Fantasy Football: Week 1 conviction picks

The Yahoo Fantasy crew has full confidence in these players delivering a memorable performance in your fantasy football lineups for Week 1.

Yes, Taysom Hill will make his presence felt in opening week

Taysom Hill ran the ball nine times for 75 yards in his one game against Carolina last season, while also catching a pass and completing another. He’s a great bet to find the end zone at least once in the opener against the Panthers. Hill is eligible at TE, but he’s arguably more of a running back. He’s a near-lock to get goal-line opportunities for this eternally weird team. Fire him up in a favorable matchup. — Andy Behrens

Jared Goff set to roar against his former team

Jared Goff has averaged 277.2 passing yards (7.9 YPA) with 44 touchdowns over 17 games in Detroit over the last two seasons. He lacks the fantasy upside of dual-threat QBs who run, but Goff is live when playing at home. The Rams allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks last season, and they are now without Aaron Donald. The Lions have the NFL’s highest implied team point total in a Week 1 matchup that should be high scoring. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs is a bit banged up, while Detroit’s receivers enter Week 1 fully healthy, with Jameson Williams a real threat to break out this season. Goff throws for 300 yards and three scores in a huge performance Sunday night. — Dalton Del Don

Bengals D/ST might just win the week

I give you this pick not only for Cincinnati on Sunday but as a guideline going forward. When you’re trying to fill that DST slot you want the biggest favorite possible, you want to pick on suspect opposing offenses, you want to gang up against a sketchy offensive line. This matchup checks every box. I don’t know how crisp the Cincinnati offense will be but the defense can control this game. — Scott Pianowski

A beauty of a matchup for a young running back

Cook has as good of a matchup as you’ll find in Week 1 against the Cardinals. Arizona may have the worst defensive line in football entering the year. Cook posted nearly 1,600 yards last season and gets to follow that up with a matchup against a defensive line that would likely be backups on most teams.

The Bills are six-point favorites and projected to score 27 points this week. It’s a great environment for running back production. Expect 16+ touches for Cook and a Top 10 finish at the position in Week 1. — Sal Vetri

Chris Godwin bounces back

Chris Godwin is set to return to his usual slot rates from 2019 to 2022 when he ran between 60 to 73% of his routes from the inside. That’s a big and needed change from the 37% he sat at in 2023, per Pro Football Focus. That alone is a reason to give a stock up to Godwin, who was productive last season as it is. We’re just looking for more big plays and touchdowns. Playing inside should help.

This Week 1 matchup with a Washington secondary that allowed over 80 yards per game to slot receivers last year makes it even better. The Commanders are under new leadership on the defensive coaching staff and brought in a bevy of new players but that all may take some time to come together. Mike Evans will get his but Chris Godwin should be in lineups as a WR3 in Week 1. — Matt Harmon

Kenneth Walker finishes top-10

Targeting the Broncos’ run defense is low-hanging fruit and Kenneth Walker is ready to feast! Walker’s production has been steady over the past two years, but it’s always felt like he was playing below his ceiling. Walker has faced a stigma around lack of job security ever since the Seahawks drafted Zach Charbonnet, but Walker has remained the clear RB1.

Because he lacks receiving upside, Walker’s ceiling relies on high-volume matchups. He starts his 2024 campaign with a beautiful matchup against one of the league’s worst run defense and best pass defense. The Seahawks should rely on their ground game this week, move the ball well and provide ample goal line opportunities for Walker. I like Walker for an easy top-10 finish this week. — Tera Roberts