The fantasy season is finally upon us. Everybody loves their draft, but it is also never too early to start tweaking your lineup to maximize your scoring opportunities.
Identifying top streaming options early in the season has multiple benefits. Not only can they provide an initial jolt of fantasy points to your lineup, but you could potentially uncover a player who has multi-week upside for your fantasy lineup.
Every week, this article will focus on players available in at least 50% of Yahoo leagues, as well as some deep sleepers rostered in less than 20% of leagues. Without further ado, here are the best Week 1 streaming options at every position.
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Quarterback Streaming Options Week 1
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars (26% Rostered)
Admittedly, this call would feel far better if the Panthers didn’t just trade away Adam Thielen and lose Jalen Coker to the injured reserve with a quad injury. Still, this matchup against the Jaguars should allow Bryce Young to continue the hot streak he was on to close the 2024 season.
Young will still have 2025 first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan and 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette available in the passing attack. Both players can attack downfield, an area where the Jaguars struggled last season. Jacksonville was a bottom-10 team in deep throws against (70). They also finished 28th in pressure rate versus expectation (-2.03%) and 29th in time to pressure (2.71 seconds).
Tetairoa McMillan Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Jacksonville made additions to its secondary this offseason, but time will tell how much they help. Rookie Travis Hunter is expected to see most of his snaps on offense to start the season. Jourdan Lewis is a strong slot man, but is more questionable on the outside. Both Jarrian Jones and Tyson Campbell were inconsistent in 2024.
This game has the makings of a shootout, with the sixth-highest over/under total of Week 1 (46.5). For that to happen, Young will need to start his 2025 season the way he ended 2024, pushing the ball down the field and making plays as a passer.
Deep Sleeper: Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts vs. Miami Dolphins (5% Rostered)
Nobody is excited to play Daniel Jones in fantasy, but in Week 1, he does have some appeal. Miami has arguably the worst cornerback room in the NFL after trading away Jalen Ramsey this offseason. Additionally, starting safety Ashtyn Davis is also questionable to play with a calf injury suffered late into training camp.
Conversely, the Colts’ passing weapons are healthy, giving the veteran quarterback access to a slew of players (including Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, and Tyler Warren) capable of maximizing his strengths. Indianapolis’ offensive line will also be the strongest group Jones has played with.
Time will tell if Jones can revive his career in Indianapolis, but Week 1 gives him an excellent opportunity to start off on the right foot.
Honorable Mention: Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (33% Rostered)
From Weeks 16 to 18, Michael Penix Jr. was the QB8 in passing yards (737), the QB5 in deep throw percentage (14.0%), and tied for QB1 in aDOT (10.3). It looks like Penix will have both Drake London and Darnell Mooney at his disposal against a secondary that allowed the sixth-highest completion percentage over expectation in 2024 (3.6%).
Honorable Mention: Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots (22% Rostered)
New England’s secondary quietly allowed the fourth-highest aDOT (8.9), the third-highest completion percentage over expected (4.4%), and the sixth-highest deep throw rate (13.1%) in 2024. At the same time, Geno Smith was third in the NFL in deep completion rate (46.2%) with the sixth-lowest turnover-worthy play rate (3.8%) on 20+ yard throws last season.
Running Back Streaming Options Week 1
Ollie Gordon II, Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts (39% Rostered)
It seems like just yesterday that Ollie Gordon II was taking college football by storm, racking up 285 carries for 1,731 yards and 22 total touchdowns. Realistically, it was just two seasons ago.
Fast forward a year later, and a mediocre final season at Oklahoma State (189 carries for 858 yards and 14 touchdowns) and a subpar NFL Combine (6-foot-1, 226 pounds with a 4.61 40-yard dash) dropped the running back to a sixth-round pick.
Ollie Gordon II Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
However, few players have had a better offseason than Gordon this summer. For one, he looked the part of an NFL contributor on his preseason opportunities (26 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown with three receptions for 48 yards). More importantly, injuries in Miami’s backfield to Jaylen Wright and De’Von Achane have opened an opportunity for him to contribute early in the season.
Achane will likely be good to go for Week 1’s matchup against the Colts, but calf injuries are notoriously easy to re-injure, putting Gordon in a position to have a role against the Colts.
Deep Sleeper: Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals (3% Rostered)
A new coaching staff has allowed Kendre Miller to show what he can do at the NFL level. Miller stayed healthy this preseason, handling 15 carries for 51 yards and adding one reception for nine yards. The third-year running back is just 23 years old and has seemingly won the backup job to Alvin Kamara in 2025.
