NFL Week 1 Weather Conditions (Fantasy Football)

The weather looks mostly good, but we could see some significant rain this opening Sunday. As the forecasts stand now, the worst of the rain in Washington will occur right before kickoff and gradually lessen to light showers by the end of the game. Cincinnati presents its own risks, but as the timeline stands, the worst of the rain won’t hit until after the game. The issue in Cincinnati is scattered thunderstorms that could cause delays pushing the game right into those heavy rains.

This weather article will be updated throughout the morning as forecasts evolve so check back in leading up to kickoff.

Updates: 

San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears
Fantasy Impact: The good, the bad, and the ugly. The good is, the rain that has and is pounding Soldier Field before the game should slacken off as the game goes on. The bad is that we’re still likely to see rain all game. The ugly is the field is already soaked and will continue to accumulate water. With a slick field, players will have a hard time making quick cuts. Rain can sometimes help the offense since it’s harder for the defense to react to where receivers and ball carriers are going, but a slick field can also affect the timing with receivers and we can expect players to slip more frequently on routes coming out of their cuts.

This game is likely to turn into a slogfest with both coaches using creative ways to get runners in open spaces. This should ensure both Trey Lance and Justin Fields get plenty of carries, which we’re hoping for from a fantasy standpoint. The same goes for David Montgomery and the stable of San Francisco RBs who should see lots of action although ball security becomes an issue anytime games are this wet. Since Deebo Samuel can be used in so many ways, I still think he’s a safe start but this amount of rain may limit Darnell Mooney and Brandon Aiyuk. If you’re debating between Aiyuk and/or Mooney with another player, I would use this as a tie break and go with the other guy.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
Fantasy Impact: Good news here. The scattered thunderstorms and heavy rains that were forecasted are gone. We still might see a shower here and there especially around halftime, but the rain shouldn’t be a factor for this game.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Commanders
Fantasy Impact: Good news here too. It will be very overcast with scattered showers in the area all afternoon, but the showers should mostly be light. There is still the worry of ball security especially with Antonio Gibson and the field will be more slick than normal, but it won’t be bad enough to anticipate a fantasy impact.

Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets
Fantasy Impact: Nothing really changed much except for timing. The early parts of the game should be mostly dry, but there are scattered showers in the area. We can anticipate rain starting around the fourth quarter and gradually ramp up, but it shouldn’t be very heavy.

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
Fantasy Impact: There was zero rain in the forecasts, but now it looks like there are showers in the area and a small chance at a thunderstorm that would hit late in the game. I don’t think we’re going to see rain, but there is still a small chance. Still nothing to worry about from a fantasy standpoint.

Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers
Fantasy Impact: Similar situation in Carolina as in Miami. I wouldn’t bet on rain, but there are scattered showers in the area. If anything hits, it will hit around the second quarter but quickly move on.

New York Giants at Tennessee Titans
Fantasy Impact: There’s starting to be a pattern here. There are scattered showers and thunderstorms in the area. If anything does hit, it should be brief.

Catch ‘SUNDAY LIVE’ at Noon ET —  Mike Wright will be answering start/sit questions, and covering injury updates. BallersLive.com

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2022

Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Commanders

1:00 PM ET // FedEx Field // Landover, Maryland

Temp: 72°
Precipitation: Rain
Wind: 3 mph
Wind Gusts: 9 mph

Fantasy Impact: Expect to see sideline reporters in full rain gear leading up to kickoff. Heavy rain right before kickoff will gradually dissipate as the game wears on and turn to drizzle by the second half. These conditions will make the ball slippery and could lead to more fumbling than normal. This is especially concerning for Antonio Gibson who had six fumbles last year and another one this preseason. Gibson is in line for the majority of work and ranked RB16 this week, but there is a scary scenario where an early fumble costs him touches later in the game.

Travis Etienne isn’t immune to fumbles himself with eight fumbles through his Clemson career, which works out to a fumble on every 99 touches. We do not have enough data to predict how Trevor Lawrence will perform in the rain, but he’s ranked QB19 this week (one spot ahead of Carson Wentz) with a road matchup against a tough Washington defense so he should be easy to avoid in all but superflex leagues.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals

1:00 PM ET // Paycor Stadium // Cincinnati, Ohio

Temp: 73°
Precipitation: Rain/Scattered Thunderstorms
Wind: 3 mph
Wind Gusts: 6 mph

Fantasy Impact: This will be a game to monitor. The weather should be fine around kickoff, but there is a chance of rain including scattered thunderstorms for the first three quarters. Very heavy rain is expected to hit following the game, but any sort of delay due to lightning or overtime could run right into heavy rain and/or thunderstorms. There is no impact as long as the game and rain stick to the expected timeline, but any changes to the forecast or game delays could make the last parts of the game very sloppy.

Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets

1:00 PM ET // MetLife Stadium // East Rutherford, New Jersey

Temp: 64°
Precipitation: Rain
Wind: 9 mph
Wind Gusts: 10 mph

Fantasy Impact: There may be light rain in the area around kickoff, but it will tail off as the game wears on. Any rain may make the handle on the ball more slippery, but it won’t be heavy enough for an impact on fantasy.

San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears

1:00 PM ET // Soldier Field // Chicago, Illinois

Temp: 81°
Precipitation: None
Wind: 6 mph
Wind Gusts: 6 mph

Fantasy Impact: None

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins

1:00 PM ET // Hard Rock Stadium // Miami Gardens, Florida

Temp: 90°
Precipitation: None
Wind: 8 mph
Wind Gusts: 8 mph

Fantasy Impact: None

Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers

1:00 PM ET // Bank of America Stadium // Charlotte, North Carolina

Temp: 80°
Precipitation: None
Wind: 7 mph
Wind Gusts: 15 mph

Fantasy Impact: None

New York Giants at Tennessee Titans

4:25 PM ET // Nissan Stadium / / Nashville, Tennessee

Temp: 80°
Precipitation: None
Wind: 10 mph
Wind Gusts: 17 mph

Fantasy Impact: None

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2022

Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks

8:15 PM ET // Lumen Field // Seattle, Washington

Temp: 70°
Precipitation: None
Wind: 6 mph
Wind Gusts: 8 mph

Fantasy Impact: None

DOME GAMES

Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions

1:00 PM ET // Ford Field // Detroit, Michigan

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans

1:00 PM ET // NRG Stadium // Houston, Texas

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons

1:00 PM ET // Mercedes-Benz Stadium // Atlanta, Georgia

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

4:25 PM ET // U.S. Bank Stadium // Minneapolis, Minnesota

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers

4:25 PM ET // SoFi Stadium // Los Angeles, California

Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals

4:25 PM ET // State Farm Stadium // Glendale, Arizona

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys

8:20 PM ET // AT&T Stadium // Dallas, Texas