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

Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season kicked off with a Thursday-night bang. The Kansas City Chiefs opened their title-defense season with a 34-20 drubbing of the Houston Texans, but the game yielded fantasy standouts on both sides.

Chiefs rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire was arguably the star of the show, racking up 138 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. However, Houston trade-acquisition David Johnson was also fantasy-valuable, amassing three receptions, 109 total yards and a touchdown of his own.

Will Fuller, who seems to be replacing DeAndre Hopkins as Deshaun Watson's top target, finished with eight catches and 112 yards.

All of this means that many fantasy managers now find themselves in an early Week 1 hole. Well, we're here to help overcome with the top 50 weekly rankings for remaining players and a closer look at some of the best individual matchups of the week.

Fantasy Football Top 50, Post-TNF

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

3. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

4. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

5. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

6. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

7. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

8. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

9. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

10. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

11. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

12. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

13. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

14. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

15. Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

16. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

17. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

18. Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears

19. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

20. James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

21. D.J. Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers

22. Juju Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

23. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

24. Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions

25. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

26. Kenyan Drake, RB, Arizona Cardinals

27. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

28. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

29. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

30. Todd Gurley, RB, Atlanta Falcons

31. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

32. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

33. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

34. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team

35. Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

36. DJ Chark Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

37. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

38. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

39. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

40. T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts

41. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

42. Mark Ingram II, RB, Baltimore Ravens

43. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns

44. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo bills

45. DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins

46. Melvin Gordon III, RB, Denver Broncos

47. Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots

48. Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers

49. Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

50. Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens

Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If you have New Orleans Saints wideout Michael Thomas on your roster, you're starting him each and every week. However, his Week 1 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is especially appealing.

The Bucs do have a couple of ascending cornerbacks and the league's reigning sacks leader in Shaquil Barrett. However, they also have a defense that ranked just 30th against the pass in 2019. Tampa should see some defensive improvements this season but not enough to suddenly field a shutdown secondary.

Tampa also features a passing offense that ranked first in yards and fourth in attempts last season—one that is now helmed by future Hall of Famer Tom Brady. While Brady isn't likely to sling it quite like Jameis Winston did, he should be more efficient with the football.

This game could easily turn into a shootout between Brady and Drew Brees, which would be ideal for Thomas managers in all formats.

Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks

Josie Lepe/Associated Press

Another prolific fantasy wideout who could be in a Week 1 shootout is Julio Jones. The Atlanta Falcons host the Seattle Seahawks for their opener, which means a duel between Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson is on the immediate horizon.

While Atlanta now features Todd Gurley in the backfield, they may not have the luxury of going run-heavy in this game. The Falcons will have to match points on the scoreboard, which is great for those with Jones in the lineup. 

Also benefiting Jones is the fact that Seattle has a merely average pass defense, even with Jamal Adams now in the lineup. This is a unit that ranked just 27th against the pass and 22nd in points allowed last season.

While Ryan wasn't in the lineup when these two teams met last season, Jones still had a fantastic outing. He caught 10 passes for 152 yards and could have similar numbers this time around.

Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals

Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler was one of the biggest steals in fantasy last season. Now that he's out from under Melvin Gordon III's shadow, he isn't going to be a sleeper. However, he could be poised for an even bigger season in 2020.

"Austin Ekeler came here as an undrafted free agent," head coach Anthony Lynn said, per Fernando Ramirez of ChargerReport. "He made the team on special teams. Then carved out a role for himself in our offense. He has taken his game to another level."

Last season, Ekeler racked up 92 receptions and more than 1,500 scrimmage yards with 11 touchdowns. He should be off to a fast start toward similar numbers with a Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals

While the Chargers are on the road for this one, they're also facing a defense that ranked dead-last against the run and 25th in points allowed in 2019. Ekeler will be in a committee role but could conceivably still have one of the best stat lines of any back in the opening-week schedule.