Week 1 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues

elisha twerski, usa today

Sun, Sep 8, 2024, 5:31 a.m.·5 min read

The 2024 NFL season is officially underway.

To assist with your most difficult lineup decisions, you’ll find my Week 1 fantasy football rankings below. Toggle between standard, half PPR (point per reception), and full PPR to see where players rank in your league’s format.

Our team at the USA TODAY Sports Network also has you covered for all your fantasy football needs. Looking for up-to-date player news? We’ve got it. Need to know who the best starts and sits of the week are? We have an article for that. We also have a Week 1 stock watch and a forecast for who the priority waiver claims will be.

Given the volatility of this league and fantasy football in particular, these rankings will be updated up until a half hour before the Sunday afternoon games kick off. Let’s get to it.

Aug 23, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks for an open receiver against the Atlanta Falcons in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Week 1 fantasy football quarterback rankings

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Trevor Lawrence finished as a QB1 in 7 of his last 11 starts last season. Over the final six games in 2023, the Dolphins allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, and that includes a matchup with the Jets where Zach Wilson and Trevor Siemian combined for -2.6 points.
Justin Herbert was a top-15 quarterback in all six healthy home games in 2023, including five top-eight finishes. He has never finished lower than QB12 in seven career starts versus the Raiders.
Matthew Stafford finished the 2023 season on a tear, posting top-10 performances in four of his final six games. He matches up with a Lions team that ceded the most fantasy points to the position over the second half of the season.

I like them less…

Dak Prescott struggled on the road in 2023, finishing as the QB15 or worse in six of his eight road games. He faces a Browns squad that surrendered the third-fewest fantasy points to the position.
Baker Mayfield never finished higher than QB10 at home last year, including five performances of QB14 or worse. Washington’s defense was awful in all phases, but they funneled a bit toward the run at the end of 2023.

TAMPA, FLORIDA - JANUARY 15: Rachaad White #1 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in action against the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs at Raymond James Stadium on January 15, 2024 in Tampa, Florida.

Week 1 fantasy football running back rankings

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Rachaad White gets a mouthwatering matchup versus the Commanders. Over their final nine games last season, Washington ceded a league-high 29.7 half-PPR points to backs per game. White was fantasy’s RB2 over the second half of 2023.
James Cook squares off with the Cardinals, the most generous team to running backs in 2023. Once Joe Brady took over as offensive coordinator for Buffalo in Week 11 last year, Cook averaged 19.6 touches per game. That volume should play in this matchup.
Chuba Hubbard finished as a top 30 back in each of his final eight games last season, including seven finishes of RB25 or higher. He faces a Saints defense that was bottom-10 against running backs over the last 11 games of the 2023 season.

I like them less…

Jahmyr Gibbs faces one of the most pass-funnel defenses in the league. After Christian McCaffrey did his thing against them in Week 2 last year, only one other running back finished higher than RB11 against the Rams. Gibbs is still a fine start, but his upside could be capped in a pass-heavy script.
D’Andre Swift was not particularly efficient in a golden situation last year. After averaging nearly seven yards a carry through his first three games with the Eagles, that number dropped to just 4.03 over his final 184 attempts in 2023. He now joins a backfield with two other capable backs (Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson) and will face a Titans front that gave up the seventh-fewest fantasy points to the position.

Aug 17, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.

Week 1 fantasy football wide receiver rankings

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Cooper Kupp has a delicious matchup with the Lions, who were the ultimate pass-funnel defense in 2023. While no team surrendered fewer fantasy points to the running back position than Detroit, only two teams were more generous to wideouts. Kupp finished as a top-30 receiver in four of his final five games last year, including two top-five performances.
Josh Palmer should be the Chargers’ de facto WR1 in 2024, and he starts with a matchup he feasted on last year. In two dates with the Raiders, Palmer totaled 77 yards and 113 yards, respectively. The 24-year-old has averaged 11.3 half-PPR points per game when he’s played more than 75% in his career, which should be the case in Week 1.
Christian Kirk was healthy for 11 games last season, and he finished as the WR31 or higher in all but three of them. He’ll face a Dolphins secondary that was seventh-worst against receivers in 2023.

I like them less…

Michael Pittman Jr. had just three games in 2023 where he finished worse than WR45 and two of them came against the Texans. Houston was tough on receivers all year, ceding the fifth-fewest fantasy points to the position.
George Pickens had weird home/road splits last year. All five of his touchdowns came at home, and he finished as the WR39 or lower in six of his eight road games. He matches up with a Falcons defense that was seventh-best against wideouts in 2023.

Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Week 1 fantasy football tight end rankings

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Dalton Kincaid gets a juicy matchup to start the season. Over the final 11 games of the 2023 season, the Cardinals allowed the fifth most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. With Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis gone, Kincaid should get a larger part of the pie in 2024.
Taysom Hill finished as a top 10 “tight end” in 7 of his last 11 games in 2023. The 34-year-old was the TE8 during that stretch despite missing a game.

I like him less…

David Njoku enjoyed a breakout season in 2023, but most of that came without Deshaun Watson behind center. In five games with Watson, Njoku averaged 38.3 yards per game, compared to 65.2 yards in all other games. It doesn’t help that the Cowboys allowed a league-low 6.7 half-PPR points per game to tight ends over the final 11 games last season.