Fantasy Football Week 1 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em Quarterbacks: Kyler Murray starts hot, plus more QBs to stream
Quarterbacks you want in Week 1 lineups, and those you should avoid
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1 min read
Week 1 is here, and the quarterback matchups should be fun to watch. I'm excited to see what several of the second-year quarterbacks will do in Week 1, including Bryce Young, Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy vs. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, who is the Start of the Week.
Trevor Lawrence (69 percent rostered on CBS Sports) might be someone you can pick off waivers and start in Week 1 since I love his matchup against Carolina. And Joe Flacco (10 percent rostered) might be worth a look given his matchup with Cincinnati.
Be wary of Jared Goff this week given his history at Green Bay. And Justin Fields could struggle against Pittsburgh, even in a revenge game.
You can read all about these guys in the Start 'Em & Sit 'Em quarterbacks below. And don't forget to check out all of my Week 1 suggestions when the entire Start 'Em & Sit 'Em column is published by Wednesday night.
QBs to Start
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I'm excited to see what Murray can do this season, and this is a favorable matchup for him against the Saints. The Cardinals are six-point favorites as of Wednesday, so we'll see how much throwing Murray has to do. But I love his rushing prop on FanDuel at 25.5 yards. Three of the past five quarterbacks against New Orleans last year ran for at least 59 yards (Drew Lock, Jayden Daniels and Baker Mayfield), and Murray averaged 33.6 rushing yards per game in 2024.
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The Panthers were No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks last season, and Carolina led the NFL with 35 passing touchdowns and 40 total touchdowns allowed to quarterbacks. This matchup should give Lawrence the chance to start off the season playing well, and it's a good thing rookie receiver Travis Hunter (shoulder) is healthy. This will be the first time Lawrence has opened the season at home in his five-year career, and he scored at least 21.8 Fantasy points in two of his four previous season openers. Given the matchup, I like Lawrence to go over his 1.5 passing touchdown prop on FanDuel.
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Tagovailoa missed last year's game against the Colts due to a concussion, but he should make up for it in Week 1. He scored at least 27.5 Fantasy points in four of his past six games last season, and the Colts allowed three of their past four opponents in 2024 (Bo Nix, Mason Rudolph, and Drew Lock) to throw at least two touchdowns. De'Von Achane (calf) could be limited in this game, which might force Tagovailoa to air it out, and Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle could make this a track meet on the turf in Indianapolis. I like Tagovailoa as a low-end starter in all leagues, and I'll play the over on his passing touchdowns of 1.5 on FanDuel.
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Purdy should get a boost with Jauan Jennings (calf) playing in Week 1, and Purdy has a great history against Seattle. In five career games against the Seahawks, he has scored at least 20.4 Fantasy points in four outings over that span, including both matchups in 2024. Purdy also scored at least 25.1 Fantasy points in four of six road games last season. I expect Purdy to go over his passing touchdown prop of 1.5 on FanDuel.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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I wish Young had a healthy Jalen Coker (quadriceps) for this game, and losing Adam Thielen via trade to Minnesota isn't ideal. But rookie Tetairoa McMillan will be Young's best weapon since coming to Carolina, and this is a great matchup against the Jaguars, who were No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks in 2024. Young finished last year on a high note by averaging 31.5 Fantasy points in his past three games against Arizona, Tampa Bay and Atlanta, and he ran for 100 yards and three touchdowns over that span. I like the over on his rushing yards prop on FanDuel of 16.5 yards.
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McCarthy is a wildcard in Week 1 against the Bears since this is his first NFL start after missing his rookie campaign in 2024 with a knee injury. Chicago might get a boost with cornerback Jaylon Johnson (groin) hoping to play, but the secondary still has question marks. Justin Jefferson (hamstring) is healthy for the Vikings, and Adam Thielen will help McCarthy get over the loss of Jordan Addison (suspension) early in the season, along with T.J. Hockenson. McCarthy will surprise Fantasy managers with his mobility, and I like the over on his rushing prop on FanDuel of 17.5 yards.
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There are two trends to monitor from this game that could be meaningful all season. The first is for Flacco, who passed for at least 307 yards in each of his past five games for the Browns when he started for them in 2023, and he scored at least 20.9 Fantasy points in four outings over that span. And we want to see if the Bengals defense is once again a free space since Cincinnati was No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks in 2024. Flacco averaged 41.7 pass attempts with Cleveland in 2023 and should be throwing a lot in Week 1. I'll play the over on his pass attempts on FanDuel of 34.5.
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I'm hopeful that Penix has a healthy Darnell Mooney (shoulder) for this game, and this could be a shootout against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay was No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks last year, and Penix attempted 73 passes in his final two starts as a rookie in 2024. That volume could be there every week for Penix given the Falcons defense, and Kirk Cousins combined for 785 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception in two starts against the Buccaneers last season. I'll take Penix over his passing yards prop on FanDuel at 233.5.
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QBs to Sit
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I love the revenge game narrative here for Fields, but I hate the matchup against the Steelers. Mike Tomlin is great at limiting rushing yards for opposing quarterbacks, and Pittsburgh finished No. 4 in fewest rush yards to the position in 2024. Fields also gets off to slow starts each year and has scored 17.6 Fantasy points or less in three consecutive season openers. I also don't expect a big game from him passing against Pittsburgh's defense, and I'll take the under on his passing yards prop on FanDuel at 173.5. He's been under this total in 20 of his past 34 games going back to 2022.
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Williams went off for 30.9 Fantasy points in Week 12 against the Vikings last year but also scored 11.9 Fantasy points at Minnesota in Week 15. We'll see how he does in his first start with Ben Johnson as the Bears head coach, but Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores won't make things easy for Williams in this game, especially if the Chicago offensive line once again struggles to protect him. I'm going to play the under on his passing touchdown prop of 1.5, and Williams had 10 games last season where he failed to throw at least two scores.
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Herbert has struggled with the Chiefs recently and scored 15.7 Fantasy points or less in three consecutive starts against Kansas City. We'll see if things change with this game in Brazil, but the Chargers scored a combined 27 points against the Chiefs in two meetings last year. Herbert averaged 28.5 pass attempts in both meetings with Kansas City last season, and I'll take the under on his passing props on FanDuel for this game, which is 31.5.
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Stroud has scored more than 20 Fantasy points just once in his past 13 games, including the playoffs. I'm hopeful Houston's revamped receiving corps will help Stroud rebound this year, but I don't want to trust him against the Rams, especially until we see how the Texans new offensive line performs. I'm going to play the under on his passing touchdown prop of 1.5 as well since he only reached two passing touchdowns in a game six times in 2024 and just twice in his past seven outings overall.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Goff scored 11.8 Fantasy points at Green Bay in Week 9 last year and has scored 13.4 points or less in three games in a row at Lambeau Field. Goff also scored 18.5 Fantasy points or less in four of eight road games in 2024. We'll see how much new addition Micah Parsons plays for the Packers, but this pass rush will challenge the revamped offensive line for the Lions. I like Goff in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, but I would bench him in one-quarterback formats. And I'll take the under on his passing yards prop on FanDuel at 241.5 since he has passed for 224 yards or less in three games in a row at Green Bay.
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