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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Kayshon Boutte, Derrick Henry, Ja'Kobi Lane, Denzel Boston, Jalen Nailor, Jerry Jeudy, Jalen McMillan, Keaton Mitchell, Justice Hill
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Kayshon Boutte, Derrick Henry, Ja'Kobi Lane, Denzel Boston, Jalen Nailor, Jerry Jeudy, Jalen McMillan, Keaton Mitchell, and Justice Hill. 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:
Kayshon Boutte, Houston Texans
Houston Texans wide receiver Kayshon Boutte is ready to play his first game for the Texans after joining them via trade from the New England Patriots this preseason. With Jayden Higgins (knee) out for the year, Boutte could emerge as the team's second option behind Nico Collins. Since he hasn't played with QB C.J. Stroud very long, though, it's hard to know exactly what his role will be in Week 1 against the Bills.
Last year for the Patriots, Boutte was a home-run threat who was a boom-or-bust play on his way to 551 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He could be in a similar role for the Texans, which makes him a high-risk play in Week 1, when he's ranked as the No. 58 WR in RotoBaller's rankings.
Ja'Kobi Lane, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens rookie wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane is poised to line up opposite Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman but he still could be very involved in the Week 1 game plan for the Ravens in their matchup against Indianapolis. He could see Colts' defensive backs Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward in matchups but the 6-foot-4, 200 pound rookie could be a matchup nightmare on the outside.
The targets might not be plentiful in Week 1 for Lane but look for him to make the most of his throws from Lamar Jackson. He could work as a nice change of pace threat with Derrick Henry running the ball and Flowers using his speed on deep routes. Lane has the tools to make plays in the NFL, but Week 1 will be the first chance many get to see his big-play ability. Look for a big play or two at least in his NFL debut.
Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry is the NFL's active leader in rushing yards (13,018), and he looks to expand his lead in the Ravens' season opener against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday afternoon. Interestingly, the Week 1 matchup featuring Henry (1,595 rushing yards in 2025) and Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (1,585) marks just the fourth game in NFL history to open the season with opposing rushers who each surpassed 1,500 yards the prior season, according to Next Gen stats.
Admittedly, Henry does not see much action in the receiving game, tallying just 15 receptions for 150 yards last year. However, the veteran running back averaged over 20 rushing attempts per game with a 5.2 yards-per-carry average in 2025. Last season, Henry had eight games with over 100 yards, scored a touchdown in nine games, and reached the end zone multiple times in four games while enjoying ample goal-line and red-zone opportunities throughout the season.
Even with the Ravens' offense going through significant off-season changes, Henry remains integral, and his running game is key to unlocking a new play-action style from quarterback Lamar Jackson. Derrick Henry is the unquestioned bell cow for the Ravens and is a locked-in RB1 starter for fantasy managers in every format this weekend.
Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that wide receiver Jalen McMillan (knee) is listed as doubtful for the Week 1 season opener on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. In addition to McMillan, third-string running back Sean Tucker (hamstring) is doubtful to play.
The 24-year-old McMillan had been a limited practice participant this week, but the Bucs apparently did not see enough progress to clear him for the regular-season opener this weekend. He missed extensive time in training camp and all of the preseason, potentially opening the door for impressive rookie wideout Ted Hurst III to take over the WR3 role from McMillan early on this year.
With McMillan unlikely to play against Cincy, Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr. will have higher fantasy ceilings, and Hurst will get his chance to make his mark early. McMillan, a third-rounder in 2024, found the end zone eight times as a rookie, but he played in only four games a year ago due to a serious neck injury he suffered in the preseason. Staying healthy has been an issue. He is rostered in only 14% of Yahoo 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 - Kayshon Boutte, Derrick Henry, Ja'Kobi Lane, Denzel Boston, Jalen Nailor, Jerry Jeudy, Jalen McMillan, Keaton Mitchell, Justice Hill. 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 Kayshon Boutte, Derrick Henry, Ja'Kobi Lane, Denzel Boston, Jalen Nailor, Jerry Jeudy, Jalen McMillan, Keaton Mitchell, Justice Hill:
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