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

Take a deep breath, exhale and let's get down to business.

The fantasy football season starts Thursday night as the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles raise their title banner with the Atlanta Falcons in town.

A full slate of action follows on Sunday, followed by a Sunday night game and two Monday night games.

Whether you are playing daily fantasy football, competing in a league—or both—you need to get off to a good start.

There has already been something of a surprise following every team's cut to 53 players over the weekend. Many expected All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell to end his holdout and report to the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday.

However, the 26-year-old has not reported as of yet, and it appears he will not be able to play in the season opener against the Cleveland Browns. Backup James Conner is slated to start in his place, but it seems doubtful he can come close to matching Bell's productivity.

Here are our top skill-position player predictions for Week 1, going into detail for key players at the quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end positions.

Standard League, Top-10 Rankings and Projections

Quarterback

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, vs. Chicago Bears: 315 yards, 3 TDs
2. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints, vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 300 yards, 3 TDs
3. Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers, vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 285 yards, 3 TDs
4. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings, vs. San Francisco 49ers: 300 yards, 2 TDs
5. Tom Brady, New England Patriots, vs. Houston Texans: 280 yards, 2 TDs
6. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions, vs. New York Jets: 275 yards, 2 TDs
7. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans at New England Patriots: 240 yards, 1 TD; 70 rushing yards, 1 TD
8. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns: 250 yards, 2 TDs
9. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos: 240 yards, 1 TD; 40 rushing yards, 1 TD
10. Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins: 240 yards, 2 TD

Drew Brees is back at the helm for New Orleans, and while he is clearly getting toward the end of his playing days, the Saints are coming off an 11-5 season that allowed them to win the NFC South.

The 39-year-old should have an excellent chance to get off to a good start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—and perhaps get the Saints off to a memorable season. Brees led the team to two victories over Tampa Bay last year, and he did not throw an interception in either game. 

He should be confident as he takes the field before his adoring fans, and the Saints look like big winners in the opener. Their quarterback should have an excellent opening game.

Running Back

1. Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams at Oakland Raiders: 165 rushing yards, 45 receiving yards, 2 TDs
2. David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Redskins: 150 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards, 2 TDs.
3. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 120 rushing yards, 60 receiving yards, 2 TDs.
4. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers: 145 rushing yards, 2 TDs
5. Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 115 rushing yards, 1 TD
6. Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers: 91 rushing yards, 1 TD
7. Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Giants: 90 rushing yards, 1 TD
8. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 88 rushing yards, 1 TD
9. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers: 80 rushing yards
10. Jordan Howard, Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers: 78 rushing yards

After his lost season in 2017 due to a fractured wrist suffered in the season opener, David Johnson comes back in 2018, and there is no reason to think he won't be close to a peak performance.

The 26-year-old may be the fastest of the game's best running backs, and he should be the focus of the Arizona offense this season under new head coach Steve Wilks.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press/Associated Press

The Cardinals appear to be a team that will depend on their strong pass rush and an aggressive defense, and a powerful running game goes hand-in-hand with that style of play.

The Cardinals know Johnson is capable of getting the job done as a runner or a receiver, and he should get off to a strong performance in the opener against a Washington defense that ranked 32nd in rushing yards allowed per game.

The Redskins may be able to keep him from going off in the first half, but he will take charge in the third and fourth quarters.

Wide Receiver

1. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns: 10 catches, 175 yards, 2 TDs
2. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans at New England Patriots: 8 catches, 150 yards, 2 TDs
3. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8 catches, 125 yards, 2 TDs
4. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts: 8 catches, 115 yards, 1 TD
5. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles: 7 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD
6. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears: 7 catches, 95 yards, 1 TD
7. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 6 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD
9. Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 6 catches, 85 yards 1 TD
10. Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos: 8 catches, 95 yards

The Houston Texans have had a team that appeared to be close to championship form for several years. However, they have not been able to put it together.

After drafting quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2017, it appeared last year might be their year. However, he suffered a torn ACL, and injuries also hurt the Houston defense.

Watson is healthy this year, and he has a powerful offense at his disposal. His best weapon is DeAndre Hopkins, who is one of the top three receivers in the game. The Texans have a chance to start their season in impressive fashion against the AFC champion Patriots. 

Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press

The Texans know that if they are going to do anything memorable this year, they are going to have to supplant the Patriots. Look for a huge effort here and expect Hopkins to lead the way.

The New England defense ranked 30th in passing yards allowed per game, and Hopkins should be able to take advantage.

Tight Ends

1. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans: 8 catches, 140 yards, 2 TDs
2. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers: 7 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD
3. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers vs. Dallas Cowboys: 7 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD
4. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons: 6 catches, 85 yards, 1 TD
5. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers: 6 catches, 85 yards
6. Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals: 5 catches, 78 yards
7. Trey Burton, Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers: 5 catches, 75 yards
8. Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins: 5 catches 70 yards
9. O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints: 5 catches, 68 yards
10. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 catches, 60 yards

The Chiefs are loaded with excellent offensive weapons, including running back Kareem Hunt and wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins.

Nevertheless, Travis Kelce is a special player who is capable of stringing together big plays and taking over a game. Like Rob Gronkowski, he has an indomitable physical quality and knows he needs to come through here since the Chargers appear to be the Chiefs top rivals for AFC West superiority this season.

Kelce struggled against Los Angeles last season as he was held to eight catches for 75 yards in two games.

Look for him to break the 100-yard mark here and get into the end zone.

Placekickers

1. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens
2. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots
3. Greg Zuerlein, Los Angeles Rams
4. Matt Prater, Detroit Lions
5. Wil Lutz, New Orleans Saints
6. Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles
7. Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs
8. Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers
9. Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons
10. Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts

Defense

1. Los Angeles Rams
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Minnesota Vikings
5. New Orleans Saints
6. Tennessee Titans
7. Denver Broncos
8. Detroit Lions
9. Carolina Panthers
10. Arizona Cardinals