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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Christian Watson, Luther Burden III, David Montgomery, Jaylen Warren, Jaylen Waddle, Tyler Allgeier, Kenny Gainwell, Michael Wilson.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Christian Watson, Luther Burden III, David Montgomery, Jaylen Warren, Jaylen Waddle, Tyler Allgeier, Kenny Gainwell, and Michael Wilson. 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:
Kenny Gainwell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs called new running back Kenny Gainwell "a freak of nature," according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Wirfs also called RB Bucky Irving "a joystick" because of how elusive he can be. Wirfs is very excited about the 1-2 punch that the Bucs have in the running game this year in new coordinator Zac Robinson's scheme.
Even in a new offense in 2026, the 27-year-old Gainwell was a popular mid-round target in point-per-reception leagues this year after he caught an eye-opening 73 passes on 85 targets for 486 yards and three touchdowns in 17 regular-season games last year in his lone season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Gainwell also had a career-high 114 rushing attempts for 537 yards and a career-high-tying five rushing touchdowns.
While fantasy managers should not necessarily expect Gainwell to match his passing-game production from 2025, he should at least be a strong weekly RB3/flex option for his pass-catching prowess, and he could be busy right away in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals in a game that could force the Bucs to pass more than they would like.
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren is no stranger to competition, having spent his first three seasons in a backfield split with Najee Harris before sharing a room with Kenny Gainwell in 2025. Following Gainwell's departure, the Steelers added veteran Rico Dowdle, who has topped 1,000 rushing yards at each of his last two stops, but heading into Week 1, Warren is listed as the RB1 on the team's unofficial depth chart and could see a significant workload against an undermanned Falcons defense.
Warren and Dowdle are similarly well-rounded backs who could be used interchangeably throughout the season, and should both find fantasy viability in the right matchups. Against the Falcons, the Steelers are favored at home, presenting Warren with an opportunity to forge a strong start to his 2026 season.
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson should benefit from a new-look offensive game plan this season. With Josh Jacobs (personal) on the commissioner's exempt list and sidelined indefinitely, we expect the Packers to adopt a more pass-heavy approach on offense. Out of all the Packers' wide receivers, Christian Watson should benefit the most, given his existing role atop the depth chart.
Last year, despite playing in an offense that ran through Jacobs, Watson managed to catch 35 passes for 611 yards and six touchdowns across just 10 games. He averaged 13.2 full-PPR points per game, and he ranked as the overall WR12 from Weeks 8-17. Staying healthy and on the field will be the biggest factor for Watson, but assuming he clears that hurdle, he has top-15 upside at the wide receiver position.
Watson holds must-start FLEX upside in Week 1 facing the Minnesota Vikings.
Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III (groin) was one of the most talked-about players in the early stages of training camp, seemingly making a highlight play every time he took the field. A groin injury suffered in early August caused him to miss a significant portion of camp, but by most accounts he has looked like the same explosive player since returning to practice more than a week ago, and all indications point to a full workload in the Bears' season opener against the Panthers on Sunday.
Following the departure of veteran DJ Moore, Burden will compete with Rome Odunze and tight end Colston Loveland to see the most targets in what profiles as a high-ceiling Chicago offense, and after dominating on a per-route basis late in his rookie season, the second-year wideout with WR1 upside could see a hot start to the 2026 season. He is a must-start as a high-end WR3/low-end WR2 facing the Panthers.
Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals reached an agreement on Wednesday with standout wide receiver Michael Wilson on a three-year extension that keeps him in Arizona through the 2029 season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Financial terms of the extension were not disclosed by Schefter.
Wilson is expected to sign the deal on Thursday. The 26-year-old earned a new deal after setting career highs across the board in his third NFL season in 2025 in catches (78), targets (126), receiving yards (1,006), and touchdowns (seven) in 17 games played for the Cardinals. The former third-rounder in 2023 from Stanford took advantage of Arizona's pass-happy offense under former coordinator Drew Petzing, and he also benefited from Marvin Harrison Jr. missing time due to various injuries.
But Wilson proved last year that he can thrive in a bigger role in the Cardinals' passing attack, and he developed valuable chemistry with veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who is still around. The offense should be more balanced under new head coach Mike LaFleur, but even with some regression baked into his profile, Wilson is an attractive FLEX play 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 - Christian Watson, Luther Burden III, David Montgomery, Jaylen Warren, Jaylen Waddle, Tyler Allgeier, Kenny Gainwell, Michael Wilson. 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 Christian Watson, Luther Burden III, David Montgomery, Jaylen Warren, Jaylen Waddle, Tyler Allgeier, Kenny Gainwell, Michael Wilson:
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