Rome Odunze or Adam Thielen: Who should I start for Week 1 Fantasy Football ahead of MNF showdown?

Rome Odunze and Adam Thielen both have arguments for and against them. For managers who have both receivers, they've had all week to chew on the question. However, with only hours left for the showdown, it's now decision time. With no updated sample size available, it can feel like a shot in the dark.

Watching Keenan Allen deliver in his return to the Los Angeles Chargers gives plenty of reason to buy in on Theilen, but was that a fluke? Can the 35-year-old receiver really deliver more than the 23-year-old receiver? Here's an in-depth look at both players.

Is Rome Odunze a good fantasy pick in Week 1?

Rome Odunze at Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs - Source: Imagn

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Rome Odunze finds himself in a loaded offense with the likes of DJ Moore, Luther Burden, Colston Loveland, and Cole Kmet. While that might help him break open more often, there's only one ball to go around. That said, he is in line for a flex-level night, according to Sportskeeda's Who Should I Start Tool.

The tool has projected Odunze to earn 11.8 points, four catches, and nearly 60 receiving yards. Put simply, he will be busy, but don't expect an earth-shattering day.

Is Adam Theilen a good fantasy pick in Week 1?

Adam Thielen at Philadelphia Eagles v Minnesota Vikings - Source: Getty

Adam Thielen carries the aforementioned risks, but those expecting a similar performance to Keenan Allen earlier this week will be pleasantly rewarded. The Vikings wide receiver is set for a productive, if not explosive, day with about four catches for 40 yards.

Theilen carries about a 30% chance to score a touchdown this week, which will hit Vikings fans with a pang of nostalgia and a nice boost to his fantasy total, assuming he can deliver. That said, don't expect any wild 70-yard touchdowns from the wide receiver in this game.

Adam Thielen or Rome Odunze: Who should I start in Week 1 fantasy football?

Rome Odunze vs Adam Thielen - Sportskeeda's Who Should I Start Tool

Both Odunze and Thielen carry their pros and their cons. However, Odunze edges Thielen out by about 2.5 points, which could be the difference between a late win and a late loss in this week's fantasy matchup.

Odunze also earned more yards than Theilen in 2024, so it makes sense to trust him more in Week 1 using that rationale as well.

About the author

Ian brings with him more than 6.5 years of sports writing experience to the Sportskeeda NFL team. He played offensive line in middle school and high school, and also made it to the top 0% matchmaking ranking in MUT play in Madden.

He possesses the quality of identifying unique story angles from quotes in press conferences, social media and interviews. He assimilates facts for his stories with a lawyer-like precision and verifies each and every piece of information.

Ian admires Peyton Manning for his ability to beat teams with his mind despite not being the best athlete, and is also a fan of Tom Brady. The Denver Broncos are his favorite team, and their Super Bowl 50 win in Manning’s last game is etched in his memory forever. Bill Belichick is his all-time favorite coach.

He has also grown to admire the Los Angeles Rams mainly because he and Cooper Kupp went to the same college, Eastern Washington University, with both finishing their college careers at the same time.

In his career so far, Ian has had the privilege of exclusively interviewing Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead, Kwity Paye of the Indianpolis Colts and Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jamari Thrash. When not writing, he likes to play video games and be outdoors.

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Edited by Ian Van Roy