7 keys to winning your Week 1 fantasy football matchup

Fantasy football analyst Sal Vetri will use this space to deliver his keys to victory every week of the 2024 NFL season.

The best RB spot of Week 1 belongs to … James Cook

This is as good of a matchup as you’ll find in Week 1. James Cook faces the Cardinals, who may have the worst defensive line in football. Cook is coming off a season where he earned nearly 1,600 yards and now gets to follow that up with a matchup against a defensive line whose personnel would likely be backups on most teams.

The Bills are six-point favorites and are projected to score 27 points this week. Historically, this is a great spot for RB fantasy production. Expect an efficient game from Cook, with an increased chance to score a touchdown.

The biggest O-line vs. D-line mismatch of Week 1 is … Lions vs. Rams

The Lions’ offensive line has a massive advantage against the Rams’ D-line this week. This will benefit Lions RB David Montgomery the most. I’m concerned about the Rams defensive line without Aaron Donald. It’s a unit that has a lot of question marks and now they face the best offensive line in the league. This is the biggest mismatch in the trenches for Week 1.

I believe David Montgomery is an incredible play in all formats this week. Not only because of the matchup, but the Lions could limit Jahmyr Gibbs‘ workload as he’s coming off a hamstring injury. This would directly benefit Montgomery in Week 1.

The sketchy spot of Week 1 belongs to … Aaron Jones vs. NYG

As long as Aaron Jones is healthy this season, he’ll be a top-20 back most weeks. But in Week 1 you may need to temper your expectations as he faces the Giants‘ defensive line. This Giants D-line is a bright spot for the team, headlined by Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns.

There’s a risk the Giants load the box against Sam Darnold, which would hurt Jones’ efficiency. But there is some good news. The Vikings have a strong offensive line. Minnesota has one of the best left tackles in the game in Christian Darrisaw and a strong right tackle in Brian O’Neill. If the line holds up, Jones could still have a good day but the matchup is sketchier than most people would think.

The rookie to watch in Week 1 is … Malik Nabers

Malik Nabers will begin his NFL career with a favorable matchup against the Vikings. Minnesota has the 27th-ranked secondary entering the season, according to PFF. This Vikings secondary has had an unfortunate offseason.

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Mekhi Blackmon tore his ACL on the first day of training camp and, on the second day of camp, Shaq Griffin pulled his hamstring. Not to mention, the team cut their 2022 first-round pick Lewis Cine and lost rookie Khyree Jackson to a tragic car accident in July.

The Vikings still need time and resources to fix their secondary, but Week 1 is already here. Expect the Giants’ first-round receiver to earn plenty of targets in a beneficial matchup. If Daniel Jones has time to throw, Nabers should have a strong NFL debut.

The former Georgia star is regarded as one of the best TE prospects to enter the NFL after producing three straight seasons of 50+ receptions in college. Bowers will kick off his NFL career in Week 1 against the Chargers‘ weak linebacker unit.

The Chargers have a lot of question marks at the position. They bring back Denzel Perryman, who is coming off the worst year of his career and L.A. will also be relying heavily on a rookie in Junior Colson.

This matchup sets up nicely for Bowers, who can identify coverages at an elite level and his ability to win after the catch sets him apart from most rookie TEs. Start Bowers in Week 1.

Williams will face a Rams secondary that is a bit thin. They signed Tre’Davious White who is still just 29 years old but hasn’t been the same since his injury. The Rams also brought back Darius Williams who is coming off a solid year. But if those are your starting cornerbacks this year, I’m a bit worried. It’s thin at best.

I believe this could be the Jameson Williams coming-out party. The last time we saw him, he was scoring two touchdowns in the NFC Championship game. This is a strong matchup to keep it going. Not to mention, Williams has received praise all offseason from his coaching staff as he steps into his new role as a starting receiver with veteran Josh Reynolds leaving in free agency.

The pickup-and-play of Week 1 is … Khalil Shakir

Shakir will start the season against the Cardinals, who PFF has as the 32nd-ranked secondary entering the year. Arizona drafted four defensive backs, so there are some new additions to its poor unit from last season. But the issue is these players are all rookies and it may take some time for them to develop in the NFL.

This benefits Shakir and the Bills. Shakir is the only Buffalo starting receiver who Josh Allen has played with in the past. Last season, including the playoffs, Shakir earned at least 12 fantasy points in 42% of his games once he became a starter in Week 8. He did this while playing next to Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, who are now gone. There’s a chance Shakir leads this team in targets in Week 1 and you can pick him up in nearly 40% of Yahoo leagues right now.

Bonus: Watch the Panthers offense closely in Week 1

Does the number 4.1 mean anything to you? Probably not, but that’s how many yards per play the Panthers averaged last season. Dead last in the NFL.

In Week 1, we need to see if all the offseason moves have been worth it. It’s a good test to start the season against a Saints team that has a solid secondary but is lacking along their defensive line.

Will the big money the Panthers spent on their guard position this offseason, and the additions to their skill positions, pay off? Will the offense look more creative under new coach Dave Canales?

If we can see some positive answers to these questions in Week 1, then I’m fine starting Diontae Johnson and Chuba Hubbard moving forward. We may even be able to FLEX Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette in deeper leagues.