Week 1 Fantasy Football PPR Rankings & Projections: Davante Adams at WR1

What’s up football fans! The NFL is right around the corner, and I’m unbelievably excited. Week 1 will bring some massive matchups and an exhilarating slate of fantasy-relevant games. If you’re preparing for your season-long draft, make sure you check out our fantasy football rankings. If you’re looking for seasonal profiles, long-form analysis, or positional ranking breakdowns, check out our fantasy football hub. With the industry-standard PPR scoring now the preferred format across the country, we’ll be breaking down rankings in that scoring format. Let’s dive in.

Week 1 Quarterback Rankings

Lamar Jackson checks in as my QB1 in Week 1 in a plus matchup against the Browns while Patrick Mahomes is unsurprisingly my #2 QB. I’m very excited about Dak Prescott and Jared Goff in what should be a Sunday Night shootout between the Cowboys and Rams. I also see both quarterbacks in the NFC South divisional affair between the Saints and Buccaneers to do well. I have Drew Brees and Tom Brady both making their way into the top 12 for Week 1. Two of my favorite streamers for Week 1 are Derek Carr and Tyrod Taylor, two guys who are likely to go undrafted in your league. I have both ranked inside the top 12 for Week 1 as both guys have matchups against soft defenses in the Panthers and Bengals, respectively. I’m lower on Kyler Murray this week, a guy who I have as a top-five QB for season-long formats, as I’m scared about his matchup with the dominant 49ers defense.

Week 1 Running Backs Rankings

Christian McCaffrey was far and away the best running back in fantasy football last season, and I have him getting right back to that production as my number one guy this week. I have Joe Mixon making his way into the top five this week in a plus matchup at home against the Chargers. For the Chargers, I have Austin Ekeler coming through with a huge Week 1 to place him inside the top six guys. I have Josh Jacobs leading the NFL in carries for Week 1 as he should have plenty of running lanes in Carolina and the Raiders would love to establish the running game early in the year. Saquon Barkley drops to #8 in my rankings this week due to a tough matchup with the Steelers’ dominant front seven. David Johnson sneaks into the top ten due to the receiving work I see him having against the Chiefs. James Conner is likely to be around the top twelve range as long as he’s healthy and Clyde Edwards-Helaire should kick off a season as a top-twelve mainstay with a strong first week. Kenyan Drake, for similar reasons to Kyler Murray, sees a significant drop in my rankings due to the matchup with the 49ers. I’m also nervous about starting Le’Veon Bell against the Bills and Leonard Fournette against the Colts.

Week 1 Wide Receivers Rankings

Davante Adams is set for a massive week as he is facing one of his favorite opponents in the division-rival Vikings. Adams already went over 100 yards twice against Minnesota last year and they are facing the loss of their top three cornerbacks from last season. Kenny Golladay’s matchup with the Bears may scare you, but I’m confident in his ability to perform as a top-ten guy as he had two excellent games against Chicago last season. Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods should kick off this season with strong performances against a transitioning Dallas secondary. I’m fading on Keenan Allen a bit in season-long formats, but for this week at least Mike Williams will be absent, leaving Allen with a ton of pass-catching work. Two speedsters in Marquise Brown and DeSean Jackson round out my top 15. Brown’s numbers against Cleveland last season were not spectacular, but I’m expecting him to have a breakout 2020. Jackson always seems to explode in Week 1 and he’ll be taking on his former team in Washington. DeAndre Hopkins saw a noticeable dip in his stats for this week due to the matchup with San Francisco. Some of my favorite sleepers to return top-36 value this week are Mecole Hardman, Kendrick Bourne, Curtis Samuel, and Will Fuller.

Week 1 Tight Ends Rankings

Travis Kelce and George Kittle are the big names at tight end and neither player has a matchup that’s overly concerning in Week 1. If you drafted Zach Ertz, Darren Waller, or Mark Andrews early you’re obviously starting them, and their matchups should be just fine as well. Hayden Hurst has an awesome opportunity to set the tone for his first season with the Falcons as the Seahawks gave up among the most points to tight ends last year. Hunter Henry should see an uptick in target share, particularly in the red zone, for as long as Mike Williams is out of the lineup. The Tyrod Taylor and Hunter Henry stack is going to be one of my favorites for DFS in Week 1. Some of the tight ends who fell in my rankings for this week due to tough matchups are Evan Engram (#10), Austin Hooper (#23), and T.J. Hockenson (#24). Greg Olsen and Blake Jarwin are two great streaming targets for Week 1 who may still be on your waiver wire.

Week 1 Kicker Rankings

One of my favorite things to look for when selecting which kicker to use each week in fantasy is the over/under for a particular matchup. For example, Harrison Butker and Ka’imi Fairbairn are two of my projected highest-scoring kickers this week and they play for the two teams who are meeting in the Week 1 contest with the highest projected points total in Las Vegas. Justin Tucker should do plenty of scoring against the Browns, a team that always tends to lead to higher scoring output from Baltimore. Mason Crosby, Wil Lutz, and Jake Elliott all have tremendous opportunities as well to return top five value.

Week 1 Defense Rankings

I have the Bills ranked as the top DST for Week 1 thanks to a perfect matchup against what was an anemic Jets offense last season. The Bills-Jets game has one of the lower over/under totals in the league for the first week and I wouldn’t be shocked if both teams produce fantasy-viable DSTs. The Steelers are not only one of the most elite defenses in the NFL, but they also have a juicy Week 1 matchup against the Giants. The Eagles should be in a good position to pick on the still-developing second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins. There are plenty of defenses this week, including the Colts, Seahawks, and Broncos, which may not be drafted in your league but can still provide excellent starting value.