Jaylen Warren - Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Fantasy Football Picks for Week 1 (2026)

September 5, 2026

Jaylen Warren start 'em, sit 'em fantasy football picks for Week 1 of 2026. Should you start or sit Jaylen Warren for fantasy football lineups in Week 1?

BALLER MOVE: Start as RB2 in PPR leagues

POSITIONAL VALUE: RB2

ANALYSIS: After three seasons as the Steelers' RB2 behind Najee Harris and making zero starts, Jaylen Warren finally took the starting job in 2025 and silenced many of his critics. He admittedly got off to a slow start, but really got going following a 158-yard outing against the Bengals in Week 7.

JAYLEN WARREN 45-YARD TD

PITvsDET on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/1ftRuVSHs6

— NFL (@NFL) December 21, 2025

Warren went on to rack up 164.4 PPR points from that game to the end of the season, finishing as the PPR RB10 during that span. He also averaged 4.9 yards per carry in those games, which included an outstanding 29.1 PPR-point performance against the Lions in Week 16.

It's safe to say that the Steelers, who squeaked into the playoffs on the final day, wouldn't have made the postseason without Warren's great play as the RB1. However, the arrival of Rico Dowdle in the 2026 offseason has made fantasy managers skeptical.

"My understanding is that Dowdle is more likely to get the early-down work ahead of Warren," said ESPN's Dan Graziano. But this doesn't mean Warren won't have a role on the team at all. In fact, Graziano believes he'll have a "significant" role due to Warren's vastly superior receiving ability.

It's hard to argue with that assessment. Dowdle's best receiving season was last year, as he racked up 297 yards. Warren has put up at least 310 receiving yards in each of the last three seasons.

Kenny Gainwell led the Steelers in receptions last year due to Aaron Rodgers' tendency to throw checkdowns at his advanced age. Gainwell has since departed, and Warren is slated to take over that role.

During the aforementioned Week 7 to Week 18 stretch, Gainwell put up 158.8 PPR points and was not too far behind Warren, finishing as the RB13. So if Warren takes on a 2025 Gainwell-type role, he'll still be productive.

Warren is still a solid FLEX play in all leagues, but PPR leagues are where he'll really shine. Week 1 won't be the easiest matchup for Warren, as the Falcons allowed the 19th-most PPR points to RBs in 2025, a slightly harder-than-average defensive record.

Warren only got seven total touches in two career games against the Falcons, and he'll be hoping to finally have a good game against them. If the Steelers fall behind, Warren could see a heavy dose of targets in the second half.

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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Jaylen Warren. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 1. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.

Week 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Jaylen Warren. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 1.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.

Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.

Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.

Popular Week 1 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 1 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.

Popular Week 1 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons

Below are some popular Week 1 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Jaylen Warren, De'Zhaun Stribling, Jadarian Price, MarShawn Lloyd, Rico Dowdle, Bucky Irving, Parker Washington compared to others: