Wide Receiver Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Fantasy Football Week 1 (2026)

September 12, 2026

Nathan's wide receiver start 'em, sit 'em picks for fantasy football Week 1 lineups (2026). Read his expert WR start/sit advice for Parker Washington, Josh Downs, D.K. Metcalf, and others.

We’ve finally made it! The first start/sit article, wide receiver edition, has arrived as fantasy managers gear up for their championship push.

Making the right decisions for your Week 1 starting lineup is extremely difficult without knowing players' roles or how their matchups will play out. However, we have to move forward and keep doing the proper research to win Week 1 and set the tone for our fantasy season.

Here are three receivers to start and three to sit in Week 1:

Week 1 Starts - Potential Fantasy Football Booms

Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars 

The hype train for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington is rolling into Week 1, and fantasy managers should start the fourth-year receiver. Washington finished the 2025 season with 847 yards and five touchdowns, surging down the stretch to average nearly 100 yards and a touchdown in each of his final four games.

Parker Washington's Breakout May Be Just Getting Started https://t.co/l3HJ3M96kZ

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 9, 2026

He faces the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, who have one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks, Denzel Ward. However, Ward is unlikely to follow Washington, as he played just three of his 779 snaps in the slot.

Washington scored 45% of his fantasy points from the slot in 2025 and is expected to continue operating there in Liam Coen’s offense.

The Browns allowed 41% of opposing wide receivers’ fantasy points to come from the slot in 2025, the fourth-highest rate in the NFL. As Trevor Lawrence’s favorite target in this offense, fire up Washington in Week 1.

Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs is expected to play a significantly larger role in 2026. After playing just 56% of snaps and running a route on 62%, Downs is set to see more snaps following the departure of Michael Pittman Jr.

He’ll face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1. RotoBaller’s WR/CB Matchup Chart ranked Downs as the fourth-best projected matchup in Week 1, behind only Puka Nacua, Ja'Marr Chase, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Jesse Minter’s defenses with the Chargers ran zone coverage at the fifth-highest rate in the NFL last season, and Downs has consistently succeeded against that coverage throughout his career.

Downs’ competition for targets is significantly reduced from last year, with Pittman gone and Alec Pierce (ankle) missing most of training camp. While touchdowns will be the key, Downs is a solid start in fantasy leagues against the Ravens.

Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders

This applies to deeper leagues where wide receiver depth may be limited, but Tre Tucker is expected to see a significant workload in Week 1. Tucker had 57 receptions for 696 yards and five touchdowns last season, finishing the season as the WR37 in half-PPR formats.

In Klint Kubiak’s offense, Tucker is set to be a focal point in the passing game. Tucker played 14 of 16 snaps across the three preseason drives with the starters, catching five passes for 46 yards. Now, tight end Brock Bowers is expected to miss the first few weeks after knee surgery, which should open up targets for Tucker and the other receivers.

Tre Tucker averaged 48.8 rec yards on 5.8 targets per game last season in five games played w/o Brock Bowers (in a broken offense)

He’s now pass-catcher number one for the Raiders with Bowers out, and profiles “most” similar to JSN in Klint Kubiak’s offense

Must start in Week 1

— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) September 9, 2026

He faces the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, who struggled on defense last season, ranking 24^th in points allowed and 18^th in passing yards allowed. If 16-team leagues are digging deep for wide receivers to start in Week 1, take a stab at Tucker, who should have a good chance to produce against Miami.

Week 1 Concerns - Potential Fantasy Football Busts

D.K. Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers

In his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025, Metcalf struggled, totaling a career-low 850 yards in 15 games. His connection with Aaron Rodgers was not sharp last season, and the team decided to trade for Michael Pittman Jr. and draft Germie Bernard in the second round.

While Arthur Smith is gone and Mike McCarthy is in town, the passing offense as a whole should improve, but neither Rodgers nor Metcalf is getting any younger. Metcalf was also dealing with an undisclosed injury that kept him out of practice for the last few weeks, but he should be good to go on Sunday.

In Week 1, he faces the Atlanta Falcons and cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. Terrell ranked near the top of the NFL in completion rate when targeted (53.1%) and yards per target (6.2) last season.

The Steelers could have a positive game script on Sunday, given the Falcons’ injuries to quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) and Michael Penix Jr. (knee). Metcalf is no sure-fire option and should be considered a risky option at best in Week 1.

Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars 

The same matchup that makes Washington a must-start makes Thomas a player to sit in Week 1. After a monster rookie season, Thomas struggled mightily in 2025, hauling in 48 of 91 targets for 707 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games.

A look at Brian Thomas Jr. turnaround summer & how Jaguars WR room could play out

Fun test for Travis Hunter covering Chris Olave & Jordyn Tyson

Travis Etienne out to show Jaguars what they’re missing letting him go

More as Jags vs. Saints joint practice today kicks off today: pic.twitter.com/8jZarG8UIA

— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) August 13, 2026

Thomas is set to be a field-stretcher on the outside for Jacksonville, as he's expected to line up on the outside for the 2026 season. He clearly struggled with drops last season (tied for second with 10 in 2025) and failed to develop a strong connection with Lawrence, especially over the middle of the field.

With him lined up outside, he’ll see a lot of star cornerback  Ward or young cornerback Tyson Campbell. Ward and Campbell allowed only 77 receptions last season, and their defense allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to receivers who lined up on the outside.

Thomas and the Jaguars are one of the biggest favorites in Week 1, and a positive game script could be an issue for Thomas and the pass offense. He’s too risky to trust on opening day as he begins his gauntlet of difficult matchups to start the 2026 season.

Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers 

The Packers are expected to use their top three wide receivers more in 2026, but Golden still faces limitations. As a rookie, Golden hauled in 29 of 44 targets for 361 yards and no touchdowns in 14 games.

Despite Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks leaving in the offseason, the Packers still have Christian Watson, a healthy Jayden Reed, and a healthy Tucker Kraft. It’s a crowded situation, especially for an offense that ranked in the bottom six in pass attempts in each of the last two seasons.

Golden faces the Minnesota Vikings’ defense in Week 1, which allowed the fewest fantasy points to wide receivers last season. The Vikings also had the lowest explosive-play rate in the NFL last season (3.7%), and Golden will see plenty of cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. lined up out wide on Sunday.

"It's not our first rodeo together" 🤠@packers QB Jordan Love excited to get to work with his offensive weapons@StaceyDales | @jordan3love pic.twitter.com/HJAvkjFswJ

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 2, 2026

While the second-year receiver should not be in lineups in 10- or 12-team leagues, Golden is far too risky to trust in a tough matchup against Brian Flores’ defense.

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