Updated Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 1 (2026)

September 2, 2026

RotoBaller's updated fantasy football rankings for Week 1 of the 2026 season for all positions. Set winning fantasy lineups with our Week 1 rankings for fantasy football leagues.

Welcome RotoBallers! Week 1 is just a few days away, which means it's almost time to set our first fantasy football lineups for the 2026 season. Below, we will provide our updated Week 1 rankings for all positions.

Let's take a look at where players like Parker Washington, Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., MarShawn Lloyd, Ashton Jeanty, Tyler Allgeier, Bo Nix, and more sit in our rankings. Dive into the rankings below to find out.

Our RB fantasy football rankings for Week 1 are assembled by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will find a summary of this week's important RB fantasy football news. There are always critical injuries and updates to track, so check back until kickoff.

Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings

Rankings are updated until kickoff. Be sure to bookmark our weekly PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and Standard rankings.

Fantasy Football News, Outlooks

Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals 26-year-old running back Chase Brown finished the 2025 season as the RB8 and rushed for 1,019 yards (4.39 YPC) and six touchdowns, along with 88 targets, 69 receptions, 437 receiving yards, and five touchdowns through the air. Reports from camp have been glowing, as head coach Zac Taylor has put Brown at the center of unique offensive schemes, moving him out wide, in the slot, and utilizing him in pre-snap motion.

Additionally, camp reports highlight that Brown is looking explosive and has been making big plays throughout training camp. There's no question that Brown is going early in drafts this season; however, the added context of his versatility in the passing game only raises his ceiling, and with quarterback Joe Burrow healthy, Brown has the upside to finish as a top-10 running back for a second straight season.

RotoBaller ranks Brown as the RB9 heading into drafts, and he is in line for another massive season in a potent offense.

Jaxson Dart, New York Giants

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart feels "in command" for Week 1 despite going nearly a month without live game action, according to Patricia Traina of Sports Illustrated. Dart attempted four passes in the Giants' preseason opener Aug. 15, but then head coach John Harbaugh kept him sidelined for the final two preseason contests. As a result, nearly a month will separate his last live game action from the Giants' season opener Sept. 13.

While that long absence may raise some question marks, especially in a new offensive system, Harbaugh explained the decision was rooted in minimizing injury risk and the confidence he has in the quarterback's work ethic during practice. Dart himself added that he felt like he has been able to prepare for the regular season by playing against the Giants' starting defense in practice. "I feel so much better," Dart said. "I feel in command. I feel confident.

In this offense, there's a lot that's put on the quarterback's plate, but it's exactly how I want it. It's exactly how I viewed this coming together." All signs point to Dart making a Year 2 leap. He was the overall QB14 despite making just 12 starts last season, so he has legitimate top-eight fantasy upside in 2026 if he can stay healthy for the full year. As it stands, he has an ADP of 103, which makes him the 11th quarterback off the board.

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix will take the field next week with the best receiver room of his career. Headlined by Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton, Nix has never previously had a supporting cast this talented. As a result, he could be on track to post the best fantasy marks of his career if he can stay healthy for the full season. Waddle and Sutton both had 900+ yards last season, but there's plenty of talent lower on the depth chart, too. Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin combined for over 1,000 yards between the two of them.

Furthermore, we're expecting a bounce-back year from tight end Evan Engram, and the running back room should be highly effective with a mix of JK Dobbins, RJ Harvey, and even rookie Jonah Coleman. Nix has been the fantasy QB7 in each of his first two pro seasons, but we wouldn't be shocked to see him finish within the top five this year. With that in mind, he is an absolute steal in fantasy drafts right now.

He currently has an ADP of 113.4, which corresponds to the 10th round and makes him the 15th quarterback off the board.

Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren isn't the flashiest name in fantasy football, but he has become a reliable option for managers in half-PPR and full-PPR leagues. Warren is one of just four running backs with 500+ rushing yards and 300+ rushing yards in each of the last three seasons. The other players who fit that description are Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Breece Hall.

That's not a bad group to be associated with, and it's an indicator of both his versatile skill set and his ability to stay healthy. He has missed just three games over the last three years, and he should continue to carve out a sizable role this year despite the coaching shift from Mike Tomlin to Mike McCarthy. Furthermore, the Steelers did bring in Rico Dowdle, but he's more of a Kenny Gainwell replacement.

Dowdle shouldn't threaten Warren's role any more or less than Gainwell did last year. As quarterback Aaron Rodgers gets older and his checkdown rate goes up, Warren stands to benefit. He has been a top-22 fantasy running back in two of the last three seasons, and he should be a fringe RB2/RB3 once again this year.

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Week 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Kayshon Boutte, George Kittle, Alec Pierce, Aaron Jones Sr., Jake Ferguson, RJ Harvey, Hunter Henry, TreVeyon Henderson, Jalen Nailor, Brenton Strange, Tre Tucker, Rashid Shaheed, Devaughn Vele, Tyjae Spears, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Jalen McMillan, KC Concepcion, Chig Okonkwo, Adonai Mitchell, Dontayvion Wicks,, Rashod Bateman. 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, player 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 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 Kayshon Boutte, George Kittle, Alec Pierce, Aaron Jones Sr., Jake Ferguson, RJ Harvey, Hunter Henry, TreVeyon Henderson, Jalen Nailor, Brenton Strange, Tre Tucker, Rashid Shaheed, Devaughn Vele, Tyjae Spears, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Jalen McMillan, KC Concepcion, Chig Okonkwo, Adonai Mitchell, Dontayvion Wicks,, Rashod Bateman:

More Fantasy Football Analysis