Week One Positional Rankings

As dynasty enthusiasts, the off-season is the heart it of all. NFL Free Agency, the NFL Draft, rookie hype trains, and preseason victory laps have all lead to this one moment: week one. As a subscriber to DLF, we know you’ve already won your off-season; now’s the time to gear up those weekly lineups and start racking up wins en route to a championship.

In this series, I’ll give you my top 30 quarterbacks, 60 running backs, 60 wide receivers, and 30 tight ends each week to help you with your start/sit decisions in your leagues. To generate this list each and every week, I examine team trends, Vegas over/unders, implied points, pace of play, among various other factors to build a projection for each player and subsequently adjust rankings for upside and more detailed matchup specifics.

Among the rankings, there will surely be some that surprise you or that you may disagree with. At the end of each position section, I’ll give you my thoughts on some players that perhaps are ranked higher/lower than you might expect and insights as to why they are a good/bad play this week. Ultimately, these rankings should help your start/sit dilemmas and ensure you have the requisite resources to make an informed decision.

Without further ado, let’s dive into week one’s positional rankings!

Quarterback

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
QB	Patrick Mahomes	HOU	1
QB	Lamar Jackson	CLE	2
QB	Russell Wilson	@ATL	3
QB	Dak Prescott	@LAR	4
QB	Deshaun Watson	@KC	5
QB	Drew Brees	TB	6
QB	Josh Allen	NYJ	7
QB	Matt Ryan	SEA	8
QB	Carson Wentz	@WAS	9
QB	Tom Brady	@NO	10
QB	Cam Newton	MIA	11
QB	Kyler Murray	@SF	12
QB	Ben Roethlisberger	@NYG	13
QB	Aaron Rodgers	@MIN	14
QB	Matthew Stafford	CHI	15
QB	Tyrod Taylor	@CIN	16
QB	Jared Goff	DAL	17
QB	Jimmy Garoppolo	ARI	18
QB	Gardner Minshew II	IND	19
QB	Derek Carr	@CAR	20
QB	Teddy Bridgewater	LV	21
QB	Ryan Tannehill	@DEN	22
QB	Kirk Cousins	GB	23
QB	Philip Rivers	@JAC	24
QB	Joe Burrow	LAC	25
QB	Baker Mayfield	@BAL	26
QB	Dwayne Haskins	PHI	27
QB	Daniel Jones	PIT	28
QB	Drew Lock	TEN	29
QB	Ryan Fitzpatrick	@NE	30
QB	Mitch Trubisky	@DET	31
QB	Sam Darnold	@BUF	32

Start ‘em: Cam Newton, QB MIA

It’s unclear which Newton we will get in 2020, but we’re going to find out right away. It’s no secret that he is one of the best mobile quarterbacks in the game when healthy – that translates to fantasy points. In week one, Newton and the Patriots get the Miami Dolphins in Foxboro. In 2019, Miami was a matchup dream for opposing quarterbacks, allowing the second-most fantasy points to the position. With a 24.75 implied team total and as 6.5 point favorites, New England should be able to move the ball well against Miami. Starting Newton is a risky play no doubt, but he has top-three quarterback upside this week. Start him as a low-end QB1 or higher if you’re a fantasy underdog.

Sit ‘em: Ryan Tannehill, QB TEN

There was no QB switch more impactful in the 2019 NFL season than the Tennessee Titans going from Marcus Mariota to Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill’s presence was felt in fantasy football, where he was the QB3 – that’s right, QB3 – in fantasy points per game from week seven onwards. Dynasty players are hoping for more of the same in 2020.

From a fantasy football lens, Tannehill’s week one matchup is worrisome. Analytically, he is unlikely to sustain his outlier 7.7% touchdown rate from 2019. He threw 22 touchdowns on just 286 pass attempts. For context, over a standard 550 passing attempt season, that would be a whopping 42 touchdowns. There three main concerns for Tannehill in week one: a low implied team total, a below-average matchup, and overall volume and efficiency concerns.

The Titans have an implied team total of just 20.75 points, the ninth-lowest in week one. They go on the road to play at Denver, a team that allowed the ninth-fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs last season. Overall, this game has the second-lowest over/unders on the week: just 42.5 points. While the Titans are small favorites, don’t expect a shootout. Overall, this is a matchup to avoid. Tannehill will be a good fantasy option throughout the season, but look elsewhere for week one.

If you’re desperate: Tyrod Taylor, QB LAC

Taylor is one of those quarterbacks you never envision needing to start in fantasy football, but week one offers a good matchup for the veteran. While traveling on the road, the Chargers have a solid 23 implied team total, which ranks about middle of the pack for week one. They rank as the projected seventh highest-scoring road team on the week. The Chargers have solid weapons; Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, and Hunter Henry all are top options are their positions.

