Week 1 Monday Night Start Decisions and Rankings: Who Should You Start After Justin Jefferson? Rome Odunze, Aaron Jones and More

One final game remains in week 1 of the NFL regular season.

We have the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings squaring off in an NFC North battle. Let's look at the fantasy outlooks for quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, kickers and D/STs, then rank the best fantasy options for the night.

Looking for start/sit help? Be sure to check out the FantasySP Who Should I Start tool.

Quarterbacks

It's a young and fun quarterback matchup between Chicago's Caleb Williams and Minnesota's J.J. McCarthy. It's a tough matchup for both quarterbacks, at least if you are looking at last year's numbers.

It will be McCarthy's first career start after missing all of 2024 with an injury. Williams is looking to improve in year two after a pretty underwhelming rookie year.

McCarthy will be without a couple offensive players, but gets a boost by T.J. Edwards being doubtful for the Bears' defense. Three Chicago corners are questionable, and if any of them miss the game, McCarthy's outlook will get another boost.

Williams should have most of his offensive playmakers around him in week 1. Minnesota will be down a couple defenders, including Harrison Smith, so the matchup is a bit better for each quarterback.

I still don't love the idea of starting Williams or McCarthy. I had Williams as my No. 21 QB for week 1, while McCarthy was No. 26. I still have Williams over McCarthy for week 1, but really would only want to start either guy in a deep fantasy setup.

Both QBs are projected for 15 fantasy points. 

Running Backs

D'Andre Swift is the lead back for Chicago. Roschon Johnson is questionable, and if he misses the game, rookie Kyle Monangai could be thrust into the backup role.

Aaron Jones Sr. is the top back for Minnesota, while Jordan Mason is the backup.

Swift and Jones are each projected for 12 PPR points, while Mason is at 10 PPR points.

It's a favorable test for Jones and Mason based on last year's numbers. Swift and the Bears' backs have a tougher test.

I see Jones leading the Minnesota backfield still, and had him as my No. 22 back heading into week 1. Swift was a spot behind him at No. 23, while Mason wasn't ranked.

I'd be fine starting Jones or Swift in a standard league in a final RB or flex spot. I'd consider starting Mason in deeper leagues.

Wide Receivers

The matchup is favorable for the Chicago wideouts, as Minnesota allowed the most fantasy points to wideouts in 2024. Meanwhile, the Vikings' wideouts have the second-hardest test against the Bears.

Justin Jefferson is the star wide receiver in this game, and he could take on even more with Jordan Addison suspended (for three weeks). Newcomer/old friend Adam Thielen will be WR2 for Minnesota, while Jalen Nailor is a third option.

Jefferson is projected for 18 PPR points tonight. Thielen is at nine PPR points, while Nailor is at about six PPR points.

For Chicago, D.J. Moore is projected for the most PPR points (15). Rome Odunze is projected for nine PPR points, while Luther Burden is set for three PPR points. Olamide Zaccheaus is another option for the Bears.

Jefferson was my third-ranked wideout for week 1, and that was lower than usual because of the tough matchup he has. He typically can deliver against any opponent, and should lead the way again tonight.

Moore is the next ranked guy from this game, but way down at No. 25. Nobody else made my top 30.

While Jefferson is a must-start guy in all leagues, Moore is a flex option in standard leagues, but probably a better deep-league asset because of all the pass-catching options in Chicago.

It might surprise some of you, but I have Thielen next after Moore. I think he could be a sneaky good fantasy asset this season, and especially so in the first three weeks as Addison is suspended. I like the idea of starting Thielen in deeper leagues tonight, and in a more favorable matchup, he'd have been a standard league flex option.

Odunze is another good deep-league starting option in my eyes. The matchup is favorable enough for multiple receivers to go off, and he very well could end up leading his team tonight. I rank him fourth in this game just because I have no idea who is going to get the most targets for Chicago.

Burden is next for me, but he's not the best deep-league starting option. Again, I don't know how this Bears' offense is going to look, and until I see things, I'm happier to just stash Burden on my bench. He could emerge as a great fantasy option with a big-time showing tonight though.

Nailor and Zaccheaus are only deep-league options, and not close to starting guys tonight. There's too many guys in front of them for targets, and it'd likely take a couple big plays or scores to have them outproduce anyone I have ranked ahead of them. Avoid them if you can.

Tight Ends

The matchups for the tight ends aren't the best tonight. Chicago tight ends have a below-average test based on last year's numbers, while Minnesota TEs have an average matchup.

T.J. Hockenson is the Minnesota tight end, and is the best fantasy TE in this game. Colston Loveland is expected to start for Chicago, but Cole Kmet is still around and might steal some of his work.

Hockenson is projected for 10 PPR points tonight. Loveland is projected for seven PPR points, while Kmet is at about five PPR points.

Hockenson ranked ninth for me in my week 1 rankings. That might seem a bit low, but the addition of Thilen was a negative for the tight end. He and Thielen are close for the second-best pass-catching option, and that likely means a bit of an underwhelming day for Hock.

Loveland ranked way down at No. 18 for me. I'm lower on him than most. I just don't know who to trust in this Bears' offense, and with Kmet around, I think Loveland might not erupt right away.

Hockenson is the only one I'd consider starting in a standard league this week. Loveland is a deep-league option, while Kmet should be avoided outside super deep leagues.

Kickers

Cairo Santos is the Bears' kicker, while Will Reichard will boot it for the Vikings.

Santos is projected for eight fantasy points this week, while Richard is at just five projected points.

It's tough to say how this game might look. One one hand. I could see it being a high-scoring battle, but on the other hand, both young quarterbacks could struggle and leave each kicker without many opportunities.

I see Santos and Reichard as average options each, and finishing close as fantasy scorers. I'd give Santos a slight edge, but would expect average scores.

Defenses/Special Teams

Both defenses are projected for seven fantasy points tonight.

Again, it's tough to pick a favorite option, because this game could go in a few different directions. I can tell you that fantasy owners really like the Vikings' D/ST, while the Bears' D/ST is barely owned.

I see average results again from both of these D/STs, and I'd give a very slight edge to the Vikings' units.

Offensive Overall Rankings (OP or Flex Spots)

1. Justin Jefferson

2. Caleb Williams

3. J.J. McCarthy

4. D.J. Moore

5. Aaron Jones

6. D'Andre Swift

7. Adam Thielen

8. Rome Odunze

9. T.J. Hockenson

10. Jordan Mason

11. Colston Loveland

12. Luther Burden

13. Jalen Nailor

14. Olamide Zaccheaus

15. Kyle Monangai

16. Cole Kmet

17. Roschon Johnson