X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Week 1 Rankings Analysis - Pierre Camus vs. Industry Consensus

If you've spent the last 24 hours crying your eyes out because you passed on Kareem Hunt, benched Mike Gillislee, or paid up for Gronk, you're not alone my friend. The obvious almost never happens in fantasy football, which of course is what makes it so exciting (and frustrating). I will admit I own no shares of Hunt, which made me a bit teary-eyed until I also realized I don't own Alex Smith and he won't do this every week either.

Weekly rankings are a lot easier to read and react to than they are to actually make. Without them, there would be no way of making those tough lineup decisions accurately, unless you count closing your eyes and throwing a dart at your computer screen "valid and reliable."

As an expert ranker for RotoBaller and FantasyPros, I'll put my own personal rankings out on the table for you here and show you how they stack up against the consensus of the other 100+ experts at FantasyPros. Rather than list every player in the league, you'll see the Top 10 per position, plus a few notable players that may have fallen in my rankings this week. All rankings come from standard scoring rules.

Editor's Note: Stay on top of your draft prep with RotoBaller’s fantasy football rankings, featuring expert analysis, ADPs, and draft insights for both PPR and non-PPR leagues.

 

Week 1 Quarterbacks - Rankings Analysis

Top 10, plus notable outliers (deviation from consensus)

1. Ben Roethlisberger (+7)
2. Tom Brady (-1)
3. Cam Newton (+4)
4. Russell Wilson (-1)
5. Aaron Rodgers (-3)
6. Derek Carr (+4)
7. Drew Brees (-1)
8. Matt Ryan (-4)
9. Marcus Mariota (-4)
10. Kirk Cousins (-1)
16. Brian Hoyer (+5)
20. Dak Prescott (-8)
21. Josh McCown (+9)

The first of many Steelers to top the list this week, Big Ben does his best work early in the season and against mediocre opponents. I'm not sure if Cleveland's defense can possibly be as bad as the Patriots were on Thursday, but it's doubtful they hold the Steelers to less than four touchdowns (the current betting line has them scoring 28.5 points). For the same reason, Cam Newton will get one of the highest rankings all season while facing the new-look 49ers defense. There is a new coach in town and a lot more young talent, but it will take a while to gel. No, I don't give a damn how good they looked in the preseason against scrubs. Newton's health is the only question. It still looks like he will play and should be started everywhere. Unless things are worse than they appear with his surgically repaired shoulder, I even like him better than Aaron Rodgers at home this week due to matchups. With Rawls and Prosise not 100%, the 'Hawks may lean on an actual healthy Russell Wilson to air it out against the Pack.

Brees could be due for a slight letdown this week. Not just because he's missing Willie Snead (for three weeks) and Brandin Cooks (forever), but Minnesota has a stout defense. Plus, my gut tells me they're going to make a point of emphasis on handing Adrian Peterson the ball, at least for this particular game. Don't worry, by Week 5 he'll be slinging it 40+ times a game once more. I think Carr gets the better of Mariota in the Titans-Raiders matchup, even though the Raiders are underdogs on the road. It's all about red zone play-calling and I still don't think Lynch gets the ball near the goal-line automatically like we assume.

Hoyer is the player I'm keeping an eye on the most. I'm ranking him conservatively this week because we haven't seen how he'll adapt to a whole new set of receivers, but I wouldn't be shocked if he was a top-10 fantasy QB this week. Josh McCown doesn't have to put up a big game to outplay his current ranking, but he just might.

 

Week 1 Running Backs - Rankings Analysis

Top 10, plus notable outliers (deviation from consensus)

1. Le'Veon Bell (+0)
2. David Johnson (+0)
3. LeSean McCoy (+0)
4. Todd Gurley (+3)
5. Ezekiel Elliott (-2)
6. Jordan Howard (+2)
7. Devonta Freeman (-2)
8. DeMarco Murray (-2)
9. Melvin Gordon (+0)
10. Dalvin Cook (+0)
12. Rob Kelley (+13)
14. Christian McCaffrey (+2)
17. Bilal Powell (+3)
23. Kareem Hunt (-5)
24. Adrian Peterson (+6)

Nothing seismic in the Top 10, as my rankings are extremely consistent with the expert consensus, to the point where I'm almost tempted to change it for the sake of being contrarian 🙂 The bump on Gurley and Howard reflect my opinion of them for season-long value, but Gurley definitely needs to show and prove this week against a hurting Colts team. After taking him out, then putting him back in at the last minute, I wasn't eager to put Zeke at the top of my rankings. The Cowboys may try to make the most of him now that they've gotten him back, supposedly for the rest of the season, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll produce the best numbers. The Giants had the third-best rush defense last year, allowing 3.6 yards per carry.

While I'm not willing to put them ahead of verifiable workhorse backs in Week 1, players like McCaffrey, Powell, and Peterson are ones I'm targeting first in tournament plays. C-Mac might play a bigger part in the offense than people expect, and he goes up against the 49ers' historically bad run defense of a year ago (they can't be THAT much better). Powell looked strong in the preseason and should get a big workload against the hapless Bills. Peterson, as mentioned above, is more of a gut call, which is why I wouldn't necessarily rush to replace your normal starter with him in standard leagues. Think flex play in deep leagues. As far as Rob Kelley, I don't know why people seem to forget or don't believe that he is still the lead back in Washington in a non-committee. He is a high-end RB2 at the very least. I won't elaborate on Hunt except to say that Charcandrick West basically walked into the end zone at one point and Alex Smith had the best game of his career. I'm not putting him in my top 10 next week automatically.

