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Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt is listed as the team's RB4 on their official depth chart. Veteran Austin Ekeler occupies the top spot while Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. slot in as the No. 2 and No. 3. The seventh-round rookie out of Arizona was very impressive during the preseason and made a strong case to open the season in a starting role. However, it appears Croskey-Merritt will have to earn a role during the regular season. Earlier in August, the Commanders opted to trade their presumed starter, Brian Robinson Jr., to the San Francisco 49ers. Robinson took the bulk of the carries last season. Fantasy managers should expect the majority of carries to go to Ekeler and most of the passing work. Rodriguez and McNichols should mix in the short-yadage situations. As a result, Croskey-Merritt will be tough to trust in Week 1 when they face their divisional rival, the New York Giants. However, the Arizona product remains a top high-upside stash as he could earn the starting job later in the campaign.

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Philadelphia Eagles running back Will Shipley comes into his second NFL season serving as backup to star RB Saquon Barkley. Shipley started the Eagles' first preseason game, finished as the leading rusher after just one quarter of play, then didn't see the field again for the next two weeks. All evidence points to him being the clear number two option out of the Philly backfield. While Shipley may not be the flashiest fantasy option, he could present himself as a valuable bench asset for managers, especially given Barkley's somewhat worrying injury history. He's rostered in just 18% of Sleeper leagues and sits behind one of football's best offensive lines. Shipley isn't ready for fantasy lineups in Week 1 against the Cowboys, but managers should keep an eye on him as a strong handcuff that could win them at least a matchup or two if Barkley goes down.

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Green Bay Packers rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden is listed as a starter on the team's depth chart, according to Zach Jacobson of 247 Sports. Golden was selected in the opening round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Texas. Throughout camp, Golden has received positive buzz and has already begun to establish a strong connection with quarterback Jordan Love. In addition, wide receivers Jayden Reed (foot) and Dontayvion Wicks (calf) have been dealing with lingering injuries, which have provided Golden ample opportunities with the starting lineup. Golden appears to have impressed the coaching staff enough to earn a spot with the first team. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Reed's and Wicks's status leading up to Week 1. If either wideout is unable to play, Golden could be in store for a massive target share in their season opener against the Detroit Lions.

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New York Jets backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor (knee) was seen taking part in the early portion of Tuesday's practice, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. Taylor will probably be a limited participant in practice, but the big takeaway is that he was back on the field, suggesting that he should be available to back up Justin Fields in the Week 1 regular-season opener this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jets won't release their first injury report of the year until Wednesday, so we'll have a better idea then on the 36-year-old veteran's status going into the weekend. But unless Fields misses time with an injury of his own in 2025, Taylor will be miles from the fantasy radar. In his first year with Gang Green last season, Taylor appeared in only two games behind Aaron Rodgers and went 17-for-22 passing for 119 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that wide receiver Marquise Brown (ankle) has been a full participant in practice this week and has "looked good out there," according to Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star. Rashee Rice is serving a suspension to start the season, and rookie Jalen Royals (knee) is not expected to play in the season opener this Friday in Brazil against the Los Angeles Chargers, so Hollywood should be KC's WR2 to open the year next to second-year pass-catcher Xavier Worthy. Brown injured his right ankle early in training camp and was held out of the entire preseason, but he's been practicing for a couple weeks now and should be ready to go in Week 1. The 28-year-old played in only two games in 2024 due to a shoulder injury that required surgery and didn't look great upon his return. At best, consider him a WR4/flex option in Week 1 with Rice suspended.

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The Athletic's Zach Berman says to "look for an uptick in production" from Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith in 2025 after he had 95 catches for 1,196 yards and seven touchdowns back in 2022. On another team, Smith would be a no-doubt No. 1 receiver, but in Philly, he's merely the third offensive weapon behind running back Saquon Barkley and fellow wideout A.J. Brown. He finished with a career-low 833 receiving yards in 2024 while playing in only 13 games due to injuries. Although fantasy managers are likely down on him going into this year after a disappointing performance in 2024, Berman thinks that he's primed for another big showing. Philly leaned heavily on Barkley and the ground game a year ago on their way to the franchise's second Super Bowl championship, but if they go to the air more often to give Barkley a break, Smith could be the prime beneficiary.

