Fantasy Football Week 1: Flex and PPR Rankings for Top 50 Players

After a lengthy offseason and preseason, the 2016 NFL regular season is about to get underway, which also means the start of another fantasy football campaign.

Most leagues have held their drafts and set their rosters by this point, so the focus shifts toward getting off to an ideal start by setting a winning Week 1 lineup.

The majority of difficult decisions for fantasy owners come when choosing who to start at running back, wide receiver and flex. While early-round studs are obvious starts on a weekly basis, the final few spots in the lineup often depend on matchups.

Predicting how certain defenses will perform one season to the next is an inexact science, but based on last year's stats and accounting for improvements or setbacks, educated estimates are possible.

With that in mind, here is a rundown of the top 50 flex options in both standard and point-per-reception leagues for Week 1.

Week 1 Flex/PPR Rankings

Rank	Standard Flex	PPR Flex
1	Todd Gurley, RB, LA	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT
2	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT	Julio Jones, WR, ATL
3	Julio Jones, WR, ATL	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG
4	Doug Martin, RB, TB	Todd Gurley, RB, LA
5	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
6	Ezekiel Elliott, RB, DAL	Doug Martin, RB, TB
7	Lamar Miller, RB, HOU	Jordy Nelson, WR, GB
8	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU	Ezekiel Elliott, RB, DAL
9	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA	Lamar Miller, RB, HOU
10	Jordy Nelson, WR, GB	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
11	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN	A.J. Green, WR, CIN
12	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA
13	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
14	A.J. Green, WR, CIN	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT
15	David Johnson, RB, ARI	David Johnson, RB, ARI
16	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF	Dez Bryant, WR, DAL
17	Dez Bryant, WR, DAL	Allen Robinson, WR, JAC
18	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL	Jordan Reed, TE, WAS
19	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF
20	Allen Robinson, WR, JAC	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL
21	Jordan Reed, TE, WAS	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO
22	Spencer Ware, RB, KC	Mike Evans, WR, TB
23	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE
24	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB
25	Mike Evans, WR, TB	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK
26	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE	Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF
27	Mark Ingram, RB, NO	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ
28	Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF	Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA
29	Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA	Spencer Ware, RB, KC
30	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ	Mark Ingram, RB, NO
31	Ryan Mathews, RB, PHI	Keenan Allen, WR, SD
32	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND	Golden Tate, WR, DET
33	Keenan Allen, WR, SD	Randall Cobb, WR, GB
34	Randall Cobb, WR, GB	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND
35	Frank Gore, RB, IND	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN
36	Duke Johnson Jr., RB, CLE	Ryan Mathews, RB, PHI
37	Golden Tate, WR, DET	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI
38	Matt Forte, RB, NYJ	Julian Edelman, WR, NE
39	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI
40	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI	Duke Johnson Jr., RB, CLE
41	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR	Frank Gore, RB, IND
42	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR
43	C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN	Jeremy Maclin, WR, KC
44	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI	C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN
45	Julian Edelman, WR, NE	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF
46	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR	Michael Floyd, WR, ARI
47	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA
48	Jeremy Maclin, WR, KC	Donte Moncrief, WR, IND
49	Michael Floyd, WR, ARI	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR
50	DeMarco Murray, RB, TEN	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN

While PPR leagues favor wide receivers and pass-catching running backs, there are certain players who excel regardless of the rules.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is chief among them. He is the clear No. 1 overall player in fantasy this year. Brown will be at or near the top of the rankings in both standard and PPR leagues every week, and he is matchup-proof in that he can put up numbers against anyone.

Brown is the unquestioned top flex option in PPR leagues in Week 1, as he takes on a Washington Redskins team that surrendered 30 passing touchdowns last season.

Not only does Brown receive a high volume of targets within Pittsburgh's offense, but as pointed out by DraftKings' Adam Levitan with the following Pro Football Focus stat, he also makes the most of his opportunities:

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger figures to look to his favorite target early and often against Washington, especially since running back Le'Veon Bell is suspended for the first three games of the season.

The absence of Bell takes a huge dimension away from the Steelers offense due to his ability to excel as both a runner and receiver, but it doesn't mean Pittsburgh will abandon the run completely.

With Bell missing all but six games last season due to suspension and injury, DeAngelo Williams stepped up to rush for 907 yards and an NFL-best 11 touchdowns to go along with 40 receptions for 367 yards through the air.

According to Pro Football Reference on Twitter, Williams was especially dominant when the games mattered most:

The Pittsburgh offense is among the most dynamic in football, which means there are plenty of scoring opportunities to go around.

Washington allowed 4.8 yards per carry last season, so look for both Brown and Williams to be in for big days in Week 1.

Elsewhere at running back, Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Doug Martin enters 2016 with little hype surrounding him despite a huge bounce-back campaign in 2015.

Martin was second in the NFL with 1,402 rushing yards last season. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry, scored seven total touchdowns and was a first-team All-Pro selection.

That came on the heels of two awful, injury-riddled campaigns, but the Muscle Hamster appears to be back in full force.

As pointed out by PFF Fantasy Football, his ability to avoid tacklers and grind out tough yardage was a big reason for his resurgence:

Martin has a great Week 1 matchup to continue his momentum in 2016, as the Bucs will take on an Atlanta Falcons team that surrendered an NFL-worst 20 rushing touchdowns last season.

Add in the fact that quarterback Jameis Winston figures to improve and build upon his impressive rookie season, and there should be even more room for Martin to run this year.

Winston was far from the only player to have a great rookie year in 2015, as Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper burst onto the scene with 72 receptions for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns.

He had an instant rapport with quarterback Derek Carr, and all signs point toward that connection growing even stronger.

Cooper has all the makings of becoming a fantasy stud as a second-year player, and John Hansen of FantasyGuru.com believes he already compares favorably to one of the best in the game, per Fantasy Sports Radio:

The New Orleans Saints were historically bad against the pass last season, allowing 284 yards per game and a ridiculous 45 touchdowns through the air.

That should compel Carr and the Raiders to sling the ball all over the field in Week 1, and Cooper will be the biggest beneficiary.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.