Week 1 Fantasy Football Preview Hub
Shootout Alert: Why Bucs-Bengals Is Week 1's Must-Play Fantasy Football Game
Bucs-Bengals carries the highest total on the Week 1 board, and both offenses have real reasons to believe in a breakout. Here's every fantasy football angle you need before kickoff.
When a game opens at 50.5 points, you don't ignore it — you build around it.
Tampa Bay and Cincinnati bring Week 1's highest-totaled matchup, and it's not just a number on a board. Both offenses have legitimate paths to a big day: a newly-paid quarterback with something to prove, a receiving corps finally healthy, an offensive line reborn, and a Bengals attack that looks primed to rediscover its 2022-2024 form. This is the game to lean into when you're setting lineups. Let's break it all down.
Baker Mayfield Just Got Paid — And the Timing Is Perfect
Baker Mayfield opened camp without a long-term deal and admitted it stung. "I feel disrespected," he said early in camp. "That's really the disappointing part, to feel undervalued after thinking you've earned it." That chip-on-the-shoulder energy matters for Mayfield specifically — and as of this week, he's playing with a fresh three-year, $165 million contract in hand. The financial uncertainty that hung over his summer is officially gone.
Just as important: Mayfield is fully healthy. Last season he played through PCL and MCL sprains, a bone bruise on his knee, and AC joint and bicep strains in his throwing arm. None of that baggage carries into Week 1.
Cincinnati's defense allowed the ninth-most fantasy QB points in football last season under DC Al Golden
