Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings and Tiers. It's Tony Pollard Time.
Dwain McFarland breaks down the Week 1 fantasy football positional rankings with player analysis, team totals and spreads for every game on the slate.
It's time to make those tough lineup decisions for Week 1 of the fantasy football season.
Below, you’ll find positional rankings, player analysis, team totals and spreads for every game on the slate.
Find all of our positional rankings here.
Last updated: 3:45 pm, Sept. 6. Please refer to our Rankings page for updates!
Quarterback Rankings & Tiers - Week 1
| Rank | Tier | Player | Team | Pos | Opp | Team Total | Spread | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keenan Allen | Mike Williams | Quentin Johnston | Jalen Ramsey | Herbert is a SMASH play in a potential shootout against the Dolphins. | You can draft him in your Underdog Battle Royale contests PLUS get a 100% deposit match up to $100 and a mystery Pick'em special when you sign up with promo code LIFE below! | Tier 4 – Sam Howell | Budda Baker | Tier 4 – Derek Carr | Chris Olave | Tier | Player | Team | Pos | Opp | Team Total | Spread |
| 1 | Tony Pollard | DAL | RB | NYG | 25.0 | -3.5 | ||||||||||
| 1 | Bijan Robinson | ATL | RB | CAR | 21.5 | -3.5 | ||||||||||
| 1 | Austin Ekeler | LAC | RB | MIA | 27.0 | -3.0 | ||||||||||
| 1 | Christian McCaffrey | SF | RB | PIT | 21.8 | -2.5 | ||||||||||
| 1 | Saquon Barkley | NYG | RB | DAL | 21.5 | 3.5 | ||||||||||
| 2 | Derrick Henry | TEN | RB | NO | 19.0 | 3.0 | ||||||||||
| 2 | Joe Mixon | CIN | RB | CLE | 25.0 | -2.5 | ||||||||||
| 2 | Travis Etienne | JAX | RB | IND | 25.0 | -5.0 | ||||||||||
| 2 | Josh Jacobs | LV | RB | DEN | 20.0 | 4.0 | ||||||||||
| 2 | Nick Chubb | CLE | RB | CIN | 22.5 | 2.5 | ||||||||||
| 3 | Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | RB | PHI | 20.5 | 4.0 | ||||||||||
| 3 | Aaron Jones | GB | RB | CHI | 21.0 | 1.0 | ||||||||||
| 3 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | RB | KC | 24.0 | 4.5 | ||||||||||
| 3 | J.K. Dobbins | BAL | RB | HOU | 27.0 | -10.0 | ||||||||||
| 3 | Alexander Mattison | MIN | RB | TB | 25.8 | -6.0 | ||||||||||
| 3 | Rachaad White | TB | RB | MIN | 19.8 | 6.0 | ||||||||||
| 3 | David Montgomery | DET | RB | KC | 24.0 | 4.5 | ||||||||||
| 3 | Najee Harris | PIT | RB | SF | 19.3 | 2.5 | ||||||||||
| 4 | James Cook | BUF | RB | NYJ | 24.5 | -2.5 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Miles Sanders | CAR | RB | ATL | 18.0 | 3.5 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Cam Akers | LAR | RB | SEA | 20.5 | 5.5 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Raheem Mostert | MIA | RB | LAC | 24.0 | 3.0 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Dameon Pierce | HOU | RB | BAL | 17.0 | 10.0 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Kenneth Walker | SEA | RB | LAR | 26.0 | -5.5 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Javonte Williams | DEN | RB | LV | 24.0 | -4.0 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Breece Hall | NYJ | RB | BUF | 22.0 | 2.5 | ||||||||||
| 4 | James Conner | ARI | RB | WAS | 15.5 | 7.0 | ||||||||||
| 5 | Khalil Herbert | CHI | RB | GB | 22.0 | -1.0 | ||||||||||
| 5 | Isiah Pacheco | KC | RB | DET | 28.5 | -4.5 | ||||||||||
| 5 | Brian Robinson | WAS | RB | ARI | 22.5 | -7.0 | ||||||||||
| 5 | Jamaal Williams | NO | RB | TEN | 22.0 | -3.0 | ||||||||||
| 5 | Dalvin Cook | NYJ | RB | BUF | 22.0 | 2.5 | ||||||||||
| 5 | Samaje Perine | DEN | RB | LV | 24.0 | -4.0 | ||||||||||
| 5 | Antonio Gibson | WAS | RB | ARI | 22.5 | -7.0 | ||||||||||
| 5 | D'Andre Swift | PHI | RB | NE | 24.5 | -4.0 | ||||||||||
| 5 | AJ Dillon | GB | RB | CHI | 21.0 | 1.0 | ||||||||||
| 6 | Jerick McKinnon | KC | RB | DET | 28.5 | -4.5 | ||||||||||
| 6 | Devon Achane | MIA | RB | LAC | 24.0 | 3.0 | ||||||||||
| 6 | Zach Charbonnet | SEA | RB | LAR | 26.0 | -5.5 | ||||||||||
| 6 | Damien Harris | BUF | RB | NYJ | 24.5 | -2.5 | ||||||||||
| 6 | Rashaad Penny | PHI | RB | NE | 24.5 | -4.0 | ||||||||||
