Phinsider Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings

The regular season is finally upon us, and for many, that means the start of the fantasy football season has arrived. Each week, I’ll be giving an updated look at where the top players at each fantasy position stand, with matchups and injury concerns taken into account as well. For the sake of continuity, I’ll only be using standard scoring when constructing the rankings (though I prefer PPR myself), so take that into account when considering these rankings while setting your lineups.

Without further ado, here is your inaugural edition of The Phinsider’s Weekly Fantasy Football Rankings. Leave your comments and opinions below!

Quarterback

1. Aaron Rodgers - vs Seattle
2. Tom Brady - vs Kansas City
3. Matt Ryan - @ Chicago
4. Drew Brees - @ Minnesota
5. Ben Roethlisberger - @ Cleveland
6. Cam Newton - @ San Francisco
7. Russell Wilson - @ Green Bay
8. Marcus Mariota - vs Oakland
9. Kirk Cousins - vs Philadelphia
10. Tyrod Taylor - vs New York (Jets)
11. Sam Bradford - vs New Orleans
12. Derek Carr - @ Tennessee
13. Matthew Stafford - vs Arizona
14. Carson Palmer - @ Detroit
15. Phillip Rivers - @ Denver
16. Dak Prescott - vs New York (Giants)
17. Eli Manning - @ Dallas
18. Carson Wentz - @ Washington
19. Andy Dalton - vs Baltimore
20. Alex Smith - @ New England

There shouldn’t be too many surprises here. Rodgers and Brady are the top two fantasy quarterbacks just about every week, with Brees and Ryan close behind. Roethlisberger gets a boost playing in Cleveland, with Newton, Taylor, and Bradford also having favorable matchups. I’d stay away from Rivers and Dalton as they are playing two of the leagues toughest defenses.

Running Back

1. Le’Veon Bell - @ Cleveland
2. David Johnson - @ Detroit
3. LeSean McCoy - vs New York (Jets)
4. DeMarco Murray - vs Oakland
5. Ezekiel Elliot - vs New York (Giants)
6. Devonta Freeman - @ Chicago
7. Jordan Howard - vs Atlanta
8. Melvin Gordon - @ Denver
9. Dalvin Cook - vs New Orleans
10. Christian McCaffrey - @ San Francisco
11. Kareem Hunt - @ New England
12. Ty Montgomery - vs Seattle
13. Todd Gurley - vs Indianapolis
14. Lamar Miller - vs Jacksonville
15. Leonard Fournette - @ Houston
16. Carlos Hyde - vs Carolina
17. Marshawn Lynch - @ Tennessee
18. Isaiah Crowell - vs Pittsburgh
19. Joe Mixon - vs Baltimore
20. C.J. Andreson - vs Los Angeles (Chargers)

Bell and Johnson are hands down the top two running backs in fantasy football, but Bell gets the slight edge this week playing in Cleveland, where the Steelers are likely to gain an early lead, and thus run the ball through the second half. Jay Ajayi may not be playing this week due to the team’s postponed game against Tampa, but look for Miami to run quite a bit while helping Jay Cutler get comfortable in his first regular season outing with the Dolphins during week 2. Dalvin Cook should enjoy a nice outing against New Orleans’ porous defensive line, while rookie Leonard Fournette may have difficulty in his first regular season NFL game against Houston’s vaunted front seven.

Wide Receiver

1. Antonio Brown - @ Cleveland
2. Julio Jones - @ Chicago
3. Odell Beckham - @ Dallas
4. A.J. Green - vs Baltimore
5. Jordy Nelson - vs Seattle
6. Michael Thomas - @ Minnesota
7. Doug Baldwin - @ Green Bay
8. Brandin Cooks - vs Kansas City
9. Amari Cooper - @ Tennessee
10. Terrelle Pryor - vs Philadelphia
11. Dez Bryant - vs New York (Giants)
12. Kelvin Benjamin - vs San Francisco
13. DeAndre Hopkins - vs Jacksonville
14. Demaryius Thomas - vs Los Angeles (Chargers)
15. Larry Fitzgerald - @ Detroit
16. Martavis Bryant - @ Cleveland
17. Stefon Diggs - vs New Orleans
18. Alshon Jeffery - @ Washington
19. T.Y. Hilton - @ Los Angeles (Rams)
20. Tyreek Hill - @ New England

