Thankfully, most of the wide receivers at the top of our season-long rankings can be considered relatively sure things. This whole "no preseason" deal really has us scratching our heads when we get down to the WR3 and flex range of our rankings, though. How much of a role will rookies play in Week 1? What about guys on new teams? And what about those teams that seem like they have six WRs that could matter but none that will for sure (we're looking at you, Raiders)? More than in years past, Week 1 rankings are a guessing game, but we'd like to think we're good guessers.
Of course, we don't know everything. Near the top, there's reason to worry about DeAndre Hopkins, solely when thinking about Week 1. The 49ers have a great defense and Hopkins is on a new team. We assume he'll still ball out, and that's why he's in our top-10, and you're never going to sit him Week 1, so this is probably a moot discussion point. But still, there's more risk associated there than we're used to with Hopkins.
WEEK 1 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Then we get into the middle of the rankings and it all feels like a crapshoot. We don't know for sure whether Stefon Diggs will immediately outproduce John Brown in Buffalo. We don't know for sure if Brandin Cooks is healthy enough to matter for the Texans in Week 1. We don't know for sure whether Cam Newton's lack of accuracy will be a huge hit to the value of Julian Edelman. The best we can do early on here is bet on the talent and production that we already know.
WEEK 1 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
You won't find any rookie WRs as even WR3s in our rankings for this week even though a few might break out early like Marquise Brown and Terry McLaurin did a year ago. With a weird offseason and limited positive reports about rookie WRs claiming jobs outright, it probably makes sense to bet on the players that seem more like sure things to open the season.
WEEK 1 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS:
Yahoo | DraftKings | FanDuel
Also keep in mind that with no preseason, we have less grasp of players' true game healths than normal. A.J. Green has been hampered for weeks by injury, but it's not obvious whether it's something he can play through in a Week 1 game. There are ripple effects to every uncertain injury like that. If Green is out or limited, you've got to play Tyler Boyd against the Chargers, but if Green is relatively useful, Boyd becomes less so. Speaking of the Chargers, we already know Mike Williams is banged up, and there's nothing concrete to tell us which wideout will produce opposite Keenan Allen, if any. Maybe deep-leaguers should take a chance on Jalen Guyton or Joe Reed, but it's anyone's guess on that.
WEEK 1 DFS CASH LINEUPS:
Yahoo | DraftKings | FanDuel
If you didn't figure it out already, the theme of Week 1 in 2020 more than most years is uncertainty. Wide receiver has become such a productive fantasy position in recent years that you should have three WRs on your roster who will put up points in Week 1. While it might be hard to predict exactly which three, your best bet is to go with the guys who have done it before and who have quarterbacks that are trustworthy. None of them should totally bust.
Note: We'll continue to update our WR rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest movement and individual player analysis.
Week 1 Fantasy WR Rankings (Standard)
These rankings are for non-PPR leagues
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Michael Thomas, NO vs. TB |
| 2 | Tyreek Hill, KC vs. HOU |
| 3 | Julio Jones, ATL vs. SEA |
| 4 | Davante Adams, GB @ MIN |
| 5 | Chris Godwin, TB @ NO |
| 6 | DeAndre Hopkins, ARZ @ SF. You simply can't bench your WR1 in Week 1, no matter the opponent. Hopkins should see double-digit targets in his Arizona debut, so even if he's a bit less efficient than usual, he'll still have a solid game that's better than what you'll get from the fourth or fifth wide receiver on your roster. |
| 7 | Cooper Kupp, LAR vs. DAL |
| 8 | Amari Cooper, DAL @ LAR |
| 9 | Tyler Lockett, SEA @ ATL |
| 10 | JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT @ NYG. Let's all forget about JuJu's 2019. He was a top-eight receiver entering last season with Ben Roethlisberger at QB, and as long as Big Ben stays healthy, Smith-Schuster should return toward top-10 territory this season. A matchup against a bottom-five 2019 defense in the Giants should be the perfect start for JuJu's 2020 bounceback. |
| 11 | Allen Robinson, CHI @ DET. Mitchell Trubisky might be worse for Robinson than Nick Foles would've been, but at least we've seen Robinson be somewhat productive with Trubisky throwing his way. Twice last year, the Lions allowed three passing touchdowns to the Bears. Robinson should find the end zone at least once to open the season. |
