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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for MarShawn Lloyd, Bhayshul Tuten, Rico Dowdle, J.K. Dobbins, Carnell Tate, Chuba Hubbard, Rome Odunze, Bucky Irving, Jalen Coker, Malik Nabers.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like MarShawn Lloyd, Bhayshul Tuten, Rico Dowdle, J.K. Dobbins, Carnell Tate, Chuba Hubbard, Rome Odunze, Bucky Irving, Jalen Coker, and Malik Nabers. 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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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:
MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd is ready to step into the lead-back role for Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings, despite playing just one game over the last two seasons. Injuries have kept Lloyd sidelined for all but one game throughout his NFL career.
However, the Packers are optimistic he'll be able to fill the void left by Josh Jacobs, who was recently placed on the commissioner's exempt list. "[Lloyd is as] ready as he's ever been since he's been here," general manager Brian Gutekunst told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. "He looks good. He's handling all the physicality, the things that he needs to as a running back."
Head coach Matt Lafleur has echoed Gutekunst's optimistic tone, but he also declined to pencil Lloyd into a specific workload. Given that Lloyd has just seven touches as a pro, it's unlikely that he'll occupy an every-down role. In all likelihood, Kaleb Johnson and Chris Brooks will earn some touches. With that being said, if there's a Green Bay running back to roster, it's Lloyd.
He projects as a fringe RB2/RB3 this week and for the duration of Jacobs' absence.
Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars
On the Jacksonville Jaguars' unofficial depth chart heading into Week 1 of the 2026 regular season this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, running backs Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. are listed as co-starters at the RB position.
Tuten, a second-year back who had 307 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns in his rookie campaign last year, is expected to see most of the early-down rushing opportunities for the Jaguars this year, and he has the most fantasy football upside because of his explosive big-play abilities out of the backfield. However, Rodriguez's presence as a pass-catching and goal-line option for head coach Liam Coen's offense will certainly lower Tuten's overall ceiling in Year 2 in Duvall.
Fantasy managers should keep in mind that pass-catching specialist LeQuint Allen Jr. (undisclosed) is trending towards missing the season opener, which could give C-Rod more work as a receiver out of the backfield. Going into the Week 1 matchup against Cleveland, Tuten is the preferred fantasy option as a low-end RB2/high-end RB3/flex, while Rodriguez will be more of a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex option in PPR formats.
Malik Nabers, New York Giants
When asked about the possibility of playing on a pitch count on Sunday night in the Week 1 season opener against the division-rival Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee) said, "It's my career, and it's my body.
If a pitch count is in the conversation, then I would lead that conversation. That decision would be on me," per SNY Giants. The 23-year-old former sixth overall pick from LSU suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in Week 4 of last year, but he avoided the Physically Unable to Perform list to begin training camp and has put in two full practices so far this week, leading us to believe that he will be active on Sunday night without any real playing-time restrictions.
Fantasy managers playing it safe may want to consider Nabers more of a low-end WR2 than an upside WR1 candidate to begin the year, but if you drafted him, you should be starting him this weekend in a marquee matchup in primetime. The Louisiana native showed his high-end WR1 upside as a rookie, catching 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven scores in 15 games.
Rico Dowdle, Pittsburgh Steelers
Running back Rico Dowdle is listed as the No. 2 RB on the Pittsburgh Steelers' unofficial depth chart ahead of the team's Week 1 season opener against the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday, Sept. 13, according to PGH Steelers Now's Alan Saunders.
Fantasy managers should not read too much into this, as Dowdle is fully expected to be head coach Mike McCarthy's preferred option out of the backfield on early downs in 2026, and if he stays healthy, the 28-year-old could have a path to a third straight 1,000-rushing season with his third different team in the last three years. Jaylen Warren is likely listed as the RB1 on the depth chart because he is the incumbent of Pittsburgh's backfield.
Dowdle handled a career-high 236 carries for 1,076 yards and a career-high six rushing touchdowns in 17 regular-season games in 2025 with the Carolina Panthers, adding 39 receptions for 297 yards and an additional score through the air. As the Steelers' preferred early-down option, Dowdle will have more fantasy value in standard-scoring leagues as an RB3/flex going into the Week 1 tilt this Sunday against Atlanta.
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 - MarShawn Lloyd, Bhayshul Tuten, Rico Dowdle, J.K. Dobbins, Carnell Tate, Chuba Hubbard, Rome Odunze, Bucky Irving, Jalen Coker, Malik Nabers. 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 MarShawn Lloyd, Bhayshul Tuten, Rico Dowdle, J.K. Dobbins, Carnell Tate, Chuba Hubbard, Rome Odunze, Bucky Irving, Jalen Coker, Malik Nabers:
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