Fantasy WR Rankings Week 1: Who to start, sit at wide receiver in fantasy football

Nick Musial

Fantasy WR Rankings Week 1: Who to start, sit at wide receiver in fantasy football image

The opening week of the NFL season is here, and our Week 1 fantasy WR rankings aim help you figure out how to best manage your standard-league lineup to begin the season. At wide receiver, the first couple of tiers include pass catchers who will be cemented into your lineups on a weekly basis, even if they draw tough matchups. Since you have to start at least two WRs every week in virtually every fantasy football league, it’s hard to really make a case to put a WR ranked within the top 25 on your bench no matter how much you like the matchup-based sleeper du jour.

That said, in deeper leagues, your start 'em, sit 'em decisions (and our rankings) are definitely affected by matchups, projected target share, and injury concerns. We have around 80 pass-catchers ranked in our Week 1 list, which should satisfy those in deep leagues looking for the best boom-or-bust WR3 or flex.

Without any regular-season data points, there's a good deal of uncertainty pertaining to how a team’s target share will play out, but we've tried our best to give you a feel for how Week 1 could unfold. As the fantasy season progresses, there will be WRs who plummet down the list and those who rise sharply.

WEEK 1 FANTASY PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker

Since these are our standard rankings, it's crucial to identify which wideouts are more valuable across each format. Red-zone mismatches like Mike Evans (@ Cowboys), and Courtland Sutton (@ Seahawks) have higher upside in standard formats. Other borderline players with a low average depth of target who don’t pose much of a threat in the red zone are worth fading in standard scoring.

WEEK 1 STANDARD FANTASY RANKINGS:
QBs | RBsTEs | D/STs | Kicker

A few pass catchers who could be in line for big Week 1 performances in standard formats include Michael Pittman Jr. (@ Texans), A.J. Brown (@ Lions), and DeVonta Smith (@ Lions). The Colts WRs get an enticing matchup against an unproven Texans secondary. Pittman, along with fellow WRs Alec Pierce and Parris Campbell, could all put up respectable fantasy outputs, even with work-horse RB Jonathan Taylor expected to a get a heavy workload. Brown and second-year wideout Smith both could finish Week 1 sitting in the top 15 with the Lions’ secondary still being one the weaker coverage units.

WEEK 1 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKingsFanDuel | Yahoo

Heading down the list, Brandon Aiyuk (@ Bears) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (@ Falcons) might be two players you’re on the fence about starting as WR3s, but both look like solid starts this week due to their matchups. Chicago’s secondary is young and playing under a new scheme, which could allow for Trey Lance to have his way through the air. Smith-Schuster is flexed into a brand new offense with several new faces, but he has as stable of a QB as you can find.

WEEK 1 DFS: Best values | Best stacks

A few other WRs ranked outside the top 30 who could have effective Week 1 performances include Sammy Watkins and Romeo Doubs (@ Vikings), Christian Kirk (@ Commanders), Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney (@ Titans), Garrett Wilson (vs. Ravens), Jahan Dotson (vs. Jaguars), and Chris Olave (@ Falcons), all of whom, like Aiyuk and Smith-Schuster, are facing defenses that were in the top 10 in fantasy points per game allowed to WRs last year.

WEEK 1 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em

Overall, Week 1 of the fantasy season isn’t a time to hit the panic button if things don’t go smoothly. A one-game sample size isn’t the end all be all, as the NFL is truly a week-to-week league. We'll learn a lot more about this (and every) position after this week as we track snaps, targets, and red-zone usage. For now, your safest bet is projected target share, but if you want to take some chances with the guys mentioned above, have at it. As we always say, "all it takes is one" at WR.

We'll be updating these standard WR rankings as needed throughout the week, so check back for the latest changes and analysis.

