Fantasy Football: 4 Bold Predictions for Week 1

There's nothing quite like the NFL.

Football is one of the most intense, exciting sports on the planet. The source of the now-ubiquitous saying "Any Given Sunday," the NFL is a place where even struggling teams have a chance to topple the best in the league. Anything can happen when you play only 17 regular season games a year.

That uncertainty is a huge driver behind the excitement the NFL generates each and every season. What's more fun than watching something totally unexpected unfold before your eyes?

That's why, this year, we'll be bringing you some bold predictions to watch for in each week the 2024 NFL season.

All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

NFL Bold Predictions for Week 1

Javonte Williams Will Finish as a Top-12 RB in Week 1

FanDuel Research's fantasy football projections have Javonte Williams as RB24 for Week 1. However, the Denver Broncos' running back seems like a no-brainer start in most leagues as he takes on the Seattle Seahawks, who project to have the worst schedule-adjusted run defense, per numberFire.

Williams was underwhelming a season ago, finishing as the half-PPR RB34 by fantasy points per game (FPPG). He is now nearly two years removed from his torn ACL in the 2022 season. While Williams did play in 16 of 17 games a season ago, returning to full health following a torn ACL can often take longer than just one year. Pair this idea with Williams saying this is the "best I've felt in a minute."

There is a legit shot that Williams will look more like his 2021 form -- when he finished as RB17 while coming up with three consecutive top-eight weekly finishes at his position during his rookie year. Following Week 1, the hype train could be roaring ahead for Williams' 2024 fantasy campaign.

In 2023, Seattle gave up the second-most rushing yards per game and the sixth-most yards per rushing attempt while sitting in the bottom 10 of Pro Football Focus' run defense grade. The Seahawks didn't do a whole lot to improve their run D in the offseason. For example, linebacker Jerome Baker was added, but he posted a 56.7 run defense grade last season; this is a huge decline compared to Bobby Wagner's 91.5 run defense grade in 2023. Additionally, rookie defensive tackle Byron Murphy II was mostly touted as a pass rusher, proven by his 91.3 pass rush grade compared to his 75.1 run defense grade from 2023.

There isn't much reason to think Seattle's run defense will improve in 2024. Williams also gets to run behind a solid offensive line, one that ranks as PFF's 15th-best unit. He's expected to take most of the red zone work after getting 53.8% of the red zone carries last season compared to Jaleel McLaughlin's mark of 8.4%. Denver's offense has a solid chance of improving behind Bo Nix's arm, as well, potentially meaning more scoring chances for Williams. The over for Williams 53.5 rushing yards prop is enticing.

This one is pretty simple. The Seahawks gave up the second-most FPPG to running backs a season ago, and Williams is entering the season healthy on an offense that could improve in 2024. Williams can boom in Week 1.

Caleb Williams Will Total 300+ Passing Yards

Initially, suggesting a rookie will reach 300 passing yards in his debut seems a little crazy. Only 13 players in NFL history have reached the 300-yard mark in their first game. But bare with me here -- the opportunity should be present for Caleb Williams, who carries the shortest odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year (+120).

The Tennessee Titans hold numberFire's third-worst schedule-adjusted pass defense. In 2023, the unit gave up the 10th-most passing yards per attempt. Simply looking at Tennessee's starting cornerback duo of Chidobe Awuzie (62.3 coverage grade in 2023) and L'Jarius Sneed (71.9 coverage grade in 2023) doesn't yield much confidence, especially when defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson's system will likely lean on press-man coverage. The Titans are expected to feature an aggressive defense that looks to consistently blitz while playing in man.

This is check No. 1 for Williams, who had a career player grade of 90.3 and pass grade of 84.6 when under pressure in college. He flourishes against the blitz thanks to his play-making ability. The Chicago Bears also carry PFF's 11th-best offensive line headed into the season. Williams could get plenty of time in the pocket, regardless of Tennessee blitzing. The Titans' pass rush was disappointing last season, as well, with the 11th-lowest pass rush grade.

