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| Monday, September 5, 2022 |
| Welcome to Week 1! I know plenty of you have drafts remaining -- I've got two tonight! -- and if you still have yours coming up, our Draft Day Cheat Sheet has everything you need, including my top-200 rankings. |
| 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 potential role changes throughout the week in practice leading up first to Thursday's NFL opener between the Bills and Rams and then into Sunday of Week 1, but today's your first chance to check out our Week 1 rankings. |
| Head here to see rankings from Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard, and Heath Cummings, and make sure you tune into Fantasy Football Today on CBS Sports HQ at noon ET Monday and every day this week as they discuss and debate their rankings all the way through Sunday's games -- we'll also be live on HQ Sunday morning from 11 a.m. to kickoff to help you set your lineups. |
| And the FFT team has a whole lot more than that going on now that the season is starting, too. On Tuesday, we'll be live on the FFT YouTube channel to talk about some deep sleeper and waiver-wire targets to look out for, and we'll be live every week at that time to help you with all of your waiver-wire needs, so make sure you subscribe to the FFT YouTube channel to notifications of when we go live. 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@ViacomCBS.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! |
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| Injuries, News, and Notes |
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| Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson are in line to play in Week 1 -- Coach Sean McVay declared both backs "good to go" Friday, after they made their returns from soft-tissue injuries last week during practice. It's not clear what kind of injury either had, but with the Rams set to kick off Thursday, they'll have both of their top backs healthy. The question beyond that is, how are they going to use their top two backs -- both missed significant time during camp, but they were splitting first-team reps pretty evenly when healthy. McVay hasn't historically used committees at running back, as Henderson played 60% of the snaps or more in 10 of the 12 games he played last season, with Sony Michel logging a snap share over 70% in seven games. I'm giving Akers the benefit of the doubt that he'll be the lead back, but this could be a frustrating situation if not.The Rams aren't planning to limit Matthew Stafford (elbow) -- Stafford has been dealing with elbow pain since last season, and he had his reps managed during training camp, but that won't be the case during the season. At least, not during games -- don't be surprised if we see Stafford limited during the season in practice to keep his proverbial pitch count lower. But at this point, it doesn't seem like there is much concern about the injury limiting Stafford or the Rams offense, so I'm not too worried about it. The fact that Stafford had 4,886 yards and 41 touchdowns while dealing with the pain last season is a good sign, in my eyes. Isaiah McKenzie practiced Sunday -- McKenzie returned to practice after being sidelined for about a week with an undisclosed injury, but it sounds like he'll be good for Week 1. Expectations are high for McKenzie -- Dave Richard named him his "Sleeper of the Summer" -- so entering the season healthy will be important. |
