2025 Fantasy Football Week 1 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em RB Picks ft. James Conner, Travis Etienne, and more

Week 1 of the 2025 fantasy football season has arrived, and all managers should now be finalizing their lineups. Starting the right running backs and knowing which ones to avoid can often be the difference between winning and losing a weekly matchup. Here are some of the top targets and fades in the position this week.

Fantasy Football Week 1 RBs Start 'Em Picks

Starting the elite class of running backs is an easy decision in fantasy football, especially in the first few weeks. Managers who select one in the first few rounds of their drafts would be wise to plug them into their lineups, regardless of their weekly matchup.

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The next tier and beyond requires more analysis, as the best way to optimize weekly lineups is by targeting running backs in the best overall situations. Projected workloads and defensive matchups are among the biggest factors in determining the top options.

James Conner is an excellent pick in fantasy football this week after finishing as the RB11 last year. He has now finished each of his four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals ranked among the top 20 overall running backs. He also gets an ideal matchup against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1, making him one of the top lineup options.

Must Starts

Bijan Robinson
Jahmyr Gibbs
Saquon Barkley
Christian McCaffrey
James Conner
Kyren Williams
Derrick Henry
Jonathan Taylor
Bucky Irving
Chase Brown
De'Von Achane
Ashton Jeanty
Josh Jacobs
James Cook
Tony Pollard
Alvin Kamara
Kenneth Walker III

DFS Picks

D'Andre Swift
Omarion Hampton
Javonte Williams
Nick Chubb
Isiah Pacheco

Fantasy Football Week 1 RBs Sit 'Em Picks

Deciding which running backs to fade in a particular week is extremely important when filling out starting lineups. Undefined roles and new workload competitions are among the main reasons to avoid certain options in the opening week of the season.

Travis Etienne is a typical fade candidate for now until the Jacksonville Jaguars create a clear picture for how they distribute their backfield workload. Tank Bigsby and Bhayshul Tuten are both expected to challenge for the featured spot, or the trio could be headed for a committee approach. Despite Etienne previously being a fantasy stud, he is too risky to trust against the Carolina Panthers this week.

Must Sits

Travis Etienne
Najee Harris
Rhamondre Stevenson
Jerome Ford
Rachaad White

DFS Fades

Aaron Jones
Breece Hall
David Montgomery
RJ Harvey
Jaylen Warren

About the author

Adam Hulse is an NFL journalist at Sportskeeda with 4 years of experience. He is also the host of the podcast "Sports Talk with Adam Hulse."

Adam studied Communications at Villanova University and played American football at Pop Warner and as a high school Freshman. His favorite team are the Dallas Cowboys, and if Adam could lay his hands on a time machine, he would love to witness their glory years from the 1990s. The Cowboys' 27-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX is his favorite Super Bowl of all time.

Given his affinity for 'America's Team,' Adam's favorite players of all time include Emmitt Smith. Michael Irvin, Tony Romo and Dak Prescott.

Adam takes a lot of pride in his work, which naturally culminates into insightful content for his readers, performance analysis being his forte. When not writing about football, Adam spends a time on his podcast.

Know More

Jaguars Fans! Check out the latest Jacksonville Jaguars Schedule and dive into the Jaguars Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Adam Hulse