Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Mark Andrews, Juwan Johnson, Sam LaPorta, Dalton Kincaid, Jake Ferguson, Isaiah Likely, Tucker Kraft, Dallas Goedert, Dalton Schultz.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Mark Andrews, Juwan Johnson, Sam LaPorta, Dalton Kincaid, Jake Ferguson, Isaiah Likely, Tucker Kraft, Dallas Goedert, and Dalton Schultz. 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:
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert is primed for another high-volume season in 2026. With the departure of star wide receiver A.J. Brown, the entire Eagles' receiving core is set for a larger target share in 2026. Goedert hauled in 60 of 82 targets for 591 yards and 11 touchdowns last season with Brown in the mix. He scored 10 of the 11 touchdowns in the red zone, including eight within the six-yard line.
The Eagles also have the easiest strength of schedule for tight ends next season, including a Week 1 matchup against the Washington Commanders, who allowed the fourth-most half-PPR fantasy points to tight ends last season. While he has flown under the radar for most of the fantasy draft process, Goedert should continue to produce low-end TE1 production in 2026.
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (knee) appeared to be running without any issues ahead of Thursday's practice, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports. Kraft continues to work his way back from a torn ACL that he suffered in November of last year.
He missed all of the preseason, but was able to take part during joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals last week. It seems that Kraft is trending in the right direction ahead of the Week 1 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. He appears to be moving well and could very well be ready to go in time for the first game of the season.
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson is coming off an impressive TE8 finish in PPR leagues, and he has the potential to finish among the top 12 once again this year as the Saints' offense continues to trend upward.
He was healthy for all 17 games last year, catching 77 of 102 targets for 889 yards and three touchdowns. The targets, catches, and yards all represent career-highs, and it was impressive to see him finish so high in fantasy scoring despite finding the end zone just three times. If he can replicate his volume stats and increase his touchdown total in 2026, he'll finish even higher. Fantasy managers should also feel encouraged that Johnson performed better with Tyler Shough as his quarterback (11.5 PPR points per game) than with Spencer Rattler (9.5 PPR points per game).
Shough is the starter for New Orleans, which bodes well for Johnson. Finally, there's a clear path to targets for Johnson in New Orleans. Not only does he face minimal competition at the tight end position, but he could also handle an increased target share with Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) opening the year on injured reserve.
With Tyson sidelined, Johnson projects to be Shough's second-favorite target behind Chris Olave. The 29-year-old tight end should be targeted on the waiver wire in all leagues.
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid has been amid a ton of training camp buzz throughout the offseason and appears set for a big role in this offense. In 12 games, Kincaid hauled in 39 of 49 targets for 571 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 8.8 half-PPR fantasy points per game last season. The upside is there, but some big factors that appear to be emerging heading into 2026 are holding back his fantasy value.
Kincaid has missed nine games over the last two seasons due to hamstring and knee injuries, but has looked healthy throughout camp. Snaps will be the major question, and with head coach Joe Brady in full control of the offense, Kincaid's snap count will be known in Week 1. Kincaid isn't a strong start at tight end for Week 1 against the Houston Texans, but is a high-upside option assuming he stays healthy and plays more snaps in 2026.
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 - Mark Andrews, Juwan Johnson, Sam LaPorta, Dalton Kincaid, Jake Ferguson, Isaiah Likely, Tucker Kraft, Dallas Goedert, Dalton Schultz. 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 Mark Andrews, Juwan Johnson, Sam LaPorta, Dalton Kincaid, Jake Ferguson, Isaiah Likely, Tucker Kraft, Dallas Goedert, Dalton Schultz:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
RADIO




