Fantasy Football Week 1: Flex and PPR Rankings

Fantasy football owners have waited months for the return of the NFL regular season, and it’s imperative to start Week 1 with a victory.

Deciphering the latest flex and points-per-reception rankings is key to your success.

Most fantasy owners understand that they should start the best overall player at each position every week, but there is an art to finding the right flex player. Just as it takes time to understand who to start, breaking down the PPR rankings can be the difference between earning a win and taking a loss.

Here are the complete rankings for the top flex options and PPR players. Plus, I've provided a breakdown of the fantasy stars you need to know from each list in Week 1.

Flex Players

Rank	Player	Week 1 Opponent
1	Jamaal Charles, KC, RB	Tennessee
2	LeSean McCoy, Phi, RB	Jacksonville
3	Adrian Peterson, Min, RB	St. Louis
4	Matt Forte, Chi, RB	Buffalo
5	Calvin Johnson, Det, WR	New York Giants
6	Eddie Lacy, GB, RB	Seattle
7	Jimmy Graham, NO, TE	Atlanta
8	Demaryius Thomas, Den, WR	Indianapolis
9	Marshawn Lynch, Sea, RB	Green Bay
10	A.J. Green, Cin, WR	Baltimore
11	Dez Bryant, Dal, WR	San Francisco
12	Doug Martin, TB, RB	Carolina
13	Brandon Marshall, Chi, WR	Buffalo
14	DeMarco Murray, Dal, RB	San Francisco
15	Julio Jones, Atl, WR	New Orleans
16	Arian Foster, Hou, RB	Washington
17	Antonio Brown, Pit, WR	Cleveland
18	Andre Johnson, Hou, WR	Washington
19	Julius Thomas, Den, TE	Indianapolis
20	Zac Stacy, StL, RB	Minnesota
21	Le'Veon Bell, Pit, RB	Cleveland
22	Jordy Nelson, GB, WR	Seattle
23	Montee Ball, Den, RB	Indianapolis
24	Rob Gronkowski, NE, TE	Miami
25	Victor Cruz, NYG, WR	Detroit
26	Roddy White, Atl, WR	New Orleans
27	Reggie Bush, Det, RB	New York Giants
28	Alshon Jeffery, Chi, WR	Buffalo
29	Ryan Mathews, SD, RB	Arizona
30	Larry Fitzgerald, Ari, WR	San Diego
31	Alfred Morris, Wsh, RB	Houston
32	Keenan Allen, SD, WR	Arizona
33	C.J. Spiller, Buf, RB	Chicago
34	Giovani Bernard, Cin, RB	Baltimore
35	Randall Cobb, GB, WR	Seattle
36	Vincent Jackson, TB, WR	Carolina
37	Rashad Jennings, NYG, RB	Detroit
38	Andre Ellington, Ari, RB	San Diego
39	Jason Witten, Dal, TE	San Francisco
40	Frank Gore, SF, RB	Dallas
41	Shane Vereen, NE, RB	Miami
42	Toby Gerhart, Jax, RB	Philadelphia
43	Percy Harvin, Sea, WR	Green Bay
44	Pierre Garcon, Wsh, WR	Houston
45	Trent Richardson, Ind, RB	Denver
46	Jordan Cameron, Cle, TE	Pittsburgh
47	Ben Tate, Cle, RB	Pittsburgh
48	Cordarrelle Patterson, Min, WR	St. Louis
49	Michael Crabtree, SF, WR	Dallas
50	DeSean Jackson, Wsh, WR	Houston

If there is a question of who deserves to begin Week 1 in the Flex spot on your fantasy team, simply reference the list above and start the higher-ranked player. We’ve taken the guesswork out of last-second decisions.

The biggest stud of the week for the Flex spot will be New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss (subscription required), Vereen is the lead back in New England and will be involved in every aspect of the team’s offensive game plan:

"

The Patriots are planning to use running back Shane Vereen more this season than they have in the past (24.7 percent of the offensive snaps last season; 12.7 percent in 2012; 1.9 percent in 2011). The Patriots are a game-plan offense, and will vary their attack on a weekly basis, but the sense I get from those around the team is Vereen is going to be the type of player who will have a significant role in almost every plan.

"

While injuries forced Vereen to miss half of the Patriots' games last season, he picked up 635 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns while splitting time with Stevan Ridley and LeGarrette Blount. Now that Vereen is the No. 1 back, his numbers should flourish.

Another player who will surprise fans should be Indianapolis Colts running back Trent Richardson.

Many fantasy owners are down on Richardson after a lackluster season that included a trade from the Cleveland Browns to the Colts.