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| Albert Okwuegbunam (lower body) is aiming for Week 1 -- Okwuegbunam hasn't practiced since the team's last preseason game, but it isn't considered a serious issue at this point -- Okwuegbunam told the Denver Post Thursday he would have played if it was a regular season game. Russell Gage (hamstring) is "on track to play" in Week 1 -- Gage practiced on consecutive days over the weekend, so it looks like he'll be ready to make his Buccaneers debut next Sunday against the Cowboys, but the biggest question is whether Chris Godwin will be out there with him. In projecting the Buccaneers offense without Godwin for Week 1, both Gage and Julio Jones were top-36 wide receivers, so Godwin's status will be worth watching. Van Jefferson (knee) is still unclear for Week 1 -- McVay said Jefferson is "making good progress" in his recovery from knee surgery but he didn't have anything to say over the weekend about Jefferson's chances of playing in Week 1. At this point, I'm not expecting much from Jefferson even if he does play, but in deeper leagues, he's worth keeping an eye on early in the season. Irv Smith (thumb) is expected to play in Week 1 -- Smith underwent surgery on the thumb back in early August, but he's been catching footballs at practice in recent days and the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported over the weekend he is expected to play in Week 1. Smith has an opportunity for a bigger role after missing all of last season following knee surgery, and he could break out in a more pass-happy Vikings offense, but I'm still viewing him as a low-end roll-of-the-dice-type tight end until he proves more than that. |
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| Week 1 Rankings |
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| This newsletter will be the place to 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. |
| Here are my initial rankings for Week 1! |
| QB Rankings |
| The preseason QB rankings and the Week 1 rankings look pretty similar because there just isn't much of a difference between weekly expectations and long-term upside for me. That's not true for everyone -- I'd be willing to draft Trey Lance and Justin Fields, among others, a little earlier with the hope they can hit big and give me a high-upside starter that I'm not necessarily expecting in Week 1. But, for the most part, the QB rankings look more or less like they did coming into the season. But I'll be keeping an eye on how often teams like the Eagles, Vikings, and Bengals throw this week to see if I need to adjust my expectations. |
| Josh Allen @LARPatrick Mahomes @ARILamar Jackson @NYJJustin Herbert vs. LVJalen Hurts @DETDak Prescott vs. TBTom Brady @DAL Kyler Murray vs. KCJoe Burrow vs. PITMatthew Stafford vs. BUFRussell Wilson @SEAAaron Rodgers @MINDerek Carr @LACKirk Cousins vs. GBTrey Lance @CHIJameis Winston @ATL Trevor Lawrence @WASJustin Fields vs. SFRyan Tannehill vs. NYGTua Tagovailoa vs. NECarson Wentz vs. JAXMarcus Mariota vs. NODaniel Jones @TENBaker Mayfield vs. CLE Jared Goff vs. PHIMitchell Trubisky @CINMac Jones @MIAMatt Ryan @HOUJoe Flacco vs. BALDavis Mills vs. INDGeno Smith vs. DENJacoby Brissett @CAR |
| RB Rankings |
| Maybe Alvin Kamara will end up getting suspended before the season is through, in which case the skepticism that pushed him outside of the first round for the entirety of the draft season will prove founded. But as long as he's active, I'm going to treat him like one of the elite Fantasy options out there. If you want to quibble with him being No. 3, that's fine, but I can't see moving him any lower than No. 5 against a matchup like Atlanta -- he had 38.6 PPR points in two games against the Falcons last season. |