Taylor scores fantasy points with more than just his arm. In three full seasons starting in Buffalo, he rushed for over 400 yards and four touchdowns in every season. As Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Kyler Murray showed last season, a solid rushing floor can go a long way for fantasy production. The Bengals are no stranger to rushing quarterbacks, but in 2019, the allowed nearly 500 yards on the ground to opposing QBs, the most in the league. Of course, they faced Jackson twice, but they allowed big games to Allen, Murray, and Gardner Minshew via the rush last year as well. Overall, this is a solid matchup to start Taylor. Play him confidently as a QB2 in superflex or as a high-upside play in 1QB formats.

Running Back

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
RB	Christian McCaffrey	LV	1
RB	Saquon Barkley	PIT	2
RB	Ezekiel Elliott	@LAR	3
RB	Alvin Kamara	TB	4
RB	Dalvin Cook	GB	5
RB	Austin Ekeler	@CIN	6
RB	Josh Jacobs	@CAR	7
RB	Derrick Henry	@DEN	8
RB	Joe Mixon	LAC	9
RB	Clyde Edwards-Helaire	HOU	10
RB	Aaron Jones	@MIN	11
RB	Miles Sanders	@WAS	12
RB	James Conner	@NYG	13
RB	Chris Carson	@ATL	14
RB	Todd Gurley	SEA	15
RB	Nick Chubb	@BAL	16
RB	David Johnson	@KC	17
RB	Kenyan Drake	@SF	18
RB	Melvin Gordon	TEN	19
RB	James White	MIA	20
RB	Mark Ingram II	CLE	21
RB	Kareem Hunt	@BAL	22
RB	Jonathan Taylor	@JAC	23
RB	Raheem Mostert	ARI	24
RB	Le’Veon Bell	@BUF	25
RB	Devin Singletary	NYJ	26
RB	Cam Akers	DAL	27
RB	Antonio Gibson	PHI	28
RB	Marlon Mack	@JAC	29
RB	Leonard Fournette	@NO	30
RB	J.K. Dobbins	CLE	31
RB	Sony Michel	MIA	32
RB	Tarik Cohen	@DET	33
RB	Phillip Lindsay	TEN	34
RB	Matt Breida	@NE	35
RB	Ronald Jones II	@NO	36
RB	Jordan Howard	@NE	37
RB	Zack Moss	NYJ	38
RB	Tevin Coleman	ARI	39
RB	Chris Thompson	IND	40
RB	Boston Scott	@WAS	41
RB	Kerryon Johnson	CHI	42
RB	Duke Johnson	@KC	43
RB	Darrell Henderson	DAL	44
RB	Justin Jackson	@CIN	45
RB	Latavius Murray	TB	46
RB	D’Andre Swift	CHI	47
RB	Alexander Mattison	GB	48
RB	J.D. McKissic	PHI	49
RB	James Robinson	IND	50
RB	Devine Ozigbo	IND	51
RB	Nyheim Hines	@JAC	52
RB	Tony Pollard	@LAR	53
RB	Joshua Kelley	@CIN	54
RB	Adrian Peterson	CHI	55
RB	Chase Edmonds	@SF	56
RB	Darrel Williams	HOU	57
RB	Jalen Richard	@CAR	58
RB	Bryce Love	PHI	59
RB	Jamaal Williams	@MIN	60

Start ‘em: David Johnson, RB HOU

It’s tough to trust Johnson after the end of last season. While also injured throughout, Johnson looked like he aged 20 years from week six to week nine. After a shocking trade to Houston this off-season, Johnson finds himself once again as the lead back in a projected top offense. Thursday night’s showdown against Kansas City looks to be the highest-scoring game in week one with a projected over/under of 56.5.

In 2019, the Chiefs were excellent in most phases of football, clearly, as they went on to win the Super Bowl. One area fantasy managers took advantage of, however, was their weakness to opposing running backs. Last season, Kansas City allowed the sixth-most points to opposing running backs, including 100 receptions (third-most in the NFL). Johnson is a running back who can capitalize on receptions out of the backfield. Many forget that from weeks one through six last season, he ranked as the PPR RB9 in points per game. If he can return to form, Johnson is a must-start for the season opener.

Sit ‘em: D’Andre Swift, RB DET

There is too much unknown surrounding Swift to start him in week one. While he may have been a top-five dynasty rookie pick this off-season, there’s no guarantee he starts week one with a 15+ touches share of the backfield. Swift has been battling injury for much of training camp, and the newly-signed Adrian Peterson muddies this backfield even more. I would recommend avoiding this backfield all together in a tough week one matchup against Chicago. Swift may be a league-winner down the stretch, but make sure you get there by sitting the star rookie until we get some clarity on this situation.

