Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings: Season-Opening Position-by-Position Review

Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season got underway on Thursday night, and for many fantasy managers, the game was a major disappointment.

The Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears combined for 13 points. Aaron Rodgers had just 203 passing yards and a touchdown, David Montgomery had a mere 18 rushing yards and weekly must-start Davante Adams had just four catches and 36 yards.

At least Eddy Pineiro made a field goal.

No, the opening game of 2019 was not kind to fantasy fans, but the remainder of Week 1 should not follow suit. There are some terrific matchups and some prime opportunities to stockpile fantasy points this week. Here, we'll run down the top players at each position and examine some potential Week 1 sleepers.

Quarterbacks

1. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints

2. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars

3. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins

4. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans

5. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns vs. Tennessee Titans

6. Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. San Francisco 49ers

7. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals

8. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins

9. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers vs. Los Angeles Rams

10. Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers

Sleeper: Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers

Is Jimmy Garoppolo really a franchise quarterback? That very much remains to be seen. Does the San Francisco 49ers signal-caller have a favorable matchup in Week 1? Yes he does.

Don't expect Garoppolo to light the fantasy world on fire this week, but he's a serviceable starter in deeper leagues. He's returning from a torn ACL and the 49ers are traveling a long way to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It isn't an early-afternoon game, though, and the Buccaneers do not have what you'd consider a shutdown defense.

Last season, Tampa allowed an average of 259.4 passing yards per game, seventh-most in the NFL.

Perhaps more importantly, the 49ers will likely have to pass early and often to keep pace on the scoreboard. With weapons such as Mike Evans, O.J. Howard and Chris Godwin, the Buccaneers offense is potent.

Garoppolo should surpass the 300-yard mark.

Running Backs

1. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers vs. Los Angeles Rams

2. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys

3. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans

4. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings vs. Atlanta Falcons

5. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals

6. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns vs. Tennessee Titans

7. David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals vs. Detroit Lions

8. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants

9. James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots

10. Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Roger Steinman/Associated Press

Sleeper Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys got their deal with Ezekiel Elliott done, and the two-time rushing champion will have his 2019 debut on Sunday against the New York Giants. Elliott is a safe start, but he isn't likely to see his typical workload.

According to NFL Network's Jane Slater, the Cowboys only expect to see Elliott on the field for 20-25 snaps:

This opens the door for rookie running back Tony Pollard, who is a solid flex option in most formats.

The Memphis product showed good burst and vision during the preseason, finishing with an average of 5.6 yards per carry and 6.3 yards per reception. Even in a backup role, Pollard could approach 100 combined rushing and receiving yards.

Wide Receivers

1. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints

2. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans

3. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. San Francisco 49ers

4. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots

5. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings 

6. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars

7. Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns vs. Tennessee Titans

8. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Indianapolis Colts

9. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings vs. Atlanta Falcons

10. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Sleepers: Tyrell Williams and Hunter Renfrow, Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders have decided to part ways with wideout Antonio Brown.

This isn't good news for the Raiders or quarterback Derek Carr. It is good news, however, for fantasy managers who scooped up receivers Tyrell Williams and Hunter Renfrow. Williams, in particular, becomes a tremendous option for Week 1.

While the Denver Broncos will present a tough matchup, volume alone should make Williams worth the start. He's now Oakland's No. 1 receiver and should be Carr's top target on Monday night. Williams, who has averaged 16.3 yards per reception over the course of his career, could explode now that he's in that No. 1 role.

Renfrow, meanwhile, is an enticing option in PPR formats. He'll likely remain in the slot after Brown's departure and could approach double-digit receptions in his NFL debut.

Tight Ends

1. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars

3. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins

4. O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. San Francisco 49ers

5. Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans

6. Evan Engram, New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys

7. Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Indianapolis Colts

8. Vance McDonald, Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots

9. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns vs. Tennessee Titans

10. Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns

Ralph Freso/Associated Press

Sleeper: Darren Waller, Oakland Raiders

Another Raiders pass-catcher who will benefit from Brown's release is tight end Darren Waller. Though he hasn't had much production as a pro—just 18 catches for 178 yards—Waller is slated to play a significant role in Oakland's passing attack.

He's already earned the confidence of Carr.

"He's very smart. I can check a play within two seconds of the play clock being out, and he'll be on it and run the right thing," Carr said in May, per the team's official website.

Waller should see plenty of looks as an outlet option in Week 1.

Kickers

1. Will Lutz, New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans

2. Greg Zuerlein, Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers

3. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins

4. Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars

5. Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins

6. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

7. Brett Maher, Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants

8. Michael Badgley, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Indianapolis Colts

9. Robbie Gould, San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

10. Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Defense/Special Teams

1. Baltimore Ravens

2. Philadelphia Eagles

3. Seattle Seahawks

4. Los Angeles Chargers

5. Dallas Cowboys

6. Cleveland Browns

7. Denver Broncos

8. Buffalo Bills

9. New York Jets

10. Los Angeles Rams

---

Still can't figure out your fantasy football lineup for the week? Check out Your Fantasy Fire Drill with Matt Camp, and he'll solve your problems live. Submit your questions and tune in every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET, only on the B/R app.