| |  | | Monday, September 6, 2021 | | Welcome to Week 1! | I know plenty of you have drafts remaining -- I've got two Tuesday night, and if you still have yours coming up, our Draft Day Cheat Sheet has everything you need! -- but for most Fantasy players, drafts are done and it's time to stop fretting about your big board and start fretting about your lineup. We've got all week to do that, and we'll learn about injuries and role changes throughout the week in practice leading up first to Thursday's NFL opening between the Buccaneers and Cowboys and then into Sunday of Week 1, but today's your first chance to check out our Week 1 rankings. | | | And the FFT team has a whole lot more than that going on now that the season is starting, too. On Tuesday, I'll be live on the FFT YouTube channel with Adam Aizer and Jamey Eisenberg to talk about some deep sleepers/stashes to look out for, and we'll be live every week at that time to help you get all of your waiver-wire claims in, so make sure you mark that on your calendars. We'll also be live Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET to take your start/sit questions and again Sunday at 11:30 through kickoff to do the same. That's all at YouTube.com/FantasyFootballToday, so make sure to head there and subscribe to get notified every time we go live. | | It's all about helping you set the best lineup every week all the way through your championship. Through the rest of the week, we'll be blending in a bit of season preview content, including Fantasy MVP picks, Bold Predictions from the staff and everything else you need for last-minute draft prep. | For now, let's take a first look at the Week 1 rankings, and if you've got any lineup or trade questions, send them my way at Chris.Towers@CBSi.com! I'll be doing a trade mailbag every Wednesday morning right here, with lineup questions all week long, so send those emails in with the subject line #AskFFT! | | | | Injuries, News, and Notes |  | - The Cowboys will be without RG Zack Martin for Thursday's game -- Martin was placed on the COVID-19 list following a positive test, which is just a reminder that any non-vaccinated player who tests positive will have to be away from the team for 10 full days before being allowed to return. This could be just as big an issue as it was a year ago. And, for the Cowboys, they're getting unwelcome visions of 2020 as well, as La'El Collins ' status for Week 1 is up in the air as he deals with a neck injury. There's still a chance Collins could play, but he's gotta make it through this week of practice first. With a tough matchup on the way against the Buccaneers, it would be less than ideal for Dallas to be missing 40% of their starting line.
- The Jets placed Jamison Crowder on the COVID list -- Crowder did test positive, but it isn't clear if he is vaccinated or not. If he is, he would need to test negative twice 24 hours apart to be cleared to return; if not, he's likely out for at least Week 1.
- The Raiders signed Peyton Barber -- With Jalen Richard on IR, Barber provides some depth as the third running back. Barber is not a third-down option, so Kenyan Drake should have that role to himself while spelling and occasionally playing alongside Josh Jacobs. That is, low-key, one of the more interesting backfields to watch in Week 1 because Drake could be surprisingly useful for Fantasy if he's a regular part of the passing game.
- Darrynton Evans (knee) was placed on IR -- Evans was hoping to play a bigger role after making little impact as a rookie due to a hamstring injury, but now he'll miss at least the first three games due to a knee injury. Jeremy McNichols will be the primary backup to Derrick Henry, but he won't have enough opportunities to be Fantasy relevant.
- Giovani Bernard was back at practice Sunday -- Bernard is working his way back from what was termed a "mild" high-ankle sprain, but we'll want to keep an eye on his status throughout the week. Not that you'll likely want to start Bernard against the Cowboys. However, if he is out, Leonard Fournette could become an interesting low-end starting option who will likely take on more passing downs work than Ronald Jones.