| 12 | Odell Beckham Jr., CLE @ BAL. No one would blame you for considering sitting OBJ against Marlon Humphrey and the Ravens in Week 1. The First Team All-Pro should see plenty of Beckham this week. But Beckham is also one big play away from a huge week, and if Cleveland falls behind early to Lamar Jackson and co., OBJ will be that much more important. You'd have to have drafted a very strong WR corps to consider sitting him. |
| 13 | Keenan Allen, LAC @ CIN. A likely out Mike Williams means Allen should see double-digit targets from Tyrod Taylor against a poor pass defense -- start Allen with confidence despite the new QB. |
| 14 | Adam Thielen, MIN vs. GB |
| 15 | A.J. Brown, TEN @ DEN. Brown is as boom-or-bust as they come, frequently failing to see five targets in the second half of last season. Know that starting him comes with risk, but you also can't sit him in Week 1 - his upside is too great. |
| 16 | DJ Chark, JAX vs. IND |
| 17 | T.Y. Hilton, IND @ JAX |
| 18 | D.J. Moore, CAR vs. LV |
| 19 | Marvin Jones, DET vs. CHI. With Kenny Golladay (hamstring) likely out, Jones should see more targets, especially down field and in the red zone. As always, he comes with a high ceiling, but his low might actually be lower as the Lions de facto No. 1, as he'll garner more attention. |
| 20 | Robert Woods, LAR vs. DAL |
| 21 | Courtland Sutton, DEN vs. TEN. Sutton suffered a shoulder injury in practice on Thursday and is "questionable" for Monday night's game. If he's out, look for Jerry Jeudy to be the primary beneficiary. |
| 22 | DeVante Parker, MIA @ NE. The Patriots defense won't be as good as it was last year, but Stephon Gilmore is still there. In Week 2 last year, Parker was targeted seven times against New England and didn't catch a pass. But in Week 17, Parker caught eight passes for 137 yards with Gilmore on him most of the time. This might be the first name on our Week 1 rankings that could legitimately be benched if you have strong matchups in your depth WRs. |
| 23 | Stefon Diggs, BUF vs. NYJ. Diggs will likely sit firmly on the WR2/3 border for much of the season in his new digs in Buffalo, and our Week 1 rankings reflect that. Don't worry about the Jets, though -- if Diggs is going to have a big game or two with the Bills, New York is a likely opponent he'll take advantage of. |
| 24 | Calvin Ridley, ATL vs. SEA |
| 25 | DK Metcalf, SEA @ ATL |
| 26 | Terry McLaurin, WAS vs. PHI. McLaurin had his breakout game in Week 1 last year against Philly, catching five passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Then he caught five for 130 and another score against the Eagles later in the season. Dwayne Haskins still leaves plenty to be desired, but McLaurin should produce against the Eagles once again. |
| 27 | Will Fuller V, HOU @ KC. Fuller's Thursday night No. 1 WR debut for Houston will show us whether he can handle increased defensive attention. Kansas City should get up on the Texans and force them to throw, so Fuller's big-play ability should be in your lineup. |
| 28 | Marquise Brown, BAL vs. CLE. Baltimore could get up early on Cleveland and not need too much from Brown, who was a disappointment in the second half of 2020. That doesn't mean you should sit him, though - that early lead could be thanks to a deep touchdown from Hollywood, reminiscent of his huge NFL debut in 2019. |
| 29 | Jarvis Landry, CLE @ BAL |
| 30 | Emmanuel Sanders, NO vs. TB. Sanders' debut in New Orleans should feature plenty of points, which makes him a solid standard-league play and even better start in PPR formats. |
| 31 | Brandin Cooks, HOU @ KC |
| 32 | Julian Edelman, NE vs. MIA. We really have no idea how Edelman will connect with Cam Newton, but Miami is such a weak defense that you've got to play Edelman in Week 1 to find out. |
| 33 | Tyler Boyd, CIN vs. LAC. If A.J. Green is out, Boyd should easily see double-digit targets and be a WR2 play in PPR formats. |
| 34 | DeSean Jackson, PHI @ WAS. Jackson caught eight passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the season-opener against Washington last year. Why not a repeat? |
| 35 | John Brown, BUF vs. NYJ |
| 36 | Michael Gallup, DAL @ LAR |
| 37 | A.J. Green, CIN vs. LAC. Green has missed ample time in training camp due to injury. His Week 1 practice reports will give us some indication of his status, but he's mightily risky as a Week 1 play against a defense that's not half bad. |
| 38 | Diontae Johnson, PIT @ NYG. Johnson found a way to be more productive than Smith-Schuster last year with Pittsburgh's secondary quarterbacks. If Big Ben and Johnson can form a connection like JuJu and Ben had two seasons ago, Johnson could be awesome in 2020. The Giants can't defend the pass well at all, so Johnson is a solid upside flex play in Week 1. |
| 39 | Kendrick Bourne, SF vs. ARZ. Bourne has has TD upside, but with Deebo Samuel (foot) out, he should see more targets, too. |
| 40 | Darius Slayton, NYG vs. PIT |
| 41 | Jamison Crowder, NYJ @ BUF |
| 42 | Henry Ruggs III, LV @ CAR. We saw in Ruggs' time at Alabama that he just needs one pass over the middle to break for six. But he'll likely split slot snaps early on with Hunter Renfrow, which increases his boom-or-bust potential in the season opener. |
| 43 | Christian Kirk, ARZ @ SF |
