Thursday Night Football was a blast. The Chiefs and Ravens started the season off really well. Xavier Worthy and Isaiah Likely will likely be the talk of fantasyland, and rightly so, but there are plenty more storylines to be revealed, including on the defensive side of the ball. Chris Jones caused havoc all game, Jaylen Watson was in coverage, Roquan Smith totaled seven tackles and a pick, and David Ojabo was featured when he recorded one of the Ravens’ two sacks on the night. Looking ahead to this weekend, we’re taking a look at five players that fantasy managers should definitely add to their lineups, and five more that are best left on the bench despite promising prospects. Let’s dive deeper.

Fantasy Football IDP Start/Sit Week 1

Start it

Omar Speights (LB – LAR)
Speights seems to be in line for the Los Angeles Rams in almost every down role. The rookie has impressed all offseason, and with Ernest Jones being traded, the UDFA will get all the snaps he can handle. He’s an LB3 in Week 1, but is expected to put up LB2 numbers. Ernest Jones was a star in that role, and while no one expects Speights to have a Jones-like impact as a rookie, Speights is expected to be a very valuable contributor in Week 1 and beyond. Use him as a borderline LB2 option in place of other LB3 types.

Dorian Williams (LB – BUF)
Williams is listed as a starter for the Bills and should get more snaps than Nicholas Morrow in the opening game. Williams is a solid LB3 player for Week 1, although Morrow’s presence lowers his minimum requirements and limits some of his upside. The Bills have a vested interest in developing Williams, but if the defense starts struggling again because of him, they will quickly move on the veteran. The Bills’ linebackers have a plus matchup this weekend against the Arizona Cardinals, who will provide plenty of tackle opportunities for Williams and fellow starter Terell Bernard.

Nakobe Dean (LB – PHI)
Nakobe has earned the starting spot at middle linebacker over Devin White, and since he’ll be wearing the green dot for the Eagles, it will likely take a series of poor performances to unseat him from his position, especially with White not traveling with the team in Week 1. Dean has already proven he’s an LB2 player, and he could get into the LB1 conversation if he can take another step forward. Treat him as an LB2 with LB1 potential for Friday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers.

Damar Hamlin (S – BUF)
Damar Hamlin beat out rookie Cole Bishop to be the free safety. After Bishop was drafted, the perception was that he would be entitled to the job, but the Bills are more comfortable with Hamlin as the starter in Week 1. Bishop will continue to pressure Hamlin, but Hamlin is a worthy flex starter for Week 1. If he plays 85 percent or more of the snaps, he’ll be in the DB3 discussion for Week 2. Start Hamlin as a deep league flex/DB4.

Emmanuel Ogbah (DE – MIA)
After falling behind Jaelan Philips, Bradley Chubb and Andrew Van Ginkel over the past few seasons, Ogbah will take over nearly every down in Week 1 for the Dolphins. He will eventually lose time to Chop Robinson, but as long as Phillips is on the snap count list and Bradley Chubb remains on the bench, Ogbah should get all the snaps he can handle. Use him as a DL3/4 if necessary.

sit down

Ivan Pace (LB – MIN)
Pace was expected to get the green light on the Vikings’ defense, but instead it’s Blake Cashman who’s calling the plays. That likely means that when Henry To’oTo’o comes in, Pace will be subbed out, not Cashman. This will limit Pace’s potential and all but torpedo his chances of reaching LB1 status this season, potentially knocking him out of the conversation for the top 24. Pace will likely still put up LB2-level numbers this season, but has slipped from a potential top-15 option to an elite LB3 with obvious LB2 potential. Let him start as an LB3 in Week 1, but if you were planning on using him as your LB1 or LB2, you might want to look elsewhere.

Edgerrin Cooper (LB – GB)
Cooper remains a hold in dynasty leagues, but those in redraft leagues without an extremely deep bench may want to get rid of him. Isaiah McDuffie was selected to start alongside Quay Walker, and since McDuffie has been solid in his spot starts in the past, it’s likely Cooper will have to fight his way onto the field. McDuffie is a solid LB3/flex option as long as Cooper sees less than 35 percent of the snaps. Fantasy managers should not let Cooper start in Week 1 under any circumstances.

Darrick Forrest (S – WAS)
Quan Martin is listed as a starter alongside Jeremy Chinn. It’s very likely that Washington will routinely use three safeties due to the versatile skills of Chinn, Forest, and Martin. However, Forest is nothing more than a reserve position while we wait for the snap division to play out this weekend. The Commanders have enough talent at the linebacker position with Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu, so it will likely take rookie Mike Sanistrill, who is struggling at the nickel position, for the team to use three safeties in sufficient numbers for Forest to be starter-worthy. Forest is a DB2 when he’s on the field, but he should stay on the bench or even be taken off the roster entirely, depending on the size of your league.

Dax Hill (CB/S – CIN)
Dax Hill was moved to cornerback. The Bengals now have Geno Stone playing alongside Vonn Bell, while they signed Josh Newton this year and Jordan Battle in the third draft last year. Dax was so versatile when he entered the league that there were questions about where he would play, and with Mike Hilton at nickel, Dax will start on the outside. His tackling skills will make him a lower-end CB1 if he can show some consistency, but he shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a DB4/5 until he proves he can be reliable in a fantasy setting after the position switch. Look elsewhere for Week 1.

Von Miller (DE/LB – BUF)
We all knew Miller would be a rotation player for the Bills this year, but Buffalo’s initial roster has him listed as a backup to AJ Espenesa. The Bills are likely making a big effort to keep Miller healthy for potential playoff action, so the days of considering Miller as an IDP option outside of ocean deep leagues are likely over. Bench him if you’re playing in 16+ team leagues, but for 12 team leagues, here’s the suggestion to look elsewhere entirely.

Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, see his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.