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What's up RotoBallers. We've finally made it, the NFL and fantasy football seasons are right around the corner. To celebrate, today we are bringing you our Week 1 fantasy football rankings to help prepare you for your opening weekend matchups. Below you will find both PPR rankings and standard league rankings for Week 1, brought to you by Zach Wilkens (@LopsidedTrades) and Edward Gorelik (@EdwardGorelik).
Lead fantasy football columnist Zach Wilkens also highlights some rankings analysis for Week 1, broken out by position, and draws some matchup conclusions. He tells you who he likes, who he doesn't, and most importantly who he thinks you should be starting in Week 1. You can also check out our 2015 fantasy football ranking dashboard, for more in depth rankings analysis on all positions including rookies and dynasty leagues.
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Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings - All Positions
powered by FantasyPros
Week 1 Quarterback (QB) Rankings Analysis
By Zach Wilkins (@LopsidedTrades)
There aren’t too many quarterbacks I am far off from the consensus on. One QB that I am all-in on is Sam Bradford. His consensus rank is QB10, but I have him at QB5 against the lowly Falcons defense this week. This is one of the Eagles' best match-ups on paper all season, so I am expecting big things for Bradford and the Eagles.
Another guy I like is Cam Newton at QB7. His receivers may be lacking, but Cam himself is healthy. I expect him to run all over the Jaguars. The Jaguars defense is definitely improving but Cam should be able to do alright passing as well. That coupled with 5+ fantasy points he'll get from his legs should make him a solid QB1.
The one player I seem to like way more than the expert consensus is Andy Dalton. It’s no secret I like this offense, and they have a good matchup to start off the season. With A.J. Green, Marvin Jones, Tyler Eifert and Giovani Bernard all healthy, I expect Dalton to enter QB1 territory at QB10.
On the negative side, I’m not big on Ben Roethlisberger in Week 1. The losses of Martavis Bryant and especially Le’Veon Bell will be huge. His receivers aren’t bad (Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and Heath Miller should be the main targets) but without a strong run game I’m wary of Big Ben. I have him at QB15 this week.
One QB I’ll be very interested to watch is Tyrod Taylor. His receivers aren’t bad at all and he can run a lot. I have to think the Bills will be playing from behind early, so this will be a big test. I have him at QB23 but depending on how much he runs he could be a lot higher.
Week 1 Running Back (RB) Rankings Analysis
By Zach Wilkins (@LopsidedTrades)
These first few weeks are so much fun because we don’t always know what to expect--this is especially true at the running back position. For the most part in the rankings, things remain status quo at the top with Lacy, Peterson, Charles and Forte. Jeremy Hill does have the potential to achieve elite status this year, but his consensus rank as the RB3 surprises me this week. I have him a little lower at RB7 because I do think the Raiders defensive front is tougher than the secondary. Either way the Bengals should grab a lead and lean on Hill in the second half.
Chris Ivory is a guy I like a lot this week (and for the season). With Joe Haden in the secondary and Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm, expect the Jets to try and run a lot. The Browns allowed a ton of yardage to RBs last year and I do expect that to be the weakness of their defense once again. I have Ivory as RB14.
There are a number of intriguing rookie RBs set to see a good amount of action this week. The one I am highest on compared to the consensus is Tevin Coleman. The Eagles really struggled against the run last year, especially in the second half, allowing 10 rushing touchdowns to RBs over the final eight games. If that continues it will mean big things for Coleman, who was recently announced as the Falcons starter. T.J. Yeldon is another rookie starter, and he'll be going up against the Panthers. I like him but I’m tempering expectations against a stout run defense, even though the Panthers are missing Star Lotulelei. I have him and Coleman as low-end RB2s or decent flex options, but I prefer Coleman this week.
I am also high on rookie Dion Lewis at RB30. With no LeGarrette Blount (and Jonas Gray released) I expect Lewis to get most of the action. It’s far from a guarantee, but if you are in a deeper league or if you have injuries at the position, Lewis offers nice upside.
Week 1 Wide Receiver (WR) Rankings Analysis
By Zach Wilkins (@LopsidedTrades)
Probably the only mild surprise in my top ten WRs this week is Jordan Matthews. It makes sense given that I am so high on Sam Bradford. The Falcons defense should be very weak and Matthews will be the focus of the Eagles passing game.
I also really like Larry Fitzgerald this week at WR19. The dude can still play at a very high level, and averaged 80 yards per game with Carson Palmer last year. Look for that to continue this season. The Saints defense should be improved but I’m not really worried about Fitz at all.
I’ll be watching the Jets WR situation very closely, specifically Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall. I’m actually high on both at WR23 and WR24. One is likely to struggle against Joe Haden, but the other should see plenty of targets. I’m thinking that both will get their opportunities in this game.
A couple young guys I don’t like as much are Jarvis Landry and Amari Cooper. Landry is no longer the main focus of the passing game, with Greg Jennings, Kenny Stills and Jordan Cameron all vying for snaps. He can still be a PPR machine but I’m not sure I see a whole lot of improvement in his low YPR numbers from last year. I’m taking a wait and see approach with Amari Cooper, as I’m not exactly a big fan of Derek Carr and the Bengals have a solid secondary. Even for a player with such high expectations, it may take a few weeks for Cooper to get adjusted to full-speed NFL games.
I think Kendall Wright enters potential flex territory at WR33. He’s certainly a bit of an unknown with a new QB in Marcus Mariota, but I’ve always liked Wright and the Bucs don’t exactly have a good defense. At the very least I think Wright will be targeted heavily and have some nice PPR value.
Week 1 Tight End (TE) Rankings Analysis
By Zach Wilkins (@LopsidedTrades)
I am pretty high on Jordan Reed this week at TE10, as I believe he’s going to produce as long as he is healthy. He also has no competition at the position with Niles Paul out for the season. Due to injuries, Reed only had one full game with Cousins last year, but he saw 11 targets and ended with 92 receiving yards. It’s a small sample size, but it’s definitely promising.
I’m also a big believer in Richard Rodgers, and Week 1 will be a good test for him. He is expected to see a lot of snaps, and the Bears allowed the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends last year. Rodgers could emerge as a red zone favorite of Aaron Rodgers this year.
There aren’t any top tight ends that I am particularly low on, but I do have Larry Donnell five spots below his consensus rank (TE15). Donnell wasn’t relevant in the second half of last season, averaging just over 30 yards per game with one touchdown total. There are a lot of decent targets on this offense and Donnell is just one of many.
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Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
