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Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings: Position-by-Position Outlook for Season Opener
- Updated: September 6, 2016
Fantasy football players had an entire summer to prepare for their drafts, but the critical lineup decisions start in Week 1.
After all, those late-round sleepers and early-round playmakers won’t be worth much on your bench in lieu of the wrong starters. With that in mind, here is some lineup guidance for Week 1 and a breakdown of the top players at each position.
The rankings were determined for standard-scoring leagues using a combination of overall talent and matchups and will almost certainly change on a week-to-week basis throughout the year.
Quarterbacks
Russell Wilson is my personal pick for league MVP this year, and he has the opportunity to start his season against a Miami Dolphins team that finished a middling 19th in the NFL in scoring defense in 2015.
There is no more Marshawn Lynch for the Seattle Seahawks, and they will open the offense up accordingly. That is exactly what they did last year down the stretch, and Doug Baldwin swung fantasy leagues with 11 touchdown catches in the final six games. Wilson—who can also run—will find Baldwin consistently considering he is fresh off career highs with 4,024 passing yards and 34 touchdown throws.
Elsewhere, Derek Carr may jump out next to notable players like Wilson, Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton, but he is playing a New Orleans Saints team that was 31st in the league against the pass in 2015. Carr also has a year of experience with Amari Cooper under his belt after the Alabama product tallied 1,070 receiving yards as a rookie.
As for Newton, he is the defending league MVP, but fans saw what happened last time he faced the dominant Denver Broncos defense in the Super Bowl loss. He is still a great play based on pure talent, but he won’t be the top quarterback in Week 1.
Running Backs
The Los Angeles Rams will usher in a new era on the back of Todd Gurley, who is facing the San Francisco 49ers and their defense that was 29th against the run a season ago. Los Angeles’ quarterback situation isn’t great with Case Keenum (15 touchdown passes and nine interceptions in his career), so it will lean heavily on Gurley to manage the clock after taking a quick lead.
Rookie Ezekiel Elliott will make an early splash in fantasy circles against the New York Giants defense that was 24th in the league against the run in 2015. What’s more, the Cowboys will look to …
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