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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Parker Washington, Chris Godwin Jr., Michael Pittman Jr., Tony Pollard, Courtland Sutton, DK Metcalf, Emeka Egbuka, Stefon Diggs, Tre Tucker.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Parker Washington, Chris Godwin Jr., Michael Pittman Jr., Tony Pollard, Courtland Sutton, DK Metcalf, Emeka Egbuka, Stefon Diggs, and Tre Tucker. 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:
Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington said that he is the team's punt returner heading into the Week 1 season opener this Sunday against the visiting Cleveland Browns, according to Mark Long of The Associated Press.
Washington came on strong last year as one of quarterback Trevor Lawrence's most trusted targets in the passing game and finished with career highs across the board in his third NFL season in catches (58), targets (95), receiving yards (847), and touchdowns (five) in 16 regular-season games. The 24-year-old former sixth-rounder from Penn State has continued to rise in training camp and the preseason and has been one of the most-hyped wideouts for fantasy football as he continues to develop chemistry with Lawrence.
The 5-foot-10, 205-pounder will be exposed to more injuries as the team's punt returner in 2026, but that should not detract from his upside potential in an ascending Jaguars offense. Washington should be locked into all fantasy starting lineups against the Browns in Week 1 as a low-end WR2/high-end WR3/flex option.
Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
Across 17 games in 2025, Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard recorded 1,288 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns on 275 touches. The 29-year-old has quietly been one of the NFL's most consistent running backs in recent years, recording at least 1,000 rushing yards and 1,250 scrimmage yards in four consecutive seasons. Pollard has also been exceptionally durable, missing just two games in that stretch.
While playing in subpar Tennessee offenses, Pollard's fantasy value has been held down by his lack of red zone opportunities.
However, the Titans project to be a more dangerous offense in 2026 with Brian Daboll now calling plays and quarterback Cam Ward entering his second NFL season. Fellow Titans back Tyjae Spears will steal some work from Pollard, but Pollard has averaged over 17 touches per game while sharing a backfield with Spears over the past two seasons. Pollard projects as a high-floor FLEX option in the season opener for all standard leagues.
Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (toe) is a full-go for Sunday's Week 1 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Egbuka was considered up in the air for the season opener after spraining his toe in training camp in August, but he has been practicing in full with the team all week and is ready to go.
It is worth noting that Jalen McMillan (knee) is considered doubtful, which should open up more targets for Egbuka, Chris Godwin Jr., and rookie Ted Hurst III. Egbuka had been trending down in fantasy with Week 1 approaching because of his toe injury, but now that he is fully cleared and McMillan is expected to sit out, he is trending back up as a strong WR2 in a game that is expected to feature plenty of points. Make sure that Egbuka is in your starting lineup for Week 1 this weekend against Cincy.
Chris Godwin Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield said on Thursday that wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. "looks like the best version" of himself that he has seen yet, according to Scott Smith of the team's official website. Even with future Hall of Famer Mike Evans moving to San Francisco this offseason in free agency, Godwin, 30, was not a sexy pick in fantasy football drafts.
The former third-rounder in 2017 from Penn State has only played in 16 combined games in the last two years due to injuries. However, when healthy, he will continue to be a key target for Mayfield in a new-look offense led by coordinator Zac Robinson. Godwin averaged just 10.9 yards per catch and had two touchdowns in nine games in 2025, but he has four 1,000-yard seasons in his career and could be in for a rebound in 2026 if he can stay on the field.
His Week 1 outlook against the Cincinnati Bengals is strong, even with Emeka Egbuka (toe) and Jalen McMillan (knee) looking likely to suit up after dealing with injuries at the end of training camp. In PPR leagues especially, Godwin could be a sneaky WR3/flex this year with excellent chemistry with Mayfield.
Stefon Diggs, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs may not be slowing down yet. According to Zach Selby, offensive coordinator David Blough said he is excited for Diggs and Jayden Daniels to show the chemistry they have worked on this weekend.
That is not the first positive sign. Washington's own camp coverage noted that Diggs and Daniels were connecting often during joint practices, and Diggs is officially listed as a starter alongside Terry McLaurin. He also isn't coming off a down year. Diggs caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns with New England in 2025, finishing as the WR17 in PPR scoring. T
he target ceiling may be lower with McLaurin still at the top of the pecking order, but Diggs does not need to dominate targets to stay useful. If the chemistry with Daniels carries into games, his value could hold stronger than expected and still have room to rise.
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 - Parker Washington, Chris Godwin Jr., Michael Pittman Jr., Tony Pollard, Courtland Sutton, DK Metcalf, Emeka Egbuka, Stefon Diggs, Tre Tucker. 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 Parker Washington, Chris Godwin Jr., Michael Pittman Jr., Tony Pollard, Courtland Sutton, DK Metcalf, Emeka Egbuka, Stefon Diggs, Tre Tucker:
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