| | | | Week 1 Rankings | | This newsletter will be the only place you can find my rankings this season, and I'll be including them every Tuesday morning to kick off the new Fantasy week moving forward. Along with my rankings -- which will be updated throughout the week, obviously, so make sure you check back in before locking in your lineups! -- I'll include notes on some of the most interesting players with each update, beginning with today's initial in-season rankings. My goal is to have commented on the majority of the players that matter each week. This newsletter will work in conjunction with my game previews which will be published every Friday. | | Here are my initial rankings for Week 1! | | Quarterbacks |  | | Just like with the season-long rankings, I think there's a gap between Mahomes and even the rest of the elite options at the position. The two biggest risers from the preseason rankings to Week 1 are Tom Brady and Matt Ryan, who both benefit from projected high-scoring games in offenses that figure to throw the ball a ton early on. Neither is widely available, so if you're looking for a streamer, your best option is probably Ryan Fitzpatrick against the Chargers or Baker Mayfield against the Chiefs in a game he may be chasing points in. Among players you may have drafted with the intention of starting, I'm most concerned about Ben Roethlisberger and Jameis Winston . I want to see what both look like in their respective offenses before I trust them. | - Patrick Mahomes
- Josh Allen
- Tom Brady
- Kyler Murray
- Lamar Jackson
- Russell Wilson
- Aaron Rodgers
- Dak Prescott -- I'm starting Prescott, but after he missed much of training camp coming off ankle surgery and a shoulder injury, I'm at least a little concerned about his first game, especially against a tough matchup and potentially playing without two starters on the line.
- Matthew Stafford
- Matt Ryan
- Jalen Hurts
- Ryan Tannehill
- Justin Herbert
- Trevor Lawrence
- Ryan Fitzpatrick
- Joe Burrow -- Burrow is another one I'm not quite sure what to expect from coming back from a serious injury. The Vikings defense wasn't great last season, so hopefully this is a fairly soft landing, but I would hope you have a better option for Week 1.
- Jimmy Garoppolo -- One of the most interesting things to keep an eye on in Week 1 will be how the 49ers use their quarterbacks. In the final preseason game, Garoppolo and Trey Lance were swapping off regularly as the 49ers worked on different looks, but that's not an approach you ever really see in the NFL. Will Kyle Shanahan be willing to do it when the games count -- and if so, how much might that limit the passing production?
- Carson Wentz
- Tyrod Taylor
- Baker Mayfield
- Kirk Cousins
- Tua Tagovailoa -- I'm high on Tagovailoa for the season, but he's got a pretty tough slate to open the season, so I'll want to see what he looks like before I trust him, especially with Will Fuller not playing in Week 1.
- Mac Jones
- Derek Carr
- Teddy Bridgewater
- Andy Dalton
- Sam Darnold
- Ben Roethlisberger
- Jameis Winston
- Jared Goff
- Zach Wilson
- Daniel Jones
| | | | Running backs |  | | There's not much change from the top of the preseason rankings to Week 1, but I'm putting my money where my mouth is with Mixon, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire and James Robinson rank a little higher than they did thanks to situations that should set up pretty well for them. My notes will focus on situations I want to really keep a close eye on in Week 1. | - Christian McCaffrey
- Alvin Kamara
- Dalvin Cook
- Joe Mixon
- Austin Ekeler
- Derrick Henry
- Aaron Jones
- Najee Harris
- Ezekiel Elliott
- James Robinson
- Jonathan Taylor
- David Montgomery
- Nick Chubb
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire -- The Chiefs are expected to roll in this one, with the highest implied total of any team in Week 1. We'll want to see Edwards-Helaire get whatever goal-line work is there, or else he could really tumble down the ranks.
- Antonio Gibson -- Gibson hardly played on third down as a rookie, and that continued in the preseason. If he's just a two-down back, it could be tough for him to live up to expectations, so if this one turns into a shootout, we want to see Gibson out there in passing situations.
- Chris Carson
- Saquon Barkley -- The expectation is Barkley won't have his full role in Week 1, but I've still got him projected for 15-plus touches, including four receptions. If he's well below that, then this will probably be an even slower start to the season than expected.
- Myles Gaskin
- D'Andre Swift
- Mike Davis
- Darrell Henderson -- I'm still projecting Henderson to be the lead back on early downs and in passing situations, but it wouldn't surprise me if Sony Michel cut into either role right away.
- Miles Sanders
- Josh Jacobs
- Kareem Hunt
- Gus Edwards -- The Ravens rarely give any one back a huge workload -- there have been just 17 games where a running back has 15-plus carries since Lamar Jackson became the starter. However, five of them came from Edwards in Jackson's first seven starts. Does he get that kind of usage again? If so, this is too low.
- Chase Edmonds
- Melvin Gordon -- All preseason, Gordon has ended up higher in my projections than I ever feel comfortable actually ranking him. If he's the lead back for the Broncos to start the season, however, he's going to be a solid starter, whether we like it or not.
