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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Tee Higgins, J.K. Dobbins, Aaron Jones Sr., Travis Etienne Jr., Javonte Williams, Malik Nabers, Quinshon Judkins, Kenny Gainwell, Xavier Worthy.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Tee Higgins, J.K. Dobbins, Aaron Jones Sr., Travis Etienne Jr., Javonte Williams, Malik Nabers, Quinshon Judkins, Kenny Gainwell, and Xavier Worthy. However, don't worry, we are here to help you 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.
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2026 Fantasy Football Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 1:
J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos
DNVR Sports' Zac Stevens says that Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins is "for sure" the team's No. 1 RB when he is healthy. However, second-year RB RJ Harvey, who has been the least talked-about Broncos back in training camp, will have a "big role" and could take on an Alvin Kamara-type role as a pass-catching back in head coach Sean Payton's offense.
And then there is fourth-round rookie Jonah Coleman, a big, physical back who is viewed as the backup to Dobbins as a between-the-tackles runner.
The 27-year-old Dobbins has been extremely efficient in his five NFL seasons, averaging over 5.0 yards per carry on 582 rushing attempts, and he was among the league leaders at the RB position last year in his first season with Denver before suffering a season-ending foot injury, recording 772 yards and four rushing touchdowns on 153 carries through 10 games.
When healthy, Dobbins has been a strong RB in the NFL, but the story of his career to this point has been injuries. He has never played a full season yet, and with a committee backfield approach in Denver in 2026, Dobbins' fantasy ceiling will be limited as more of a low-end RB2 option for managers.
Kenny Gainwell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
FOX Sports' Greg Auman believes that Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell could feature prominently in red-zone and goal-to-go situations under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson in 2026.
Gainwell is essentially replacing pass-catching RB Rachaad White in a new offense this year, but unlike White, the 27-year-old could be featured more in the red zone, which is bad news for fantasy managers who are hoping for a bounce-back year from Bucky Irving. Gainwell, a former fifth-rounder by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 from Memphis, broke out last year in his lone season with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a receiver, catching 73 of 85 targets for 486 yards and three touchdowns in 17 regular-season games.
He added a career-high 114 carries for 537 yards and another four scores on the ground. Gainwell is expected to be used often alongside Irving in his first year in Tampa, giving him weekly RB3/flex upside, especially in point-per-reception leagues. He could come out of the gate strong in a Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, in which the Bucs may be forced to throw early and often.
Malik Nabers, New York Giants
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee) sounds like he will be "good to go for Sunday night," according to ESPN's Dan Graziano. Nabers is coming back from a torn ACL that ended his 2025 season after four games, but it looks like he'll be ready to play in Week 1. Last year, he had 18 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns before his injury after an impressive rookie year with 1,204 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games, despite iffy QB play.
This year, he'll work with Jaxson Dart as the team's top receiver under new head coach John Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. The team added wide receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Isaiah Likely, but Nabers should remain the focal point of the offense and be set for as large a target share as he can handle.
Since it will be his first game back, Nabers is the No. 16 WR in RotoBaller's Week 1 rankings, but he definitely has top-10 upside even though he'll take on an improved Dallas defense on Sunday Night Football. If you drafted Nabers as a starter, be sure to get him in your lineups this week since he seems to be all systems go for Week 1.
Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams enjoyed a career year in 2025 in his first year in Dallas, carrying the ball 252 times for 1,201 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in 16 starts. He added 35 receptions on 51 targets for 137 yards and another two touchdowns as a receiver. The Cowboys and fantasy managers are expecting something similar for an encore in 2026 behind a strong offensive line.
However, The Dallas Morning News' Joseph Hoyt reports that the Cowboys mentioned that they "wanted to be conscientious of the tread he was putting on his tires." Hoyt thinks that Williams getting back to the 252-carry mark from a year ago "feels like a stretch," and Dallas could lean more on No. 2 back Malik Davis. Still, Hoyt has Williams projected for another 1,000-yard season with nine rushing touchdowns on 215 carries.
Fantasy managers selecting Williams as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 would be fine with that final stat line. RotoBaller currently has the former Denver Broncos RB ranked as the No. 12 overall option at his position.
Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy enters the 2026 season in a strong position. After a shoulder injury, Worthy struggled, hauling in 42 of 73 targets for 532 yards and one touchdown in 14 games. He suffered the injury on the first drive of the 2025 season, and it was reportedly "serious" and should have required season-ending surgery.
Now that he and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes are healthy, Worthy hopes to regain form in 2026. With Eric Bieniemy back in Kansas City, Worthy hopes to be the new "Tyreek Hill" in this offense. With Rashee Rice not looking great in training camp, Worthy could be the lead receiver in 2026. He faces a tough Week 1 matchup against the Denver Broncos, but a big game on Monday night will make him a top addition on the waiver wire next week.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Tee Higgins, J.K. Dobbins, Aaron Jones Sr., Travis Etienne Jr., Javonte Williams, Malik Nabers, Quinshon Judkins, Kenny Gainwell, Xavier Worthy. 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 name. In the second box, search for the second player 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 that 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, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with 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 circle), 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 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 1 for Tee Higgins, J.K. Dobbins, Aaron Jones Sr., Travis Etienne Jr., Javonte Williams, Malik Nabers, Quinshon Judkins, Kenny Gainwell, Xavier Worthy:
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