If you’re desperate: Marlon Mack, RB IND

It won’t be long before Jonathan Taylor takes over the Colts’ backfield for good, but for now, Mack still projects to be a solid contributor to both his team and your fantasy team. The play this week is mostly about the matchup and the projected opportunity share. The Colts travel to face the dysfunctional Jaguars with an implied team total of 26.25, the sixth-highest of the week. As 7.5 point favorites, the Colts should have plenty of positive game script to feed Mack 15+ carries while also getting Taylor a good workload. Taylor is ranked higher because of his big-play ability, but both rank as top 30 options against a Jaguars team that ranked second-worst against fantasy running backs last year and somehow got worse over the off-season.

Wide Receiver

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
WR	Michael Thomas	TB	1
WR	Julio Jones	SEA	2
WR	Davante Adams	@MIN	3
WR	Tyreek Hill	HOU	4
WR	Chris Godwin	@NO	5
WR	DeAndre Hopkins	@SF	6
WR	Allen Robinson	@DET	7
WR	D.J. Moore	LV	8
WR	Adam Thielen	GB	9
WR	Kenny Golladay	CHI	10
WR	Mike Evans	@NO	11
WR	JuJu Smith-Schuster	@NYG	12
WR	Calvin Ridley	SEA	13
WR	Terry McLaurin	PHI	14
WR	Tyler Lockett	@ATL	15
WR	Cooper Kupp	DAL	16
WR	Robert Woods	DAL	17
WR	A.J. Brown	@DEN	18
WR	Odell Beckham Jr.	@BAL	19
WR	Keenan Allen	@CIN	20
WR	Amari Cooper	@LAR	21
WR	D.K. Metcalf	@ATL	22
WR	Will Fuller	@KC	23
WR	Julian Edelman	MIA	24
WR	D.J. Chark	IND	25
WR	Courtland Sutton	TEN	26
WR	Marquise Brown	CLE	27
WR	Stefon Diggs	NYJ	28
WR	Michael Gallup	@LAR	29
WR	Jarvis Landry	@BAL	30
WR	Tyler Boyd	LAC	32
WR	T.Y. Hilton	@JAC	33
WR	Diontae Johnson	@NYG	34
WR	Darius Slayton	PIT	35
WR	A.J. Green	LAC	36
WR	Marvin Jones	CHI	37
WR	Jamison Crowder	@BUF	38
WR	Brandin Cooks	@KC	39
WR	Sterling Shepard	PIT	39
WR	Emmanuel Sanders	TB	40
WR	John Brown	NYJ	41
WR	DeSean Jackson	@WAS	42
WR	DeVante Parker	@NE	43
WR	Christian Kirk	@SF	44
WR	Golden Tate	PIT	45
WR	Allen Lazard	@MIN	46
WR	Sammy Watkins	HOU	47
WR	Anthony Miller	@DET	48
WR	Preston Williams	@NE	49
WR	Robby Anderson	LV	50
WR	CeeDee Lamb	@LAR	51
WR	Jerry Jeudy	TEN	52
WR	Mecole Hardman	HOU	53
WR	Henry Ruggs III	@CAR	54
WR	Curtis Samuel	LV	55
WR	N’Keal Harry	MIA	56
WR	Parris Campbell	@JAC	57
WR	Justin Jefferson	GB	58
WR	Brandon Aiyuk	ARI	59
WR	Randall Cobb	@KC	60

Start ‘em: JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR PIT

2019 was a season to forget for Smith-Schuster. Coming off a massive 1,400+ yard sophomore campaign and the departure of Antonio Brown, expectations were sky-high for the 23-year-old. JuJu actually got off to a solid start, posting a 6-78 receiving line against the New England Patriots, the best defense against opposing wideouts in 2019. After Ben Roethlisberger got injured, it all went downhill.

A healthy Big Ben will do wonders for JuJu this season. While it remains to be seen just how healthy Roethlisberger is, this week one matchup against the Giants should be telling. The Steelers travel to NY and are a six-point favorite with an implied team total of 26.75, the fifth-highest of the week. In a soft matchup, JuJu should capitalize against the defense that ranked fifth-worst against opposing wide receivers last season. In week one, he is a high-floor, high-ceiling play worthy of low-end WR1 status. It would not be shocking if he’s a top-five scorer on the day. Start him again to begin the 2020 season with confidence.

Sit ‘em: DeVante Parker, WR MIA

It finally happened; he broke out. Yes, 2019 had some crazy stories, but arguably no late-round player was more impactful down the stretch of the fantasy season than Parker. From weeks 7-16, he ranked as the WR6 in PPR formats. 2020 is a new year and a new season, and while Parker’s breakout has earned him a starting spot in your lineup in most weeks, he’s a risky play in week one. Heading into Foxboro to face the New England Patriots, the Dolphins have an implied team total of just 18.25, the second-lowest of the week. New England’s defense against opposing wide receivers last season was the best in the league. Parker himself is coming off an injury throughout training camp and may be limited in the opener. For a number of confounding reasons, Parker is best left on your bench for other options this week.

