Fantasy Football Week 1: Flex and PPR Rankings for Top 50 Players

After a lengthy offseason and preseason, the 2016 NFL regular season is finally ready to commence, which also means the start of another fantasy football campaign.

Most leagues have held their drafts and set their rosters by this point, so the focus shifts toward getting off to an ideal start by setting a winning Week 1 lineup.

The majority of difficult decisions for fantasy owners come when choosing who to start at running back, wide receiver and flex. While early-round studs are obvious starts on a weekly basis, the final few spots in the lineup often depend on matchups.

Predicting how certain defenses will perform one season to the next is an inexact science, but based on last year’s stats and accounting for improvements or setbacks, educated estimates are possible.

With that in mind, here is a rundown of the top-50 flex options in both standard and point-per-reception leagues for Week 1.

Week 1 Flex/PPR Rankings

While PPR leagues favor wide receivers and pass-catching running backs, there are certain players who excel regardless of the rules.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is chief among them. He is the clear No. 1 overall player in fantasy this year. Brown will be at or near the top of the rankings in both standard and PPR leagues every single week, and he is matchup-proof in that he can put up numbers against anyone.

Brown is the unquestioned top flex option in PPR leagues in Week 1, as he takes on a Washington Redskins team that surrendered 30 passing touchdowns last season.

Not only does Brown receive a high volume of targets within Pittsburgh’s offense, but, as pointed out by DraftKings’ Adam Levitan with the following Pro Football Focus stat, he makes the most of his opportunities as well:

Note Watkins ranked T-4th among all WRs in PPR fantasy points per opportunity last year …

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