Fantasy Football: 4 Bold Predictions for NFL Week 1

There's nothing quite like the NFL.

Football is one of the most intense, exciting sports on the planet. The source of the now-ubiquitous saying "Any Given Sunday," the NFL is a place where even struggling teams have a chance to topple the best in the league. Anything can happen when you play only 17 regular season games a year.

That uncertainty is a huge driver behind the excitement the NFL generates each and every season. What's more fun than watching something totally unexpected unfold before your eyes?

That's why, this year, we'll be bringing you some bold predictions to watch for in each week the 2025 NFL season.

All NFL betting odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

NFL Bold Predictions for Week 1

Chase Brown Reaches 20+ Fantasy Points

Chase Brown took over as the Cincinnati Bengals' unquestioned starting running back in Week 9 of 2024 and logged 18.3 half-PPR points per game over his next eight contests. For reference, Bijan Robinson totaled the fourth-most fantasy points per game in half-PPR leagues at 18.3 last season.

Over those eight starts, Brown reached the 20-point mark on three occasions. Our NFL DFS projections are forecasting 14.4 fantasy points for Brown in Week 1 -- which is a projected RB6 finish.

The favorable matchup is there against the Cleveland Browns. They gave up the 12th-most rushing yards per game, 13th-most yards per rushing attempt, and 4th-most rushing yards over expectation (RYOE) per carry in 2024 -- per NFL Next Gen Stats.

While Cincinnati's passing attack is always in the spotlight, running the rock would be wise with Myles Garrett rushing the passer for Cleveland. Plus, the Browns used their fifth overall 2025 NFL Draft pick on a talented three-technique defensive tackle in Mason Graham.

Opposite of Graham, Maliek Collins posted a dreadful Pro Football Focus 42.8 rush defense grade last season. Additionally, Cleveland's top linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (neck) will be out for the season. This leaves the linebacking unit to rookie Carson Schwesinger and Mohamoud Diabate (51.9 PFF player grade in 2024). Devin Bush -- who comes off a strong 2024 campaign with a 79.2 player grade -- could be the only positive of the unit.

The Browns' run D remains vulnerable, giving Brown the stage to shine.

Nico Collins Totals 110+ Receiving Yards

In my Week 1 wide receiver-cornerback matchups to target article, Nico Collins was my favorite pick to open the NFL season. The Houston Texans' receiving corps doesn't look quite as strong with Tank Dell (knee) absent, meaning an up-and-down Christian Kirk and rookie Jayden Higgins will be Collins' main competition for targets.

Collins missed five games a season ago, leading to a WR22 finish in half-PPR leagues. However, his per-game production was the exact same as his 2023 breakout as he notched 14.7 fantasy points per contest. As one of the league's top WR1s, he should be licking his chops against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1.

The Rams gave up the eighth-most yards per passing attempt last season, and their cornerback duo of Darious Williams (61.5 coverage grade in 2024) and Ahkello Witherspoon (58.8 coverage grade in 2024) are vulnerable.

Collins reached at least 110 receiving yards in 4 of 12 appearances in 2024. He enjoyed high volume with the ninth-highest target rate last season, according to PlayerProfiler. One could argue this will increase in 2025 -- especially in the early going without Dell.

Top running back Joe Mixon (ankle) is also sidelined, leading to questions in the run game. Houston will likely allow C.J. Stroud to air it out against the Rams' secondary, leading to a big day for Collins.

Sam Darnold Falls Short of 10 Fantasy Points

After Sam Darnold enjoyed a breakout 2024 campaign, maybe I'm on hater watch for immediately fading his upcoming 2025 season. We saw Darnold come back to Earth in his final appearances of 2024, posting expected points added per dropback (EPA/db) of -0.58 and -0.55.

Darnold is simply in a worse situation with the Seattle Seahawks than he was in 2024. He's no longer throwing to Justin Jefferson, and the Vikings' supporting cast of Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson is better than an aging Cooper Kupp and meh tight end AJ Barner. Furthermore, Pro Football Focus ranked Minnesota with the seventh-best offensive line prior to 2025, compared to Seattle touting the third-worst unit.

How will these changes impact his production against the San Francisco 49ers?

In line with fading Darnold, I expect the Niners defense to improve in 2025. Bringing back Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator should yield better results. San Francisco used its first two picks in the draft on edge rusher Mykel Williams and defensive tackle Alfred Collins. Paired with a healthy Nick Bosa, this front seven should be back to its dominant form.

The secondary has concerns with Renardo Green and Deommodore Lenoir manning the corner spots. But this unit could benefit from facing a questionable Darnold and weak receiving group outside of Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Most importantly, I have little faith in Seattle's offensive line holding up against the 49ers' front seven.

If Darnold is consistently being harassed, his previous turnover woes will likely rear its ugly head.

David Njoku Racks Up 8+ Receptions

The Bengals-Browns could be one of the best matchups of Week 1 for finding good value in DFS and player props. Alongside the aforementioned Brown turning in a big day, David Njoku is one of my favorite tight end plays of the week.

In the 2024 season, Njoku flourished in this rivalry by totaling 10 catches and 14 targets for 76 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 7 against Cincinnati. He followed that performance with 8 receptions and 66 receiving yards on 10 targets versus Cincy in Week 16.

Struggling against tight ends was a regular issue for the Bengals' D in 2024, with them ceding the second-most fantasy points per game to the position. Additionally, Cincy gave up the most receptions to tight ends on the season at 111.

While I expect the Bengals to improve on D, defending tight ends could remain a weakness. Dax Hill, Geno Stone, and Jordan Battle are all back in the secondary as potential defenders for tight ends, and we have some unknown in the linebacking corps with rookie Demetrius Knight Jr.

Our projections have Njoku as the fourth-best point-per-dollar value among tight ends in Week 1. When Joe Flacco started for the Browns in 2023 from Week 13 to 17, Njoku produced four top-three TE weekly finishes in fantasy football. He averaged 6.0 catches and 78.0 receiving yards per game during the span.

Njoku should feast in a favorable matchup with Flacco slinging the rock.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.