Vikings open the season with a win but face notable injuries. Blake Cashman will miss time with a hamstring, Ty Chandler is banged up but played through the knee issue, and Andrew Van Ginkel and Jeff Okudah are in concussion protocol. Harrison Smith returned but described his conditioning as the focal point of a quick bounce back, with team friends noting the plan remains fluid. Elijah Williams and Zavier Scott are stepping back into practice as Minnesota eyes a quiet home opener against Atlanta.

Offensively, J.J. McCarthy earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week after a 27-24 comeback, underscoring the unit’s potential as the Falcons visit Minnesota in primetime. The schedule stays challenging with a short week and a travel slate before a TNF showdown with the Chargers.

The Vikings boast a hyper-deep defensive group, making the chase for a single “most important” player more about roles than a lone star. Byron Murphy Jr. emerges as the top corner in a thin rotation, while a five-man nucleus—Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Josh Metellus, Blake Cashman and Harrison Smith—drives the unit’s versatility and playmaking. Interior anchors Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, plus speed from Ivan Pace Jr., protect the middle and rush edges. On offense, Jefferson anchors the attack and J.J. McCarthy’s start-forward arc will shape their ceiling this season. A Week 1 shootout backdrop against Philadelphia and Dallas adds fantasy wrinkles for depth and weekly volatility.

Chicago Bears open 2025 at home on Monday Night Football against Minnesota, a battle of the NFC North with major fantasy implications. Minnesota touts Justin Jefferson as the primary weapon, while their edge duo of Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel looks to pressure a Bears offense that features Dayo Odeyingbo and Montez Sweat on the defensive side. Chicago’s left tackle ambiguity adds risk for their quarterback and a test for new offense coordinator Ben Johnson’s unit. Austin Booker will miss Week 1, heightening the edge rush challenge.

Expect Jefferson to soak targets, with the Vikings leaning on their defense to create plays off the rush. Sweat's sack upside is real, while Greenard and Van Ginkel can generate pressure in waves. Odeyingbo’s development is a wild-card factor for Chicago, and the Bears will need adjustments up front to stay competitive. Overall, it’s a high-leverage opener where edge battles and quarterback protection will largely decide fantasy outputs and betting angles.

T.J. Watt lands at No. 11 in the NFL Top 100, the highest-rated linebacker on the list and the seventh straight year he’s appeared. His three-year, $123 million extension makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback, a statement of his impact both on the field and in fantasy leagues. Watt’s production—consistently elite pass rush and game-changing plays—anchors the Steelers and keeps his fantasy floor exceptionally high.

UW alums Zack Baun and Andrew Van Ginkel also crack the Top 100 (No. 26 and No. 88), underscoring Wisconsin’s pro pipeline. Watt sits among Steelers stars Patrick Queen and Cameron Heyward on the team’s list representation. Across the Top 100, Fred Warner, Roquan Smith, and Jonathan Greenard are noted among the top linebackers and edge rushers in the league, with Nick Bonitto also highlighted among top non-QB contracts and performers. Watt’s 2024 stat line and the 100-sack club milestone reinforce why fantasy managers should treat Watt as a premium, weekly difference-maker even in years when position value fluctuates.

Watt’s season opener vs. the Jets on Sept. 7 will be the first test of a year in which he aims to captain another Steelers winning season. Watt’s continued dominance should keep him among the most reliable DL/IDP assets, with sack upside and multisack games likely to be a steady source of big-scoring weeks for fantasy rosters.

Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons anchor the top tier as elite pass rushers with strong tackling floors, while Jared Verse and Aidan Hutchinson loom as breakout and comeback candidates for 2025. The piece breaks rankings into tiers, highlighting positive regression candidates and the risk-reward math of sacks vs. tackles. Laiatu Latu and Nick Herbig surface as high-upside anchors in Tier 3–5, with injury and role-share shaping each path to weekly value.

Season-long strategy centers on targeting high-upside pass rush talent with clear workload, plus savvy handcuff/backup depth in Tier 6. The analysis emphasizes expected sacks, pressures, and production vs. expectation, offering actionable lines for dynasty and redraft IDP managers heading into 2025.