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

Let's get it. Football is back, so fantasy football is back, and hours of weekly deliberations are, most definitely, back. 

Accompanying the highly anticipated first week of our favorite pastime, we're breaking down the top positional rankings across the NFL for Week 1 of 2019. All rankings are based on standard, non-PPR scoring with four points per passing touchdown.

Quarterback

1. Lamar Jackson, BAL (at MIA)

2. Deshaun Watson, HOU (at NO)

3. Patrick Mahomes, KC (at JAX)

4. Jameis Winston, TB (vs. SF)

5. Russell Wilson, SEA (vs. CIN)

6. Drew Brees, NO (vs. HOU)

7. Carson Wentz, PHI (vs. WAS)

8. Dak Prescott, DAL (vs. NYG)

9. Philip Rivers, LAC (vs. IND)

10. Josh Allen, BUF (at NYJ)

11. Aaron Rodgers, GB (at CHI)

12. Cam Newton, CAR (vs. LAR)

It's toughest to predict matchup-based choices in Week 1, but that's what weekly rankings are all about. Miami is in an abhorrent state of flux right now, so Lamar Jackson is a good bet to put on an effective, rush-heavy outing in Week 1. 

Conversely, Patrick Mahomes gets a bump down under the expectations that the Jacksonville Jaguars, bolstered by rookie Josh Allen, will still be one of the league's nastiest defenses. The same goes for Aaron Rodgers against Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears.

Running Back

1. Dalvin Cook, MIN (vs. ATL)

2. Alvin Kamara, NO (vs. HOU)

3. Saquon Barkley, NYG (at DAL)

4. Christian McCaffrey, CAR (vs. LAR)

5. Leonard Fournette, JAX (vs. KC)

6. Kerryon Johnson, DET (at ARI)

7. Nick Chubb, CLE (vs. TEN)

8. David Johnson, ARI (vs. DET)

9. Chris Carson, SEA (vs. CIN)

10. Sony Michel, NE (vs. PIT)

11. Mark Ingram, BAL (at MIA)

12. David Montgomery, CHI (vs. GB)

Guys like James Conner (at NE), Joe Mixon (at SEA), Aaron Jones (at CHI) and Derrick Henry (at CLE) are notably absent from the top 12 because of matchup concerns. Backs like Todd Gurley (at CAR), Damien Williams (at JAX) and Tevin Coleman (at TB) got bumped out because of the possibility that their backfields will be split. 

Le'Veon Bell (vs. BUF) hasn't played NFL football in over a year, so I'm following the "see it to believe it" maxim.

Wide Receiver

1. DeAndre Hopkins, HOU (at NO)

2. Mike Evans, TB (vs. SF)

3. Michael Thomas, NO (vs. HOU)

4. JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT (at NE)

5. Davante Adams, GB (at CHI)

6. Odell Beckham Jr., CLE (vs. TEN)

7. Julio Jones, ATL (at MIN)

8. Stefon Diggs, MIN (vs. ATL)

9. Tyreek Hill, KC (at JAX)

10. Keenan Allen, LAC (vs. IND)

11. Kenny Golladay, DET (at ARI)

12. Tyler Lockett, SEA (vs. CIN)

There are some tough matchups for the league's best receivers this week, but the cream rises to the top, so those guys should still get their work. None of the three receivers on the Los Angeles Rams (at CAR) made the cut, but they're all candidates to put in work this week.

Tight End

1. George Kittle, SF (at TB)

2. Travis Kelce, KC (at JAX)

3. Mark Andrews, BAL (at MIA)

4. Zach Ertz, PHI (vs. WAS)

5. Hunter Henry, LAC (vs. IND)

6. Evan Engram, NYG (at DAL)

7. Jared Cook, NO (vs. HOU)

8. Vance McDonald, PIT (at NE)

9. O.J. Howard, TB (vs. SF)

10. David Njoku, CLE (vs. TEN)

11. Delanie Walker, TEN (at CLE)

12. Austin Hooper, ATL (at MIN)

Tight end is always a mess in fantasy, so we'll just have to wait to see who puts up a randomly huge week to start the season and throw waiver wires into a frenzy. Mark Andrews had the most receiving yards of any player from Lamar Jackson last season, so he's a good bet to jump into the upper echelon of tight ends early on against what should be a porous Miami team.

Kicker

1. Greg Zuerlein, LAR (at CAR)

2. Stephen Gostkowski, NE (vs. PIT)

3. Justin Tucker, BAL (at MIA)

4. Harrison Butker, KC (at JAX)

5. Wil Lutz, NO (vs. HOU)

6. Michael Badgley, LAC (vs. IND)

7. Jake Elliott, PHI (vs. WAS)

8. Robbie Gould, SF (at TB)

9. Brett Maher, DAL (vs. NYG)

10. Matt Prater, DET (at ARI)

11. Jason Myers, SEA (vs. CIN)

12. Ka'imi Fairbairn, HOU (at NO)

Matt Bryant (at MIN) and Dan Bailey (vs. ATL) are the two honorable mentions here who might just need to be leaned on for extra buckets in a tight contest. 

Defense

1. Baltimore Ravens (at MIA)

2. Los Angeles Chargers (vs. IND)

3. Philadelphia Eagles (vs. WAS)

4. Denver Broncos (at OAK)

5. Seattle Seahawks (vs. CIN)

6. Cleveland Broncos (vs. TEN)

7. Dallas Cowboys (vs. NYG)

8. Chicago Bears (vs. GB)

9. New York Jets (vs. BUF)

10. Buffalo Bills (at NYJ)

11. Los Angeles Rams (at CAR)

12. Detroit Lions (at ARI)

I'm sorry, Miami.

Need more help with your fantasy football lineup? Matt Camp solves your fantasy problems live on B/R Gridiron's new show, Your Fantasy Fire Drill. Download the B/R app now to submit your questions and tune in every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET.