Sit Decision | New Orleans | Start/Sit Decision |
| Bryce Young, QB | SIT | Derek Carr, QB | SIT |
| Chuba Hubbard, RB | START | Alvin Kamara, RB | START |
| Diontae Johnson, WR | START | Chris Olave, WR | START |
| Adam Thielen, WR | SIT | A.T. Perry, WR | SIT |
| Xavier Legette, WR | SIT | Rashid Shaheed, WR | START |
| Tommy Tremble, TE | SIT | Tayson Hill, TE | START |
Bold-Ish Predictions
Carolina: Adam Thielen leads this team in targets, but it’s Diontae Johnson who scores the most fantasy points for this team.
New Orleans: Rashid Shaheed scores a long touchdown this game.
Minnesota (-2) at New York
O/U: 41.5
Jakar’s Pick: Minnesota (21-20)
| Minnesota | Start/Sit Decision | New York | Start/Sit Decision |
| Sam Darnold, QB | SIT | Daniel Jones, QB | SIT |
| Aaron Jones, RB | START | Devin Singletary, RB | SIT |
| Ty Chandler, RB | SIT | Malik Nabers, WR | START |
| Justin Jefferson, WR | START | Wan’Dale Robinson, WR | SIT |
| Jordan Addison, WR | SIT | Darius Slayton, WR | SIT |
| Josh Oliver, TE | SIT | Daniel Bellinger, TE | SIT |
Bold-Ish Predictions
Minnesota: Justin Jefferson comes back strong and puts doubt into fantasy managers who decided to let him fall this season. Jefferson finishes with over 150 receiving yards and a score.
New York: Malik Nabers torches this Vikings defense, securing over 10 targets, 100 receptions and a TD.
Las Vegas at Los Angeles (-3)
O/U: 40.5
Jakar’s Pick: Los Angeles (22-16)
| Las Vegas | Start/Sit Decision | Los Angeles | Start/Sit Decision |
| Gardner Minshew, QB | SIT | Justin Herbert, QB | SIT |
| Zamir White, RB | SIT | Gus Edwards, RB | START |
| Davante Adams, WR | START | J.K. Dobbins, RB | START |
| Jakobi Meyers, WR | START | Ladd McConkey, WR | SIT |
| Brock Bowers, TE | SIT | Joshua Palmer, WR | SIT |
| Michael Mayer, TE | SIT | Will Dissly, TE | SIT |
Bold-Ish Predictions
Las Vegas; Jakobi Meyers finishes with more fantasy points than Davante Adams. Both are startable, but Meyers finishes with more receptions and a TD.
Los Angeles: Both Edwards and Dobbins score a TD. This will be a very run heavy team and I can see a split where both get goal line touches.
Denver at Seattle (-6)
O/U: 41.5
Jakar’s Pick: Seattle (24-17)
| Denver | Start/Sit Decision | Seattle | Start/Sit Decision |
| Bo Nix, QB | SIT | Geno Smith, QB | SIT |
| Javonte Williams, RB | START | Kenneth Walker, RB | START |
| Jaleel McLaughlin, RB | SIT | DK Metcalf, WR | START |
| Courtland Sutton, WR | SIT | Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR | START |
| Marvin Mims, WR | SIT | Tyler Lockett, WR | SIT |
| Adam Trautman, TE | SIT | Noah Fant, TE | SIT |
Bold-Ish Predictions
Denver: Javonte finishes as a top 12 RB in week 1. He finishes with 70 rush yards, 4 receptions and a TD.
Seattle: JSN will finish with 15+ PPR fantasy points. With a new role in a new offense, he sees more of a bigger target share and a higher average depth of target.
Dallas at Cleveland (-2.5)
O/U: 41.5
Jakar’s Pick: Dallas (24-22)
| Dallas | Start/Sit Decision | Cleveland | Start/Sit Decision |
| Dak Prescott, QB | START | Deshaun Watson, QB | SIT |
| Rico Dowdle, RB | SIT | Jerome Ford, RB | START |
| Ezekiel Elliott, RB | SIT | Amari Cooper, WR | START |
| CeeDee Lamb, WR | START | Jerry Jeudy, WR | SIT |
| Brandin Cooks, WR | SIT | David Njoku, TE | START |
| Jake Ferguson, TE | START |
Bold-Ish Predictions
Dallas: Jake Ferguson finishes with 8+ targets this game. With a running game going against Cleveland and a likely committee, this pass game will see a lot of work.
Cleveland: Jerome Ford finishes with 70 rush yards and a touchdown.
Washington at Tampa Bay (-3.5)
O/U: 43.5
Jakar’s Pick: Tampa Bay (23-19)
| Washington | Start/Sit Decision | Tampa Bay | Start/Sit Decision |
| Jayden Daniels, QB | START | Baker Mayfield, QB | START |
| Brian Robinson, RB | START | Rachaad White, RB | START |
| Austin Ekeler, RB | SIT | Mike Evans, WR | START |
| Terry Mclaurin, WR | START | Chris Godwin, WR | START |
| Olamide Zaccheaus, WR | SIT | Jalen McMillan, WR | SIT |
| Zach Ertz, TE | SIT | Cade Otton, TE | SIT |
Bold-Ish Predictions
Washington: Jayden Daniels finishes with over 50 rushing yards.
Tampa Bay: START Baker Mayfield. This Commanders defense is not projected to be very good, and I believe the Tampa Bay receivers will have a field day.
Los Angeles at Detroit (-4)
O/U: 50.5
Jakar’s Pick: Detroit (31-26)
| Los Angeles | Start/Sit Decision | Detroit | Start/Sit Decision |
| Matthew Stafford, QB | START | Jared Goff, QB | START |
| Kyren Williams, RB | START | Jahmyr Gibbs, RB | START |
| Puka Nacua, WR | START | David Montgomery, RB | START |
| Cooper Kupp, WR | START | Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR | START |
| Demarcus Robinson, WR | SIT | Jameson Williams, WR | SIT |
| Colby Parkinson, TE | SIT | Sam LaPorta, TE | START |
Bold-Ish Predictions
Los Angeles: Stafford finishes as a top 12 QB in week 1, with Puka and Kupp finishing with 8+ targets each.
Detroit: David Montgomery scores 2 touchdowns and finishes as a top 10 RB in week one.
Monday, September 9th
New York at San Francisco (-4)
O/U: 42.5
Jakar’s Pick: New York (28-27)
| New York | Start/Sit Decision | San Francisco | Start/Sit Decision |
| Aaron Rodgers, QB | SIT | Brock Purdy, QB | START |
| Breece Hall, RB | START | Christian McCaffrey, RB | START |
| Garrett Wilson, WR | START | Deebo Samuel, WR | START |
| Mike Williams, WR | SIT | Brandon Aiyuk, WR | START |
| Xavier Gipson, WR | SIT | Jauan Jennings, WR | SIT |
| Tyler Conklin, TE | SIT | George Kittle, TE | START |
Bold-Ish Predictions
New York: Garrett Wilson puts the world on notice, finishing with 150 receiving yards and 2 TDs. WR1 season incoming?!?!
San Francisco: Deebo Samuel scores a rushing TD and George Kittle is the leader in overall reception yards for the 49ers.
