3 Burning Questions for Week 1 (2025 Fantasy Football)

Find out the answers to the biggest burning questions for Week 1 of the 2025 fantasy football season below.

Fantasy Football Burning Questions

How Does the Commanders’ Backfield Shake Out?

Commanders beat reporter Ben Standig first claimed that he would not be surprised if Brian Robinson Jr. were either cut or traded and not be a part of the Week 1 roster. What was initially perceived as a hot take ultimately came to fruition with the team trading Robinson to the 49ers in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. There were a lot of changes under new coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury last season; however, Robinson remained the starter, rushing for a career-high 799 yards and eight touchdowns on 187 carries.

The new regime also brought in Austin Ekeler and reunited him with running backs coach Anthony Lynn. Ekeler played a specific role in the offense, primarily checking in on passing downs, trailing only Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz for third on the team in route participation rate (57%) and target share (10.7%) through 14 active games, including playoffs. Although it is a small sample, Ekeler still showed he was more than capable of handling a larger load, averaging 13.7 touches on 14.7 opportunities for nearly 95 yards from scrimmage (94.6) and a touchdown. Still entering his age 30 season and year nine in the NFL, the rushing work will likely be divvied up among the entire backfield, with possibly as many as four backs active.

Seventh-round rookie (No. 245) Jacory Croskey-Merritt, or “Bill” for short, had been the talk of training camp all offseason, steaming up as early as the seventh round, if not sooner, in fantasy drafts, following the Robinson trade. He had a strong showing in the preseason and was the only new addition to the backfield that allowed Washington to move on from Robinson.

However, the pecking order of the backfield has gotten a lot murkier in recent weeks with reports suggesting third-year back Chris Rodriguez Jr. could open the season as the starter or at least be the favorite to handle the bulk of the rushing work. The situation got even worse once the team released their unofficial depth chart, listing Ekeler as the starter, followed by Jeremy McNichols as the backup. Until Week 1 kicks off, there’s no telling how this backfield will shake out, with Ekeler being the safest option to start.

Is Christian McCaffrey Back?

Christian McCaffrey was arguably the biggest disappointment in fantasy last season, coming off a career year as the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, often selected as the No. 1 overall pick in fantasy drafts. Nearly a month before the season, head coach Kyle Shanahan suggested McCaffrey had been dealing with calf soreness and Achilles tendinitis, which caused his stock to plummet but not far enough.

The first Sunday of Week 1, McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve (IR), sending shock waves across the fantasy community with games already starting or finished. McCaffrey would go on to miss eight games before returning in Week 10. Although he didn’t look quite himself, McCaffrey immediately slotted back into his every-down role, playing on 82.7% of the offensive snaps in his first three games, averaging 18.7 touches on 19.7 opportunities for 93.7 yards from scrimmage. He was off to a hot start against Buffalo the following week, handling nine touches for 67 yards in just over a quarter, before exiting with what appeared to be a knee injury. Unfortunately, McCaffrey went back on the IR, which would ultimately end his season with only five weeks remaining.

It’s been a much different offseason for McCaffrey, who looks to have made a full recovery and is in line for a massive role. Both backups from a season ago, Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell are no longer with the team, and although the 49ers acquired Brian Robinson Jr., it’s hard to envision him factoring in, at least early on, after being with the team for less than two weeks. McCaffrey is already one of the best pass-catching backs in the NFL, but he should see even more work as a receiver with the departure of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk beginning the season on the IR. Even Jauan Jennings may take time to get up to speed after missing significant time with a calf injury and seeking a new deal.

And the injury concerns are already showing for CMC, who was added to the 49ers practice report with a calf issue.

Christian McCaffrey just surfaced on 49ers practice report as limited by calf issue

— Cam Inman (@CamInman) September 4, 2025

Can Ben Johnson Turn Around Chicago?

The expectations were high for Chicago, moving on from Justin Fields and selecting the new face of their franchise, Caleb Williams, with the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams was pegged as a generational prospect, almost too big to fail, landing in one of the better situations for a young quarterback, featuring a star-studded group of wide receivers, including DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and heralded rookie Rome Odunze. Unfortunately, things couldn’t have gone much worse for the Bears, who went 5-12, finishing dead last in the division and tied with the Saints (5-12) for the second-worst record in the NFC. They also let go of general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus midseason, after a humiliating 16-14 loss against Detroit on Thanksgiving Day.

Entering 2025, hope is once again in the air for the Windy City, hiring former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their new head coach. Over the last two seasons, Detroit’s offense has been a juggernaut, leading the NFL in points (30.1) and yards (402.2) per game.

Johnson should help in the development of Williams, similar to what he did with Jared Goff, who ranked first among all quarterbacks in expected points added (EPA) per dropback (133.96) last season and second in passer rating (119.6). Although Williams showed flashes as a rookie, setting franchise records in completions (351), passing yards (3,541) and passing touchdowns (20) for a first-year signal-caller. His underlying numbers were concerning, finishing 29th among 34 qualified quarterbacks in Pro Football Focus (PFF) passing grade.