Sit/Start 2024 Week 1: Reviewing All Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, September 8th, 2024, 1:00 PM ET

Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Network: FOX

Tennessee Titans

Quarterback

Will Levis: Sit, QB2

We don’t need to spend too much time here. Levis has potential in two-quarterback leagues, but against an improved Chicago defense, there are too many other options to make him a viable play in most formats. The Gunslinger mentality may work some weeks, but trying to predict it week-to-week isn’t a recipe for success, and this isn’t a defense I expect Levis to win against. If there is any takeaway here, it’s that the Bear’s defense could end up winning you the week with Levis’s tendency to turn the ball over.

Running Back

Tony Pollard: FLEX Option
Tyjae Spears: FLEX Option

While Derrick Henry is no longer sitting on the throne in Tennessee, Pollard and Spears present some FLEX appeal with upside in Week 1. The Bears’ strength on defense is in their secondary. While they are not necessarily weak up the middle, Pollard and Spears could see plenty of opportunities. They cap each other’s ceilings, but they both land in the RB3 range. Fantasy managers would be wise to watch how touches are split in this backfield in the future. My bet is that Spears will be the running back to roster here.

Wide Receiver

Calvin Ridley: FLEX Option
DeAndre Hopkins: FLEX Option

There was a time when a wide receiver room with Ridley, Hopkins, and Tyler Boyd would strike fear in opponents. Unfortunately, that time has passed. Boyd is unlikely to see the volume to bring week-to-week utility, and while Ridley and Hopkins still are fine players in their own right, we don’t have the evidence yet to say Levis can support either player. In full PPR leagues, they bring FLEX appeal, but the ceiling is limited here in week one against one of the more impressive young secondaries in the NFL.

Tight End

Chigoziem Okonkwo: Sit, TE2

Similar to Levis, there are just too many other options in one tight-end league to warrant putting Chig in your Week 1 lineup. I don’t mind some post-hype sleeper talk for Chig, but we need to see a competent offense before we toss him into our starting lines.

Chicago Bears

Quarterback

Caleb Williams: Start, QB1

Lisan al Caleb (for my Dune fans) is making his NFL debut, and he should not disappoint. Williams has more rushing ability than he is given credit for, which provides an excellent floor for fantasy managers. Not only that, but he also has one of the best-supporting casts in the NFL. The Titans have a surprisingly stout defense in 2024, but there are just too many options for Williams and the Bears. He lands as my QB11 in week one, and even if he has some rookie growing pains, all the boxes are checked.

Running Back

D’Andre Swift: Start, RB2

Swift is the only running back in Chicago you can have any confidence in right now. He should lead the way on the ground and through the air for the Bears’ backfield. Swift can sometimes fall victim to poor decision-making, but he should be given every opportunity to succeed in Week 1 against the Titans. In Full PPR, he lands as my RB19 with a somewhat limited ceiling but a safer-than-expected floor.

Wide Receiver

DJ Moore: Start, WR2
Keenan Allen: Start, WR3/FLEX
Rome Odunze: FLEX Option

The wide receivers for the Bears have been a hot topic all offseason. Moore has never played with a quarterback of Williams’s Caliber and just got the richest second contract for a pass catcher in franchise history. He should be the top target while Allen and Odunze navigate the WR2 and WR3 roles for the team. The addition of L’Jarius Sneed for the Titans this offseason will slow down Moore to some extent, but all three of these pass catchers can be in lineups in Week 1 in two FLEX leagues or 3 WR leagues.

Tight End

Cole Kmet: Sit, TE2

Kmet should be on benches or waivers in most leagues. There are just too many options in this offense for Kmet to be an impact player for fantasy football purposes. The only instance where you can make an exception with Kmet would be if you roster Kyle Pitts, and he does, in fact, miss Week 1.