Wednesday Starts/Sits
Two Super Bowl contenders kick off the season with fresh faces in new places. Here are three names to plug in and three to leave on your bench for the opener…
No-Brainer Starts:
WR: Jaxson Smith-Njigba (SEA)
QB: Drake Maye (NE)
WR: A.J. Brown (NE)
Start: Rhamondre Stevenson (RB - NE)
TreVeyon Henderson has now missed multiple consecutive practices with an ankle injury and has been ruled out for Wednesday’s opener, which hands the bulk of the backfield right back to Stevenson.
Henderson traveled with the team but couldn't practice Monday or Tuesday, eventually being downgraded to “out” on Tuesday afternoon.
Stevenson was the Patriots' clear playoff workhorse when it mattered, out-touching Henderson 68-35 as the staff leaned on his tough running and pass protection in high-leverage snaps.
He was one of the most efficient backs in football last year, leading the NFL in average rush yards over expected and ranking 3rd among RBs in yards per touch (5.9) and 1st in yards per catch (10.8).
Seattle's defense was stingy against running backs a year ago, but a clear path to a featured role against a beatable matchup on paper makes Stevenson the early-week's biggest opportunity add.
Start: Jadarian Price (RB - SEA)
With Kenneth Walker III now in Kansas City and Zach Charbonnet still working back from injury, Price steps into the clear early-down role for his NFL debut.
Over this summer, Price has slid into the RB1 role for the defending champs.
Seattle used the No. 32 overall pick on him this offseason, a sign the team views him as a "one-cut sprinter" and Day 1 starter.
He faces a Patriots run defense that ranked a middling 12th in fantasy points allowed to running backs last season… a workable matchup for a first extended workload.
The touches should be there early, even if he ends up ceding work to George Holani and Emanuel Wilson.
Start: Hunter Henry (TE - NE)
While A.J. Brown grabs the headlines in New England's retooled passing game, Henry lines up against one of the softer tight end matchups on the schedule.
His red-zone role is the foundation of his value: 22 red-zone targets last season ranked 3rd among all tight ends.
Henry and Drake Maye have one of the more established QB-TE connections in the league, and his intermediate/underneath role complements rather than competes with Brown's deep work.
Seattle ranked 22nd in the NFL in fantasy points allowed to tight ends last season (12.2 per game), one of the softer matchups at the position for Week 1.
With a proven touchdown floor and a defense that struggled to slow down tight ends a year ago, Henry is a steady source of points even in a crowded passing attack.
Not every playmaker in this game gets the green light this week, though… see who's landing in the Sit column next.
Sit: Cooper Kupp (WR -SEA)
Kupp still carries name recognition from his Rams peak, but the target competition in Seattle's receiver room buries him for fantasy purposes right out of the gate.
He's projected for a demotion to WR3/4 duties following Rashid Shaheed's extension, with his role described as "background noise" for fantasy in 2026.
Kupp posted career lows in receiving yards (593) and touchdowns (2) last season while averaging just 7.3 fantasy points per game.
His underlying efficiency cratered too… 63rd among WRs in yards per route run (1.42) and 89th in target premium (-22.8%).
Until the target competition thins out, Kupp is a bench piece regardless of matchup.
Sit: Sam Darnold (QB-SEA)
Darnold enters the opener without last year's engine in the backfield and draws the toughest possible matchup on the schedule.
New England's defense allowed the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks in the NFL last season (10.3 per game)… by far the stingiest test on Seattle's slate.
Kenneth Walker III's exit removes the bell-cow that anchored Seattle's play-action attack in the Super Bowl, which works against Darnold rather than for him without an established ground game.
He remains a "pure pocket" fantasy asset (zero rushing touchdowns and a near-bottom carries-per-game rate a year ago), so there's no rushing floor to lean on if the passing game stalls.
New England just wrapped up their contract extension for Christian Gonzalez, one of the NFL’s top shutdown corners.
Between the matchup and questions about his supporting cast, Darnold is a streamer to leave on the bench this week.
Sit: Romeo Doubs (WR - NE)
Doubs has had a very good summer, coming along very nicely after a slow start learning the playbook, but Week 1 probably isn’t the right spot to trust him.
Doubs signed this offseason to be New England's primary weapon, but Brown's arrival now shifts him into a secondary WR2 role.
Extra coverage attention will likely funnel toward Brown early and often, but that shouldn't be read as a volume boost for Doubs… he's simply the second read as Maye works through his progressions in Week 1.
His per-target efficiency was already middling in Green Bay, ranking 30th in yards per route run (1.85).
There's a real role here long-term, but in a Week 1 tune-up for a new-look passing game, Doubs is a bench stash rather than a confident start. Wait to see how the passing game shapes up before inserting him into lineups.
That’s the list. Make sure you’re prepared for your Week 1 matchup, even when the NFL throws a weird schedule at you.
-Joe