3 Week 1 NFL Matchups Fantasy Football Managers Should Avoid Including Steelers-Jets

Discover the Week 1 NFL matchups most likely to be fantasy football duds, including Raiders vs. Patriots, Cardinals vs. Saints, and Steelers vs. Jets.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

There are some games that fantasy owners just look at and groan. You can just tell that it's going to be a blackhole for fantasy points. This can be because of a number of reasons. Great defenses, bad offenses, and injuries can all play a key part in low-scoring fantasy games. These are the games that will produce the fewest fantasy points in Week 1.

Las Vegas Raiders @ New England Patriots

There isn't much to get excited about in this game other than the rookie running backs. There are a handful of players that we think could be good, but Brock Bowers is the only true, proven must-start option in the game. That's not to say we would bench Ashton Jeanty and TreVeyon Henderson; nevertheless, that's about the extent of the excitement in this game. Jakobi Meyers is also an option. The quarterbacks and the rest of the skill position players should all be on your bench or on the waiver wire.   

Arizona Cardinals @ New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints offense is going to be the worst in the league this season with Spencer Rattler at the helm. No one is coming to help either because he deservedly won the job by being the best quarterback on the team, somehow. The only must-start option on their team is Alvin Kamara, and don't be surprised if that changes in a few weeks as well. 

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) scrambles during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. | Jon Endow-Imagn Images

The bigger issue is that they are also going to bog down opposing offenses. Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr, and to a lesser extent Kyler Murray should all be exciting starts. Unfortunately, New Orleans will likely be so bad that by halfway through the third quarter, the Arizona Cardinals will just be running the clock out. Good news for James Conner, at least.  

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New York Jets

This game could be the worst of them all. The Jets defense should be good, and the Steelers defense should be very good, while the Steelers offense will be bad, and the Jets offense will be very bad. This is a game you may want to just avoid completely if possible. 

On the Pittsburgh side of things, we would start DK Metcalf and maybe Jonnu Smith in a pinch. The rest of their receiving corps is awful, Aaron Rodgers is a terrible option, and the running back snaps are very much in question heading into Week 1. 

For the Jets, you probably have to start Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson, but don't expect to end the day happy about it. There are no other skill position players worth considering, and if you drafted Justin Fields, you should go with another option if possible.