Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings: Latest Position-by-Position Rundown

With the first football Sunday of the 2020 NFL season less than a day away, many fantasy managers are scrambling to solidify their lineups. Tough decisions must be made, and a rash of early injuries is only going to make some of them more difficult.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans, for example, is listed as questionable. Detroit Lions wideout Kenny Golladay is listed as doubtful. These are two premier receivers and two must-start players in most fantasy formats.

Likewise, Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders—a first-round selection in many fantasy drafts—was recently downgraded to out.

Week 1 is a little early to be working the waiver wire, but it could be necessary for some managers. Here, we'll examine some top waiver-wire targets and our updated positional rankings following Thursday night's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans game. We'll also dive into the injury reports.

Quarterbacks

1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

2. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

3. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

4. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

5. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

6. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

7. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles

8. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

9. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

10. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers

If you're unhappy with the draft choices you made at quarterback, it might be worth scooping up San Francisco 49ers signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo for a week. While the San Francisco offense primarily runs through the ground game, Garoppolo has had some fine fantasy outings—particularly against the Arizona Cardinals.

In two games against the Cardinals last season, Garoppolo threw for 741 combined yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. While Arizona did take some steps to bolster its defense in the offseason, it isn't suddenly going to have a lockdown unit.

It won't be a shock to see Garoppolo again throw for 300-plus yards and multiple touchdowns Sunday. He is currently rostered in just 51 percent of Yahoo leagues and 39 percent of ESPN leagues.

Running Backs

1. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers

2. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

3. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

4. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

5. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

6. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

7. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders

8. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

9. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals

10. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

Adrian Peterson, RB, Detroit Lions

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The addition of Adrian Peterson to the Detroit Lions has shaken things up both in fantasy and the real world.

"Quite frankly it's weird," fellow back Kerryon Johnson said, per Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. "He's going to be a for-sure Hall-of-Famer and I get to sit next to him in meetings. And he's trying to learn things from me and I'm trying to learn things from him. But I'm like, ‘What do I have to offer?' You know what I'm saying? Just because he's been there, done everything that I can say. So it's very weird.

Though Peterson only recently arrived, rookie D'Andre Swift has missed a fair bit of practice time, and Johnson has struggled to stay healthy as a pro. The 35-year-old veteran could see a significant workload sooner than later, and he's worth picking up for the long-term.

Peterson is rostered in 46 percent of Yahoo leagues and 22 percent of ESPN leagues.

Wide Receivers

1. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints

2. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

3. Davante Adams, Green bay Packers

4. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

5. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

6. D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers

7. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

8. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams

9. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers

10. Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears

Jalen Reagor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

While Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has been ruled out for Week 1, rookie teammate Jalen Reagor was removed from the injury report. The TCU could product work his way into a significant role early, and he's likely to be available for Week 1.

Reagor is rostered in just 34 percent of Yahoo leagues and 28 percent of ESPN leagues.

It's also worth checking in on Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson, who figures to be Carson Wentz's No. 1 target Sunday against the Washington Football Team. While he isn't as likely to be available as Reagor is, he is still available in 46 percent of Yahoo leagues and 35 percent of ESPN leagues.

Tight Ends

1. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

2. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

3. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles

4. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders

5. Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams

6. Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers

7. Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons

8. Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints

9. Evan Engram, New York Giants

10. Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns

Jonnu Smith, TE, Tennessee Titans

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Finding a starting-caliber tight end usually isn't a monumental challenge, as most managers are only looking to start one, and many won't keep a second on the roster. However, it never hurts to pick up a tight end with upside, and that's exactly what Jonnu Smith of the Tennessee Titans is.

Smith had just 439 yards and three touchdowns last season, but he also spent seven games with Delanie Walker. With Walker out, Smith should be the primary pass-catching tight end for the entire season, and he could hold top-10 tight end potential.

Smith is rostered in only 55 percent of Yahoo leagues and 22 percent of ESPN leagues.

Kicker

1. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens

2. Wil Lutz, New Orleans Saints

3. Greg Zuerlein, Dallas Cowboys

4. Robbie Gould, San Francisco 49ers

5. Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles

6. Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks

7. Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers

8. Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons

9.. Michael Badgley, Los Angeles Chargers

10. Matt Prater, Detroit Lions

*Yahoo and ESPN ownership percentages from FantasyPros.