Week 1 Fantasy Football Bold Predictions

After revealing their fantasy football season predictions, the Yahoo Fantasy crew unleashes their hottest takes for Week 1 below.

Phenom rookie enters the fray

Travis Hunter will be a top-12 fantasy WR in Week 1. Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has hinted at an 80% participation rate on offense for Hunter and the initial depth chart points to the same thing; the rookie is listed as a starting receiver but a backup cornerback. That's in line with my projection that Hunter will only be a part-time playmaker on the defensive side of the ball. It was also encouraging to see him used significantly out of the slot in the preseason, which is a valuable role in Coen's offense and an area where Hunter excelled in college. Add to that a favorable Week 1 matchup with the Panthers, who allowed the most passing touchdowns last season.

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While it feels like the hype on Hunter quieted recently as he sat out with a shoulder injury, the team made it clear they were just being cautious and he'll be without physical limitations in the opener. Get ready for Hunter to remind everyone why he was the No. 2 overall pick with over 100 yards and a score in his debut. - Justin Boone

Polarizing veteran superstar silences doubters

Tyreek Hill will erupt versus the Colts in Week 1. Hill has turned Week 1 into his personal highlight reel. In 2023, he opened with 11 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns. In 2024, he followed it up with seven grabs for 130 yards and a score. That's an average of nine receptions, 173 yards and 1.5 touchdowns to kick off the past two seasons.

The matchup lines up perfectly, too. The Colts gave up the seventh-most passing yards in the NFL last year and routinely got burned by explosive plays. Nothing about their offseason moves suggests that the problem is fixed.

The Dolphins offense comes in healthy, and if Tua Tagovailoa gets time, Hill is the ultimate game-breaker. His speed creates mismatches you simply cannot scheme away. Even one deep strike changes the week, and multiple are very much in play. Prediction: Hill finishes as a top-10 fantasy wideout in Week 1. - Ray Garvin

The Year 2 breakout begins

We've already ranked Drake Maye as a fringe QB1. But you drafted him in the mid-to-late rounds to compete with the elites. Playing host to the Raiders is the ideal scenario for him to reach his ceiling potential. Despite what some hope to be a revival for HC Pete Carroll, Las Vegas' defense is returning multiple starters and has elevated some of their backups from last year - the same squad that gave up the 11th-most passing yards per game and the ninth-most TDs through the air.

Facing this secondary gives Maye a floor. Going up against a rush defense that was bottom-eight in fantasy points allowed to mobile QBs is how Maye vaults to the top. Only Jayden Daniels scrambled more often than the Pats' passer. Only Patrick Mahomes averaged more yards while on the move. While it's a projected low-scoring affair (43.5 points), a matchup like this is where we should see a hybrid QB like Maye shine. - Chris Allen

Seattle's new WR1 piles up the stats

Jaxon Smith-Njigba will lead all wide receivers in catches during Week 1. There are other pieces of this Seahawks passing game I'm interested in, such as Day 3 sleeper rookie Tory Horton and tight end A.J. Barner. However, I think we're about to learn in Week 1 that there is a big gap between Jaxon Smith-Njigba down to Cooper Kupp and the rest of the role players in terms of the target pecking order.

The bones of these Kubiak offenses usually feature a funnel target in the intermediate area and JSN has been money as a separator in that range against man coverage for each of his first two seasons in the NFL and in his college film. The 49ers have issues on defense overall and are transitioning their cornerback room both inside and out in 2025. We could see JSN push for a 28% target share in Week 1, which would make him look like a clear value as a Round 3 wide receiver pick. - Matt Harmon

Slow the rookie hype for a week (or more)

J.K. Dobbins will be a top-eight running back. I realize the fantasy world is long-term more excited about rookie RJ Harvey, but it's likely Dobbins will open the year as the back Sean Payton trusts the most.

Dobbins already is a made man in pass protection, which will buoy his snap rate, and game flow could be a daisy, as the Broncos are juicy 8.5-point favorites against the visiting Titans. Dobbins is a perfect Win- September target as we look to get off to a quick start in medium and deeper leagues. - Scott Pianowski

WR1B gets his chance to shine

Tee Higgins will outscore Ja'Marr Chase in Cleveland. The Bengals haven't won a Week 1 game since 2021. Coincidentally, Tee Higgins has two receptions in Week 1 over the last three seasons in a pair of games played. I'm banking on that to change versus a Browns secondary that he found success matching up against in 2024.

With Denzel Ward as the primary corner on Ja'Marr Chase, Higgins can lead the team in targets as he did in the Battle of Ohio last season (19 to Chase's 14). I'm counting on the Bengals reversing the early season trend and giving Higgins his third straight 18+ fantasy point day versus Cleveland. - Joel Smyth