Fantasy Football Week 1: Opening Rankings, Projections, Early Waiver-Wire Tips
Week 1 has officially arrived, NFL fans! The Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions will kick things off on Thursday night, and all 32 teams will soon be back in action.
For fantasy managers, this marks a shift in focus from drafting to roster management. If you haven't constructed your roster already, you'll be doing so soon.
Managers who have drafted well will have multiple options in Week 1, and perhaps a few tough decisions to make. We're here to help with our early point-per-reception (PPR) rankings for the top fantasy positions.
Those who didn't fare so well on draft day may soon be scouring the waiver wire for additional options. For those managers, we'll dive into a few tips for how to approach the wire ahead of the regular season.
You'll also find a few projections for this week's best matchups and expected top performers.
Week 1 PPR Rankings
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Quarterback
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
2. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
4. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
5. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
6. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
7. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
8. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
9. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
10. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
11. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
12. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Running Back
1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
2. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
3. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
4. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
5. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
6. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
7. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
8. Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
9. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
10. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
11. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
12. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
13. Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
14. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
15. Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
16. J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens
17. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
18. Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans
19. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers
20. Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
Wide Receiver
1. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
2. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
4. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
5. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
6. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
7. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
8. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
9. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
10. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
11. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
12. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
13. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
14. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
15. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
16. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
17. D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears
18. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
19. Calvin Ridley, Jacksonville Jaguars
20. Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
Tight End
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
2. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
3. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
4. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
5. Darren Waller, New York Giants
6. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
7. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
8. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
9. Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
10. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
11. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
12. Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks
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Despite being a Pro Bowler in 2022, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith probably didn't go highly in your fantasy draft. He's largely viewed as a mid-level streamer, but weeks like this one are where Smith can shine.
The Seahawks open their slate against the rival Los Angeles Rams. In two games against L.A. last season, Smith threw for 580 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.
Those are solid numbers, but Smith should be much better in the next installment of this rivalry. After parting with veterans like Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, Leonard Floyd and cornerback David Long Jr. in the offseason, the Rams defense could be very, very bad.
Smith may not be a smart play every single week in 2023, but he should carry big expectations for Week 1.
Stat Projection: 359 passing yards, 2 TDs, 22 rushing yards
Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White is another player who probably wasn't highly drafted but who is worth a start in Week 1.
The Bucs are likely to ride White and the ground game as they ease new starting quarterback Baker Mayfield into Dave Canales' offense. White, who had 50 receptions in 2022, is also likely to be a fixture in the passing game.
It's a favorable matchup too, as the Minnesota Vikings allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs last season, according to FantasyPros. New defensive coordinator Brian Flores may help the Vikings schematically, but the offseason departures of veterans like Dalvin Tomlinson, Za'Darius Smith and Eric Kendricks are problematic for Minnesota.
White is a top-15 RB this week, and if he's involved enough as a receiver, he could potentially crack the top 10 in PPR formats.
Stat Projection: 69 rushing yards, 1 TD, 6 receptions, 55 receiving yards
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Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
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No team allowed more fantasy points to opposing receivers in 2022 than the Tennessee Titans, according to FantasyPros.
While it's always smart to take prior fantasy rankings with a grain of salt, the reality is that Tennessee did shockingly little to address its pass defense this offseason—the Titans didn't use a single draft pick on that side of the ball.
At the same time, Tennessee has been extremely stout against the run, which will likely force the New Orleans Saints into a pass-heavy game plan for Week 1.
This should mean a lot of opportunities for budding Saints star Chris Olave, who racked up 72 catches for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games last season. With Derek Carr giving the Saints a steadier presence at quarterback, Olave may kick off a breakout campaign on Sunday.
Stat Projection: 6 receptions, 103 receiving yards, 1 TD
Waiver Wire Tips
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Managers don't often dive into the waiver wire before meaningful games are played. However, there's value in at least scouting the free agent pool ahead of Week 1.
Knowing who is available can help you determine which bench players to track over the first couple of weeks. If, for example, Vikings running back Ty Chandler has a surprisingly large workload behind Alexander Mattison in Week 1, that fifth RB who barely saw the field could be worth dumping.
Now is also a great time to check and see if any promising rookies slipped through the draft cracks. Indianapolis Colts' dual-threat quarterback Anthony Richardson, for example, may still be available.
If Richardson goes off in his debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars, you can bet that he'll be the focus of early waiver claims. Adding Richardson now could save you the hassle of a waiver claim entirely.
Rookies almost always provide more potential upside than veteran backups who were drafted late.
Tracking Week 1 injuries is another great way to get early value out of the waiver wire. If a top producer goes down, his potential replacement is suddenly going to become a hot commodity.
Now would be a great time to check on Rams receiver Van Jefferson, since Cooper Kupp is still dealing with an ongoing hamstring injury.
According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Kupp recently visited with a body specialist to "further understand the root" of the issue.
Jefferson might be available, and he could become L.A.'s No. 1 target if Kupp misses extended time.
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