| Christian McCaffrey vs. CLEJonathan Taylor @HOUAlvin Kamara @ATLAustin Ekeler vs. LVDerrick Henry vs. NYGLeonard Fournette @DALNajee Harris @CIN D'Andre Swift vs. PHIJoe Mixon vs. PITSaquon Barkley @TENDalvin Cook vs. GBAaron Jones @MINNick Chubb @CARJavonte Williams @SEADavid Montgomery vs. SF James Conner vs. KCAntonio Gibson vs. JAXElijah Mitchell @CHIJosh Jacobs @LACEzekiel Elliott vs. TBChase Edmonds vs. NETravis Etienne @WASDevin Singletary @LAR Rashaad Penny vs. DENCam Akers vs. BUFDameon Pierce vs. INDNyheim Hines @HOUDamien Harris @MIAAJ Dillon @MINRhamondre Stevenson @MIACordarrelle Patterson vs. NO Kareem Hunt @CARMichael Carter vs. BALKenyan Drake @NYJMiles Sanders @DETJ.D. McKissic vs. JAXBreece Hall vs. BALClyde Edwards-Helaire @ARIDarrell Henderson vs. BUF Ameer Abdullah @LACTony Pollard vs. TBMelvin Gordon @SEAJamaal Williams vs. PHIJames Robinson @WASRaheem Mostert vs. NEMike Davis @NYJSony Michel vs. LV Alexander Mattison vs. GBKenneth Gainwell @DETJames Cook @LARRex Burkhead vs. INDRachaad White @DALEno Benjamin vs. KCMark Ingram @ATLDamien Williams vs. NO Dontrell Hilliard vs. NYGTravis Homer vs. DENJeff Wilson @CHIBoston Scott @DETZamir White @LAC |
| WR Rankings |
| There's no shortage of question marks at the wide receiver position to open the season, and they start with my No. 3 option. I've been higher than the consensus on Davante Adams throughout the draft process, consistently ranking him ahead of Ja'Marr Chase despite his move to Las Vegas. We'll get our first sense of whether that was the right call -- Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller represent a good deal more target competition than Adams has typically dealt with in Green Bay, but I'm still expecting him to be among the league leaders in target share. If not, I'll have to adjust down quicker. |
| Cooper Kupp vs. BUFJustin Jefferson vs. GBDavante Adams @LACJa'Marr Chase vs. PITStefon Diggs @LARCeeDee Lamb vs. TBTyreek Hill vs. NE Mike Evans @DALKeenan Allen vs. LVD.J. Moore vs. CLETee Higgins vs. PITDeebo Samuel @CHIMichael Pittman Jr. @HOUBrandin Cooks vs. INDAmon-Ra St. Brown vs. PHI A.J. Brown @DETMarquise Brown vs. KCDiontae Johnson @CINMike Williams vs. LVDarnell Mooney vs. SFElijah Moore vs. BALMichael Thomas @ATLJuJu Smith-Schuster @ARI Adam Thielen vs. GBAllen Robinson vs. BUFJaylen Waddle vs. NERobert Woods vs. NYGDK Metcalf vs. DENTerry McLaurin vs. JAXHunter Renfrow @LACJerry Jeudy @SEA Julio Jones @DALCourtland Sutton @SEAKadarius Toney @TENDrake London vs. NOGabe Davis @LARAmari Cooper @CARChristian Kirk @WASTyler Lockett vs. DEN Allen Lazard @MINRashod Bateman @NYJIsaiah McKenzie @LARRussell Gage @DALDeVante Parker @MIATyler Boyd vs. PITDeVonta Smith @DETCorey Davis vs. BAL Chris Olave @ATLChase Claypool @CINBrandon Aiyuk @CHIRobby Anderson vs. CLEJarvis Landry @ATLGeorge Pickens @CINSammy Watkins @MINNico Collins vs. IND Rondale Moore vs. KCMecole Hardman @ARICurtis Samuel vs. JAXDJ Chark vs. PHITreylon Burks vs. NYG |
| TE Rankings |
| I'm expecting a big breakout season from Pitts, but this is an especially tough spot to open the season. He faced the Saints twice as a rookie, catching just five of 12 passes for 70 yards. There's no world in which you're sitting Pitts, but I am a little bit worried about his chances of hitting the ground running in Week 1. |
