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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Zay Flowers, Garrett Wilson, Jakobi Meyers, Rachaad White, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Chase Brown, Drake London, Tyjae Spears, Woody Marks.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Zay Flowers, Garrett Wilson, Jakobi Meyers, Rachaad White, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Chase Brown, Drake London, Tyjae Spears, and Woody Marks. 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:
Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 of the 2026 season. All the buzz around Brown this offseason has been about how the Bengals view him as an explosive playmaker and will be looking to get the ball in his hands as much as possible. These reports suggest that Brown could be in line for even more receiving work than he's had in recent years.
Brown finished the 2025 season as the RB7 in PPR formats and could build on that this season. The road to finishing as the RB1 this season could start in Week 1 against the Buccaneers in a game that could very well turn into a back-and-forth scoring affair.
The Bengals game has a 50.5-point over/under, making it the highest total of the week. Brown could score a ton of fantasy points in a great offensive environment. Brown is ranked RB5 in our RotoBaller Week 1 PPR rankings, making him a very strong start this Sunday.
Jakobi Meyers, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (thumb) did not have an injury designation on Friday and has been cleared to play in the Week 1 season opener this Sunday against the visiting Cleveland Browns. Meyers was limited in practice all week, but he will play this weekend and should be considered a WR4/flex option in fantasy football lineups.
The 29-year-old saw his fantasy stock fall this summer with both Parker Washington and Brian Thomas Jr. getting all the buzz in training camp practices. The 29-year-old was a midseason acquisition in 2025 and came over from the Las Vegas Raiders to help take head coach Liam Coen's offense to the next level. The former undrafted free agent from North Carolina State caught 42 of 61 targets for 483 yards and three touchdowns in his nine regular-season games with the Jags and had a 75-835-3 line overall.
Meyers is still an important part of Jacksonville's offense, but he is flying under the radar right now as he enters his first full year in Duvall. He is a low-end FLEX play in deeper 3-WR leagues in Week 1.
Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. has emerged as a last-minute riser in fantasy football ahead of the start of the 2026 NFL season. The narrative for several months has been that Bhayshul Tuten would lead the Jags' backfield, and while that still might be the case, it's worth noting that the team's official depth chart lists Tuten and Rodriguez as sharing the No. 1 role.
Perhaps we shouldn't be that surprised. After all, Tuten was the backup to Travis Etienne Jr. last year, so he hasn't handled a workhorse role yet. Additionally, there was plenty of buzz during the offseason that head coach Liam Coen expected big things from Rodriguez, whom he coached in college. The exact fantasy outlook for both of these backs remains a bit murky until we've seen how the backfield shakes out through the first game or two.
For now, we'd view Tuten as a fringe RB2/RB3 and Rodriguez as a fringe RB3/RB4. That's still enough to get Rodriguez on the fantasy radar in 10+ team leagues, and he's a potential Week 1 flex for managers in 14+ team leagues, especially against a Browns defense that is trending down.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears enters the season as No. 2 on the depth chart, but he still has the potential to carve out standalone value, especially in PPR leagues. The Titans have Tony Pollard set to handle early-down work and Nicholas Singleton at the bottom of the depth chart to offer a change of pace. However, Spears is a pass-catching specialist who should consistently work his way onto the field on passing downs.
Through 13 games last year, he tallied 283 rushing yards, 45 catches, 264 receiving yards, and two total touchdowns. He finished as the RB44 in PPR leagues, but if he had been healthy for the full season, he likely would've cracked the top 36.
Spears gets somewhat of a fresh start this year with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and he also opens the season with a softer matchup against the New York Jets. There's legitimate RB3/flex appeal here for managers in 10+ team PPR leagues
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 - Zay Flowers, Garrett Wilson, Jakobi Meyers, Rachaad White, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Chase Brown, Drake London, Tyjae Spears, Woody Marks. 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 Zay Flowers, Garrett Wilson, Jakobi Meyers, Rachaad White, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Chase Brown, Drake London, Tyjae Spears, Woody Marks:
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