Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings: Matchups and Projections for Players We Love

The start of the NFL season is not just about dominating a particular matchup and winning the opening game.

It is about setting a tone for the season and a team establishing an identity. While all coaches and players want to win in Week 1, it may be more important for a team to establish its personality and its strengths so it knows that it can go back to these areas on an every-week basis.

It's especially important for teams that see themselves as contenders to send a message during the first or second week of the season. Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams set the tone in Week 1 last year when they destroyed the Indianapolis Colts 46-9.

Goff completed 21 of 29 passes for 306 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Since he had been awful the previous season, Goff's performance gave the quarterback confidence and his teammates started to believe in him. The Rams went on to win the NFC West.

Below are the skill position players that are poised to have breakout games in Week 1, followed by a ranking of the kickers and the defenses that are in position to put big points on the board. 

Week 1 Schedule

Sunday

Buffalo at Baltimore
Cincinnati at Indianapolis
Houston at New England
Jacksonville at N.Y. Giants
Pittsburgh at Cleveland
San Francisco at Minnesota
Tampa Bay at New Orleans
Tennessee at Miami
Kansas City at L.A. Chargers
Dallas at Carolina
Seattle at Denver
Washington at Arizona
Chicago at Green Bay

Monday

N.Y. Jets at Detroit
L.A. Rams at Oakland

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

Aaron Rodgers suffered a fractured collarbone last year and missed nine games. The Packers surrendered first place in the NFC North to the Minnesota Vikings, and there was genuine frustration in Green Bay because the team does not like losing anything to their neighbors to the north.

They also hate losing to their traditional rivals from Chicago, and the Bears appear to be on the upswing as the 2018 season gets underway. The acquisition of Khalil Mack gives them a formidable defensive star. However, Mack just arrived in a trade from the Oakland Raiders after missing all of Oakland's training camp. The edge rusher will not be at his best and will probably compete for just a handful of plays.

Look for Rodgers to take advantage of the Bears while he can. Rodgers threw four TD passes in his only game against the Chicago last season. He has a pair of solid receivers in Randal Cobb and Davante Adams, and the Packers should be able to move the ball against a Chicago defense that will play the majority of the game without its new superstar.

Philip Rivers of the Chargers is poised for a big season, and he will get a chance to make an early statement against the Kansas City Chiefs. Andy Reid's team figures to battle the Chargers for first place in the AFC West throughout the season.

Rivers should be motivated because the Chargers fell short in the AFC West race last year to Kansas City, and they get a chance to make an early statement.

Additionally, the Chargers know that a poor start doomed them last year, and they want to avoid that in 2018. Look for Rivers to get the best of the Kansas City secondary.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Running Backs

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, 55 receiving yards, 2 TDs.
3. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 120 rushing yards, 84 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

David Johnson should be itching to play football again after fracturing his wrist in the first game of 2017 and missing the rest of the season.

Johnson is a do-it-all back with explosive speed, and he could turn out to be the most important offensive player on the team. The Cardinals are going with veteran quarterback Sam Bradford and rookie Josh Rosen as the backup. Bradford has had a difficult time staying healthy throughout his career, and if he suffers an injury, the offense will be limited.

The more action that Johnson gets, the better it may be for Bradford's health. Additionally, the Cardinals were aggressive on defense throughout the preseason and were successful at taking the ball away.

A powerful running game goes quite well with a takeaway-oriented defense, so Johnson should set the tone with a huge game against the Redskins. The Washington defense does not appear to have a lot of special defensive players who have the speed to shut Johnson down.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press/Associated Press

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. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears: 7 catches, 95 yards, 1 TD
6. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 6 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD
7. Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 6 catches, 85 yards 1 TD
8. Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos: 8 catches, 95 yards
9. Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco, 8 catches, 90 yards
10. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Redskins, 7 catches, 85 yards

Michael Thomas of the Saints may be one of the most underappreciated receivers in the league. As he prepares to start his third season in the NFL, he has clearly established himself as a star in terms of his production.

Thomas caught 92 passes for 1,137 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie in 2016, and he upped those numbers to 104 receptions for 1,245 yards and five touchdowns in 2017. Those numbers say that Thomas has capable hands and knows how to get open.

He also catches passes thrown by Drew Brees, one of the game's great quarterbacks and a future Hall of Famer. Brees understands what works well for the New Orleans offense, and he will make sure that Thomas gets the ball as often as possible.

The Tampa Bay defense will have a difficult matchup on its hands. The Buccaneers ranked 32nd in passing yards allowed per game this year, and Thomas will make sure they get off to a poor start in that area once again.

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. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers: 6 catches, 85 yards
5. Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals: 5 catches, 78 yards
6. Trey Burton, Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers: 5 catches, 75 yards
7. Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins: 5 catches 70 yards
8. O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints: 5 catches, 68 yards
9. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 catches, 60 yards
10. Evan Engram, N.Y. Giants vs. Jacksonville Jaguar: 5 catches, 55 yards

This could be a huge year for Rob Gronkowski.

That may not seem like a bold statement because Gronkowski has been the top tight end in the league for years. Gronkowski caught 69 passes for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago while playing 14 games.

Gronkowski should pick those numbers up considerably this year because the Patriots don't appear to have a lot of strength at the wide receiver position. Starters Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett are both fine receivers, but neither one should be considered stars. The Pats will get better in that area when Julian Edelman returns from a suspension, but it will be up to Gronkowski to come through with a huge effort in the opener against the Houston Texans.

This could be a high-scoring game with a lot of back-and-forth big plays, and Gronkowski will be involved in the majority of them for the Patriots. The Texans ranked 30th in yards allowed per pass play a year ago.

Keep your eye on Minnesota tight end Kyle Rudolph in the Vikings' season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.

Kirk Cousins makes his first start for the favored Vikings, and if he has any anxiety about playing his first game with his new team, he will throw the ball quite a bit to the dependable Rudolph.

The Vikings' 6'6" tight end caught 57 passes for 532 yards and eight touchdowns last year, and he should be able to take advantage of the Niners' pass defense.

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