Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings: Position-by-Position Outlook for Season Opener

The Week 1 slate of games brings some interesting matchups to the table. We're bound to have a few high-scoring contests (Oakland vs. Tennessee is the No. 1 candidate here) in addition to a couple of divisional slugfests (Cincinnati vs. Baltimore is the top choice there).

A few blowouts look likely, but there should be some games going down to the final whistle as well.

Here's a look at some Week 1 positional rankings before the season kicks off.

Quarterback

1. Marcus Mariota (Tennessee Titans) vs. Oakland Raiders: 300 yards, 3 TD, 40 rushing yards, 1 rush TD (32 points)

2. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 350 yards, 4 TD (30 points)

3. Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders) vs. Tennessee Titans: 350 yards, 3 TD (28 points)

4. Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 250 yards, 2 TD, 40 rushing yards, 1 rush TD (28 points)

5. Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) vs. Green Bay Packers: 325 yards, 3 TD, 30 rushing yards (28 points)

6. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Chicago Bears: 300 yards, 3 TD (24 points)

7. Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. Washington Redskins: 250 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT (21 points)

8. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) vs. Seattle Seahawks: 300 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT (19 points)

9. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Cleveland Browns: 250 yards, 2 TD (18 points)

10. Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Miami Dolphins: 250 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT (17 points)

According to ESPN, the Green Bay Packers gave up the most passing yards per attempt (8.1) in the entire NFL last season. Of course, things can change over the course of an offseason, but a date with the Seattle Seahawks is a daunting challenge for Green Bay.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and wide receiver Doug Baldwin both present significant matchup problems for the Packers defense. Their collective elusiveness and agility, in addition to their propensity to complete broken plays, should pose a problem on Sunday.

Running Back

1. David Johnson (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Detroit Lions: 150 rushing yards, 5 catches, 60 receiving yards, 2 TD (33 points)

2. Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Cleveland Browns: 130 rushing yards, 5 catches, 50 yards, 2 TD (30 points)

3. Christian McCaffrey (Carolina Panthers) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 70 rushing yards, 5 catches, 50 yards, 2 TD (24 points)

4. LeSean McCoy (Buffalo Bills) vs. New York Jets: 150 rushing yards, 4 catches, 30 receiving yards, 1 TD (24 points)

5. Melvin Gordon (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Denver Broncos: 70 rushing yards, 2 catches, 20 yards, 2 TD (21 points)

6. Devonta Freeman (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Chicago Bears: 80 rushing yards, 5 catches, 50 receiving yards, 1 TD (19 points)

7. Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams) vs. Indianapolis Colts: 100 rushing yards, 3 catches, 30 yards, 1 TD (19 points)

8. Dalvin Cook (Minnesota Vikings) vs. New Orleans Saints: 80 rushing yards, 4 catches, 40 yards, 1 TD (18 points)

9. DeMarco Murray (Tennessee Titans) vs. Oakland Raiders: 80 rushing yards, 3 catches, 30 yards, 1 TD (17 points)

10. Lamar Miller (Houston Texans) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 70 rushing yards, 2 catches, 20 yards, 1 TD (15 points)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has been ruled out of the season opener, and cornerback Vontae Davis won't make the trip either.

That's a huge boost to the Los Angeles Rams offense. First and foremost, it doesn't look like they'll need to utilize the pass game nearly as much to keep up with Luck and the Colts, who are a dynamic aerial unit at their best. Secondly, they should be able to move the ball against a weaker Colts defense.

This may mean a great day for running back Todd Gurley. The Rams' best path to victory is to give the ball to Gurley for four quarters and let him carry the Rams to a grinding victory. Expect the third-year pro to have a big day on the ground.

Wide Receiver

1. Doug Baldwin (Seattle Seahawks) vs. Green Bay Packers: 10 catches, 150 yards, 2 TD (27 points)

2. Brandin Cooks (New England Patriots) vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 6 catches, 130 yards, 1 TD (19 points)

3. Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Miami Dolphins: 12 catches, 130 yards, 1 TD (19 points)

4. Amari Cooper (Oakland Raiders) vs. Tennessee Titans: 8 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD (18 points)

5. Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Chicago Bears: 9 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD (18 points)

6. Chris Hogan (New England Patriots) vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 4 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD (15 points)

7. Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Cleveland Browns: 7 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD (15 points)

8. Kelvin Benjamin (Carolina Panthers) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 6 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD (13 points)

9. DeAndre Hopkins (Houston Texans) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 6 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD (12 points)

10. Jordy Nelson (Green Bay Packers) vs. Seattle Seahawks: 5 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD (12 points)

Are we all sleeping on Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins? In 2014 and 2015, he combined for 187 receptions, 2,731 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was one of the best wideouts in the league, and that was with playing alongside a host of rotating quarterbacks.

Yes, last year was disappointing, but it was clear that the rapport with signal-caller Brock Osweiler just wasn't there.

With quarterback Tom Savage, who has been with the team since 2014 and knows head coach Bill O'Brien's system well, now starting, Hopkins might have a chance for a bounce-back campaign. When he's on, Hopkins is a target machine capable of moving the sticks or breaking a long play to the end zone.