Fantasy WR Rankings Week 1: Who to start, sit at wide receiver in fantasy football

Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring

Rank Player
1 Cooper Kupp, Rams vs. Bills
2 Justin Jefferson, Vikings vs. Packers
3 Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals vs. Steelers
4 Davante Adams, Raiders @ Chargers
5 CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys vs. Buccaneers
6 Stefon Diggs, Bills @ Rams
7 Mike Evans, Buccaneers @ Cowboys
8 Mike Williams, Chargers vs. Raiders
9 Tyreek Hill, Dolphins vs. Patriots
10 Deebo Samuel, 49ers @ Bears
11 A.J. Brown, Eagles @ Lions
12 Tee Higgins, Bengals vs. Steelers
13 Keenan Allen, Chargers vs. Raiders
14 Terry McLaurin, Commanders vs. Jaguars
15 DK Metcalf, Seahawks vs. Broncos
16 Michael Pittman Jr., Colts @ Texans
17 Diontae Johnson, Steelers vs. Bengals
18 DJ Moore, Panthers vs. Browns
19 Darnell Mooney, Bears vs. 49ers
20 Marquise Brown, Cardinals vs. Chiefs
21 Courtland Sutton, Broncos @ Seahawks
22 Michael Thomas, Saints @ Falcons
23 Brandin Cooks, Texans vs. Colts
24 Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins vs. Patriots
25 Jerry Jeudy, Broncos @ Seahawks
26 DeVonta Smith, Eagles @ Lions
27 Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions vs. Eagles
28 Gabriel Davis, Bills @ Rams
29 Allen Robinson II, Rams vs. Bills
30 Elijah Moore, Jets vs. Ravens
31 Rashod Bateman, Ravens @ Jets
32 Chris Godwin, Buccaneers @ Cowboys
33 Amari Cooper, Browns @ Panthers
34 Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers @ Bears
35 Robert Woods, Titans vs. Giants
36 Tyler Lockett, Seahawks vs. Broncos
37 Hunter Renfrow, Raiders @ Chargers
38 JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chiefs @ Cardinals
39 Christian Kirk, Jaguars @ Commanders
40 Romeo Doubs, Packers @ Vikings
41 Adam Thielen, Vikings vs. Packers
42 Julio Jones, Buccaneers @ Cowboys
43 Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Chiefs @ Cardinals
44 Jakobi Meyers, Patriots @ Dolphins
45 Chris Olave, Saints @ Falcons
46 Sammy Watkins, Packers @ Vikings
47 Drake London, Falcons vs. Saints
48 Chase Claypool, Steelers @ Bengals
49 Tyler Boyd, Bengals vs. Steelers
50 Garrett Wilson, Jets vs. Ravens
51 DeVante Parker, Patriots @ Dolphins
52 DJ Chark, Lions vs. Eagles
53 Kenny Golladay, Giants @ Titans
54 Kadarius Toney, Giants @ Titans
55 George Pickens, Steelers @ Bengals
56 A.J. Green, Cardinals vs. Chiefs
57 Alec Pierce, Colts @ Texans
58 Joshua Palmer, Chargers vs. Raiders
59 Jalen Tolbert, Cowboys vs. Buccaneers
60 Marvin Jones Jr., Jaguars @ Commanders
61 Mecole Hardman, Chiefs @ Cardinals
62 Jarvis Landry, Saints @ Falcons
63 K.J. Hamler, Broncos @ Seahawks
64 Russell Gage, Buccaneers @ Cowboys
65 Nico Collins, Texans vs. Colts
66 Jahan Dotson, Commanders vs. Jaguars
67 Treylon Burks, Titans vs. Giants
68 Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Titans vs. Giants
69 Isaiah McKenzie, Bills @ Rams
70 Robbie Anderson, Panthers vs. Browns
71 K.J. Osborn, Vikings vs. Packers
72 Corey Davis, Jets vs. Ravens
73 Andy Isabella, Cardinals vs. Chiefs
74 Sterling Shepard, Giants @ Titans
75 Nelson Agholor, Patriots @ Dolphins
76 Jauan Jennings, 49ers @ Bears
77 Parris Campbell, Colts @ Texans
78 Skyy Moore, Chiefs @ Cardinals
79 Curtis Samuel, Commanders vs. Jaguars
80 Marquez Callaway, Saints @ Falcons

Nick Musial

Nick Musial Photo

Nick Musial is a Content Producer at The Sporting News. He recently joined the team after studying sport management and journalism at the University of Kansas. Nick’s an avid sports bettor who’s always looking for value.