| 6 | Kenneth Gainwell | PHI | RB | NE | 24.5 | -4.0 | ||||||||||
| 6 | Zack Moss | IND | RB | JAX | 20.0 | 5.0 | ||||||||||
| 6 | Ezekiel Elliott | NE | RB | PHI | 20.5 | 4.0 | ||||||||||
| 6 | Jaylen Warren | PIT | RB | SF | 19.3 | 2.5 | ||||||||||
| 6 | Elijah Mitchell | SF | RB | PIT | 21.8 | -2.5 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Tank Bigsby | JAX | RB | IND | 25.0 | -5.0 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Kendre Miller | NO | RB | TEN | 22.0 | -3.0 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC | RB | DET | 28.5 | -4.5 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Tyjae Spears | TEN | RB | NO | 19.0 | 3.0 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Tyler Allgeier | ATL | RB | CAR | 21.5 | -3.5 | ||||||||||
| 7 | D'Onta Foreman | CHI | RB | GB | 22.0 | -1.0 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Deon Jackson | IND | RB | JAX | 20.0 | 5.0 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | RB | ATL | 18.0 | 3.5 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Ty Chandler | MIN | RB | TB | 25.8 | -6.0 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Kyren Williams | LAR | RB | SEA | 20.5 | 5.5 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Devin Singletary | HOU | RB | BAL | 17.0 | 10.0 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Gus Edwards | BAL | RB | HOU | 27.0 | -10.0 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Cordarrelle Patterson | ATL | RB | CAR | 21.5 | -3.5 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Roschon Johnson | CHI | RB | GB | 22.0 | -1.0 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Rico Dowdle | DAL | RB | NYG | 25.0 | -3.5 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Keaontay Ingram | ARI | RB | WAS | 15.5 | 7.0 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Jerome Ford | CLE | RB | CIN | 22.5 | 2.5 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Deuce Vaughn | DAL | RB | NYG | 25.0 | -3.5 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Joshua Kelley | LAC | RB | MIA | 27.0 | -3.0 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Sean Tucker | TB | RB | MIN | 19.8 | 6.0 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Zamir White | LV | RB | DEN | 20.0 | 4.0 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Justice Hill | BAL | RB | HOU | 27.0 | -10.0 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Chris Evans | CIN | RB | CLE | 25.0 | -2.5 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Chase Edmonds | TB | RB | MIN | 19.8 | 6.0 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Michael Carter | NYJ | RB | BUF | 22.0 | 2.5 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Ameer Abdullah | LV | RB | DEN | 20.0 | 4.0 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Matt Breida | NYG | RB | DAL | 21.5 | 3.5 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Latavius Murray | BUF | RB | NYJ | 24.5 | -2.5 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Trayveon Williams | CIN | RB | CLE | 25.0 | -2.5 | ||||||||||
| 10 | Salvon Ahmed | MIA | RB | LAC | 24.0 | 3.0 | ||||||||||
| 10 | Zach Evans | LAR | RB | SEA | 20.5 | 5.5 | ||||||||||
| 10 | Ke'Shawn Vaughn | TB | RB | MIN | 19.8 | 6.0 | ||||||||||
| 10 | Myles Gaskin | MIN | RB | TB | 25.8 | -6.0 | ||||||||||
| 10 | JaMycal Hasty | JAX | RB | IND | 25.0 | -5.0 | ||||||||||
| 10 | Jordan Mason | SF | RB | PIT | 21.8 | -2.5 | ||||||||||
| 10 | Pierre Strong | CLE | RB | CIN | 22.5 | 2.5 |
Tier 1 – Tony Pollard - Cowboys
Pollard averaged 18.6 points per game in contests where he reached 50% or more of the snaps in 2022. With Ezekiel Elliott now in New England, that could be his weekly floor, given the current depth chart in Dallas.
The 26-year-old backed up his lofty fantasy points with robust underlying efficiency data, eclipsing RB1-worthy thresholds in missed tackles forced (+5%), average yards after contact (+0.9) and explosive rush rate (+4%). He was equally impressive in the passing game with 20% targets per route run (TPRR) and 1.51 yards per route run (YPRR), both RB1-worthy.
