Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings: Reviewing All Positions Before Season Openers

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has routinely been the first signal-caller off the board in fantasy football drafts this year. Sometimes, the New England Patriots' Tom Brady may sneak ahead of him, but the majority of the time, the former Cal Golden Bear is going within the first three rounds.

As good as Rodgers is, it's hard envisioning him having a breakout fantasy game on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, whose defense looks loaded this year.

Fantasy football is funny like that. It's a very matchup-dependent contest week by week, where average players could score 30 points while Pro Bowlers can struggle to obtain double digits.

It's unlikely Rodgers gets slowed down too much on Sunday, but there are a handful of more viable quarterback options this week, some of whom were probably drafted in the middle or late rounds.

Here's a look at some Week 1 positional rankings and writeups on one player each. 

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. DeShone Kizer (Cleveland Browns) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 175 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 30 rushing yards (19 points)

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

The Kansas City Chiefs have a few excellent defensive players, namely safety Eric Berry, edge-rusher Justin Houston and cornerback Marcus Peters, but the New England Patriots' versatile and talented offense should have no issue as the Pats begin their quest for their sixth Super Bowl.

Without injured cornerback Steven Nelson, the Chiefs' pass defense may struggle. The Pats can go deep to Chris Hogan or Brandin Cooks for big gainers or hit Rob Gronkowski for 10 to 15 yards at a time while avoiding Peters.

Therefore, expect Brady to have one of the best stat lines in Week 1. He's a no-brainer pick in season-long leagues, but if you play in a daily fantasy slate that includes the Thursday game, then he's a solid selection there too.

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)

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will play Sunday before sitting out for a six-game suspension.

Before the punishment was announced, Elliott was routinely going off the board third overall in mock drafts behind fellow runners David Johnson and Le'Veon Bell.

Although he'll be playing against the New York Giants, the call here is that he's not among the top-10 fantasy running backs this week.

First and foremost, the Giants defense is loaded. Pass-rushers Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul are two of the best in the game, and defensive tackle Damon "Snacks" Harrison is unequivocally the best run-stopper in football.

More on Harrison: He earned a 92.3 run-stopping grade from Pro Football Focus last year. No one else in the league even hit 90.

That should pose a problem for Elliott, who is in a similar boat as the aforementioned Rodgers. He's too talented to get completely shut out, but he should have his work cut out for him.

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

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

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

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

7. Terrelle Pryor (Washington Redskins) vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 8 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

8. Martavis Bryant (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Cleveland Browns: 3 catches, 80 receiving yards, 1 TD (14 points)

9. Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Detroit Lions: 8 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

10. Corey Coleman (Cleveland Browns) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper is entering his third season in the league, but he just turned 23 in June, an age when some players are entering their rookie campaigns.

All Cooper has done in his first two years is catch 155 passes for 2,223 yards and 11 scores, most from quarterback Derek Carr. With the signal-caller back from a broken fibula that prematurely ended his 2016 season, the Cooper-Carr connection should be even better this year.

The Tennessee Titans shored up their secondary with the additions of cornerback Logan Ryan and safety Johnathan Cyprien, but Cooper might be on his way to a Hall of Fame career. He's just that good.

Expect a top-10 fantasy season at wide receiver at minimum, with the potential for top five.

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. Jordan Reed (Washington Redskins) vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 6 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD (12 points)

7. Jared Cook (Oakland Raiders) vs. Tennessee Titans: 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. Martellus Bennett (Green Bay Packers) vs. Seattle Seahawks: 4 catches, 45 yards, 1 TD (10.5 points)

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

Here's another pick from the Titans-Raiders game, which could easily be the highest-scoring matchup on the slate.

Titans tight end Delanie Walker has averaged 70 catches for 837 yards and six touchdowns in four seasons in Nashville, per Pro Football Reference. The 33-year-old has been one of the most consistent producers at his position since the beginning of the 2013 season.

He should do well in the opener against Oakland, whose pass defense ranked 25th in the NFL last year, per Football Outsiders. The Raiders were also a below-average 23rd against tight ends.

The Raiders' strength is in their offense and pass rush (the latter led by Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin). If the Titans—who have one of the best offensive lines in football—can find a way to contain them, then Walker could play a big part in a high-scoring game.

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)

The shot in the dark on the above list is rookie Los Angeles Chargers kicker Younghoe Koo, who will be making his NFL debut in a tough environment on the road at Denver.

The 23-year-old made waves with this trick-shot video, which shows him kicking a field goal and backflipping simultaneously.

Koo only missed five kicks in three seasons in Georgia Southern: two extra points and three field goals. He hit a 53-yarder this year en route to making 19 of 20 field-goal attempts, and he was also named a finalist for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, given to the best kicker in college football.

Los Angeles vs. Denver doesn't seem like a shootout on paper, but the Chargers offense has enough talent to move the ball downfield, led by quarterback Philip Rivers.

Getting all the way to the end zone will be a tall task against this team, but Koo could get a few opportunities to knock home some field goals.

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

10. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns: 2 sacks, 1 interception, 14-20 PA (5 points)

Chicago Bears wide receiver Cameron Meredith was primed for a breakout season this year, but he suffered a torn ACL and partially torn MCL on an awkward hit during a preseason tilt with the Indianapolis Colts.

Meredith was very dependable last season and looked capable of carrying the load as the team's primary receiver this year. Without him, the Bears will struggle on offense as teams key in on Chicago's other offensive star, running back Jordan Howard.

The Falcons aren't a popular fantasy pick, but if you like swapping defenses each week based off the matchups, then Atlanta is a good bet.

Edge-rusher Vic Beasley is one of the best at his position in football, and he could get to Bears quarterback Mike Glennon for a sack or two Sunday.