Start Saquon Barkley or Chase Brown? Week 1

Our Week 1 call

Start Saquon Barkley over Chase Brown in Week 1.

Chase Brown is priced by the books at 5.8 projected points and Saquon Barkley is not priced at all, so we are leaning on where drafters take them. Drafters take Saquon Barkley at ADP 18 and Chase Brown at 14.

What the books imply

Player prop markets imply 5.8 fantasy points for Chase Brown, with 40 percent of the markets a RB needs posted.

No sportsbook posted a player market for Saquon Barkley in Week 1.

Week 1 matchups

Chase Brown and CIN host TB on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

TB allowed 26.8 fantasy points to RBs in its one game this season, the 10th most in the league.

Running backs ran for 76 yards and a touchdown against TB and caught passes for 52 more yards.

Saquon Barkley and PHI host WAS.

WAS allowed 11.5 fantasy points to RBs in its one game this season, the 6th fewest in the league.

Running backs ran for 90 yards and no touchdowns against WAS and caught passes for 5 more yards.

By points allowed to the position, Chase Brown has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Chase Brown was not on the injury report when the call was made.

Saquon Barkley was not on the injury report when the call was made.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Chase Brown played 17 games for CIN and scored 282.6 PPR points, 16.6 a game, finishing RB7.

He ran 232 times for 1019 yards and 6 touchdowns, and caught 69 of 88 targets for 437 yards.

He was on the field for 67 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Chase Brown, Week 18 of 2025 against CLE: 13 carries for 72 yards, 6 targets and 4 catches for 18 yards, 1 touchdown, 19.0 PPR points.

Chase Brown, Week 17 of 2025 against ARI: 47 of 77 snaps, 22 carries for 101 yards, 3 targets and 3 catches for 40 yards, 2 touchdowns, 29.1 PPR points.

Chase Brown, Week 16 of 2025 against MIA: 37 of 61 snaps, 12 carries for 66 yards, 4 targets and 4 catches for 43 yards, 3 touchdowns, 32.9 PPR points.

In 2025, Saquon Barkley played 16 games for PHI and scored 232.3 PPR points, 14.5 a game, finishing RB14.

He ran 280 times for 1140 yards and 7 touchdowns, and caught 37 of 50 targets for 273 yards.

He was on the field for 78 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Saquon Barkley, Week 17 of 2025 against BUF: 43 of 54 snaps, 19 carries for 68 yards, 0 targets and 0 catches for 0 yards, 6.8 PPR points.

Saquon Barkley, Week 16 of 2025 against WAS: 54 of 70 snaps, 21 carries for 132 yards, 2 targets and 0 catches for 0 yards, 1 touchdown, 21.2 PPR points.

Saquon Barkley, Week 15 of 2025 against LV: 39 of 69 snaps, 22 carries for 78 yards, 3 targets and 2 catches for 14 yards, 1 touchdown, 17.2 PPR points.

How Week 1 went

Saquon Barkley scored 9.0 PPR points and Chase Brown scored 18.8.

The call was wrong: Chase Brown outscored Saquon Barkley by 9.8.

Saquon Barkley, Week 1 against WAS: 39 of 55 snaps, 15 carries for 83 yards, 2 targets and 1 catch for -3 yards, 9.0 PPR points.

Saquon Barkley finished as the week's RB30 in PPR scoring.

Chase Brown finished 13.0 points above the 5.8 the props implied.

Chase Brown, Week 1 against TB: 46 of 64 snaps, 16 carries for 56 yards, 6 targets and 5 catches for 22 yards, 1 touchdown, 18.8 PPR points.

Chase Brown finished as the week's RB14 in PPR scoring.

Their other Week 1 calls

• Start Ashton Jeanty over Chase Brown.
• Start Derrick Henry over Chase Brown.
• Start De'Von Achane over Chase Brown.
• Start Saquon Barkley over Ashton Jeanty.
• Start Derrick Henry over Saquon Barkley.
• Start James Cook III over Saquon Barkley.