If you’re desperate: Anthony Miller, WR CHI

This Bears offense might be one to just stay away from entirely outside of star wide receiver Allen Robinson. However, if there’s a secondary playmaker at receiver on this team, it’s Miller. He enters his third season largely as a disappointment to date, but the former second-round pick has shown flashes when healthy. After an unsustainable seven touchdowns on 54 targets as a rookie, Miller’s luck swung the other direction in 2019 with just two touchdowns on 85 targets. As the secondary option in the passing game, Miller should command plenty of targets against a Detroit Lions team that ranked second-worst to opposing wide receivers in 2019. While Robinson gets covered by ball-hawking CB Desmond Trufant, look for Miller to capitalize elsewhere in line for a solid outing. He’s a high-floor play in week one as a WR4.

Tight End

Pos	Player	Matchup	Rank
TE	George Kittle	ARI	1
TE	Travis Kelce	HOU	2
TE	Zach Ertz	@WAS	3
TE	Mark Andrews	CLE	4
TE	Darren Waller	@CAR	5
TE	Tyler Higbee	DAL	6
TE	Hayden Hurst	SEA	7
TE	Hunter Henry	@CIN	8
TE	Evan Engram	PIT	9
TE	Jared Cook	TB	10
TE	Rob Gronkowski	@NO	11
TE	Austin Hooper	@BAL	12
TE	Dallas Goedert	@WAS	13
TE	Noah Fant	TEN	14
TE	T.J. Hockenson	CHI	15
TE	Mike Gesicki	@NE	16
TE	Eric Ebron	@NYG	17
TE	Blake Jarwin	@LAR	18
TE	Jonnu Smith	@DEN	19
TE	Jack Doyle	@JAC	20
TE	Irv Smith Jr.	GB	21
TE	Dawson Knox	NYJ	22
TE	Chris Herndon IV	@BUF	23
TE	Ian Thomas	LV	24
TE	Logan Thomas	PHI	25
TE	Tyler Eifert	IND	26
TE	Jimmy Graham	@DET	27
TE	Gerald Everett	DAL	28
TE	Kyle Rudolph	GB	29
TE	Greg Olsen	@ATL	30

Start ‘em: Tyler Higbee, TE LAR

To end 2019, Higbee had perhaps the best stretch of five games in tight end history. He eclipsed seven receptions and 80 yards in every game during his historic run. While we certainly shouldn’t expect this kind of output heading into 2020, Higbee is set up for success once again. With the departure of teammate Brandin Cooks and Todd Gurley, the Rams offense will lean on their more established playmakers: Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and Higbee.

Everyone who played fantasy football last year knows the gift of a matchup the Arizona Cardinals were for opposing tight ends. Perhaps surprisingly, the Cowboys were the third-worst team against the position, allowing the most receptions in the league. In a great matchup, start Higbee with confidence entering week one in one of the highest over/under (50.5) games of the week.

Sit ‘em: Chris Herndon, TE NYJ

Herndon was an enigma in 2019. After being suspended to start the season, he got hurt and wound up playing just 18 snaps on the whole season. While a trendy sleeper pick at the tight end position this season due to his athleticism and efficiency as a rookie, Herndon is best left on your bench this week. The Jets have the lowest implied team total on the week at just 16.5 as they face Buffalo’s stout defense. Jamison Crowder and Le’Veon Bell are the only startable fantasy players for the Jets this week, and even those two rank lower than usual. At this point in the season, you can certainly do better than Herndon. Keep an eye out on the waiver wire though, I expect Herndon to make the “If you’re desperate” section for TEs on more than one occasion.

If you’re desperate: Dallas Goedert, TE PHI

For his whole career, Goedert has been behind one of the best tight ends in the game: Zach Ertz. This has not stopped him from producing fantasy-relevant numbers, which is a true feat considering the general lack of depth at tight end from year to year. Goedert would be the clear number one tight end on a lot of teams in this league. In week one, he will likely act as the number two or three option in this Eagles passing game. Yes, he will technically be behind Ertz on the depth chart, but the Eagles are lacking any serious playmakers outside. First-round pick Jalen Reagor is hurt and likely to miss week one, and Alshon Jeffery is still not cleared to play. The Eagles are big favorites with an implied team total of 24.25 against Washington. Goedert is a high-upside play as the 13th-ranked TE on the week.

That concludes this week’s rankings article! As this series is released before Thursday’s game, be sure to follow any lingering injuries and changing injury status updates for players as Sunday approaches. If you’re wondering about a player I didn’t dive into detail about, feel free to reach out to me @FFzinger on Twitter. Best of luck this week, and I’ll be back next week to give week two’s positional rankings.