- Raheem Mostert
- Javonte Williams
- Kenyan Drake
- David Johnson -- If the Texans are going to be chasing points, we could see quite a bit of Johnson even in his diminished role. They are severely depleted at wide receiver, so don't be surprised if we see Johnson split out wide regularly.
- Jamaal Williams
- Devin Singletary
- Damien Harris
- James Conner
- James White
- Tevin Coleman
- Leonard Fournette -- If Bernard's ankle injury does keep him out Thursday, I would expect Fournette to be the beneficiary in the passing game, and he could be worth starting if that's the case. Don't overlook him when waivers run.
- Sony Michel
- Michael Carter
- Ronald Jones
- AJ Dillon
- Trey Sermon
- Nyheim Hines
- Benny Snell
- J.D. McKissic
- Zack Moss
- Malcolm Brown
- Phillip Lindsay
- Giovani Bernard
- Ty'Son Williams
- Wayne Gallman
- Chris Evans
- Jeremy McNichols
- Tony Pollard
- Darrel Williams
- Devontae Booker
- Kenneth Gainwell -- I'll be watching the passing downs very closely for the Eagles, because I could see Gainwell taking on a significant role right from the beginning and growing from there. If you're going to look for a late-round RB to stash, a guy with a locked-in passing role would be the right place to start.
- Latavius Murray
- Joshua Kelley
| | Wide receivers |  | | Similarly, there isn't much change at the top of the rankings from the preseason, but beyond that, there's been quite a bit of movement. Mostly because there are so many talented rookies in the WR class this season who we have high hopes for this season but who we know may not have the roles we expect from Week 1. | - Davante Adams
- DeAndre Hopkins -- We didn't see Hopkins in the preseason and he barely practiced as the Cardinals have been managing an ongoing ankle issue, and that probably won't change once the season starts. However, he's been playing through that issue for a few years and it hasn't limited him yet, so I'm not expecting it to be an issue here.
- Stefon Diggs
- Tyreek Hill
- Calvin Ridley
- A.J. Brown
- Allen Robinson -- Robinson's got a tough matchup opening the season against Jalen Ramsey, and maybe that might scare you off a bit. That's not unreasonable, but there's no way I'm sitting Robinson in Week 1. You don't draft a WR this early to play matchups.
- Justin Jefferson
- Tyler Lockett -- Lockett over Metcalf? Yeah, sure! Metcalf over Lockett? Okay! You can flip flop these guys in my mind. I know Metcalf was drafted well ahead of Lockett, but I've had them pretty close all along, and expect both to be awesome.
- D.K. Metcalf
- Robert Woods
- Julio Jones -- I'm going to move forward with Jones as I have often in recent years: If he's playing, I'm going to start him as if he's healthy. The vague leg injury he's dealt with throughout training camp is a bit of a concern for the 32-year-old, but he's been moving in the right direction.
- Terry McLaurin
- Keenan Allen
- Cooper Kupp
- Amari Cooper
- CeeDee Lamb -- The Cowboys open the season with a tough matchup, but Cooper and Lamb are both solid No. 2 Fantasy WR for me. Hopefully, this one turns into the kind of shootout that made both of them so useful early on last season.
- Chris Godwin
- Mike Evans -- Same for Godwin and Evans, whose Buccaneers have the highest implied total on the schedule -- tied with the Chiefs.
- D.J. Moore
- Adam Thielen
- Tee Higgins
- Diontae Johnson
- Jarvis Landry -- With the Browns likely chasing points and Odell Beckham expected to be limited, Landry could be surprisingly productive in this one.
- Corey Davis
- Tyler Boyd
- Jerry Jeudy
- Robby Anderson
- Marquez Callaway -- This is a pretty aggressive ranking for a guy who basically has one great half of football with Jameis Winston on his side, but I'm willing to be aggressive here since this range of WR doesn't necessarily thrill me.
- Antonio Brown
- Sterling Shepard
- Brandin Cooks
- Brandon Aiyuk
- Deebo Samuel
- Kenny Golladay -- It's hard to know what to expect from Golladay after changing teams and missing most of training camp with a hamstring injury. His big-play skills make him a high-upside play every week, but it's impossible to argue he's not a risk right now.