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Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals (knee) was the only Chiefs player not to practice on Tuesday, according to head coach Andy Reid. This shouldn't be much of a surprise, as Reid said just last week that Royals wasn't expected to be available to play in the Week 1 regular-season opener in Brazil on Friday against the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers as he continues to work his way through knee tendinitis. The 22-year-old is a worthy dynasty/keeper league stash in KC's offense, but fantasy managers in most single-year formats can leave Royals to the waiver wire to open the year. It remains to be seen if he'll be ready to make his NFL debut in Week 2 in a rematch of the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles. With Rashee Rice opening the year serving a suspension, Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster should be the team's top three wideouts.

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Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com writes that rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor is listed alongside Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett as a starter on the team's unofficial depth chart entering the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sunday against the hosting Denver Broncos. Ayomanor flashed in training camp and the preseason for Tennessee and displayed some strong chemistry with fellow rookie quarterback Cameron Ward. While the 22-year-old will probably go undrafted in all 12-team fantasy leagues, he's at least a young receiver to put on your watch list going into the 2025 campaign. Ayomanor played ahead of fellow rookie Chimere Dike in the preseason and has a leg up on the WR3 role already. Ridley is going to be the overwhelming favorite for the majority of targets, but don't rule out Ayomanor passing Lockett on the depth chart sooner than later.

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According to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic, Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid is not expected to see his role grow during the 2025 season. Buscaglia noted that, given Dawson Knox's presence on the team, Kincaid will likely not take a large share of opportunities. Last season, Kincaid logged around 66% of the team snaps, and Buscaglia believes that is what the expectation should be for the upcoming season as well. In his sophomore season, the 25-year-old took a bit of a step back as he tallied just 448 yards on 44 receptions. He scored just two touchdowns. As a rookie, Kincaid brought in 73 receptions for 673 yards. Given his limited ceiling, fantasy managers should continue to view Kincaid as a low-end fringe TE1 in all formats. However, if Knox were to miss time, Kincaid could enter must-start conversations.

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Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley looks to begin yet another dominant fantasy campaign as he matches up against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. Barkley is a consensus first-round fantasy pick for managers this season-and for good reason. He's a workhorse in a powerhouse offense, leading the NFL in rushing attempts and yards in 2024 and being the only player to surpass 2,000 yards from scrimmage. The Cowboys also just traded away Micah Parsons, who led the team in tackles for loss last year, freeing up some space for Barkley who averaged 5.8 yards per carry. While Dallas allowed the sixth-fewest yards per game on the ground last season, Barkley put up 233 on them between their two matchups, and it's not the same defense as before. He's one of the most valuable players in fantasy and should be in every lineup in Week 1.

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Free-agent wide receiver Gabe Davis (knee) is signing an undisclosed deal with the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN. Davis will initially report to the team's practice squad as he continues to recover from a torn meniscus in his knee last year. The 26-year-old did not gel well with the Jacksonville Jaguars last year and caught just 20 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games before needing season-ending surgery on his knee. He will return to Buffalo, where he played four seasons before joining the Jags in 2024. Davis' best season came with the Bills in 2022, when he had a 48-836-7 line, and he has found the end zone at least six times in all but last year. Davis could eventually emerge as a key downfield threat for the Bills in 2025, but after the offseason addition of Joshua Palmer, his chances of being useful in fantasy could be more of a long shot.

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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts enters the 2025 season as a top fantasy option at his position, throwing for 2,903 yards and 18 touchdowns last year with just five interceptions, along with 630 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. In Week 1, Hurts will get the NFL season underway in a Thursday night matchup against a Dallas Cowboys team who just lost their sack leader and defensive anchor in Micah Parsons. Hurts faced Dallas just once last season, when he threw for 202 yards, ran for 56 more, and accounted for four total touchdowns. Philly looks to defend their Super Bowl title in this upcoming campaign, and Hurts has all of his major weapons back surrounding him. It's a no-brainer to start this high-end QB1 as fantasy football kicks off.

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he expects wide receiver Calvin Austin III (abdomen) to play in Week 1 of the regular season this Sunday against the New York Jets, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. Austin has been battling an abdominal injury for most of training camp that kept him sidelined for the entire preseason, but he's made solid progress in recent weeks and is expected to be active this weekend. The 26-year-old could be limited early on in practices this week, but as long as he's practing in full by Friday, he should be without an injury designation heading into Sunday's tilt. As far as fantasy value heading into Week 1, Austin will certainly have a bigger role in the passing attack with George Pickens out of town. However, given Austin's injury this summer and Pittsburgh's expected run-first offense, he's not being drafted in most 12-team fantasy formats.

