Arguably, the most frustrating thing in fantasy football is seeing someone in your starting lineup struggle that week. Therefore, the logic behind this article is simple – identify fantasy football lineup landmines.
These are players you’re leaning towards starting this week but could end up being a landmine that blows up and destroys your starting lineup, potentially costing you your matchup.
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Fantasy Football Lineup Landmines: Week 1
Brace yourself and take cover. These six players could blow up in your face in Week 1.
J.J. McCarthy (QB – MIN) vs. Chicago Bears
I called McCarthy a sleeper fantasy quarterback all offseason. The Vikings have arguably the best supporting cast in the NFL. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Adam Thielen form one of the top wide receiver trios in the league. T.J. Hockenson is a star tight end and over a year removed from the torn ACL. Meanwhile, Minnesota has an elite offensive line after adding three new high-end starters this offseason. Yet, fantasy players should avoid starting McCarthy as more than a low-end QB2 in Week 1 against a talented Bears defense.
The former Michigan star is making his first career regular-season start. Unfortunately, it comes on the road in Chicago. Last year, the Bears held quarterbacks to 13.2 fantasy points per game, the second-fewest in the NFL. Furthermore, they gave up only 17 passing touchdowns to quarterbacks last season, the fewest in the league. More importantly, Chicago didn’t let the Minnesota passing attack go off last year. Sam Darnold averaged 280.5 passing yards, 1.5 touchdowns, and 16.2 fantasy points per game in the two NFC North matchups.
James Cook (RB – BUF) vs. Baltimore Ravens
While Cook recently signed a long-term extension, he was still someone I didn’t want to draft. After totaling four rushing touchdowns over his first two seasons in the NFL, he had 16 last year, the most in the league. Over 40% of his PPR fantasy production last season came from finding the end zone. By comparison, 16% of Cook’s fantasy production came from touchdowns over his first two years in the NFL. More importantly, he saw a decline in rushing attempts, yards, and passing game work compared to 2023.
Football fans love the Sunday night matchup between the Ravens and Bills, as it should be the best game in Week 1. Unfortunately, Cook couldn’t have asked for a worse fantasy matchup. Baltimore had one of the top run defenses in the NFL last season. They held running backs to 16.4 fantasy points per game, the fourth-fewest in the league. Furthermore, Cook struggled against the Ravens. He had 39 rushing yards and 5.8 fantasy points in the regular season matchup and 67 and 11.2 in the playoff game against Baltimore.
Breece Hall (RB – NYJ) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Last year, Hall finished as the RB16, averaging 15.1 PPR fantasy points per game. However, he saw a decline in rushing yards per game (54.8 vs. 58.5), yards per attempt (4.2 vs. 4.5), and fantasy points per touch (0.91 vs. 0.97) from last season compared to 2023. Furthermore, 43.7% of Hall’s fantasy production last year came in the passing game after totaling 76 targets. While the Jets lack a go-to option in the passing attack behind Garrett Wilson, Hall likely won’t finish second on the team in targets this season.
Typically, running quarterbacks don’t aggressively throw to their running backs. Last year, the Steelers’ running backs had a 20.6% target share during Justin Fields’ six starts. More importantly, the Steelers held running backs to 17.1 fantasy points per game last season, the sixth-fewest in the NFL. While Hall had 26.1 fantasy points in the matchup against Pittsburgh last year, he had six receptions on nine targets for 103 receiving yards. Hall only averaged 3.2 yards per rushing attempt and scored 9.8 fantasy points on the ground in that game.
Terry McLaurin (WR – WAS) vs. New York Giants
Thankfully, McLaurin and the Commanders worked out a long-term contract before Week 1. Yet, he was still on my bust list for the same reason as James Cook. The veteran got a massive quarterback upgrade last season with Jayden Daniels under center. However, McLaurin had 13 receiving touchdowns in 2024 after averaging five per year over the first five seasons, totaling five or fewer every year since his rookie season (seven) despite no bump in target volume. More importantly, players who hold in tend to get off to slow starts.
Meanwhile, the Giants quietly had a solid pass defense last season. They held wide receivers to 31.5 PPR fantasy points per game, around the league average. However, McLaurin struggled in the two matchups against New York. He had six receptions for 22 receiving yards and 8.2 fantasy points in the Week 2 contest. While the veteran had 15.9 fantasy points in the Week 9 matchup against the Giants, McLaurin had only three targets but lucked into scoring two touchdowns. Don’t be surprised if Washington’s passing attack struggles in Week 1.
Calvin Ridley (WR – TEN) vs. Denver Broncos
Ridley was one of my favorite wide receiver draft targets this year. The veteran wide receiver was held back by Will Levis in 2024 but was productive with Mason Rudolph under center. Thankfully, the Titans drafted Cam Ward, giving Ridley his best quarterback since Matt Ryan in Atlanta. Furthermore, Tennessee lacks any other reliable proven weapons in the passing game, meaning the veteran wide receiver could rank among the league leaders in targets this season. Unfortunately, fantasy players should wait until the Week 2 matchup to start Ridley.
The Broncos had arguably the top defense in the NFL last year. Yet, they made several improvements this offseason, especially in the secondary. Denver added Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones in free agency. Furthermore, they spend their first-round NFL Draft pick on Jahdae Barron, giving the Broncos three talented young cornerbacks. However, Patrick Surtain II is the top cornerback in the league and will spend most of the game covering Ridley. Fantasy players should avoid any Titans pass catcher in Ward’s first career game, especially on the road in Denver.
Evan Engram (TE – DEN) vs. Tennessee Titans
Speaking of Denver, the Broncos didn’t make any significant moves to their receiving core this offseason. Instead, they signed Engram in free agency, giving Sean Payton easily his best option at tight end since joining the team in 2023. However, the veteran is coming off the worst year of his career since the 2021 season, averaging 9.9 PPR fantasy points per game, scoring one touchdown. While fantasy players who drafted Engram as a low-end TE1 shouldn’t worry about his season-long outlook, the veteran has an awful Week 1 matchup.
Tennessee had an awful offense last year. Yet, their defense was solid despite the offense consistently putting them in bad situations. They held tight ends to eight fantasy points per game, the third-fewest in the NFL behind the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. Furthermore, Engram struggled in his past three matchups against Tennessee, averaging six receptions on 8.3 targets for 47 receiving yards and 12.4 fantasy points per game. However, he scored 7.3 or fewer twice, including the lone contest last season. Expect a quiet Broncos debut for the veteran.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.