 

Week 1 Wide Receivers - Rankings Analysis

Top 10, plus notable outliers (deviation from consensus)

1. Antonio Brown (+0)
2. Julio Jones (+0)
3. Odell Beckham Jr. (+1)
4. A.J. Green (-1)
5. Michael Thomas (+3)
6. Amari Cooper (+0)
7. Jordy Nelson (+0)
8. Brandin Cooks (+1)
9. Doug Baldwin (-4)
10. Sammy Watkins (+10)
12. Keenan Allen (+14)
15. Dez Bryant (-5)
19. Tyreek Hill (+4)
20. TY Hilton (+1)
26. Martavis Bryant (-8)

One of these things is not like the other... My first nine WR fall right in line with everyone else. And then there's Sammy Watkins. This is definitely a boom-bust play, but a mediocre Colts defense without Vontae Davis is a recipe for success when it comes to the Rams receivers. Watkins is the type of player that just needs one big play to make your week, a la Tyreek Hill on Thursday. His 16.1 yards per reception verifies this.

Apparently, everyone is frightened that Denver's secondary will clamp down on Keenan Allen. While his yardage totals aren't good against the Broncos, he has scored three TD in four games against them. I really want to rank Hilton lower, but he also has enough big play ability that he can't be dismissed outright, no matter who is at QB. The hype of Martavis Bryant has got to slow down. While I've already stated how great this matchup is, I want to see him on the field for the first time in over a year before making him my WR2.

 

Week 1 Tight Ends - Rankings Analysis

Top 10, plus notable outliers (deviation from consensus)

1. Rob Gronkowski (+0)
2. Greg Olsen (+0)
3. Kyle Rudolph (+4)
4. Jimmy Graham (+0)
5. Travis Kelce (-2)
6. Tyler Eifert (+3)
7. Jordan Reed (-2)
8. Zach Ertz (+0)
9. Delanie Walker (-3)
10. Martellus Bennett (+0)
17. Zach Miller (+5)
18. Evan Engram (+3)
19. Jason Witten (-8)

Eifert would be higher for me if he were entering the season 100% healthy. Speaking of, Jordan Reed won't ever be 100% but the ceiling is too high to ignore when he's on the field. Zach Miller won't be in too many starting lineups this week, but he also could benefit from the lack of competition in the receiving corps. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if he challenged Kendall Wright for the receptions lead in Chicago by year's end. As far as Engram, he made a late surge in my rankings when I realized how poor the Cowboys were against the TE last season. I might not start him in re-draft, but he's worth a shot if you're making multiple DFS tournament lineups. Witten won't need to see a bunch of targets now that Zeke is back. Sure, there may be some ageism at play here, but keep in mind that Witten has scored 11 TD in the last three seasons combined.

 

More Week 1 Lineup Prep


Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Yordan Alvarez

Resumes Swinging -- Return Imminent?
Jake Burger

to Miss an Additional 2-3 Weeks
TreVeyon Henderson

Signs Rookie Contract
Christian Watson

Goes on PUP List
Austin Riley

Hopes to be Activated Next Week
Ketel Marte

Lands on Restricted List After Burglary
Ricky Pearsall

Heads to PUP List
Brandon Aiyuk

Placed on PUP List
Luther Burden III

Signs Rookie Deal
Washington Nationals

Eli Willits Expected to Sign Contract on Saturday
Grayson Rodriguez

Being Shut Down Again - Will We See Him Again This Year?
Ezequiel Tovar

Activated and Back in Lineup on Friday
Max Fried

"Hopeful" to Pitch Next Week - Looks Like He'll Avoid IL Stint
Steven Kwan

Receives Injection in Wrist, Considered Day-to-Day
CJ Abrams

Back to Start Second Half
Alec Bohm

Back From Rib Injury on Friday
Trey Hendrickson

Holdout to Spill into Regular Season?
Jalen McMillan

Bucs Offensive Coordinator Not Forgetting About Jalen McMillan
Levi Onwuzurike

to Miss at Least Four Games
Nick Emmanwori

Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori Reach Agreement on Rookie Deal
Max Holloway

Set For Main Event
Brandon Lowe

Back From 10-Day Injured List
Dustin Poirier

Set For His Final UFC Fight
Roman Kopylov

Set For Co-Main Event
Paulo Costa

Returns At UFC 318
Luis L. Ortiz

to Remain on Leave for Another Month - Will he Pitch Again?
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks For Third Win In A Row
Kevin Holland

Set For His Fourth Fight This Year
Dan Ige

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Patricio Freire Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Zellhuber

Set To Open Up UFC 318 Main Card
Michael Johnson

Looks For Third Consecutive Win
Elijah Arroyo

Signs Rookie Deal
Jaydon Blue

Described as "Borderline Lazy"
T.J. Sanders

Bills Sign T.J. Sanders to Rookie Deal
Christian Wilkins

Raiders Put Christian Wilkins on PUP List
Jabari Small

Lions Add Jabari Small to Backfield
Quinshon Judkins

Remains Unsigned, Won't Report With Rest of Rookies
Mason Taylor

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Jets
Hendon Hooker

Leading Lions QB2 Battle Entering Training Camp
Ozzy Trapilo

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Bears
Tate Ratledge

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Lions
Jack Bech

Signs Rookie Contract with Raiders
Yegor Chinakhov

Requests Trade
Dakota Joshua

Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua
Lukas Dostal

Signs Five-Year Extension with Ducks
Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Damian Lillard

Returning to Portland
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF