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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for DJ Moore, Marvin Harrison Jr., D'Andre Swift, Quinshon Judkins, Jayden Reed, Jonathon Brooks, Wan'Dale Robinson, Tee Higgins, RJ Harvey.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like DJ Moore, Marvin Harrison Jr., D'Andre Swift, Quinshon Judkins, Jayden Reed, Jonathon Brooks, Wan'Dale Robinson, Tee Higgins, and RJ Harvey. 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.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
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:
Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (groin) does not have an injury designation on Friday and will play in the Week 1 season opener on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, according to Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. Things were trending this way with Brooks practicing all week, but now it is official.
The 23-year-old former second-round pick in 2024 from Texas will be playing in just his fourth NFL game after tearing his ACL twice since entering the NFL. Carolina's backfield hierarchy is a bit unclear going into the season opener, but both Brooks and Chuba Hubbard should have sizeable roles in 2026.
The Panthers talked Brooks up during training camp and the preseason, causing him to rise on fantasy draft boards, and as long as he stays healthy, he should be a weekly RB3/flex option with upside if he can finally stay healthy in the NFL. Both Brooks and Hubbard should be viewed as RB3/flexes for a difficult Week 1 matchup against the Bears' defense.
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said that wide receiver Tee Higgins (heel) is good to go for Sunday's Week 1 season opener versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to ESPN's Ben Baby. The Bengals announced last week that Higgins was dealing with a minor heel injury that was never expected to put him in danger of missing the start of the 2026 season.
Fantasy managers need to have the 27-year-old locked into their starting lineups for this weekend's matchup against the Bucs. Higgins was a first-time Pro Bowler for the Bengals last season, catching 59 of his 98 targets for 846 yards and 11 touchdowns in 15 games played. He has not had a 1,000-yard season since 2022, but Higgins has remained productive when he has been on the field, and he has scored 21 touchdowns combined in the last two seasons in Cincy.
Higgins has had issues staying on the field for a full season, but when he is out there, he has a strong floor as a high-end WR2 for fantasy managers, even in the shadow of star wideout Ja'Marr Chase.
RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos
After scoring 12 touchdowns as a rookie, Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey has been arguably the least discussed back on the Broncos' roster for most of the summer, but beat reporter Zac Stevens does not believe that should be the case, as he foresees a big role for the 2025 second-round pick.
In a recent appearance with Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, Stevens broke down the entire Broncos running back room and said that Harvey "has really established himself as the third-down running back and the pass-catching running back," comparing his role to that of Alvin Kamara in Sean Payton's Saints offenses.
While rookie Jonah Coleman has emerged as a more likely true handcuff to starter J.K. Dobbins, Harvey is expected to see a significant role in the passing game after catching 47 passes as a rookie.
Even though he has a tougher matchup in Week 1 facing the Chiefs, his upside as a pass-catcher puts him into low-end FLEX consideration in deeper PPR leagues.
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed is likely headed for a larger role on offense in 2026. Not only is Reed fully healthy after recovering from last year's injuries, but he also faces slightly less competition for targets after Romeo Doubs departed for New England in free agency. Injuries limited Reed to just 19 catches, 207 yards, and one touchdown last year, but he finished as the WR29 or higher in PPR leagues in both 2023 and 2024.
Even if he doesn't return to his top-30 receiver form, he can still be a WR3/flex in fantasy leagues with 12+ teams.
His biggest competition for targets is Matthew Golden, and the good news is that Reed has more experience in the NFL than Golden. Plus, Golden still needs to prove that he's worthy of a larger role after catching just 29 passes with zero touchdowns as a rookie last year, whereas Reed has more of an established track record. For now, it seems like Reed has the edge over Golden.
Managers should view Reed as a risky FLEX option with upside in 12+ team leagues facing the Vikings in Week 1.
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 - DJ Moore, Marvin Harrison Jr., D'Andre Swift, Quinshon Judkins, Jayden Reed, Jonathon Brooks, Wan'Dale Robinson, Tee Higgins, RJ Harvey. 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 DJ Moore, Marvin Harrison Jr., D'Andre Swift, Quinshon Judkins, Jayden Reed, Jonathon Brooks, Wan'Dale Robinson, Tee Higgins, RJ Harvey:
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