Fantasy Football Week 1 Stats to Know: Justin Herbert, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins

Week 1 of professional football is finally here! We have spent the months of the offseason researching and mock drafting to ensure we have the most stacked roster in our leagues when the season comes.

Now that it’s here, we must make the correct decisions to help build the optimal lineup to win our week. Whether you play redraft, dynasty or even DFS, this article will provide stats to help you decide which player should be in your Week 1 lineup.

Let’s get it started.

Seven Stats To Know Before Setting Your Week 1 Lineup

We’re on To Cincinnati

The Bengals’ pass-catching options, specifically Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, could be in for a spectacular day against the Cleveland Browns’ defense. The Browns’ new defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, loves to show the opponent a ton of single-high coverage so he can bring extra players into the box.

Joe Burrow is incredible vs. single-high coverage. He is first in yards, touchdowns, yards per attempt (YPA) and has the best TD rate. We understand there is concern about Burrow dealing with the injury he sustained in the preseason, especially against this potent pass-rushing scheme. However, if you drafted two quarterbacks to play it safe because you took Burrow early, you need to roll the dice because this could be a ceiling game for Burrow, Chase, Higgins and even Tyler Boyd.

Gerald Everett: the Secret Slot Weapon for Justin Herbert

Last season, Gerald Everett had a career-high in yards after the catch with 361. With Everett possessing athletic stats such as an 87th percentile 40-yard dash, 73rd percentile speed score and a 93rd percentile burst score, Everett is the unspoken weapon in this Los Angeles Chargers offense. This season, Everett should be used more in the aggressive, tight-end-loving scheme of new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

The Chargers also face a Miami Dolphins defense that allowed the third-most receptions to tight ends, eighth-most yards and third-most touchdowns to the position last season. The Dolphins also allowed the fourth most FPPG (9.1) to tight ends. Combine that with Everett seeing the eighth-most slot snaps and nine-most overall routes run at the position, and he could be a sneaky week-winning tight end in this looming shootout in Los Angeles.