Ultimately, we fall back on track record, last year’s defensive stats, and depth charts. We’re taking a leap of faith with some players (Dalvin Cook at No. 7) while being conservative with others (Mark Ingram at No. 28), but we all know that unexpected things will happen in Week 1. For instance, Jonathan Stewart dominating touches in the Panthers’ backfield wouldn’t be a shock, but we’re still banking on McCaffrey to pile up yards against the 49ers. Fortunately, both can have value in that matchup.
It’s tougher to handicap the Bengals, who face a much stouter Baltimore defense. The Joe Mixon-Jeremy Hill dynamic is similar to McCaffrey-Stewart, but the seemingly tough matchup mixed with the added wrinkle of Giovani Bernard makes us less bullish on Mixon. Of course, he could get 20-plus touches, 150 total yards, and a TD, but at this point in the year, we really don’t know. A “sure starter” like Paul Perkins, despite having less upside, seems safer.
WEEK 1 RANKINGS:Quarterback | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
When it comes to Week 1 starts/sits, it’s usually best to trust your gut. If you drafted a sleeper and are excited about playing him, go for it. Don’t let us talk you out of it. Fantasy football is supposed to be fun after all, and rarely do you win a championship by always playing it safe. It’s our job to give you honest assessments of the players, but we all know that only means so much once the games actually get started.
Reminder: We’ll update our rankings throughout the week and add player analysis, so please check back often.
WEEK 1 DFS:DK cash lineup | FD GPP | DK GPP | FD cash | Top values | Top stacks | DFS lineup builder
Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings: RBs
These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues
