2025 Fantasy Football: Week 1 Quarterback Sleepers and Streamers

Week 1 is finally here! You’ve done your research, you killed it in your draft, and you’re ready to take in all the action as your team heads into the magical realm of 1-0. But don’t be fooled by the post-hype euphoria; unless you drafted one of the Top 5 Quarterbacks this year, it still makes sense to evaluate your options and play the best matchup. I’ll be back every week to give you the top Quarterback streamers and Sleeper options throughout the season.

Week 1 Quarterback Sleepers

Week 1 isn’t exactly the easiest week to write about sleepers. When it comes down to it, most managers want to play players in the order they just drafted them. It only makes sense. So here are three quarterbacks who were probably drafted as bench players but should be considered for the start this week:

Drake Maye vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Ok, so right off the bat, Maye has probably moved a bit past the “quarterback sleepers” section, but I want to write about him here with the sleepers because I might not get another chance this season after Week 1. If he is still available in your league, though, make sure that you are glancing his way.

The second-year starter gets to begin the season with a home game against the Las Vegas Raiders, who are expected to have a bottom-third defense. Last season, as a starter in weeks 6-17, Maye averaged 4.7 rush attempts per game for 37.2 yards, nearly all of which were on scrambles.

This year, new OC Josh McDaniels has already indicated that the team plans to let Maye use his legs more on designed runs. Add to that a revamped offensive line and receiver room, plus a standout rookie RB with serious pass-catching chops in TreVeyon Henderson, and Maye finds himself in a vastly improved position heading into 2025.

The best part is, Maye should be more than a one-week rental as he also gets to play the Dolphins, Panthers, and Saints all in the first six weeks. Unless more fantasy football managers wise up and claim Maye, I expect to throw him on this list plenty this season. Personally, I’ll take him over the likes of Justin Fields this week (and possibly all season).

Dak Prescott @ Philadelphia Eagles

Recommending a Quarterback returning from a gruesome leg injury hasn’t exactly been the best call in the past, and I understand why some might be wary of rolling said QB out in their first game back, but I believe Dak is just one of those dudes that thrives when he’s got something to prove.

Dallas should be playing from behind early, seeing as how the already shaky defense just shipped off Micah Parsons to Green Bay. Add to that a backfield likely led by Javonte Williams, and you get the perfect recipe for Dak having to rely on his receivers heavily all night.

The biggest drawback is that he’ll be playing the stout Eagles defense, but divisional games always have the added chance of a shootout.

I like Dak as a sneaky upside play over QBs like Brock Purdy or Jared Goff for this week, and I’m already predicting that we’ll see at least one deep touchdown to his new best friend, George Pickens, in this one. As an added bonus, you also get an extra piece of the action in the season opener. You’ve been waiting months for the fantasy football kickoff. Why wait any longer?

Justin Herbert vs. Kansas City Chiefs (in Brazil)

Both International games and season openers have a tendency to produce wonky box scores, so I’ll be the first to admit that this game could be a dud on all fronts, but I’m hoping for fireworks.

We’ve heard that Herbert is hoping to use his legs more, and the team has done a lot to bolster his receivers by bringing back Keenan Allen and drafting Tre Harris. Rookie running back Omarion Hampton is also a quality pass catcher and could help Herbert bolster his passing stats, especially if Najee Harris is as limited as we expect.

My biggest question, though, is whether we are about to see second-year receiver Ladd McConkey truly ascend into the elite tier? Given that we now know that Rashee Rice will be suspended to start the season, I wouldn’t be surprised if Herbert outscores Mahomes for fantasy in Week 1.

Week 1 QB Streamers

So, it’s the first week of the 2025 Fantasy Football season, and you’re already scrounging the Waiver Wire looking for a Quarterback Streamer? Great, that means that you probably loaded up on quality players at other positions in your draft, and you’re getting ready to crush it this week! Finding a streamer in Week 1 isn’t super easy since we have no data to go off of, and our projections already told us not to go with these guys.

In future weeks, I’ll be including roster percentages for the streamers, but since not every draft has happened yet, I’ll be going for glory and choosing three QBs whose ADPs were outside the top 20 but could surprise you this week:

Trevor Lawrence vs. Carolina Panthers

The Jaguars were one of the bigger disappointments last year, but on the bright side, that led to the new coaching hire of Liam Coen. The big hope is that Coen can again find lightning in a bottle for Lawrence, just like he did for Baker Mayfield last season.

The team traded up to draft Heisman winner Travis Hunter second overall, and while we don’t know exactly how much he’ll play on offense, when he does line up on that side of the ball, he will be a boon for Lawrence.

T-Law also has another offseason under his belt with breakout receiver Brian Thomas Jr., and two quality pass-catching running backs in Travis Etienne and rookie Bhayshul Tuten, who should all help him pad his stats. Both the Panthers and Jaguars defenses are expected to be bottom of the barrel, so it’s possible this game turns into a sneaky high-scoring game for Week 1.

Daniel Jones vs. Miami Dolphins

Besides Justin Fields, I don’t know if there is any Quarterback with a bigger discrepancy in NFL talent vs. Fantasy Talent than Daniel Jones. He only started 10 games last year, but was a top 13 QB in five of them. Literally 50% of his games! Because of how bad he is from an NFL standpoint, he has often been overlooked in fantasy, but this year, it’s even more so, as he is not expected to start the full season, and therefore pretty much undraftable.

He’s been one of the more valuable streamers in the past, however, and I don’t expect that to change. Jones has wheels, averaging 6.7 rush attempts per game last season, and a career high rushing yard total in 2022 (his last full season as a starter) with 708 yards.

The Dolphins’ defense is expected to be bad, especially in the secondary, and the Colts’ offensive scheme is already designed around a mobile QB with Richardson waiting in the wings. On top of all that, Jones should have the best offensive line of his career, and possibly the best all-around team he has played on. Don’t be scared to fire him up!

Joe Flacco vs. Cincinnati Bengals

I’m so glad I get to include Flacco on this list because Kenny Pickett would have never even crossed my mind. I won’t belabor the point too much, as this simply comes down to the Bengals’ terrible defense combined with Flacco’s eagerness to just chuck the ball downfield on nearly every play.

The Browns’ ideal offensive plan will always be run-heavy, but I don’t know if they have the personnel to see that to fruition. Until Quinshon Judkins signs with the team and gets up to speed, I expect the Browns to be forced to throw more than they want to. I also expect the Bengals to be able to run the score up, leading to shootouts most weeks. Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, and David Njoku are a bit uninspiring for fantasy football, but good enough to help Flacco rack up stats in this one.