Week 1 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Raiders vs Chargers

Two AFC West rivals will clash in Week 1 as the Las Vegas Raiders take on the Los Angeles Chargers. This contest projects to be a potential shootout given the offensive firepower on both sides.

If you need some help with your fantasy lineups, here's our start 'em, sit 'em advice for this Week 1 showdown.

Hunter Renfrow Fantasy

Start Hunter Renfrow, WR, Las Vegas Raiders: Hunter Renfrow won't just disappear this season despite the addition of Davante Adams. The surgical route-runner surprised everyone with his WR10 finish in 2021, but that showing made his connection with Derek Carr abundantly clear. Renfrow will remain Carr's safety valve, and with defenses focused on stopping Adams plus Darren Waller, that should open up opportunities for the Clemson product. He racked up 3 touchdowns against the Chargers last year, and this secondary will be down a starter in JC Jackson, making Renfrow a sneaky FLEX play in Week 1.

Mike Williams Fantasy

Start Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: Mike Williams proved there's plenty of room for two WRs in the Chargers' offense last season. Despite playing alongside Keenan Allen, Williams managed a WR12 finish and career-high 15.4 fantasy points per game. There's no denying he's a boom-or-bust candidate, however, given he had six outings with 20-plus points and seven instances of single-digit fantasy scoring. His showings against the Raiders encapsulated this, registering just 2.1 points in Week 4 and 26.9 points in Week 18. This matchup is trending toward being another shootout like the latter, though, with a staggering 52.5 point total. That's great news for Williams against a Raiders defense that was just outside the bottom 10 in Football Outsiders' pass-defense DVOA metric in 2021.

Josh Jacobs Fantasy

Sit Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders: The last time Josh Jacobs was on the field in the regular season, he put up a 2021-high 22.4 PPR points against the Chargers in Week 18. A lot has changed since then, though. He's got a new coaching staff that used him early in the preseason when that time is usually reserved for backups or players who have to earn a roster spot. Las Vegas' new GM also didn't pick up Jacobs' fifth-year option, meaning this regime has no ties to the RB after this season. Even further worsening Jacobs' situation is the Raiders drafting Zamir White in the fourth round this past April, while adding Brandon Bolden and pass-catcher Ameer Abdullah in free agency. Now Jacobs draws a healthy and improved Chargers defense in a game Las Vegas is slated to trail as 3.5-point underdogs. There's not much to like about the former Pro Bowler in this one.

Gerald Everett Fantasy

Sit Gerald Everett, TE, Los Angeles Chargers: Gerald Everett is a fade this week purely by process of elimination. Managers are going to start Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler, leaving Everett as the potential odd man out. Jared Cook disappointed as the starting tight end in Los Angeles a year ago, finishing as just the TE18 in PPR scoring despite having Justin Herbet as his quarterback. There's a ton of mouths to feed, especially given Ekeler's pass-catching abilities, so it's tough to see Everett also putting up starter-worthy production being this low in the pecking order.

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Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.