The Yahoo Fantasy team is confident that these players will deliver memorable performances in your Week 1 fantasy football lineups.
Yes, Taysom Hill will make his presence felt in opening week
Taysom Hill ran for nine times for 75 yards in his one game against Carolina last season, while also catching one pass and completing another. He’s a good bet to reach the end zone at least once in the opener against the Panthers. Hill is a TE option, but he’s arguably more of a running back. He’s almost guaranteed to be a goal-line prospect for this perennially oddball team. Fire him up in a favorable matchup. — Andy Behrens
Jared Goff is set to shine against his former team
Jared Goff has averaged 277.2 passing yards (7.9 YPA) with 44 touchdowns in 17 games for Detroit over the past two seasons. He lacks the fantasy upside of dual-threat QBs running, but Goff is live when he plays at home. The Rams allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks last season, and they are now without Aaron Donald. The Lions have the highest implied team point total in the NFL in a Week 1 game that should be a big scorer. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs is nursing a minor injury, while Detroit’s receivers are fully healthy entering Week 1, with Jameson Williams looking like a real threat to break out this season. Goff threw for 300 yards and three scores in a big performance Sunday night. — Dalton Del Don
Bengals D/ST might win this week
I’m giving you this pick not just for Cincinnati on Sunday, but as a guide going forward. When you’re trying to fill that DST slot, you want the biggest favorite possible, you want to pick suspect offensive opponents, you want to gang up on a sketchy offensive line. This matchup checks all the boxes. I don’t know how sharp Cincinnati’s offense will be, but the defense can control this game. — Scott Pianowski
A great match-up for a young running back
Cook has as good a matchup as you’ll find in Week 1 against the Cardinals. Arizona has arguably the worst defensive line in football entering the year. Cook put up nearly 1,600 yards last season and will follow that up with a matchup against a defensive line that would likely be backups on most teams.
The Bills are a six-point favorite and are expected to score 27 points this week. It’s a great environment for running back production. Expect 16+ touches from Cook and a Top 10 finish at the position in Week 1. — Sal-Vetri
Chris Godwin bounces back
Chris Godwin will return to his usual slot rates from 2019-2022, when he ran between 60 and 73 percent of his routes from the inside. That’s a big and necessary change from the 37 percent he ran in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus. That alone is reason enough to give Godwin, who was productive last season, a shot. We’re just looking for more big plays and touchdowns. Playing inside should help.
This Week 1 matchup with a Washington secondary that allowed over 80 yards per game to slot receivers last year makes it even better. The Commanders are under new leadership on the defensive coaching staff and have brought in a bunch of new players, but that could be a while. Mike Evans will get his spot, but Chris Godwin should be in the lineup as the WR3 in Week 1. — Matt Harmon
Kenneth Walker finishes in the top 10
Targeting the Broncos run defense is an easy task and Kenneth Walker is ready to feast! Walker’s production has been steady over the last two years, but it always felt like he was playing below his ceiling. Walker has dealt with a stigma surrounding lack of job security since the Seahawks drafted Zach Charbonnet, but Walker has clearly remained the RB1.
Lacking enough receiving upside, Walker’s ceiling relies on high-volume matchups. He’ll begin his 2024 campaign with a star matchup against one of the league’s worst run defenses and best pass defenses. The Seahawks should rely on their ground game this week, move the ball well, and give Walker plenty of chances to get to the line. I think Walker will easily finish in the top 10 this week. — Tera Roberts
