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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Quentin Johnston, Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, Brian Thomas Jr., Jordan Mason, Jameson Williams, Jordan Addison, Travis Etienne Jr., KC Concepcion.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Quentin Johnston, Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, Brian Thomas Jr., Jordan Mason, Jameson Williams, Jordan Addison, Travis Etienne Jr., and KC Concepcion. 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:
KC Concepcion, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken said on Friday that rookie first-round wide receiver KC Concepcion will get all the work as the team's punt returner in the Week 1 season opener on Sunday against the hosting Jacksonville Jaguars, according to Scott Petrak of The Chronicle Telegram. Monken added that the Browns will play their best players "in every scenario."
Cleveland's QB picture is not ideal for a rookie wideout coming into the league, but the 21-year-old Concepcion received plenty of training camp buzz this summer and could be the Browns' leading wideout when all is said and done in 2026. The 24th overall pick in April out of Texas A&M had 25 total touchdowns in his three collegiate seasons (first two years at North Carolina State) and added 919 receiving yards on 61 receptions in 13 games with the Aggies in 2025.
He is locked into a top-three role heading into Week 1 alongside fellow rookie Denzel Boston and Jerry Jeudy, and fantasy managers should consider him an upside WR4/flex option in his NFL debut this weekend.
Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison has a much better quarterback setup than he dealt with for most of 2025. Addison finished last season with career lows of 42 catches, 610 yards and three touchdowns on 79 targets while Minnesota cycled through J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer. The Vikings have settled things down this summer, naming Kyler Murray the starter on Aug. 11.
Addison was involved right away. He caught back-to-back corner routes from Murray during his first practice working exclusively with the starters, then moved the chains on an eight-yard catch from him in Minnesota's preseason opener. That's encouraging for a receiver who scored 19 touchdowns through his first two NFL seasons before dropping to three last year.
Justin Jefferson will still dominate targets, and Jauan Jennings and T.J. Hockenson give the offense other proven options, so Addison isn't walking into huge volume. After a down 2025, the steadier quarterback situation gives Addison a real shot to get back into the weekly WR3 mix. For Week 1, he holds mid-end WR3/FLEX value with some risk.
Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston quietly put together the best season of his career in 2025, and the setup around him looks even more interesting now. Johnston caught 51 passes for a career-high 735 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games while averaging 14.4 yards per catch, another career best. It was also his second straight season with eight scores.
Mike McDaniel takes over the offense this year and has been particularly bullish on Johnston, praising the growth he has already shown and the explosiveness he brings to the receiver room. Johnston should also get more chances to create after the catch, something he has openly said fits his game. The summer ended on a high note when he hauled in a 65-yard touchdown from Justin Herbert in the preseason finale.
Ladd McConkey remains the safer bet to lead Los Angeles in targets, and Tre' Harris will have a role, so Johnston may still have some uneven weeks. After improving again in 2025, though, there are more ways for him to produce in this offense than there were a year ago. Facing a struggling Arizona defense, Johnston possesses FLEX value with sneaky upside.
Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. is expected to split the backfield with Jordan Mason this season. Last season, Jones had 160 touches for 747 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games, while Mason had 173 touches for 809 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games. Mason has reportedly had a strong training camp, looks fast and explosive, and has a shot at the starting role in Minnesota.
With Kyler Murray under center and a favorable schedule for running backs, both players can produce, but Mason has more workhorse upside. Jones has also missed 11 games over the last three seasons, making him a riskier option. Both will limit each other's fantasy value in a committee, but Mason's strong training camp and career efficiency give him the best chance to eventually take over this backfield.
Mason should see enough volume to provide as a low-end FLEX play in deeper half-PPR formats 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 - Quentin Johnston, Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, Brian Thomas Jr., Jordan Mason, Jameson Williams, Jordan Addison, Travis Etienne Jr., KC Concepcion. 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 Quentin Johnston, Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, Brian Thomas Jr., Jordan Mason, Jameson Williams, Jordan Addison, Travis Etienne Jr., KC Concepcion:
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