If there was ever a time for a breakout moment, though, it would be in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos. Richardson was running strong in his last preseason action and must carry that momentum and confidence against a stout Denver defense.

If you drafted Richardson or traded for him, starting him in Week 1 as your flex will pay major dividends. As long as second-string running back Ahmad Bradshaw doesn’t get the goal-line carries, this will be a wise decision.

PPR Players

Rank	Player	Week 1 Opponent
1	Jamaal Charles, KC, RB	Tennessee
2	LeSean McCoy, Phi, RB	Jacksonville
3	Adrian Peterson, Min, RB	St. Louis
4	Matt Forte, Chi, RB	Buffalo
5	Calvin Johnson, Det, WR	New York Giants
6	Jimmy Graham, NO, TE	Atlanta
7	Peyton Manning, Den, QB	Indianapolis
8	Demaryius Thomas, Den, WR	Indianapolis
9	Eddie Lacy, GB, RB	Seattle
10	Aaron Rodgers, GB, QB	Seattle
11	Marshawn Lynch, Sea, RB	Green Bay
12	Dez Bryant, Dal, WR	San Francisco
13	DeMarco Murray, Dal, RB	San Francisco
14	Brandon Marshall, Chi, WR	Buffalo
15	A.J. Green, Cin, WR	Baltimore
16	Doug Martin, TB, RB	Carolina
17	Antonio Brown, Pit, WR	Cleveland
18	Julio Jones, Atl, WR	New Orleans
19	Drew Brees, NO, QB	Atlanta
20	Alshon Jeffery, Chi, WR	Buffalo
21	Julius Thomas, Den, TE	Indianapolis
22	Andre Johnson, Hou, WR	Washington
23	Reggie Bush, Det, RB	New York Giants
24	Le'Veon Bell, Pit, RB	Cleveland
25	Arian Foster, Hou, RB	Washington
26	Montee Ball, Den, RB	Indianapolis
27	Matthew Stafford, Det, QB	New York Giants
28	Jordy Nelson, GB, WR	Seattle
29	Andre Ellington, Ari, RB	San Diego
30	Keenan Allen, SD, WR	Arizona
31	Zac Stacy, StL, RB	Minnesota
32	Victor Cruz, NYG, WR	Detroit
33	Rob Gronkowski, NE, TE	Miami
34	Roddy White, Atl, WR	New Orleans
35	Andrew Luck, Ind, QB	Denver
36	Alfred Morris, Was, RB	Houston
37	Larry Fitzgerald, Ari, WR	San Diego
38	Matt Ryan, Atl, QB	New Orleans
39	Shane Vereen, NE, RB	Miami
40	C.J. Spiller, Buf, RB	Chicago
41	Julian Edelman, NE, WR	Miami
42	Nick Foles, Phi, QB	Jacksonville
43	Rashad Jennings, NYG, RB	Detroit
44	Ryan Mathews, SD, RB	Arizona
45	Vincent Jackson, TB, WR	Carolina
46	Frank Gore, SF, RB	Dallas
47	Jason Witten, Dal, TE	San Francisco
48	Giovani Bernard, Cin, RB	Baltimore
49	Trent Richardson, Ind, RB	Denver
50	Jordan Cameron, Cle, TE	Pittsburgh

The fantasy stars who are a big part of their respective team’s passing attack are even more valuable in PPR leagues than in standard leagues, and running backs who catch the ball are the Holy Grail of the format.

Week 1’s biggest stud is Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles.

Charles was an absolute force last season in both the running game and the passing attack. While his 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing would have been nice on their own, his 70 receptions, 693 yards and seven touchdowns through the air put him on his own level in PPR circles.

Even Washington Redskins cornerback Ryan Clark understands Charles' fantasy greatness:

Kansas City locked up quarterback Alex Smith to a four-year contract, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com, and fantasy owners with Charles rejoiced. With Smith favoring short passes in the West Coast offense, the team’s workhorse running back should remain Smith’s top target.

Fantasy owners are talking about how Charles will dominate, but there is another player not getting the respect he deserves. If you are looking for a Week 1 Flex option in PPR leagues, ride with San Diego running back Ryan Mathews.

There is concern among fans about how many carries and catches Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown will steal from Mathews, but he was the clear top back in Week 3 of the preseason. He racked up four carries and two receptions for 48 yards in his limited time and is the team’s goal-line back.

There is a risk associated with starting Mathews, but with a first week opponent in Arizona, the injuries along the Cardinals’ defensive line and in the linebacker group could open up the holes needed for the running back to dominate.

*Stats via NFL.com.

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