Brown is the consensus number one receiver this week due to his matchup in Cleveland, but Jones and Mike Evans will look to fight him for that spot throughout the season. Beckham has a juicy matchup himself against Dallas, but his ability to produce will be dependent on whether he is fully recovered from his preseason ankle injury. Other names to watch are T.Y. Hilton, who could struggle with Scott Tolzien tossing the ball, Stefon Diggs, who is going up against New Orleans’ perennially weak secondary, and Kelvin Benjamin, who has a favorable matchup against San Francisco.

Tight End

1. Rob Gronkowski - vs Kansas City
2. Travis Kelce - @ New England
3. Greg Olsen - @ San Francisco
4. Jimmy Graham - @ Green Bay
5. Jordan Reed - vs Philadelphia
6. Kyle Rudolph - vs New Orleans
7. Dalanie Walker - vs Oakland
8. Tyler Eifert - vs Baltimore
9. Zach Ertz - @ Washington
10. Martellus Bennett - vs Seattle
11. Jason Witten - vs New York (Giants)
12. Eric Ebron - vs Arizona
13. Coby Fleener - @ Minnesota
14. Austin Hooper - @ Chicago
15. Jared Cook - @ Tennessee
16. Charles Clay - vs New York (Jets)
17. Jack Doyle - @ Los Angeles (Rams)
18. C.J. Fiedorowicz - vs Jacksonville
19. Antonio Gates - @ Denver
20. Hunter Henry - @ Denver

The top five tight ends on this list are likely going to be the highest upside scorers throughout the season (provided they stay healthy). Rudolph, Walker, and Ertz all have the opportunity to surprise fans and fantasy owners this season, with Rudolph getting an especially good matchup against the lowly Saints’ defense this week.

Defense/Special Teams

1. Houston - vs Jacksonville
2. Denver - vs Los Angeles (Chargers)
3. New England - vs Kansas City
4. Carolina - @ San Francisco
5. Arizona - @ Detroit
6. Pittsburgh - @ Cleveland
7. Buffalo - vs New York (Jets)
8. Seattle - @ Green Bay
9. Minnesota - vs New Orleans
10. Kansas City - @ New England
11. New York (Giants) - @ Dallas
12. Baltimore - @ Cincinnati
13. Los Angeles (Rams) - vs Indianapolis
14. Jacksonville - @ Houston
15. Philadelphia - @ Washington
16. Cincinnati - vs Baltimore
17. Green Bay - vs Seattle
18. Los Angeles (Chargers) - @ Denver
19. Atlanta - @ Chicago
20. Indianapolis - @ Los Angeles (Rams)

If you’re not happy with the defense you drafted and you need an option for this week, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Jacksonville are all options that may be available on the waiver wire with favorable matchups. The Rams could also be a great defense to stream as well should Andrew Luck be out Week 1 with his shoulder injury.

Kicker

1. Stephen Gostkowski - vs Kansas City
2. Justin Tucker - @ Cincinnati
3. Dan Bailey - vs New York (Giants)
4. Mason Crosby - vs Seattle
5. Matt Bryant - @ Chicago
6. Chris Boswell - @ Cleveland
7. Adam Vinatieri - @ Los Angeles (Rams)
8. Stephen Hauschka - vs New York (Jets)
9. Sebastian Janikowski - @ Tennessee
10. Cairo Santos - @ New England
11. Will Lutz - @ Minnesota
12. Matt Prater - vs Arizona
13. Dustin Hopkins - vs Philadelphia
14. Brandon McManus - vs Los Angeles (Chargers)
15. Phil Dawson - @ Detroit
16. Blair Walsh - @ Green Bay
17. Kai Forbath - vs New Orleans
18. Ryan Succop - vs Oakland
19. Connor Barth - vs Atlanta
20. Aldrick Rosas - @ Dallas

Selecting your kicker is about finding the best combination of a talented player on a strong offense going up against a weak defense. The better off you are in each category, the better chance you have of getting meaningful points from the position.