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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for J.K. Dobbins, Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, RJ Harvey, Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy, Bo Nix, Patrick Mahomes, Kenneth Walker III.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 MNF fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like J.K. Dobbins, Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, RJ Harvey, Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy, Bo Nix, Patrick Mahomes, and Kenneth Walker III. 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.
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Fantasy Football Matchup 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 for Week 1 MNF:
RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey will open the regular season in Kansas City on Monday Night Football. The 25-year-old is expected to specialize as the pass-catching running back in a crowded room after the team brought back J.K. Dobbins and drafted Jonah Coleman in the fourth round. Harvey finished his rookie season as the RB20 in PPR scoring and touchdown-reliant down the stretch.
He is RotoBaller's PPR RB44 entering Week 1 with a semi-difficult matchup. The Chiefs' defense allowed the 10th fewest rushing yards and the 12th fewest rushing touchdowns last season. However, the Chiefs did struggle against pass-catching running backs last year, and the secondary took a major talent hit this offseason with the departure of their top three cornerbacks. Harvey should be viewed as a low-end flex option heading into Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.
Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will have to face the Denver Broncos on Monday night in Week 1. It will not be a soft landing for the soon-to-be 37-year-old tight end. Kelce will have to face off against arguably the best defensive unit in football to start the 2026 season. It also remains to be seen how involved Kelce will be in the offense given his age and the addition of Kenneth Walker to the backfield.
The entire Kansas City offensive game plan could shift toward a more run-heavy approach given the talent they recently acquired. The passing game will also run through Rashee Rice as the primary receiver with Kelce taking a backseat. That said, Kelce is just 45 receiving yards away from passing Jason Witten for the 2nd most receiving yards for a tight end in NFL history.
Kelce is ranked TE9 in our RotoBaller Week 1 PPR rankings, making him a low-end TE1 option. Fantasy managers who decided to wait on TE can plug Kelce into their lineups despite the tough matchup.
Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy was listed on the injury report with a shoulder injury but has since been removed after practicing fully all week. Worthy should operate as the WR2 for the Chiefs, behind Rashee Rice in the pecking order. Worthy could be in line for a sneaky good season if the Kansas City offense is able to bounce back. The addition of Kenneth Walker to the backfield could open up things downfield for Worthy to succeed.
Defenses will not be able to focus solely on stopping the pass now that the Chiefs have a real threat at running back. Despite being set up to succeed, Worthy could have a hard time producing against the Broncos defense on Monday night.
Injuries on the Kansas City offensive line could also make things difficult for Worthy. If Patrick Mahomes does not have time to let plays develop downfield, the passing game may have to focus on the short and intermediate parts of the field where Walker, Rice, and Travis Kelce operate.
Worthy is ranked WR53 in our RotoBaller Week 1 PPR rankings, making him a dart throw option in deep leagues given the tough matchup and his shaky role in the offense. Fantasy managers may be better off taking a wait-and-see approach with Worthy in Week 1.
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Waddle kicks off the next chapter of his career on Monday against the Kansas City Chiefs. After five years with the Miami Dolphins, Waddle was traded to the Broncos this offseason. He'll immediately step in as the team's top receiver, and he should benefit from a quarterback upgrade, as he will now get to catch passes from Bo Nix instead of Tua Tagovailoa.
Playing with Nix should boost Waddle's ceiling and floor in fantasy football. He was a top-13 fantasy receiver in each of his first two seasons, but he dropped to WR24 or lower in each of the last three years. Part of that was due to poor quarterback play, but Waddle's own injury issues can also be to blame. He'll now get a fresh start as he kicks off the 2026 season in an immediate statement matchup against the Chiefs. L'Jarius Sneed is the top cornerback in Kansas City's secondary, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll cover Waddle all game.
The Broncos also have a very physical receiver in Courtland Sutton, who Sneed may be better equipped to cover. We wouldn't be surprised to see the Chiefs rotate between Sneed, Mansoor Delane, and Nohl Williams covering Waddle. Delane is a rookie and Williams is a first-time starter, so there's an opportunity for Waddle to feast if he's indeed not going up against Sneed all game long.
We're confident in Waddle as a WR2, especially in a game that is projected to be close, which means that both teams will be throwing the ball often.
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins will open the regular season in Kansas City on Monday Night Football. The 27-year-old was the RB18 overall in PPR formats before suffering a Lisfranc foot injury to end his 2025 season. This year, Dobbins will attempt to hold off fourth-round rookie Jonah Coleman as the lead back on early downs.
Coleman is expected to be Dobbins' backup but has already become a fantasy favorite within the community. Dobbins is RotoBaller's PPR RB25 against a Chiefs defense that saw multiple key players leave the team in free agency. However, they allowed the 10th fewest rushing yards and the 12th fewest rushing touchdowns last season. Dobbins should be viewed as a low-end RB2 and could sneak into the top 20 scoring running backs if he can find the end zone in Week 1.
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 1 MNF Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - J.K. Dobbins, Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, RJ Harvey, Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy, Bo Nix, Patrick Mahomes, Kenneth Walker III. 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 MNF for J.K. Dobbins, Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, RJ Harvey, Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy, Bo Nix, Patrick Mahomes, Kenneth Walker III:
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