| Travis Kelce @ARIMark Andrews @NYJKyle Pitts vs. NOGeorge Kittle @CHIDarren Waller @LACDalton Schultz vs. TBT.J. Hockenson vs. PHI Dallas Goedert @DETTyler Higbee vs. BUFCole Kmet vs. SFAlbert Okwuegbunam @SEAIrv Smith vs. GBZach Ertz vs. KCGerald Everett vs. LVDawson Knox @LAR Pat Freiermuth @CINMike Gesicki vs. NEDavid Njoku @CARHunter Henry @MIAAustin Hooper vs. NYGBrevin Jordan vs. INDCameron Brate @DALHayden Hurst vs. PIT Evan Engram @WASEvan Engram @WASRobert Tonyan @MINC.J. Uzomah vs. BALNoah Fant vs. DENJonnu Smith @MIAMo Alie-Cox @HOUDaniel Bellinger @TEN Harrison Bryant @CAR |
| Top-150 Flex rankings |
| Christian McCaffrey vs. CLEJonathan Taylor @HOUCooper Kupp vs. BUFAlvin Kamara @ATLAustin Ekeler vs. LVJustin Jefferson vs. GBDavante Adams @LACDerrick Henry vs. NYG Leonard Fournette @DALNajee Harris @CINJa'Marr Chase vs. PITD'Andre Swift vs. PHIStefon Diggs @LARJoe Mixon vs. PITSaquon Barkley @TENCeeDee Lamb vs. TBTravis Kelce @ARIDalvin Cook vs. GB Tee Higgins vs. PITTyreek Hill vs. NEMike Evans @DALKeenan Allen vs. LVD.J. Moore vs. CLEAaron Jones @MINNick Chubb @CARJavonte Williams @SEADavid Montgomery vs. SFKyle Pitts vs. NO James Conner vs. KCDeebo Samuel @CHIMichael Pittman Jr. @HOUBrandin Cooks vs. INDAmon-Ra St. Brown vs. PHIA.J. Brown @DETMarquise Brown vs. KCDiontae Johnson @CINMike Williams vs. LVAntonio Gibson vs. JAX Elijah Mitchell @CHIDarnell Mooney vs. SFMark Andrews @NYJJosh Jacobs @LACElijah Moore vs. BALEzekiel Elliott vs. TBMichael Thomas @ATLChase Edmonds vs. NEGeorge Kittle @CHIJuJu Smith-Schuster @ARI Julio Jones @DALAdam Thielen vs. GBTravis Etienne @WASAllen Robinson vs. BUFDarren Waller @LACJaylen Waddle vs. NERobert Woods vs. NYGD.K. Metcalf vs. DENDevin Singletary @LARTerry McLaurin vs. JAX Rashaad Penny vs. DENHunter Renfrow @LACJerry Jeudy @SEACam Akers vs. BUFDameon Pierce vs. INDRussell Gage @DALCourtland Sutton @SEANyheim Hines @HOUKadarius Toney @TENDalton Schultz vs. TB Drake London vs. NOGabe Davis @LARDamien Harris @MIAAmari Cooper @CARChristian Kirk @WASAJ Dillon @MINT.J. Hockenson vs. PHITyler Lockett vs. DENRhamondre Stevenson @MIACordarrelle Patterson vs. NO Kareem Hunt @CARAllen Lazard @MINRashod Bateman @NYJIsaiah McKenzie @LARMichael Carter vs. BALKenyan Drake @NYJMiles Sanders @DETJ.D. McKissic vs. JAXDeVante Parker @MIATyler Boyd vs. PIT DeVonta Smith @DETDallas Goedert @DETBreece Hall vs. BALCorey Davis vs. BALTyler Higbee vs. BUFClyde Edwards-Helaire @ARIDarrell Henderson vs. BUFChris Olave @ATLCole Kmet vs. SFAmeer Abdullah @LAC Chase Claypool @CINBrandon Aiyuk @CHIRobby Anderson vs. CLEAlbert Okwuegbunam @SEATony Pollard vs. TBJarvis Landry @ATLGeorge Pickens @CINSammy Watkins @MINMelvin Gordon @SEANico Collins vs. IND Jamaal Williams vs. PHIRondale Moore vs. KCMecole Hardman @ARIIrv Smith vs. GBCurtis Samuel vs. JAXDJ Chark vs. PHITreylon Burks vs. NYGK.J. Osborn vs. GBBraxton Berrios vs. BAL Marvin Jones @WASZach Ertz vs. KCNoah Brown vs. TBJakobi Meyers @MIAGerald Everett vs. LVZay Jones @WASA.J. Green vs. KCDawson Knox @LARMarquez Valdes-Scantling @ARI Wan'Dale Robinson @TENKenny Golladay @TENPat Freiermuth @CINJahan Dotson vs. JAXJames Robinson @WASBryan Edwards vs. NOMike Gesicki vs. NEAlec Pierce @HOUDavid Njoku @CAR Hunter Henry @MIARaheem Mostert vs. NEAustin Hooper vs. NYGSkyy Moore @ARIDonovan Peoples-Jones @CARBrevin Jordan vs. INDMike Davis @NYJSony Michel vs. LVOlamide Zaccheaus vs. NO Josh Palmer vs. LVAlexander Mattison vs. GBCameron Brate @DALHayden Hurst vs. PITRex Burkhead vs. INDKenneth Gainwell @DETJames Cook @LAR |
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