NFL Week 1 Weather Conditions (Fantasy Football)
Welcome to another year of fantasy (weather) forecasting!
In reality, the week-to-week weather is fairly mundane with minimal on-the-field impacts, but that doesn’t mean it is something you should overlook when you are trying to get every advantage over your opponents. Weather is another variable among others that all go into the fantasy calculus of who to start.
If the weather is bad, do you bench your studs? Please don’t do that, unless it’s a blizzard or a hurricane.
If you are torn between two equally matched players and there is bad weather for one of those games? Use weather here!
All season long, this article will help you figure out exactly how much to consider the weather in your decisions. Using a low, medium, or high scale, it will hopefully help lead you and your team to the playoffs
Don’t forget to read Matt DiSorbo’s excellent article “Whether Weather Really Matters” covering the statistics behind weather impacts.
Early Afternoon Games
Arizona Cardinals @ Buffalo Bills
LOW impact. Overall it’ll be a nice day in Buffalo, high temps in the mid-60s. Just keep an eye out on the winds, expecting sustained winds in the mid-teens with gusts hitting the mid-20s. Shouldn’t impact the passing game, but may impact kickers.
Tennessee Titans @ Chicago Bears
LOW impact. Beautiful day in Chicago, highs in the mid-70s with winds in the single digits.
New England Patriots @ Cincinnati Bengals
LOW impact. Excellent day for football in Cincinnati. High temps in the mid-70s, calm wind.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Miami Dolphins
Medium impact. There’s going to be some rain showers and thunderstorms popping in and out towards the second half of the game but shouldn’t impact it too much. The heat index (combination of temperature and humidity) will be pretty high, peaking around 102 during game time. These two teams should be pretty used to it, but it’ll still take a toll on the players.
Minnesota Vikings @ New York Giants
LOW impact. It’s shaping up to be nice in Jersey for Sunday. Highs in the low-70s with no wind or rain concerns.
Late Afternoon Games
Denver Broncos @ Seattle Seahawks
LOW impact. High temp in the low-80s, with winds in the single digits.
Dallas Cowboys @ Cleveland Browns
LOW impact. No weather concerns here, high temps in the upper-60s with winds in the single digits.
Washington Commanders @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
MEDIUM impact. Afternoon rain showers and thunderstorms will be popping up around Tampa. Those storms combined with a heat index expected to hit 103 (yeesh!), will cause some impacts throughout the game.
Monday Night Game
New York Jets @ San Francisco 49ers
LOW impact. Great night for football in San Francisco, highs in the low-60s with calm winds.
Weather is a dynamic thing and can change! Keep an eye on your local weather source leading up to kickoff to see if anything changes significantly. Good luck!