Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings: Latest Position-by-Position Rundown

Getting off to a fast start in Week 1 is key for every team in the NFL, but the same can be said for fantasy football owners as well.

Beginning on a losing note never inspires confidence, but winning right off the bat can set the tone for an extremely successful season.

There is arguably no tougher week in terms of making fantasy lineup decisions than Week 1. Owners have little to reference other than the preseason and past performance. Things change on a yearly basis in the NFL, so there is always a chance that someone won't be utilized as expected.

Also, nobody knows for certain how good or bad certain teams are. That means there is plenty of guesswork involved with Week 1.

Projecting is a huge part of fantasy football, though, so here is a look at some in-depth positional rankings for the opening week of the NFL and fantasy season.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Peyton Manning	DEN	IND
2	Drew Brees	NO	@ATL
3	Andrew Luck	IND	@DEN
4	Matthew Stafford	DET	NYG
5	Colin Kaepernick	SF	@DAL
6	Matt Ryan	STL	NO
7	Nick Foles	PHI	JAC
8	Tom Brady	NE	@MIA
9	Jay Cutler	CHI	BUF
10	Tony Romo	DAL	SF
11	Philip Rivers	SD	@ARI
12	Cam Newton	CAR	@TB
13	Robert Griffin III	WAS	@HOU
14	Alex Smith	KC	TEN
15	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	CLE
16	Carson Palmer	ARI	SD
17	Eli Manning	NYG	@DET
18	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	NE
19	Andy Dalton	CIN	@BAL
20	Geno Smith	NYJ	OAK
21	Joe Flacco	BAL	CIN
22	Ryan Fitzpatrick	HOU	WAS
23	Jake Locker	TEN	@KC
24	Shaun Hill	STL	MIN
25	Josh McCown	TB	CAR

Regardless of who the opponent is, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning figures to have the No. 1 spot at his position locked down this season. Manning is coming off a historic campaign in which he threw for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns. Those numbers will be tough to replicate, but he'll be dominant nonetheless.

Manning doesn't need much preseason work to get ready at 38 years of age, but his production during the lead-up to the regular season suggests that he is in top form, according to NFL on ESPN:

In addition to that, Manning is champing at the bit to get started. Per Joe Vaccarelli of The Indianapolis Star, The Sheriff just wants to get on the field.

"I am tired of talking, I'm looking forward to playing some real football," Manning said.

Although Manning will be without slot receiver Wes Welker for four games due to a suspension, he still has enough weapons to excel with Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Julius Thomas leading the way.

Against a suspect Indianapolis Colts defense in Week 1, Manning will most definitely thrive.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	LeSean McCoy	PHI	JAC
2	Adrian Peterson	MIN	@STL
3	Jamaal Charles	KC	TEN
4	Matt Forte	CHI	BUF
5	Montee Ball	DEN	IND
6	Arian Foster	HOU	WAS
7	Frank Gore	SF	@DAL
8	Zac Stacy	STL	MIN
9	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	CLE
10	Andre Ellington	ARI	SD
11	Alfred Morris	WAS	@HOU
12	DeMarco Murray	DAL	SF
13	Giovani Bernard	CIN	@BAL
14	Rashad Jennings	NYG	@DET
15	Reggie Bush	DET	NYG
16	Joique Bell	DET	NYG
17	Shane Vereen	NE	@MIA
18	Toby Gerhart	JAC	@PHI
19	Doug Martin	TB	CAR
20	Chris Johnson	NYJ	OAK
21	Ben Tate	CLE	@PIT
22	Steven Jackson	ATL	NO
23	Ryan Mathews	SD	@ARI
24	C.J. Spiller	BUF	@CHI
25	Maurice Jones-Drew	OAK	@NYJ
26	Trent Richardson	IND	@DEN
27	Pierre Thomas	NO	@ATL
28	Knowshon Moreno	MIA	NE
29	Mark Ingram	NO	@ATL
30	Fred Jackson	BUF	@CHI
31	DeAngelo Williams	CAR	@TB
32	Shonn Greene	TEN	@KC
33	Bernard Pierce	BAL	CIN
34	Bishop Sankey	TEN	@KC
35	Stevan Ridley	NE	@MIA
36	Danny Woodhead	SD	@ARI
37	Lamar Miller	MIA	NE
38	Darren Sproles	PHI	JAC
39	Jeremy Hill	CIN	@BAL
40	Carlos Hyde	SF	@DAL

It is blatantly obvious entering the 2014 season that four running backs stand above the rest from a fantasy perspective. LeSean McCoy, Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles and Matt Forte are the top four selections in most fantasy formats.

All of them have an opportunity to finish as the top player in fantasy this year, but McCoy of the Philadelphia Eagles figures to get off to the fastest start. He will be going up against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense in Week 1 that was absolutely porous last year.

