The long wait is over, and Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season delivered a flurry of fantasy fireworks and crucial takeaways.
From high-flying quarterbacks to rookie running backs and unexpected receiving breakouts, fantasy owners were treated to a mix of exhilarating performances and key position battles to monitor.
Here’s a look at the top fantasy performers from a chaotic and exciting opening weekend.
Philadelphia Eagles 24, Dallas Cowboys 20: In a tight 24-20 victory, the Philadelphia Eagles edged out the Dallas Cowboys. Jalen Hurts led the Eagles with 152 passing yards and 62 rushing yards, with two rushing touchdowns. Saquon Barkley also contributed 60 rushing yards and a score, while Jahan Dotson led Eagles receivers with 59 receiving yards. For the Cowboys, Dak Prescott passed for 188 yards, with CeeDee Lamb being his top target at 110 yards. Javonte Williams led the Cowboys’ rushing attack with 54 yards and two touchdowns.
Los Angeles Chargers 27, Kansas City Chiefs 21: In their win over the Chiefs, the Chargers were led by quarterback Justin Herbert, who threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns. Herbert was also a threat on the ground with 32 rushing yards. Running back Omarion Hampton led the Chargers’ rushers with 48 yards. Chargers receivers were a fantasy goldmine, with Quentin Johnston catching two touchdowns, Keenan Allen grabbing a touchdown, and Ladd McConkey hauling in 6 catches for 74 yards. For the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes led the team in both passing (258 yards, 1 TD) and rushing (57 yards, 1 TD), while Marquise Brown led the receivers with 99 yards on 10 catches.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23, Atlanta Falcons 20: In their 23-20 win, the Buccaneers were led by quarterback Baker Mayfield, who threw for 167 yards and three touchdowns. Rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka was a breakout star with two touchdown catches. Bucky Irving was stifled on the ground for just 37 yards. For the Falcons, Michael Penix Jr. threw for 298 yards and a touchdown, and also scored a rushing touchdown. Bijan Robinson was the leading rusher and receiver with a combined 124 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown, while Kyle Pitts added seven receptions for 59 yards.
Cincinnati Bengals 17, Cleveland Browns 16: In a low-scoring divisional battle, the Bengals defeated the Browns. Joe Burrow managed just 113 passing yards and a touchdown. Chase Brown recorded 43 rushing yards and a score. Noah Fant caught a touchdown pass while Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins delivered fantasy clunkers. Joe Flacco threw for 290 yards and a touchdown for the Browns. Dylan Sampson picked up just 29 rushing yards on 12 attempts. Jerry Jeudy led the Browns with 66 receiving yards on 5 catches while Cedric Tillman caught a touchdown.
Indianapolis Colts 33, Miami Dolphins 8: The Colts dominated the Dolphins with quarterback Daniel Jones leading the way, passing for 272 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for two scores. Leading the Colts’ rushing attack was Jonathan Taylor with 71 yards. The top receivers were Michael Pittman Jr., who had 80 yards and a touchdown, and Tyler Warren with 76 yards on 7 catches. For the Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa threw for 114 yards, a touchdown and two picks, while De’Von Achane led the team in rushing with 55 yards and scored their only touchdown on a short pass.
Jacksonville Jaguars 26, Carolina Panthers 10: In a convincing 26-10 victory, the Jacksonville Jaguars were powered by a strong running game led by Travis Etienne Jr., who rushed for 143 yards on 16 carries. The Jaguars’ rushing attack as a team gained over 200 yards. Trevor Lawrence threw one touchdown and a pick plus 178 yards. Brenton Strange led all receivers with 59 yards on 4 catches. The rookie Travis Hunter caught 6 balls for 33 yards. Bryce Young completed 18 of 35 passes for 154 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also contributed on the ground, rushing for 40 yards on 5 carries. Rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was the top pass-catcher, recording five receptions for 68 yards. Chuba Hubbard was the most productive running back, rushing for 57 yards on 16 carries, while also adding three receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Las Vegas Raiders 20, New England Patriots 13: Quarterback Geno Smith had an excellent day, completing 24 of 34 passes for 362 yards and one touchdown. He was also the team’s second-leading rusher with 10 rushing yards and a touchdown. Tight end Brock Bowers was the top receiver, catching five passes for 103 yards. Running back Ashton Jeanty was the team’s leading rusher, with 38 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers was also a key contributor, with eight catches for 97 yards. Drake Maye completed 30 of 46 passes for 287 yards and a touchdown, while also adding 11 rushing yards. Running back TreVeyon Henderson was the leading rusher with 27 yards on five carries. He also contributed six receptions for 24 yards. Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was the top receiver for the Patriots with six catches for 103 yards, while tight end Hunter Henry also had a significant contribution with four receptions for 66 yards.
Arizona Cardinals 20, New Orleans Saints 13: Quarterback Kyler Murray had a very efficient outing, completing 21 of 29 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns. He also contributed 38 rushing yards on seven carries. On the ground, running back Trey Benson was the leading rusher with 69 yards on eight attempts, including a long run of 52 yards. Meanwhile, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was the top pass-catcher, with five receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Trey McBride also had a strong performance with six receptions for 61 yards. Spencer Rattler completed 27 of 46 passes for 214 yards. Running back Alvin Kamara was the team’s leading rusher with 45 yards on 11 carries, and he also scored the team’s only rushing touchdown. He also added two receptions for 12 yards. Tight end Juwan Johnson was the top receiver with eight catches for 76 yards, while wide receiver Chris Olave also had a significant contribution with seven receptions for 54 yards.