| 44 | Anthony Miller, CHI @ DET. Trubisky didn't turn Miller into a fantasy standout last year, but he made him serviceable. Against a Lions defense that allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to WRs in 2019, Miller should start 2020 well. |
| 45 | Mecole Hardman, KC vs. HOU |
| 46 | CeeDee Lamb, DAL @ LAR. Lamb and Jerry Jeudy below him both make their NFL debuts as secondary receivers in primetime. Both have big-play ability but will likely see the ups-and-downs of rookie wideouts. Lamb gets the slight edge in Week 1 due to a likely shootout, whereas Jeudy's game could be ground-and-pound. |
| 47 | Jerry Jeudy, DEN vs. TEN |
| 48 | Sterling Shepard, NYG vs. PIT |
| 49 | N'Keal Harry, NE vs. MIA. Harry is the Patriots' top outside WR, we think. If New England has passing success against Miami like they could, it likely means a big game for Harry. We're just not certain enough about his role or about Cam Newton's ability to trust him too much early on. |
| 50 | Allen Lazard, GB @ MIN. The chatter that has Marquez Valdes-Scantling possibly ahead of Lazard in Week 1 means you should keep him on your bench until we see how the snaps and targets breakdown here. |
| 51 | Preston Williams, MIA @ NE. Williams has all the talent in the world, and if the reports during the week suggest Stephon Gilmore will get shadow duty on DeVante Parker, Williams is a flex sleeper in a game that Miami could be playing catch-up in. |
| 52 | Michael Pittman Jr., IND @ JAX. Pittman is another rookie WR worth waiting on in Week 1. |
| 53 | Curtis Samuel, CAR vs. LV |
| 54 | Danny Amendola, DET vs. CHI |
| 55 | Jalen Reagor, PHI @ WAS |
| 56 | Josh Reynolds, LAR vs. DAL |
| 57 | Robby Anderson, CAR vs. LV |
| 58 | Sammy Watkins, KC vs. HOU |
| 59 | Trent Taylor, SF vs. ARZ |
| 60 | Parris Campbell, IND @ JAX. Campbell's likely role as slot receiver in Indy's offense could lead him to realizing the sleeper potential he had before 2019. Jacksonville won't have much lucky slowing the Colts down in Week 1. Campbell gets a small boost in PPR formats toward flex viability. |
| 61 | Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ @ SF |
| 62 | Dede Westbrook, JAX vs. IND |
| 63 | Justin Jefferson, MIN vs. GB. There's too much news surrounding Olabisi Johnson's probable No. 2 WR role to trust Jefferson in his NFL debut. |
| 64 | Breshad Perriman, NYJ @ BUF. If you're considering using Perriman, monitor his health - he hasn't been 100 percent during training camp. The downside here is a potential matchup with Tre'Davious White, one of the league's best corners, making the likelihood of Perriman connecting with Sam Darnold on a home-run play much smaller. |
| 65 | Hunter Renfrow, LV @ CAR |
| 66 | Golden Tate, NYG vs. PIT |
| 67 | J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, PHI @ WAS |
| 68 | Jalen Guyton, LAC @ CIN. Somebody's gotta play if Mike Williams doesn't and camp indications are that it'll be size-and-speed prospect Guyton. He hasn't proven himself at the NFL level, but he's got the ability to break a long touchdown, which he showed last preseason with the Cowboys. |
| 69 | Bryan Edwards, LV @ CAR. We've been saying it all preseason - Edwards' skillset might go better with Derek Carr's arm than that of Ruggs. But until we see Edwards in game action, he's better off on your bench. |
| 70 | Randall Cobb, HOU @ KC. Give Cobb a boost in PPR formats, especially if there's any indication Brandin Cooks won't be 100 percent. The Texans could be playing from behind here, leaving Cobb plenty of room to operate on short routes. |
| 71 | James Washington, PIT @ NYG |
| 72 | Joe Reed, LAC @ CIN. Reed is as viable a Chargers flier as Guyton is - Reed wasn't a prolific receiver at Virginia, but he could see some action in the backfield or returning kicks for L.A., too. |
| 73 | Van Jefferson, LAR vs. DAL. Jefferson could leap past Josh Reynolds on the depth chart as early as Week 1, but until we see it for sure, he's only playable in very deep leagues. |
| 74 | Corey Davis, TEN @ DEN |
| 75 | Kenny Stills, HOU @ KC |
| 76 | Russell Gage, ATL vs. SEA. Gage gets a small PPR boost but still falls outside of flex consideration in that format, too. |
| 77 | Tee Higgins, CIN vs. LAC |
| 78 | Cole Beasley, BUF vs. NYJ. Beasley also gets a bump in PPR, but we'll have to see how Diggs impacts his role after seeing more than 100 targets last year. |
| 79 | Chase Claypool, PIT @ NYG |
| 80 | Brandon Aiyuk, SF vs. ARZ |
| 81 | Denzel Mims, NYJ @ BUF |
| 82 | Olabisi Johnson, MIN vs. GB |
| 83 | Devin Duvernay, BAL vs. CLE |
| 84 | Miles Boykin, BAL vs. CLE |
| 85 | Laviska Shenault Jr., JAX vs. IND |
| 86 | Steven Sims, WAS vs. PHI |
| 87 | Tre'Quan Smith, NO vs. TB |
| 88 | John Ross III, CIN vs. LAC |
| 89 | Marquez Valdes-Scantling, GB @ MIN. MVS got praise from Aaron Rodgers recently, which isn't easy to do. He still has tantalizing deep speed - maybe he'll produce more like a DeSean Jackson-type in 2020 than he has so far in his career. Take a wait-and-see approach with him, though. |