Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings: Examining Lineup Options After Injury Reports

Injuries are an unfortunate part of the NFL, and they can be the bane of fantasy football managers' lives. When one or two players can easily sway a fantasy matchup, not having a standout player available is tough to swallow.

And while the injury bug tends to rear its ugly head more often later in the season, it will still pop up to take a bite out of players early. Even heading into Week 1, we have some notable injuries likely to affect more than a few fantasy squads.

Here we'll examine the most notable injury situations from the NFL's official injury report and some possible waiver-wire fill-ins. First, though, let's take a look at the top 50 players of Week 1.

Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings, PPR

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. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

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. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

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. T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts

40. Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers

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. Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland Browns

49. Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

50. Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens

Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans is a must-start when healthy. Unfortunately, he isn't healthy for Week 1. Evans has been dealing with a hamstring issue and is officially listed as doubtful—though there's a slim chance he might still play.

"He's got 1,000 reps already for this game, the whole camp," head coach Bruce Arians said, per ESPN's Jenna Laine. "So it'll just be a game-time decision."

It's worth watching Evans heading into Sunday, but the reality is he probably won't suit up. It's worth checking in on Pittsburgh Steelers rookie receiver Chase Claypool, who can be tossed in the lineup if needed.

Claypool is only rostered in 8 percent of ESPN leagues and 5 percent of Yahoo leagues. Yet he could be a significant piece of the passing attack.

"I think he's put himself into that talk of being able to be useful early in the season and a lot earlier than you probably would expect," offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said, per Matthew Marczi of Steelers Depot.

Claypool is even worth picking up as a grab-and-stash bench player if you don't need him to start right away.

Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

As expected, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery is officially out for Sunday's opener against the Washington Football Team. He has been recovering from offseason Lisfranc surgery and may not be back in the starting lineup soon.

What's notable about the Eagles injury report, however, is that rookie wideout Jalen Reagor is no longer listed on it. He was a full participant in Friday's practice and should be good to go in Week 1. He had been dealing with a shoulder injury and was considered a question mark.

While there's no guarantee that Reagor will see a significant workload out of the gate, he is readily available for those willing to take a chance on him. He's rostered in only 29 percent of ESPN leagues and 31 percent of Yahoo leagues.

As a side note, it's worth checking in on projected No. 1 Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson. He's rostered 65 percent of ESPN leagues and just 52 percent of Yahoo leagues, and he should be Carson Wentz's go-to target Sunday.

Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions wideout Kenny Golladay led the NFL in touchdown receptions with 11 last season despite only playing with starting quarterback Matthew Stafford for half the season. He is poised to be one of the top fantasy receivers this season, but he may not get off to a fast start.

Golladay is officially listed as doubtful with a hamstring injury for Sunday's matchup against the Chicago Bears. Danny Amendola is also listed as questionable with a hamstring issue, so he's not exactly a reliable replacement option.

Instead, managers can turn to Las Vegas Raiders slot man Hunter Renfrow, who is rostered in just 12 percent of ESPN leagues and 17 percent of Yahoo leagues. While rookie Henry Ruggs III is likely to be a popular fantasy pick against the Carolina Panthers, Renfrow already has established chemistry with quarterback Derek Carr and should be more of a go-to target in crunch time.

Expect Renfrow to have a solid PPR floor against a Carolina defense that ranked just 13th against the pass and 31st in points allowed last season. He should see double-digit targets and come down with the majority of them.

ESPN and Yahoo ownership percentages from FantasyPros.