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Which wide receivers will shine in Week 1 for your fantasy football teams? We’ll take a look at all of them in our PPR rankings.
Can you believe it is finally here? Yes, that’s right! NFL football is just hours away and every team believes this could be their year and every fanbase is champing at the bit to see this year’s version of their favorite team. Us fantasy footballers are all set with our own teams and have that same kind of hope for our little squads as we set our Week 1 lineups. And that’s what I’m here today. Below we will look at wide receiver rankings for full PPR leagues. Let’s go!
Of course, start your studs
The good thing about wide receivers is that we know the elite guys are going to see targets no matter if they are shadowed by the best in the business or the team is run-heavy or if it’s raining or if Godzilla comes shuffling through the stadium. We can downgrade a top wide receiver due to matchup, but in Week 1, you play them without blinking an eye.
Usage is king for secondary receivers
Matchups are helpful, but tougher to predict in Week 1. Is this guy shadowing this season? Does the absence of this player or the addition of this player move the needle enough to make their team a tough matchup? We’re going in partially blind here, so we have to think long and hard about how many snaps our receiver might see.
Which teams should we be wary to start WRs against?
With the caveat that last season’s stats aren’t going to automatically replicate this season, we can look at the dominant pass defense as likely to stay above average. Those dominant teams were the Ravens, Browns, Chiefs and Jets for the most part. But the Cowboys, 49ers, Saints, and Bills were all strong against the pass as well.
Which teams should we start WRs against?
Last season the Commanders were the worst pass defense in the league by a wide margin, while the Eagles, Lions, Titans, Chargers and Cardinals weren’t far behind. These teams improved their secondaries or at least tried to in various ways, but they will need a big flip of the script to get to above average this year.
Week 1 wide receiver injuries
Hollywood Brown, Chiefs
Brown is out for Week 1 with a shoulder injury. That should help funnel more work toward Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice in a tough matchup with the Ravens on Thursday night. It does appear that Brown could return after the extra rest for Week 2, per Ian Rapoport.
Tyreek Hill/Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins
Miami’s two top receivers were nursing injuries coming into the week, but are practicing on Monday and look ready to go. Both are must starts in Week 1.
Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals
Chase isn’t injured, but he’s holding out for a new contract and even if he does get an extension soon, he could be limited. It’s a situation to monitor for sure. His absence or limitedness would help Tee Higgins the most, while Andrei Iosivas and Jermaine Burton would get good bumps in usage against the Patriots.
Puka Nacua, Rams
Nacua has been dealing with a knee injury, but head coach Sean McVay says he has returned to practice and will be ready to go against the Lions for Week 1, per Ian Rapoport.
Mike Williams, Jets
Williams is returning from an ACL tear, but he should be ready to see some time on the field in Week 1, per head coach Robert Saleh. He also mentioned Williams might not be 100% healthy. We could see him on a snap count. He’ll be risky for Week 1 against a good 49ers defense.
Rashid Shaheed, Saints
Shaheed suffered a foot injury that has kept him out since mid-August, but he reportedly will be “good to go in Week 1.” It will be worth monitoring his practice participation this week.
Jordan Addison, Vikings
Addison missed a couple weeks with an ankle injury, but looks to be back on the practice field for this week. We won’t get full practice reports until Wednesday for the Vikings, but it looks like he’s gearing up to go.
Week 1 wide receiver sleepers
Andrei Iosivas, Bengals vs. Patriots
It’s very much up in the air whether Ja’Marr Chase will end up playing in Week 1 or not. If not, Iosivas should be the No. 2 receiver, as he is currently ahead of Jermaine Burton. He’s got a nose for the end zone and is likely freely available in most redraft leagues. If Chase looks like he’ll play a full game, Iosivas
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks vs. Broncos
The Seahawks continue to have a strong wide receiver room, making it tough to pick the right guy for fantasy each week, but with Ryan Grubb as their new OC, I expect Smith-Njigba to be used better than his rookie year. I also expect him to pass Tyler Lockett on the depth chart this season. It’s not going to be a smooth transition, so Week 1 is risky, but I’m willing to give him a shot in a WR4/flex spot this week.
