Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott didn’t get the contract extension he had hoped for this offseason and will enter the 2024 NFL schedule facing questions about his future. The Cowboys had the No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL last season, but draw one of the tough opening-week Fantasy football matchups, with the Browns ranking first in the league in total defense in 2023. Prescott was the eighth quarterback off the board on average, so if you selected him and managed to land a viable backup, you may consider sitting him in Week 1 and starting one of your Week 1 Fantasy football streaming options.
Who should you favor as you make difficult Fantasy football start-sit decisions while setting your Week 1 Fantasy football lineups and positioning yourself for season-long success? With a reliable set of Week 1 Fantasy football rankings, you can help ensure you’re getting maximum value out of every position. Before you lock in your Week 1 Fantasy football picks, be sure to check out the Week 1 Fantasy football position rankings from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
When it comes to ranking players, SportsLine’s model beat human experts in Fantasy football for the past several seasons, especially when there were big differences in ranking. Over the course of a season, that could literally be the difference between winning your league or going home emptyhanded.
The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, including being ahead of the curve on players like A.J. Brown, Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, and Jahmyr Gibbs. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.
Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire Week 1 NFL schedule 10,000 times and released its latest Week 1 Fantasy football rankings. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top Week 1 Fantasy football QB rankings
Here’s a look at SportsLine’s top Week 1 Fantasy football QB picks for Sunday and Monday:
1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: Allen has finished first in CBS Sports PPR scoring among Fantasy football quarterbacks three times and second once over the last four years. He’s accounted for at least two touchdowns in 18 consecutive games now including the postseason and that’s a trend the model sees continuing against a Cardinals defense that ranked 31st in points allowed last season.
2. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans: In two games against the Colts last season, Stroud threw for 648 yards and four touchdowns. He also averaged 8.9 yards per pass attempt and threw 17 of his 23 touchdown passes as a rookie at home. He’ll open the season at home against Indianapolis.
3. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The former No. 1 overall pick revived his career in Tampa Bay last season, throwing for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions. Then in the postseason, he was even better, throwing for 686 yards and six touchdowns while nearly leading the Bucs to the NFC championship game. He’ll begin his season against last year’s worst pass defense (Washington). See more top QBs here.
Top Week 1 Fantasy football RB rankings
Here’s a look at SportsLine’s top Week 1 Fantasy football RB picks:
1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers: The Jets were stingy against the pass last season (second in the NFL) but ranked just 25th against the run. He outscored every other Fantasy football running back by at least 100 points in PPR leagues last season and he’s an automatic start as long as he’s healthy.
2. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts: Taylor led the NFL in rushing yards, scrimmage yards and total touchdowns in 2021 but has missed 13 games over the last two seasons. However, he’s healthy entering this season and the Texans allowed 19 rushing touchdowns (sixth-most in the NFL) in 2023.
3. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons: Arthur Smith’s utilization of the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft was puzzling at times in 2023 but Robinson still finished with 1,463 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie. He should see a heavy workload with Zac Robinson calling the plays and the Steelers ranked 19th in the NFL in run defense last season. See more top RBs here.
Top Week 1 Fantasy football WR rankings
Here’s a look at SportsLine’s top Week 1 Fantasy football WR picks:
1. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins: Hill finished tied for second in the NFL last season in receptions (119) and led the league in receiving yards (1,799) and receiving touchdowns (13). He’s topped 1,700 yards in both of his season in Miami now and during last year’s season opener, he had 11 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns.
2. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions: Brown’s 119 catches for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns were all career-highs in 2023 and he also earned first-team All-Pro honors. He caught a touchdown pass in a Week 1 win over Kansas City last year and had seven catches for 110 yards in a playoff matchup against the Rams — Detroit’s Week 1 opponent.
3. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings: Jefferson battled hamstring injuries in 2023 and the Vikings let Kirk Cousins walk this offseason but concerns about Jefferson are likely overblown. In four starts without Cousins last season, he had 30 catches for 476 yards and two touchdowns. See more top WRs here.
Top Week 1 Fantasy football TE rankings
Here’s a look at SportsLine’s top Week 1 Fantasy football TE picks:
1. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions: LaPorta caught 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns (most among NFL tight ends) as a rookie and the reports out of Lions training camp are that he’ll be even more involved in 2023. He caught a touchdown pass in the playoff win over Los Angeles in January.
2. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints: Hill set new career-highs in receptions (33) and receiving yards (291) last season but that’s a relatively small aspect of how his value is derived. He regularly lines up as New Orleans’ wildcat quarterback and rushed for 501 yards and four touchdowns while also throwing for 83 yards and a score in 2023.
3. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills: Kincaid caught 73 passes for 673 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie and Josh Allen seemed to rely on him more and more as the season went on. With Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis gone, he could be Buffalo’s top target in the passing game and the Cardinals allowed touchdowns to TEs in seven of their last 10 games. See more top TEs here.
Top Week 1 Fantasy football defense rankings
Here’s a look at SportsLine’s top three Week 1 Fantasy football D/ST picks:
1.Giants D/ST: Justin Jefferson will inevitably get his (see above) but the Giants are a tough matchup for a turnover-prone journeyman quarterback like Darnold. The Giants forced a league-leading 31 turnovers in 2023 and Darnold has 56 interceptions and 38 fumbles in 66 career games.
2. 49ers D/ST: Aaron Rodgers is back but this 49ers defense is healthy again and absolutely loaded. They ranked third in the NFL in scoring defense and fifth in takeaways. The front seven should pose issues for a Jets offensive line that allowed 64 sacks last year.
3. Vikings D/ST: Saquon Barkley left in free agency and the Giants weren’t able to address their quarterback situation this offseason. Daniel Jones had two passing touchdowns and threw six interceptions in six starts last year and that makes Minnesota a strong streaming candidate in Week 1. See more top defenses here.
How to get Week 1 Fantasy football rankings
Now that you know who the top three at each position are, you’ll want to see the full Week 1 Fantasy football rankings from SportsLine. The model has identified a stunner in the top five at quarterback, and knowing who it is can give you a huge edge in your league. Head to SportsLine now to get Week 1 Fantasy football rankings.
So who should you target in your Week 1 Fantasy football rankings, and which surprising QB could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 1 Fantasy Football rankings for every single position, all from the model that has a history of making league-winning calls, and find out.