Pollard will look to start the 2023 season with a bang, facing last season's fourth-worst rush defense. The Giants allowed a whopping 146 yards and 1.1 rushing TDs per game in regulation play.
The Cowboys own the fifth-highest game total on the slate in what could be a competitive Sunday Night affair.
Pollard TO THE MOON in Week 1 as a SMASH play in all formats.
Tier 3 – J.K. Dobbins - Ravens
Dobbins wasn’t 100% in 2022, but he still managed to post RB1-worthy efficiency numbers in missed tackles forced (20%), average yards after contact (3.1) and blew away the RB1 threshold of 12% with 17% of his totes going for 10-plus yards.
As great as those numbers were, Dobbins was even better before his 2021 knee injury. In 2020, he was dominant:
- Missed tackles forced: 27% (10% above the RB1 threshold)
- Average yards after contact: 3.5 (.56 yards above the RB1 threshold)
- Explosive rush rate: 15% (3 percentage points above the RB1 threshold)
Enter the Baltimore’s Week 1 matchup: the Houston Texans.
No team in the NFL allowed more rushing yards per game (170) in regulation play, and they coughed up the second-most TDs (1.47).
Lamar Jackson will get his 20% to 25% of the designed rushing attempts, but we could see a shift in the RB rotation with Tod Monken now running the offense. Historically, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill have rotated with Dobbins, but there is a chance we see the fourth-year back in the most extensive role of his career. Even if the timeshare continues, the matchup is too juicy not to have Dobbins in most lineups.
Dobbins is a mid-range RB2 with RB1 upside.
Additional RB Notes & Movers:
- Tier 5 – Khalil Herbert was the clear No. 1 for the Bears this preseason. In Week 1, he draws a matchup against a Packers defense that surrendered 140 yards per game in non-overtime play — the seventh-most in 2022. Herbert is an RB3 with RB2 upside.
Wide Receiver Rankings & Tiers - Week 1
| Half PPR Rnk | Tier | Player | Team | Pos | Opp | Team Total | Spread | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ja’Marr Chase | Justin Jefferson | A.J. Brown | Odell Beckham Jr. | Doug Baldwin | Derek Carr | Olave is a high-end WR2 with WR1 upside. | Sam Howell | Terry McLaurin | Dotson is a low-end WR2 with WR1 upside. | Tier 4 – Marvin Mims | Jerry Jeudy | Mims is a WR4 with upside. | Half PPR Rnk | Tier | Player | Team | Pos | Opp | Team Total | Spread |
| 2 | 1 | Travis Kelce | KC | TE | DET | 28.5 | -4.5 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | T.J. Hockenson | MIN | TE | TB | 25.8 | -6.0 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | 2 | Darren Waller | NYG | TE | DAL | 21.5 | 3.5 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | 3 | George Kittle | SF | TE | PIT | 21.8 | -2.5 | |||||||||||||
| 6 | 3 | Tyler Higbee | LAR | TE | SEA | 20.5 | 5.5 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | 3 | Kyle Pitts | ATL | TE | CAR | 21.5 | -3.5 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | 3 | Dallas Goedert | PHI | TE | NE | 24.5 | -4.0 | |||||||||||||
| 9 | 3 | David Njoku | CLE | TE | CIN | 22.5 | 2.5 | |||||||||||||
| 10 | 3 | Sam LaPorta | DET | TE | KC | 24.0 | 4.5 | |||||||||||||
| 11 | 3 | Pat Freiermuth | PIT | TE | SF | 19.3 | 2.5 | |||||||||||||
| 12 | 3 | Evan Engram | JAX | TE | IND | 25.0 | -5.0 | |||||||||||||
| 13 | 4 | Greg Dulcich | DEN | TE | LV | 24.0 | -4.0 | |||||||||||||
| 14 | 4 | Dalton Kincaid | BUF | TE | NYJ | 24.5 | -2.5 | |||||||||||||
| 14 | 4 | Dalton Schultz | HOU | TE | BAL | 17.0 | 10.0 | |||||||||||||
| 15 | 4 | Juwan Johnson | NO | TE | TEN | 22.0 | -3.0 | |||||||||||||
