Jaguars Star has Favorable Fantasy Matchup in Week 1

The Jacksonville Jaguars' season opener against the Carolina Panthers will be a crucial matchup in a lot of ways. It's not just the team's first bout of the 2025 NFL campaign. It'll also mark the start of the franchise's new era.

Week 1 will be Liam Coen's first game as a head coach in the league. The same goes for Offensive Coordinator Grant Udinski and Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile, both of whom are holding their respective positions for the first time in the NFL, too.

For quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the Jaguars' returners, it may not be their first game with the team, but they're hoping for a fresh start that leaves their 4-13 showing from 2024 in the dust.

Against the Panthers, the NFL and its fans will get a good look at this version of Jacksonville under Coen. There's been a lot of optimism for what he can do with this team and its offense, but Week 1 demands that all of the potential be turned into actual production. The season opener will either reaffirm the positivity surrounding the Jaguars or dissipate all of the goodwill they've collected.

Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Trevor Lawrence, Brandon Scherff — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) celebrates with Jacksonville Jaguars guard Brandon Scherff (68) after his assist on the late fourth quarter touchdown by running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL Sunday, December 31, 2023. The Jaguars went in at the half with a 9 to 0 lead and came away with a 26 to 0 victory over the Panthers. | Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Trevor Lawrence needs to capitalize against Panthers' defense

The Carolina Panthers should be a good first game for this Jacksonville Jaguars team. There's enough talent on both sides of the ball for them to be a meaningful opponent, but if the Jags are the team they're hoping to be, they should have no problem dispatching the Panthers with relative ease.

Carolina's defense finished at the bottom of the league in both yards and points allowed in 2024. They've made some meaningful additions, including DT Tershawn Wharton, safety Tre'von Moehrig, and linebacker Pat Jones II, but they're still not exactly expected to dominate on that side of the ball this season.

In fact, ESPN's Tristan H. Cockcroft picked them as one of Week 1's most favorable fantasy matchups for quarterback Trevor Lawrence:

"Though he has yet to realize the lofty potential forecasted for him at the time he was selected No. 1 in the 2021 NFL draft, Lawrence has proved excellent at beating up on bad opponents. In the past three seasons, he has averaged 19.8 fantasy points per game against the position's eight most favorable matchups (using schedule-adjusted, seasonal data), compared to 15.2 against everyone else. Lawrence begins 2025 against a Panthers defense that finished a schedule-adjusted 31st against quarterbacks last season and saw only minimal improvements to its secondary during the offseason."

My sneaky QB matchup for Week 1 is Trevor Lawrence

💎The Panthers pass defense got torched last year and gave up the most pass TDs (35)

💎They didn't change a whole lot on the defense in the off season

💎With BTJ in his 2nd year and Hunter there as well on top of Washington… pic.twitter.com/I4bqqTym8d
— Hype (@HypeFFL) September 2, 2025

Lawrence has been repeatedly named as one of this year's top sleepers at QB. He can prove that he's one of the most promising gunslingers in the NFL, period, with an excellent outing against an expectedly weak defense versus the Panthers.

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