Pittsburgh Steelers 34, New York Jets 32: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a stellar performance, completing 22 of 30 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns, without throwing an interception. Wide receiver DK Metcalf was his top target, catching four passes for a team-high 83 yards. Wide receiver Calvin Austin III also had a significant impact, with four receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. Ben Skowronek, Jaylen Warren, and Jonnu Smith all caught touchdown passes. On the ground, Warren led the team in rushing with 37 yards on 11 carries. Jets quarterback Justin Fields had an impressive performance, completing 16 of 22 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown. He also proved to be a major threat on the ground, scoring two rushing touchdowns. Running back Breece Hall was the workhorse of the offense, leading the team with 107 rushing yards on 19 carries, while also contributing 38 receiving yards. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson was the top target through the air, catching seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown.
Washington Commanders 21, New York Giants 6: Quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 19 of 30 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 68 yards on 11 carries. On the ground, rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt led the team with 82 rushing yards on 10 carries and a touchdown. The top receiver was Deebo Samuel, who caught seven passes for 77 yards, and also scored a rushing touchdown on his only carry, which went for 19 yards. Zach Ertz caught a touchdown pass as well. Russell Wilson led the Giants in passing and rushing. He completed 17 of 37 passes for 168 yards and also had 44 rushing yards on 8 carries. Wide receiver Malik Nabers was his top target, catching five passes for a team-high 71 yards. Wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson also had a significant contribution with six receptions for 55 yards. Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. was the leading running back with 24 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Denver Broncos 20, Tennessee Titans 12: Quarterback Bo Nix completed 25 of 40 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown, though he also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. On the ground, running back RJ Harvey was the most efficient rusher, gaining 70 yards on just six carries. J.K. Dobbins was the most utilized running back with 16 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton was the leading receiver with six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Troy Franklin also had a notable performance, catching four passes for 44 yards. Rookie Cam Ward completed 12 of 28 passes for 112 yards for the Titans. On the ground, running back Tony Pollard was the most productive player, leading the team with 60 rushing yards on 18 carries. He also caught one pass for 29 yards, which was sadly a team-high. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley also had a notable performance, with four receptions for 27 yards.
San Francisco 49ers 17, Seattle Seahawks 13: Brock Purdy had an excellent passing day, completing 26 of 35 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Christian McCaffrey was a workhorse, leading the team with 69 rushing yards on 22 carries and adding nine receptions for 73 yards. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was the top receiver, catching four passes for a team-high 108 yards. Tight end George Kittle also contributed a touchdown and 25 yards on 4 catches before leaving the game early. Sam Darnold completed 16 of 23 passes for 150 yards for the Seahawks. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a huge day with nine receptions for 124 yards. Cooper Kupp caught two passes for 15 yards. On the ground, Zach Charbonnet led the team with 47 rushing yards on 12 carries and scored a touchdown.
Green Bay Packers 27, Detroit Lions 13: Jordan Love had a highly efficient game, completing 16 of 22 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Romeo Doubs led the way with 68 yards on 2 receptions. Another key contributor in the passing game was wide receiver Jayden Reed, who had three receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown. Tucker Kraft caught 2 balls and scored as well. On the ground, running back Josh Jacobs added 66 rushing yards on 19 carries with one rushing touchdown. Jared Goff completed 31 of 39 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown, though he did throw one interception. Tight end Sam LaPorta caught six passes for a team-high 79 yards. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 19 yards and also caught a team-high 10 passes for 31 yards. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was also a big contributor with four receptions for 45 yards.
Los Angeles Rams 14, Houston Texans 9: Quarterback Matthew Stafford had a strong performance, completing 21 of 29 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown. The leading receiver was Puka Nacua, who had a big game with 10 receptions for a team-high 130 yards. Davante Adams also contributed significantly, with four catches for 51 yards. On the ground, running back Kyren Williams was the top performer, with 66 rushing yards on 18 carries and one rushing touchdown. C.J. Stroud completed 19 of 27 passes for 188 yards. Nick Chubb had 60 rushing yards on 13 carries. Rookie wide receiver Jayden Higgins led the team in receiving with 32 yards on two catches.
Buffalo Bills 41, Baltimore Ravens 40: Josh Allen had a standout performance, completing 33 of 46 passes for a game-high 394 yards and two touchdowns. He was also a major factor on the ground, rushing for two touchdowns and 30 more yards. Wide receiver Keon Coleman was the top pass-catcher, recording eight receptions for a team-high 112 yards and a touchdown. Running back James Cook was also a key part of the offense, leading the team with 44 rushing yards on 13 carries and scoring a rushing touchdown, while also contributing with five receptions for 58 yards. Lamar Jackson had an outstanding game, completing 14 of 19 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a near-perfect passer rating. He also was a major contributor on the ground, rushing for 70 yards and a touchdown. Running back Derrick Henry was highly effective, leading the team with a massive 169 rushing yards on 18 carries and scoring two touchdowns. In the receiving game, Zay Flowers was the top target with seven receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown. Old man DeAndre Hopkins also caught a touchdown pass.
Minnesota Vikings 27, Chicago Bears 24: J.J. McCarthy had an efficient outing, completing 13 of 20 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. He also contributed a rushing touchdown. On the ground, running back Jordan Mason was the team’s leading rusher with 68 yards on 15 carries. The top receiving performances came from running back Aaron Jones and wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who both accumulated 44 receiving yards on 3 receptions from Jones and four from Jefferson. Jones also caught a touchdown pass. Caleb Williams had a strong all-around performance, completing 21 of 35 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown. He also led the team in rushing with 58 yards on six carries and scored a rushing touchdown. On the ground, D’Andre Swift had 17 carries for 53 yards. DJ Moore caught three passes for a team-high 68 yards. Rome Odunze had six receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown. Olamide Zaccheaus had four catches for 42 yards.
