Fantasy Football Matchup Rankings - Best, Worst Due to any position in week 1 - ExBulletin

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Making heavy Line -up decisions can be every week the The most challenging part of the imagination football process. If you are torn between two comparable players and just don't know which one to start, you start the player with the superior matchup.

Ah, but exactly How Do you determine the best (and worst) weekly matchups?

Let's remove the Bad-New's response first: Week 1 is the The most difficult week before evaluating matchups. It is common that fantasy analysis is highly dependent on the statistics of the previous season, although that completely ignores how quickly and dramatically changes this game, especially during a low season of seven months.

The matchup ranking below offers a schedule-independent method to evaluate positional matchups every week, to rank all 32 opposing defenses in order of the most favorable players on all four skills positions (Quarterback, Return, broad Receiver and SLEPLE END). Instead of trusting seasonal totals, we calibrate points-access data to show how each defense left with the difficulty of the schedule with which it has had to be done. This offers a fairer approach to assess the quality of individual matchups.

During the first three weeks these rankings are completely my opinion about how favorable or unfavorable I consider that matchup, although 2024 data for the entire season 2024 is To give you a snapshot in the strength of that specific matchup.

"Adj. FPA," or adapted fantasy points allowed, indicates how far above or below the weekly PPR fantasy point of players average PPR -fantasie point on average kept opponents at that position. A positive number means that the matchup is favorable, a negative number means that it is unfavorable. Also remember that teams often use multiple runs and broad recipients in a game, and this plus/min average coverage all of the staff of a team in that position.

Finally a reservation: matchups are alone An Ingredient in my ranking formula. Not every favorable matchup must be used or avoided unfavorable matchup. If you want my - and the ESPN Fantasy - employees - most complete source for whom you start and sit every week, consult our weekly rankings.

Matchups highlight: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Carolina Panthers). Although he still has to realize the elevated potential for him when he was selected no. 1 in the NFL design of 2021, Lawrence has turned out to be excellent in beating bad opponents. In the past three seasons, he has on average 19.8 fantasy points per match against the eight most favorable matchups of the position (using schedule-corrected, seasonal data) compared to 15.2 against everyone else. Lawrence starts 2025 against a defense of Panthers who finished a schedule-corrected 31st against Quarterbacks last season and saw only minimal improvements in the secondary in the low season.

Others to like: Drake Maye, New England Patriots (vs. Las Vegas Raiders); CJ Stroud, Houston Texans (at Los Angeles Rams).

Matchup to avoid: Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (vs. Minnesota Vikings). A relatively strong finish of his Rookie season (three games of 22-plus fantasy points in his last seven), in combination with the arrival of the new playcaller Ben Johnson, has many managers optimistic about the prospects of Williams who arrive his second season. His opening week matchup, against a Vikings defense that stands seventh against the position in 2024 presents a decent matchups test. Moreover, it takes place at "Monday Night Football" and Williams was held under 10 fantasy points in all three of his prime-time competitions such as Rookie. It is best to leave him on the sidelines this week if you can.

Matchups Highlight: Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals (at Cleveland Browns). He returns as the undisputed starting running back from the Bengal, a role from which he scored the sixth most fantasy points from week 9 in 2024 (165.0). Brown starts 2025 with a favorable matchup against the browns, which in the last eight weeks of last season allowed the fifth radiant yards, an important distinction when it coincided with the absence of Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, whose neck injury will also cost him this season.

Others to like: Chuba Hubbard, Panthers (near Jaguars); James Conner, Arizona Cardinals (near New Orleans Saints).

Matchup to avoid: Breec Hall, New York Jets (vs. Pittsburgh Steelers). Back-up Braelon Allen's strong preseason has made some doubt about the ability of Hall to have a high-level fantasy impact, in particular how all of the increased third-down work indicates a potential decline in the receiving use of Hall. The last thing that fantasy managers want in their week 1 -line -Ups is a Timeshare that runs back, with one of the most difficult general defenses in the competition, in a competition with the lowest above/below of the week (38.5).

Matchups Highlight: EMEKA EGBUKA, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at Atlanta Falcons). He will probably play a pretty important role in his NFL debut, especially with Chris Godwin Jr. Who still recovered from the disrupted only who ended his 2024 season early and put Jalen McMillan aside with a neck injury. Egbuka received high figures for his preseason work while he filled in for the two, and he is less likely than colleague Buccaneers wide recipient Mike Evans to match against Falcons no. 1 Cornerback AJ Terrell - although Evans held Management 23.2 Fantasy points against Terrell and the Falcons in week 5 last season, and therefore also gets a matchups bump.

Others to like: Jerry Jeudy, Browns (vs. Bengals); Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts (vs. Miami Dolphins).

Matchup to prevent: DK Metcalf, Steelers (at Jets). The jets may have lost cornerback DJ drove to the Detroit Lions via a free desk, but with Saus Gardner and Michael Carter II still brought in on the Roster and Brandon Stephens to replace, this secondary still assesses as one of the most difficult in the game. Metcalf will certainly see a large number of goals if the clear number 1 receiver of Aaron Rodgers this season, but it is unclear exactly how many rodgers still have in the tank, not to mention the fact that Metcalf had only 9.3 fantasy points against soil-eight matchups in 2024 compared to everyone.

Matchups Highlight: Hunter Henry, Patriots (vs. Raiders). He was surprisingly used last season, in sixth place under tight ends in Doelen (96) and fifth in goal exchange (19.2%), usage patterns that make him the effort to take a look at any time that he has a matchup as this like this. Last season, the Raiders handed over the fourth most recipient yards to tight ends (1,107) and were allowed 30th in adapted fantasy points. Henry's primary obstacle for a higher finish on the Fantasy Leaderboard was a lack of touchdowns (two), but keep in mind that the Raiders were one of the four teams to hand over no fewer than nine touchdowns to the position in 2024.

Matchup to avoid: Colston Loveland, Bears (vs. Vikings). He stands up for a promising career, but in his NFL debut there is too much uncertainty about his use alongside Cole KMet, and his matchup cannot be more challenging. The Vikings were one of the five teams who had the position for three or less touchdowns, and only three tight ends managed no fewer than 14 fantasy points in a match against them. Wait to see how heavy Loveland is used in week 1 before you glide it into your line -ups.