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he expects linebacker Alex Highsmith (groin) to play in the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sunday against the New York Jets, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. Highsmith injured his groin in early August but has since returned to practice and should be fine to suit up this weekend unless he suffers a setback in practice this week. The 28-year-old former third-rounder had a career-high 14.5 sacks in 2022 in his third year in the league, but he was able to play in only 11 games a year ago due to injuries and finished with six sacks and a career-low 45 tackles (28 solo) for the Steelers. His presence in the season opener alongside All-Pro pass-rusher T.J. Watt will be good news for a Steelers defense/special teams unit that should be a must-start in Week 1 against a new Jets offense under quarterback Justin Fields.

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that running back Jaylen Warren will "be our featured runner," according to Christopher Carter of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "His progress has been very evident and he's to be congratulated ... Certainly he'll be our featured runner. Certainly you'll see [Kaleb Johnson/Kenneth Gainwell], but at what time and at what degree [will depend week-to-week]," Tomlin said. The Steelers signed Warren to a two-year extension worth $12 million guaranteed this week, so this news shouldn't really come as a surprise. It's obviously good news for those that have the 26-year-old in fantasy and bad news for rookie Kalen Johnson, who is the RB3 on the unofficial Week 1 depth chart. The Steelers are expected to be more of a ground-and-pound team on offense this year, making Warren a viable RB3/flex play in fantasy lineups in Week 1 against the Jets.

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Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Kaleb Johnson is listed as the team's No. 3 RB behind Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell on the team's unofficial Week 1 depth chart. Johnson struggled in the preseason opener but then finished on a high note in the final two games. However, the 22-year-old could have a minimal role to open his first NFL season behind both Warren and Gainwell. The news of Warren's new extension this week was the first sign that fantasy managers might need to pump the brakes on Johnson's value entering Week 1. It doesn't mean that Johnson won't have a key role when all is said and done in 2025, and he still deserves to be rostered in pretty much all fantasy leagues, but we wouldn't suggest starting him in fantasy lineups against the New York Jets this weekend.

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Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz said the team will have to move wide receiver Calvin Ridley around on offense to help get him open, and that the other wideouts will have to win their one-on-one matchups this year. Despite dealing with subpar quarterback play in 2024 in his first year with the Titans, Ridley managed to post his second straight 1,000-yard season and third of his career on 64 receptions while scoring only four times in 17 games (14 starts). It was a slight step back from 2023, when he was with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 30-year-old veteran is the Titans' unquestioned WR1 yet again, but he doesn't have much help behind him and will be working with a rookie signal-caller in Cameron Ward. Fantasy managers can hang their hat on plenty of volume, but efficiency could once again be an issue.

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New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll has refused to reveal whether rookie first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart or veteran Jameis Winston will serve as the team's backup to starter Russell Wilson for the Week 1 season opener on Sunday against the division-rival Washington Commanders. Dart looked very impressive in training camp and the preseason, but Winston has more than 100 games of NFL experience and was listed as the QB2 on the first unofficial depth chart during camp. For what it's worth, Dart is listed as the QB2 on the team's unofficial Week 1 depth chart. During the preseason, Dart went 32-for-47 passing for 372 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers and only two sacks taken. He also carried the ball six times for 52 yards and a touchdown. If Wilson struggles early in 2025, Dart could be the replacement under center in his first NFL season.

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For the first time since joining the team in 2022, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was not named a captain heading into the 2025 campaign, according to ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques. It all likely stems from the Week 18 regular-season finale last year, when Hill removed himself from the game and hinted after the contest that he wanted to play elsewhere. The Cheetah apologized to his teammates last month, but it was not enough for them to vote him in as a captain this year. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said in July that Hill had work to do to rebuild trust with his teammates. The All-Pro speedster dealt with a wrist injury all of last year and didn't post his typical gaudy numbers with Miami's offense struggling, and he returned to practice last week for the first time since early August due to an oblique injury. Hill is capable of bouncing back, but he's being drafted as more of a high-end WR2 in fantasy.

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Jackonville Jaguars second-year wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. said that his chemistry with quarterback Trevor Lawrence is even stronger this year. "I feel like we've definitely got a lot closer, whether it's football or off the field, like all the little things," Thomas said. "I feel like our chemistry is growing on the field, and I feel like it's going to continue to grow throughout the season." Despite Lawrence missing seven games in 2024 due to head and shoulder injuries, Thomas amassed an impressive 87 catches on 133 targets for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns in 17 games in his rookie season. Although many players have the dreaded sophomore slump, Thomas figures to be immune, playing more out of the slot in new head coach Liam Coen's offense. As long as the former LSU star doesn't miss time with injuries, he should finish as a top-10 fantasy wideout again in 2025.

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