- JuJu Smith-Schuster
- Courtland Sutton
- Chase Claypool
- Michael Pittman -- Is he ready to take on the No. 1 role without T.Y. Hilton? Is this offense going to be ready to roll after Carson Wentz missed so much of training camp -- including most of the last week on the COVID list. Pittman is a high-upside season-long play, but a risk for Week 1.
- Emmanuel Sanders
- Curtis Samuel -- Samuel's price tumbled in the preseason after he missed most of camp with a groin injury, but I love his upside, and I'm willing to start him in my flex in a three-WR league in what I expect to be a breakout season.
- Jaylen Waddle -- We'll see what the Dolphins offense looks like at full strength in Week 2, but I expect Waddle to be Tagovailoa's top target in the opener, and his big-play ability makes him an intriguing flex play right away.
- Laviska Shenault
- Jakobi Meyers
- Rondale Moore -- This one is a bet that Moore will have a sizable role from Week 1, but it's no sure thing. I prefer him as a high-upside dice roll for DFS than someone I want to start in seasonable leagues, because he may end up starting off as the No. 4 WR for the Cardinals. I'll want to keep an eye on that one early on.
- Mecole Hardman
- DJ Chark
- Devante Parker
- Ja'Marr Chase -- This represents a drop of about 20 spots for Chase from the preseason, which might be too aggressive -- and I would still be willing to start him in my flex if it came to that. I think there's a world of upside, but after his poor preseason and training camp, I wonder if there might be training wheels on Chase early on. The Bengals have the depth to work him in slowly if they choose.
- Marvin Jones
- Mike Williams
- DeVonta Smith
- Marquise Brown
- Elijah Moore -- If we get word Crowder has been ruled out, I could see moving Moore into the WR3 range. Remember, he was the talk of camp before a quad injury limited him in the second half of camp.
- Bryan Edwards
- Michael Pittman
- Henry Ruggs
- Odell Beckham -- My preference would be to avoid Beckham in Week 1, because it sounds like his snaps may be limited this week. If you're looking for a DFS play or deeper-league stash, Donovan Peoples-Jones has earned rave reviews in camp and could get off to a nice start.
- Darnell Mooney
- Jalen Reagor
| | Tight ends | | It's the Big Three and everyone else here, too. Except even more so on a weekly basis, because you get reminded of how many tight ends are ultimately in that "TD or bust" group. It's probably everyone outside of the top 10, to be honest. | - Travis Kelce
- Darren Waller
- George Kittle -- It seems like Kittle ended up a bit behind the other elite tight ends in most drafts toward the end, so it'll be interesting to see just how the 49ers put their offense to use. We know the questions about quarterback, but there's also the question of whether Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel will be able to cut into Kittle's usage. So far, that hasn't been the case, but we've seen very little of the three of them on the field together, so until the games matter, we won't truly know. Still, he's close to Waller than the rest of the field.
- Mark Andrews
- T.J. Hockenson
- Kyle Pitts -- We didn't get to see enough of Pitts in the preseason to know how he's going to be used, but the expectation remains that he'll be more of a wide receiver than a tight end. Whether that means he'll be able to avoid the growing pains that go along with learning to play tight end remains to be seen, but the upside is sky high. If he's out there playing primarily out of the slot and split wide, Pitts is going to crush his ADP.
- Logan Thomas
- Jonnu Smith
- Mike Gesicki -- Gesicki didn't typically rank this high in the preseason, but with Will Fuller out for Week 1, he should be higher in the passing game hierarchy, and his downfield skills make him a viable starter most weeks, even if he'll be frustrating.
- Noah Fant -- Fant is expected to play in Week 1, but the fact that he's already dealing with a leg injury is already frustrating. Fant has elite upside, but nagging injuries were an issue last season. Hopefully, they don't continue to limit him.
- Tyler Higbee
- Dallas Goedert
- Hunter Henry
- Austin Hooper
- Zach Ertz -- Over the summer, it seemed like a foregone conclusion Ertz would be traded. Now, it looks like he's going to play a significant role. That puts both him and Goedert in "touchdown-or-bust" territory for me.
- Tyler Kroft
- Robert Tonyan
- Jared Cook
- Blake Jarwin
- Cole Kmet
- Gerald Everett
- Anthony Firkser
- Rob Gronkowski
- Eric Ebron
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