| 16 | 4 | Luke Musgrave | GB | TE | CHI | 21.0 | 1.0 | |||||||||||||
| 17 | 4 | Gerald Everett | LAC | TE | MIA | 27.0 | -3.0 | |||||||||||||
| 18 | 4 | Chigoziem Okonkwo | TEN | TE | NO | 19.0 | 3.0 | |||||||||||||
| 19 | 5 | Hayden Hurst | CAR | TE | ATL | 18.0 | 3.5 | |||||||||||||
| 20 | 5 | Hunter Henry | NE | TE | PHI | 20.5 | 4.0 | |||||||||||||
| 21 | 5 | Irv Smith | CIN | TE | CLE | 25.0 | -2.5 | |||||||||||||
| 22 | 5 | Jake Ferguson | DAL | TE | NYG | 25.0 | -3.5 | |||||||||||||
| 23 | 5 | Cole Kmet | CHI | TE | GB | 22.0 | -1.0 | |||||||||||||
| 24 | 5 | Cade Otton | TB | TE | MIN | 19.8 | 6.0 | |||||||||||||
| 25 | 5 | Mike Gesicki | NE | TE | PHI | 20.5 | 4.0 | |||||||||||||
| 26 | 5 | Tyler Conklin | NYJ | TE | BUF | 22.0 | 2.5 | |||||||||||||
| 27 | 5 | Dawson Knox | BUF | TE | NYJ | 24.5 | -2.5 | |||||||||||||
| 28 | 6 | Isaiah Likely | BAL | TE | HOU | 27.0 | -10.0 | |||||||||||||
| 29 | 6 | Taysom Hill | NO | TE | TEN | 22.0 | -3.0 | |||||||||||||
| 30 | 6 | Durham Smythe | MIA | TE | LAC | 24.0 | 3.0 | |||||||||||||
| 31 | 6 | Logan Thomas | WAS | TE | ARI | 22.5 | -7.0 | |||||||||||||
| 32 | 6 | Adam Trautman | DEN | TE | LV | 24.0 | -4.0 | |||||||||||||
| 33 | 6 | Trey McBride | ARI | TE | WAS | 15.5 | 7.0 | |||||||||||||
| 34 | 6 | Noah Fant | SEA | TE | LAR | 26.0 | -5.5 | |||||||||||||
| 35 | 7 | Austin Hooper | LV | TE | DEN | 20.0 | 4.0 | |||||||||||||
| 36 | 7 | Zach Ertz | ARI | TE | WAS | 15.5 | 7.0 | |||||||||||||
| 37 | 7 | Michael Mayer | LV | TE | DEN | 20.0 | 4.0 | |||||||||||||
| 38 | 7 | Mo Alie-Cox | IND | TE | JAX | 20.0 | 5.0 | |||||||||||||
| 39 | 7 | Will Dissly | SEA | TE | LAR | 26.0 | -5.5 | |||||||||||||
| 40 | 7 | Foster Moreau | NO | TE | TEN | 22.0 | -3.0 | |||||||||||||
| 41 | 7 | Noah Gray | KC | TE | DET | 28.5 | -4.5 | |||||||||||||
| 42 | 7 | Jonnu Smith | ATL | TE | CAR | 21.5 | -3.5 | |||||||||||||
| 43 | 7 | Cole Turner | WAS | TE | ARI | 22.5 | -7.0 | |||||||||||||
| 44 | 7 | Kylen Granson | IND | TE | JAX | 20.0 | 5.0 |
Tier 3 – Sam LaPorta - Lions
Rookie TEs don’t historically perform well in fantasy football. However, much of that ties to playing time rather than the ability to carve out targets in a passing game. Since 2012, we saw two rookies finish with a 75% route participation or higher, and they both faired well.
- Evan Engram (2017): TE7 in PPR PPG (11.6)
- Kyle Pitts (2021): TE11 (10.4)
Given the Lions’ depth chart and preseason utilization, LaPorta will push for an 80% route participation in his first year. Of course, just getting on the field isn’t enough. LaPorta was a high-end target earner who broke out early at Iowa State.
The Lions won’t have Jameson Williams for the first six games of the season, leaving LaPorta and fellow rookie Jahmyr Gibbs as two of the favorites to challenge for more looks. Josh Reynolds and Marvin Jones will also get more work, but neither are high-end target magnets, leaving the door open for a talent like LaPorta to start his rookie campaign hot.
The Lions have the seventh-highest team total on the slate, and the Chiefs allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing pass catchers (47.3) in regulation play in 2022.
LaPorta opens the season as my TE10 in Week 1.
TE Notes & Movers:
- Tier 4 – Luke Musgrave, like LaPorta, is in line for prominent playing time. The rookie wasn’t a high-end target earner in college but led the Packers with a 22% target share on drives with Jordan Love this preseason. With Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs battling injuries, Musgrave could pop in Week 1. He is a mid-range TE2 with TE1 upside.
