Who Should I Start? Amon-Ra St. Brown or Marvin Mims Jr.

Friday, September 5, 4:54 PM

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has established himself as one of the most consistent wideouts in the NFL, topping 115 catches and 1,200 receiving yards while scoring double-digit touchdowns in each of the past two seasons. However, St. Brown has historically been held relatively in check by his 2025 Week 1 opponent, the Green Bay Packers. In eight career games against Green Bay, St. Brown has totaled 47 catches for 481 yards and three touchdowns. He failed to reach 60 yards receiving in either of his two matchups against the Packers last season. One potential variable for 2025 is Green Bay's addition of star edge rusher Micah Parsons (back), who is officially questionable for Week 1 with a back injury but is expected to play. St. Brown is a master of intermediate and short-area route running, so he could be targeted frequently in the quick passing game if Parsons is putting pressure on Lions quarterback Jared Goff. St. Brown profiles as a low-end fantasy WR1 in Week 1 despite the potentially sub-optimal matchup.

Saturday, September 6, 12:47 PM

Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. enters his third season when the Broncos host the Tennessee Titans. Mims showed real growth in 2024, posting 545 yards and six touchdowns, both were sizable jumps from his rookie campaign. Part of the reason why Mims' numbers were too low for fantasy was due to his low snap count, playing just 27% of the offensive snaps in 2024. However, the Broncos gave him a full run with the first-team offense in their preseason finale against the Saints and then traded away last year's WR2, De'Vaughn Vele. The role is there for Mims, but fantasy managers shouldn't rush him into Week 1 lineups. Tennessee allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers last year, making this a brutal opening matchup. For now, Mims belongs on the bench, but his snap share and usage this week will be critical indicators of whether he can become a breakout flex option moving forward.