The Jags should be better defensively in their second year under head coach Gus Bradley, but they won't be good enough to contain McCoy. Shady is a superstar in Chip Kelly's offense, and Marshall Faulk of NFL Network believes he has a chance to make history this year:

If McCoy is going to have that type of production, he'll need to turn in a great effort against Jacksonville. All signs point toward him doing precisely that.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Calvin Johnson	DET	NYG
2	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	IND
3	Brandon Marshall	CHI	BUF
4	Dez Bryant	DAL	SF
5	Julio Jones	ATL	NO
6	A.J. Green	CIN	@BAL
7	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	BUF
8	Antonio Brown	PIT	CLE
9	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	IND
10	Andre Johnson	HOU	WAS
11	Victor Cruz	NYG	@DET
12	Vincent Jackson	TB	CAR
13	Keenan Allen	SD	@ARI
14	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	@STL
15	Roddy White	ATL	NO
16	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	SD
17	Pierre Garcon	WAS	@HOU
18	Michael Crabtree	SF	@DAL
19	DeSean Jackson	WAS	@HOU
20	Michael Floyd	ARI	SD
21	Julian Edelman	NE	@MIA
22	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	JAC
23	T.Y. Hilton	IND	@DEN
24	Marques Colston	NO	@ATL
25	Reggie Wayne	IND	@DEN
26	Mike Wallace	MIA	NE
27	Torrey Smith	BAL	CIN
28	Kendall Wright	TEN	@KC
29	Eric Decker	NYJ	OAK
30	Cecil Shorts	JAC	@PHI
31	Golden Tate	DET	NYG
32	Terrance Williams	DAL	SF
33	Riley Cooper	PHI	JAC
34	Anquan Boldin	SF	@DAL
35	Sammy Watkins	BUF	@CHI
36	Brandin Cooks	NO	@ATL
37	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	WAS
38	Greg Jennings	MIN	@STL
39	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	@TB
40	Danny Amendola	NE	@MIA

There aren't many players in football who are virtually uncoverable, but Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson is one of them. He is by far the best pass-catcher in the NFL, and he manages to produce regardless of how many players are assigned to stop him in any given game.

He also happens to be the key component of a high-volume passing game, so he will get the targets needed to be a great fantasy contributor.

The only thing that can slow Johnson down to some degree is an injury, but Megatron is feeling great and intends to stay healthy throughout 2014, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:

Johnson will kick off his campaign against the New York Giants on Monday night. The G-Men have a penchant for giving up big plays in the passing game, and that bodes very well for anyone who owns the dominant receiver in fantasy.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Jimmy Graham	NO	@ATL
2	Rob Gronkowski	NE	@MIA
3	Julius Thomas	DEN	IND
4	Vernon Davis	SF	@DAL
5	Greg Olsen	CAR	@TB
6	Jordan Cameron	CLE	@PIT
7	Jason Witten	DAL	SF
8	Zach Ertz	PHI	JAC
9	Jordan Reed	WAS	@HOU
10	Dennis Pitta	BAL	CIN
11	Martellus Bennett	CHI	BUF
12	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	@STL
13	Charles Clay	MIA	NE
14	Antonio Gates	SD	@ARI
15	Delanie Walker	TEN	@KC
16	Heath Miller	PIT	CLE
17	Coby Fleener	IND	@DEN
18	Dwayne Allen	IND	@DEN
19	Eric Ebron	DET	NYG
20	Jared Cook	STL	MIN
21	Tyler Eifert	CIN	@BAL
22	Ladarius Green	SD	@ARI
23	Garrett Graham	HOU	WAS
24	Travis Kelce	KC	TEN
25	Scott Chandler	BUF	@CHI

While the NFL ruled this offseason that Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints is a tight end rather than a wide receiver, there is no question that he has receiver skills. The freakishly athletic star is easily the best pass-catching tight end in football, and he is the anchor of many fantasy teams as well.

Much like Manning, Graham is going to be the best play at his position every week. His Week 1 matchup is especially juicy, though, against a suspect Atlanta Falcons defense.

Also, it just so happens that Graham has owned the Falcons since entering the league in 2010, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com:

Graham creates big-time matchup problems since linebackers are too slow and safeties are too small to cover him. The Falcons know that better than anyone else, and they will get burned by Graham yet again in Week 1.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	@MIA
2	Brandon McManus	DEN	IND
3	Phil Dawson	SF	@DAL
4	Dan Bailey	DAL	SF
5	Justin Tucker	BAL	CIN
6	Matt Bryant	ATL	NO
7	Robbie Gould	CHI	BUF
8	Adam Vinatieri	IND	@DEN
9	Shayne Graham	NO	@ATL
10	Cody Parkey	PHI	JAC
11	Nick Novak	SD	@ARI
12	Graham Gano	CAR	@TB
13	Nick Folk	NYJ	OAK
14	Nate Freese	DET	NYG
15	Blair Walsh	MIN	@STL

There is no bigger crapshoot position in fantasy football than kicker. Because of that, it is usually best to stick with consistent kickers backed by explosive offenses.

Stephen Gostkowski fits the bill as he was the best fantasy kicker last year and has the New England Patriots offense supporting him. The Pats have a decent matchup against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, so Gostkowski should be productive.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Patriots	NE	@MIA
2	Panthers	CAR	@TB
3	Jets	NYJ	OAK
4	Bears	CHI	BUF
5	Eagles	PHI	JAC
6	Steelers	PIT	CLE
7	Bengals	CIN	@BAL
8	Chiefs	KC	TEN
9	Rams	STL	MIN
10	Buccaneers	TB	CAR
11	Ravens	BAL	CIN
12	49ers	SF	@DAL
13	Cardinals	ARI	SD
14	Lions	DET	NYG
15	Vikings	MIN	@STL

Despite being riddled by injuries, the Patriots defense kept them in many games last season and performed well beyond its means. With the likes of nose tackle Vince Wilfork and linebacker Jerod Mayo healthy as well as cornerback Darrelle Revis now in the fold, New England should be even better defensively in 2014.

The Pats play the Dolphins in Week 1, and they will go up against a mistake-prone quarterback in Ryan Tannehill. Miami also doesn't have much of a running game, so the Pats figure to have a field day.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.