Fantasy football season is finally here, and Week 1 matchups are already stirring up tough lineup decisions. While the Minnesota Vikings’ aggressive defense poses challenges, several Chicago Bears’ offensive players enter the opener with intriguing upside and sneaky fantasy value.
Caleb Williams, QB
While conventional wisdom suggests avoiding quarterbacks against Minnesota’s defense, Caleb Williams presents a contrarian argument for Week 1. Despite the Vikings leading the NFL in blitz rate for consecutive seasons, Williams thrived against the pressure in their previous meetings, completing 15-of-23 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions when Minnesota brought extra rushers last year.
The key lies in Williams’ dual-threat ability. Though he ranked poorly against the blitz overall (24th in YPA and 28th in completion percentage), his rushing upside creates a unique floor that most pocket passers lack. Only Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, and Jalen Hurts recorded more 30+ rushing yard games than Williams in 2024, indicating his legs are a real and spectacular fantasy weapon.
What a ball from Caleb Williams. Keep punching air, haters.
pic.twitter.com/mqafFYCwVp — Adam Rank (@adamrank) August 18, 2025
Minnesota’s defensive reputation is somewhat inflated from a fantasy perspective. They allowed just five quarterbacks to reach 17.5 fantasy points last season, but Williams’ mobility changes the equation entirely. When traditional passing windows close due to Minnesota’s aggressive blitzing, Williams can extend plays and create rushing opportunities that bypass their pass defense entirely.
The Vikings’ blitz-heavy approach could backfire against a quarterback who’s already proven he can beat them both through the air and on the ground, making Williams a sneaky QB1 play with tournament upside.
One of my bold calls this summer was that Williams had an absolute path to being the sixth-highest scoring player at the position this season, and a strong showing to open the season would be a nice step in that direction.
Cole Kmet, TE
Let’s say you’re a doctor. You were brought in during the pandemic times and didn’t fail. You weren’t Dr. House, but you cured some people, developed, and did your job.
Great.
You noticed in recent years that the hospital was actively trying to improve. They brought in some new nurses and splurged on some new equipment. The company’s leadership changed hands, and the future looks as bright as it ever has—brighter than any of your five years and brighter than before your time.
Free Fantasy Football Start/Sit Optimizer
That visionary decided to bring in a hotshot second doctor. This is new. This used to be your show, but now it’s not. This new Doc came from a respected Big 10 school, has new ideas, and is viewed as a visionary. You’re far from old, but … the writing is on the wall.
Are you betting on your new situation? Are you now deciding to start a family or buy a new house there?
If not, you’re not counting on Cole Kmet in any sort of meaningful way this season. If so, you’ve got more important articles to read than one about fake football.
Colston Loveland, TE
Tight end advice is tricky. You likely only have one, so it’s not as if you are tasked with a lineup decision, and in this instance, we are talking about a Monday Nighter, so Colston Loveland isn’t on the main slate for DFS players.
That said, I’m leaning in the conservative direction and ranking him outside of my top-10 at the position for his NFL debut. Sam LaPorta (Week 1: 39 yards) and Brock Bowers (held without a TD in September) have changed the way we think about rookie tight ends, even though they weren’t superstars initially.
Those two combined physical tools with usage and an accelerated learning curve. I don’t think Loveland will be on that level due to the upside around him, but I think he’ll progress as the season goes and crack my top-10 regularly as we get into the meat of the schedule.
D’Andre Swift, RB
If the fantasy community is bullish on the Chicago Bears offense under Ben Johnson, then it stands to reason that D’Andre Swift, the team’s unquestioned lead back with a versatile profile, should be viewed more favorably than his modest summer ADP reflected.
The skepticism is understandable. Swift has never reached 1,100 rushing yards and has not scored more than six rushing touchdowns since his rookie season. His ceiling has clear limitations, especially if you believe Roschon Johnson will handle goal-line work and are intrigued by Caleb Williams’ rushing upside.
That said, there is value in a secure role to open the season, and there is no reason to expect anything less than top-20 usage for Swift in Week 1. During his two meetings with Minnesota last year, he touched the ball 36 times, so settling into a 16-20 touch range feels like a safe projection for the 2025 opener.
While the Minnesota Vikings are known for their aggressive style, they surprisingly ranked just 19th in yards allowed per carry before contact to opposing running backs. Their chaotic approach can create big losses, but it also leaves them vulnerable. If a back can break through the first wave of defenders, chunk plays become not just possible, but likely.
For instance, Swift had a 30-yard catch in their first matchup in 2024, his second-longest reception of the season. The touchdown count is likely to remain low, but any back with route-running skills who projects for more than 15 carries is a comfortable start.
DJ Moore, WR
Rome Odunze may take a massive step forward in 2025. Maybe Colston Loveland is a quick study, or Luther Burden III is the next great receiver.
Those things are possible, but they are not assumptions I am entering this season with. At this moment, I’m assuming that DJ Moore is the WR1 in an offense that I expect to take as big a step forward as any team in the league this season.
So why wouldn’t I start him?
DJ MOORE HAVE A HALF 🔥
🔸 3 receptions
🔸 87 yards
🔸 2 TDs
🔸 23.7 fantasy pointspic.twitter.com/ailcD2mCYY— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) October 6, 2024
The Vikings had the highest interception rate in the NFL in 2024 (3.8% of opponent passes, league average: 2.2%), and they can overwhelm the unprepared, but Ben Johnson saw them twice a season ago and called a game in which his quarterback completed 49 of 58 passes (84.5%).
There might be some growing pains for Chicago as it adapts to this new system, but a skill set like Moore’s is safe. Although Week 1 isn’t the best we’ve seen of the Bears in 2025, their de facto WR1 should be a floor-elevating player that fantasy managers can bank on.
Luther Burden III, WR
I won’t stop you from rostering a player like Luther Burden III in a redraft situation. He’s a talented kid with a pedigree entering an offense looking to develop quickly.
I am, however, going to stop you from, or advise against, giving this rookie a second look when filling out your Week 1 lineup. I’ll happily take him over Ben Johnson’s WR3 in Detroit last season (Kalif Raymond, Tim Patrick, and Allen Robinson at times), but by enough to overcome a system that didn’t have much room for that role?
In 2024, the Lions had two games in which a third receiver didn’t earn a single target, and in 15 of 17 games, that role didn’t reach five targets. Again, I think Burden will clear that level of usage based on raw talent and lesser high-end target earners in front of him, but not by much and not initially.
Burden certainly has contingent value, and the rising tide of this offense could lift his value with time. That’s a fair stance to take, it’s just not one to act on for the season opener.
Rome Odunze, WR
Rome Odunze is one of those players who is so trendy that it makes you want to push back. Fading the public is something I’m essentially on board with, but I can’t here.
In a season of disarray with a rookie quarterback, he posted the same fantasy points per catch average as Xavier Worthy. He wasn’t far behind the Kansas City speedster regarding yards per route.
The argument for Odunze isn’t standing on what he did last season, but rather on what is possible this year. Caleb Williams is naturally going to be more comfortable with the professional game’s speed, and Ben Johnson’s impact can’t be overstated.
Odunze was efficient on those quick-hitting routes as a rookie (31 catches on 41 targets that traveled less than 10 yards down the field), a skill I expect to be on display against the ultra-aggressive Vikings.
We are looking at a receiver who is in the flex conversation. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to play either 49er receiver over him or felt safer in the skill set of a Jakobi Meyers type to open the season. That said, I have Odunze much closer to WR1 in this offense than WR3, and I expect this team to take a step forward sooner rather than later.