Time will tell how the Saints’ backfield will be split this season, but the running backs in it are in for a treat. The Saints have one of the most talented offensive lines in the NFL (based solely on draft capital), with four first-round picks and one second-round pick locked in as starters.
The Cardinals allowed the eighth-highest explosive run rate in 2024 (5.4%) and have already placed four potential contributors on the defensive line (Walter Nolen III, BJ Ojulari, Bilal Nichols, and Justin Jones) on injured reserve to start the season.
Kamara will likely get most, if not all, of the touches in the backfield. But Miller could be poised to have a good game if new head coach Kellen Moore wants to split his backfield to keep Kamara fresh throughout the season.
Honorable Mention: Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints (40% Rostered)
All the hype this offseason has been centered around Trey Benson being a contributor to the Cardinals’ rushing attack. If that is true, then Benson is well-positioned to have a significant impact in Week 1.
The Saints had the second-lowest stuff rate in 2024 (35.5%) and bottom-10 marks in yards before contact per attempt (2.03) and explosive run rate (5.3%). The group didn’t make any major additions this offseason and may be without Chase Young in Week 1 due to an injury suffered in practice. Arizona is also heavily favored, further increasing the chances Benson sees some volume.
Wide Receiver Streaming Options Week 1
Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills (46% Rostered)
Rashod Bateman finally showed what he was capable of when he was healthy in 2024. Bateman finished second on the Ravens in targets (72), receiving yards (756), and touchdowns (nine), and was third in receptions (45). The veteran receiver also finished as the WR16 in aDOT (15.0) and the WR11 in yards per reception (16.8).
Rashod Bateman Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
The Bills currently have two contributors in their secondary (Christian Benford and Tre’Davious White) putting together limited practices entering Week 1. Bateman is a key cog in Baltimore’s passing offense (especially in the red zone) and could have a big week in what should be a shootout environment.
Deep Sleeper: Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions (15% Rostered)
Romeo Doubs is set to have another strong season in Green Bay. Sure, the Packers added a first-round wide receiver (Texas’ Matthew Golden) who has impressed with his speed, route running, and sure-handedness. But heading into the season, there isn’t much else to challenge Doubs for targets.
Jayden Reed is working through a foot injury and missed practice on Wednesday. Dontayvion Wicks has continued to struggle with drops and is working through a calf injury. Christian Watson is still working his way back from an ACL injury.
That leaves just Doubs and tight end Tucker Kraft as the two healthy members of this pass-catching group to complement Golden heading into the season. Doubs has averaged 78.3 targets, 49.0 receptions, 566.7 receiving yards, and 5.0 touchdowns over the last three seasons. He should get off to another strong start in 2025, even in a difficult matchup against the Lions.
Honorable Mention: Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals (25% Rostered)
Cedric Tillman posted elite receiving numbers (32 targets, 21 receptions, 255 receiving yards, and three touchdowns) in three games after Amari Cooper was traded away. Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain a larger sample size as he suffered a season-ending concussion in Week 12.
Joe Flacco should have no problem airing the ball out against the Bengals, a secondary that allowed the second-most end zone receptions in 2024 (21).
Tight End Streaming Options Week 1
Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos (34% Rostered)
The Titans have questions outside of Calvin Ridley at pass catcher, giving veteran tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo an opportunity to be fantasy relevant in 2025. Okonkwo reportedly established a strong chemistry with rookie quarterback Cam Ward during training camp and has averaged 73.5 targets, 53.0 receptions, 503.5 receiving yards, and 1.5 touchdowns the last two seasons.
Chigoziem Okonkwo Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
The Denver Broncos aren’t a great matchup, but they are stronger on the perimeter than they are up the middle, giving Okonkwo a chance to score fantasy points in Week 1.
Deep Sleeper: Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars (2% Rostered)
The Adam Thielen trade and Jalen Coker injury open up an opportunity for second-year tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders to be fantasy relevant.
Sanders posted four top-15 scoring weeks at tight end in 2024 (including one top-10 finish). At the very least, he showed the ability to consistently separate from opposing defenders, finishing as the TE1 in target separation according to PlayerProfiler’s advanced metrics (2.56).
Jacksonville struggled against tight ends in 2024 (8.4 PPG allowed, 25th among all teams). Sanders had a strong summer, and he’s poised to translate that success into game action.
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