Hopkins should see double-digit targets Sunday, which could lead to a productive opening game.

Tight End

1. Zach Ertz (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. Washington Redskins: 9 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD (15 points)

2. Greg Olsen (Carolina Panthers) vs. San Francisco 49ers: 6 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

3. Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota Vikings) vs. New Orleans Saints: 8 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

4. Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots) vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 5 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD (12 points)

5. Jimmy Graham (Seattle Seahawks) vs. Green Bay Packers: 6 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD (12 points)

6. Jared Cook (Oakland Raiders) vs. Tennessee Titans: 5 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD (11 points)

7. Cameron Brate (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Miami Dolphins: 5 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD (11 points)

8. Hunter Henry (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Denver Broncos: 3 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD (11 points)

9. Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs): vs. New England Patriots: 4 catches, 40 yards, 1 TD (10 points)

10. Delanie Walker (Tennessee Titans) vs. Oakland Raiders: 4 catches, 40 yards, 1 TD (10 points)

The best tight end since the beginning of the 2014 season has been the Carolina Panthers' Greg Olsen.

He has started every single game for Carolina during that time, and he's averaged 80 catches, 1,062 yards and five touchdowns. He's been a consistent security blanket for quarterback Cam Newton, who routinely finds Olsen on the sideline or up the middle on key conversions for first downs.

The 6'5", 255-pound Olsen is entering his 11th season in the league, but he showed no signs of slowing down last year. Yes, he's 32 years old, and he can't play forever, but he's taken part in every game since the beginning of 2008. That's pretty remarkable.

Against the San Francisco 49ers, Olsen should help Carolina keep the chains moving en route to a productive afternoon.

Kicker

1. Justin Tucker (Baltimore Ravens) vs. Cincinnati Bengals: 1 FG (40-49), 2 FG (50-plus), 1 PAT (15 points)

2. Dustin Hopkins (Washington Redskins) vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 3 FG (40-49), 2 PAT (14 points)

3. Younghoe Koo (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Denver Broncos: 3 FG (40-49), 2 PAT (14 points)

4. Steven Hauschka (Buffalo Bills) vs. New York Jets: 1 FG (30-39), 2 FG (40-49), 1 PAT (12 points)

5. Sebastian Janikowski (Oakland Raiders) vs. Tennessee Titans: 1 FG (40-49), 1 FG (30-39), 3 PAT (10 points)

6. Dan Bailey (Dallas Cowboys) vs. New York Giants: 1 FG (40-49), 1 FG (50-plus), 1 PAT (10 points)

7. Nick Folk (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Miami Dolphins: 1 FG (30-39), 1 FG (40-49), 2 PAT (9 points)

8. Chandler Catanzaro (New York Jets) vs. Buffalo Bills: 2 FG (40-49) (8 points)

9. Wil Lutz (New Orleans Saints) vs. Minnesota Vikings: 1 FG (30-39), 1 FG (40-49), 1 PAT (8 points)

10. Connor Barth (Chicago Bears) vs. Atlanta Falcons: 1 FG (30-39), 1 FG (40-49), 1 PAT (8 points)

Keep an eye out for games where teams may struggle to find the end zone. For example, the New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills matchup has the lowest over-under total on the slate (40.5), per OddsShark.

That may mean a lot of punts and field goals. For fantasy purposes, field goals are nothing but a good thing, so the Jets' Chandler Catanazaro and the Seahawks' Stephen Hauschka could have busy days.

Right now, the National Weather Service forecast a sunny, 69-degree day in Buffalo on Sunday, which gives both kickers good weather to do their jobs.

Defense

1. Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 TD, 1-6 PA (26 points)

2. Carolina Panthers vs. San Francisco 49ers: 5 sacks, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery, 1 TD, 7-13 PA (19 points)

3. Los Angeles Rams vs. Indianapolis Colts: 4 sacks, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery, 1 TD, 7-13 PA (18 points)

4. Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets: 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, 1-6 PA (16 points) 

5. Los Angeles Chargers vs. Denver Broncos: 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, 14-20 PA (11 points)

6. New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys: 2 sacks, 1 interception, 7-13 PA (8 points)

7. Atlanta Falcons vs. Chicago Bears: 2 sacks, 1 interception, 7-13 PA (8 points) 

8. Arizona Cardinals vs. Detroit Lions: 2 sacks, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery, 14-20 PA (7 points) 

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Miami Dolphins: 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 14-20 PA (6 points)

10. New England Patriots vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 2 sacks, 1 interception, 14-20 PA (5 points)

According to Pro Football Focus, Los Angeles Chargers edge-rusher Joey Bosa was the fifth-best player at his position last year. That's a remarkable accomplishment considering that (a) Bosa was just 21 years old last year, (b) he missed all of training camp because of a contract dispute and (c) he proceeded to sit the first four games with a hamstring injury.

And yet none of that stopped Bosa from getting 10.5 sacks in just 12 games.

Bosa and the Chargers defense could pose a big problem for the Denver Broncos offense on Monday night. Per Football Outsiders, Denver had the fifth-worst offense in football last year. On the flip side, the Chargers ranked seventh.

Look for Bosa to have a big day on national television as the Chargers pull off an upset.