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Who Should I Start for Week 1? Fantasy Football outlooks for Rashee Rice, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Omarion Hampton, Nico Collins, Chris Olave, James Cook III, Malik Washington, Chris Brooks, Caleb Douglas.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Rashee Rice, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Omarion Hampton, Nico Collins, Chris Olave, James Cook, Malik Washington, Chris Brooks, and Caleb Douglas. 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:
Caleb Douglas, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Caleb Douglas had an impressive training camp and will likely step directly into a large role against the Raiders in his NFL debut in Week 1. The Dolphins drafted Douglas in the third round out of Texas Tech, and since he's a tall, perimeter receiver with big hands and long arms, he could become a favorite target for new QB Malik Willis.
The Miami offense is expected to be very run-heavy, though, so it is unclear exactly how much receiving work will be available for any of the Dolphins' receiving corps. In RotoBaller's Week 1 rankings, Douglas is the highest-rated of all the Dolphins WRs, but he still checks in as the No. 66 WR, meaning he is well outside the starting tier in most standard-sized leagues.
Douglas is an unproven option in an unknown offense, but his long-term upside still makes him worth watching closely as a potential emerging option as the season goes on. He's a solid stash going into the season even though he's only a desperation Week 1 starter.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) is off the injury report and set to play in the season opener versus the Philadelphia Eagles. The second-year back looks primed to be the team's primary runner, with the expectation of working more into the pass game. The coaching staff wanted to see improvement in Croskey-Merritt's receiving and pass protection, and training camp reviews were largely positive in both areas.
After rushing for 805 yards and 8 touchdowns on limited touches last season, Croskey-Merritt has an opportunity to take another step in Washington's offense alongside a fully healthy Jayden Daniels. Free-agent signing Rachaad White is expected to play an impactful role as well thanks to his receiving skills, though he is not nearly as efficient or explosive a rusher as Croskey-Merritt.
The 25-year-old faces a stiff test in Week 1 against a stout Eagles front seven, though he still offers FLEX value with guaranteed touches and touchdown upside.
Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington is his team's most proven option at wide receiver coming into the season, which will be the team's first year under new head coach Jeff Hafley and QB Malik Willis.
The offense is expected to be very run-heavy, which could leave limited receiving production for anyone in the offense. Washington will be joined by rookies Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell, along with veteran Jalen Tolbert as the team's top receivers. Washington is coming off 46 catches for 317 receiving yards and three scores in addition to 110 rushing yards and another score last season.
With Jaylen Waddle out of the picture, he could end up as the team's top receiver this season, but with a new QB and offense, his role is still very uncertain. He's RotoBaller's No. 71 WR in Week 1 despite a favorable matchup against the Raiders, so he's best left on the bench until his workload is clearer.
Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins is lined up for a heavy workload in Week 1, and he's a great option to get in fantasy lineups against the Buffalo Bills. Collins has posted three straight seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards, even though he has missed games each year. Last season, he racked up 1,117 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season as C.J. Stroud's top target.
This year, Houston lost its second receiver, Jayden Higgins (knee), for the season to a preseason injury, and that could leave even more targets and opportunities for Collins. Stroud will be looking to bounce back after the rough end to last season, and if he's effective, he'll lean heavily on Collins. Against the Bills, Collins is a low-end WR1, checking in as RotoBaller's No. 7 WR in the PPR rankings for 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 - Rashee Rice, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Omarion Hampton, Nico Collins, Chris Olave, James Cook III, Malik Washington, Chris Brooks, Caleb Douglas. 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 Rashee Rice, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Omarion Hampton, Nico Collins, Chris Olave, James Cook III, Malik Washington, Chris Brooks, Caleb Douglas:
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