Now, let's get to the receivers, a group which is the fourth-best WR unit, according to PFF. D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze figure to be an elite wide receiver trio. Remember, Tennessee will probably be leaning on Awuzie and Sneed in man coverage. I'm not sure if the Titans can afford to leave their corners on islands in the one. If they do, Williams could have one heck of a debut.

Considering the matchup paired with Williams being set up for instant success, don't shy away from the rookie. Our projections have Williams ranked as QB8 this week. His forecasted total of 244.0 passing yards is nothing special, but the matchup suggests Williams could legitimately push for 300 yards -- something which holds +360 odds.

Jerome Ford Reaches 100+ Rushing Yards

Jerome Ford totaled 813 rushing yards in 2023, but he reached the century mark in only two games. Can he really reach the 100-yard mark right off the bat?

The Dallas Cowboys have plenty of concerns entering the 2024 season, one of which is defending the run. numberFire's schedule-adjusted rankings have Dallas with the 6th-best pass defense and 15th-best run defense. This alone points to the trouble. Just like several spots across the roster, the Cowboys pretty much ignored their needs in free agency. The defensive tackles and linebackers could be exposed against the Cleveland Browns.

Of course, Cleveland has one of the most physical fronts in the National Football League, with PFF ranking Cleveland's O-Line as the fourth-best unit. Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. could be inactive, but that's not necessarily a terrible thing. His absence could allow former All-Pro Jack Conklin to slide into left tackle while Dawand Jones, who made the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2023, starts at right tackle. This could be the worst possible combo for Dallas' D.

Going back to the Cowboys' problem spots, the unofficial depth chart has Osa Odighizuwa and Mazi Smith starting on the interior D-Line. The second-year tackle -- Smith -- had a 34.9 run defense grade a season ago (yikes). Linebackers aren't looking much better as Damone Clark posted a 54.7 run defense grade while rookie Marist Liufau recorded a 66.5 run defense grade in college last year.

Ford's case for reaching 100 rushing yards mostly lays in the offensive line's hands. The unit has a chance to really have its way with Dallas' front seven.

Ford hitting the century mark isn't that far-fetched, with Ford carrying a projection of 17.2 carries and 68.8 rushing yards. His rushing yard prop is at only 49.5, though. At the very least, Ford stacking 70-plus rushing yards (+210) feels like a good deal considering what our projections are saying.

Tank Dell Reels In 100+ Receiving Yards

Figuring out the Houston Texans' receiving corps has been one of the most debated topics in fantasy football this offseason. Of course, Nico Collins is going to draw interest after finishing as WR9 in half PPR last season, and Stefon Diggs is a big-name offseason acquisition who draws understandable interest. The overlooked guy in the Texans' WR room is Tank Dell.

Dell finished as WR16 in FPPG in 2023 and provided three top-10 weekly finishes over his first nine games. His biggest strength was corralling deep balls as 35.7% of his receiving yards came from targets of 20-plus yards. In addition, 77.4% of his yards came on targets of 10-plus yards. Dell held a team-high 21.7% target share, 33.3% air yards share, and 14.2-yard average depth of target (aDOT) in his 10 full starts, excluding Week 13 as Dell played in only nine snaps before sustaining his season-ending injury.

By nearly all accounts, Dell was Stroud's favorite target in 2023, even over Collins. This week's opponent -- the Indianapolis Colts -- finished with the 11th-most passing yards allowed per attempt a season ago. We saw Stroud erupt for 384 passing yards and 8.2 yards per attempt the one time he and Dell both played versus the Colts. Dell finished with 10 targets, 7 catches, and 72 yards in the matchup. Stroud's 10.2 passing yards per attempt was in even better in Week 18's clash with Indy.

The Colts have numberFire's 17th-best schedule-adjusted pass defense. That's about as mediocre as it gets, and Stroud's exceptional numbers in head-to-head matchups (a combined 0.22 expected points added per dropback) only point to more passing yards for Houston. No receiver could benefit more than Dell. He's the Texans' top deep-ball target and got a ton of work before injury in 2023.

Dell's projected total of 62.1 receiving yards points to the over on his 52.5-yard prop, but I'm willing to take it even a few steps further to 100-plus receiving yards (+490). As our fantasy football start/sit piece suggested, Dell looks like a good option in Week 1.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.