5 NFL Games This Season that Should Offer Week-Winning Fantasy Football Performances

These 5 NFL games will be high-powered on offense with struggling defenses, resulting in endless scoring opportunities.

Sep 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) signals to teammates before a snap against the New York Giants during the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Accurately projecting what any NFL team will become in 2026 is basically impossible. No team is ever truly what they are expected to become. Some teams will be more accurate than others, but it is a difficult task. Nonetheless, the hype is real for certain NFL games in 2026 upon yesterday's schedule release. These are 5 of the most thrilling games for fantasy football breakthroughs.

Week 1 — Cowboys @ Giants

The Giants had a top-10 NFL offense in 2025, per the FPI. If Matt Nagy can get the Giants back to that form, this team is very lucrative for scoring. The Cowboys had a top-3 offense with the league's worst defense for much of last season. The Giants, if building off 2025, could easily put up 30+ points with Malik Nabers in the lineup.

Dallas will go on an air raid as they did a year ago. The team is not a system offense either. It is pure skill with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens. Look to them to expose the Giants' defense, which had a great pass rush but has gotten worse with the Dexter Lawrence trade.

Week 1 — Buccaneers @ Bengals

Both of these coaches enter 2026 on the hot seat. If they fail to make the playoffs, the time of Todd Bowles and Zac Taylor may be over. The biggest criticism is that of their defense. The units have failed to back up the elite offenses. As both defenses are expected to be well below average again in 2025, the air raid can be a 38-35 game.

Baker Mayfield was injured for half of last season. Yet, the Buccaneers remained a top-10 offense. As for Joe Burrow, when healthy, he looked every bit as good on offense as in their 2021 Super Bowl run. Look to Bucky Irving, Chase Brown, and Ja'Marr Chase all to be extremely likely to score in Week 1.

Week 5 — Bills @ Rams

Buffalo deals with a tough Rams pass rush. However, if any offense can work around a tough defensive front matchup against the Bills, it is the Bills. Josh Allen will maneuver his way around and rip a testy zone-run with James Cook. Joe Brady shall cook up his best dinner to eat on the Rams.

The Rams, on the other hand, have the best arsenal of attack in the NFL. The Bills ranked below the NFL average on defense a year ago, and not much seems to have changed.

Week 11 — Vikings @ 49ers

The Vikings are a team many may pause at seeing on this list. However, their talent among pass-catchers is hardly matched across all other 31 NFL teams. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings, TJ Hockenson, and Aaron Jones out of the backfield — that is lethal. Kyler Murray likely starts and will be asked to sling the football, hoping to expose a 49ers defense that has lost their defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh.

The 49ers expect to be a top-5 offense, once again. The Vikings were a purely 0.0-rated, average defense in 2025. If that remains the case, as expected, the 49ers will be able to score 30+ points at home.

Week 12 — Bears @ Lions

When these two teams met in 2025, they combined for 73 points. The Bears and Lions shall both get a tad better on defense, yet they are still middling with offenses that have too much firepower to shut down. The run-heavy offenses shall be able to control the line of scrimmage and open up the play-action pass. It will be a chess match between Ben Johnson and Drew Petzing, with Johnson probably winning. Nonetheless, high-scoring output is much more likely than a 20-17-type score, especially for two of the best red-zone scoring teams in the NFL.