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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts Sr., Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Warren, Brenton Strange, Dalton Schultz, Chig Okonkwo, Greg Dulcich, Cade Otton.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts Sr., Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Warren, Brenton Strange, Dalton Schultz, Chig Okonkwo, Greg Dulcich, and Cade Otton. 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:
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta's 2025 campaign came to a premature end after he suffered a back injury in Week 10 that ultimately required season-ending surgery. The 25-year-old was productive before getting hurt, recording 40 catches for 489 yards and three touchdowns on 49 targets across nine games played. LaPorta gave fantasy managers a scare when he suffered a hip injury that caused him to miss some time this summer.
However, the young tight end was able to return to practice and looks to be on track to start the regular season fully healthy. Between wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, as well as running back Jahmyr Gibbs, LaPorta faces plenty of target competition in Detroit. Still, the Lions enter the year with questions on defense and a new-look offensive line, both of which could force them to turn to the air early and often in 2026.
As long as LaPorta remains healthy, he could be poised for a bounce-back season. He is a must-start TE1 in all formats in a potential shootout against the Saints.
Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
Across 17 games as a rookie in 2025, Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren recorded 76 catches for 817 yards and four touchdowns on 112 targets. The 24-year-old got off to a dominant start to the season, but his production tapered off down the stretch. From Week 12 onward, Warren recorded just one touchdown catch and failed to log more than 43 receiving yards in any game.
However, Warren's worst run of the season largely correlated with the health of Colts QB1 Daniel Jones, who suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in Week 14. Heading into 2026, Jones will be back under center for Indianapolis. The Colts also traded away veteran wideout Michael Pittman Jr. over the offseason, which could put Warren in position to be the team's clear number one target in its passing game.
Warren carries high-end TE1 potential for fantasy managers into 2026 and is a lineup lock in Week 1.
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz is one of the easier waiver-wire answers if you need help at tight end for Week 1. He caught a career-high 82 passes on 106 targets last season, and the Texans are already down two receivers before facing Buffalo. Jayden Higgins is out for the year after tearing his ACL, while Tank Dell will begin the season on injured reserve and cannot return until at least Week 5.
Houston did trade for Kayshon Boutte, and Nico Collins remains the clear top target. Still, Schultz does not need a huge role change to matter in PPR. He already saw 106 targets last year, and RotoBaller's current Week 1 waiver column has him rostered in only 43% of Yahoo leagues. The three touchdowns from 2025 are a reminder that the ceiling can be frustrating, especially in non-PPR formats.
If you drafted the position late and are already looking around, Schultz is an easy enough player to use Sunday.
Greg Dulcich, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins tight end Greg Dulcich is the lone veteran in the room after the team drafted Will Kacmarek and Seydou Traore in the 2026 NFL Draft and claimed rookie Justin Joly off waivers following his release from the Denver Broncos.
In breaking down the position group in a recent appearance on NFL Spotlight with Ari Meirov, Dolphins reporter Kyle Crabbs highlighted the early buzz already surrounding Kacmarek as one of the best blocking tight ends in the league, while pointing out that Dulcich should work as the primary pass-catcher of the group. With Miami profiling as a run-first offense, Kacmarek has the potential to lead the team in tight end snaps.
However, the prevalence of 12- and 13-personnel in today's NFL should still help Dulcich find the field regularly, and at RotoBaller's TE29, he has the chance to enter the streaming conversation early in the year as a reliable option in an offense looking for contributors outside of Pro Bowl running back De'Von Achane.
For now, Dulich profiles as a reliable TE2 in deeper PPR leagues.
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton might be a sneaky option for fantasy managers this weekend. Otton heads into a favorable road matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, who were one of the worst defenses this past season.
Otton might be asked to do more offensively than fantasy managers might think. The Bucs lost top wide receiver Mike Evans in free agency, and fellow wideout Jalen McMillan (knee) is doubtful for the season opener. Otton is entering his fifth season in Tampa Bay and has built good chemistry with quarterback Baker Mayfield. The 27-year-old has seen 80 or more targets over each of the last two seasons. Given the injuries and the matchup, Otton should offer high-end TE2 value for 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 - Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts Sr., Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Warren, Brenton Strange, Dalton Schultz, Chig Okonkwo, Greg Dulcich, Cade Otton. 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 Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts Sr., Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Warren, Brenton Strange, Dalton Schultz, Chig Okonkwo, Greg Dulcich, Cade Otton:
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