Start Mayfield, Sit Mahomes: Rank's Week 1 Fantasy Calls — SkimNews
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- Baker Mayfield inked his long-awaited Buccaneers contract extension, and Rank is locking him into Week 1 lineups against a Bengals team he calls vulnerable on the road even after their Dexter Lawrence II addition.
- Patrick Mahomes draws a sit recommendation despite being healthy — the Broncos held him to 6.1 yards per attempt in last season's lone matchup, and Mahomes was sacked 34 and 36 times the past two seasons, both career highs per the column.
- Jalen Hurts is a smash start for Rank, buoyed by a 21.7 fantasy-points-per-game average across the first eight games of 2025 (including 24 in Week 1) and new OC Sean Mannion's stated commitment to reestablish the run and the Brotherly Shove.
- Jaguars rookie coach Liam Cohen is poised to deploy a split backfield of Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr., per Rank — both are startable against a Browns backfield hit by injuries.
- Javonte Williams gets the RB start-of-the-week nod against a Giants defense that allowed the 4th-most fantasy points to running backs last season before trading Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati.
- Chris Olave is floated as a potential Week 1 overall WR1 against a Lions defense Rank isn't sure has fixed its issues, citing Olave's nearly 19 fantasy PPG average with QB Tyler Shough last season.
- Jim Harbaugh (6-0 in season openers) and Nick Sirianni (5-0) anchor Rank's NFL Survivor picks, with the Jaguars D/ST (62.0% rostered in ESPN leagues) and Chargers D/ST (58.6% rostered) his top defensive streaming options.
Why it matters: Mahomes — a near-everyweek fantasy starter — being benched in Week 1 is the column's most contrarian call, grounded in Denver's 6.1-YPA ceiling on him last season and a Kansas City offensive line that has now allowed 34 and 36 sacks across the past two years. For Survivor players, Harbaugh's 6-0 opener record and Sirianni's 5-0 mark give Rank's Chargers/Eagles plays a concrete historical edge rather than a vibes-based one.
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