The List: Ranking Each Position for Week 1

Notes

• Wide Reciever is the hardest position to rank on a weekly basis. The outcome of one target here or there could drastically swing the results, so sticking with talented receivers paired with talented quarterbacks is the way to go. Don’t overthink things at the receiver position, and don’t overvalue matchups.
• I jumped Davante Adams up a couple of spots from consensus to number two overall. Minnesota isn’t the second-best matchup on the slate, but it is pretty clear who Aaron Rodgers will throw to early and often. Give me the guaranteed 10+ targets nearly every week.
• The big story of Week 1 may be the distribution of targets in the passing game in Tampa Bay. I expect Chris Godwin to have no problem meshing with Tom Brady, and have him ranked highly accordingly. Mike Evans is a tougher one to predict as the downfield target while also nursing an injury, but don’t overreact if he has a down week. Evans is as streaky as they come, and can single-handedly win you a week like few other receivers in the league.
• After a season of brutal matchups in 2019, Odell Beckham Jr. gets the Ravens in Week 1, less than ideal. He could struggle this week so I have him down at WR17, but I expect to have him higher in better matchups.
• Injury reports to keep an eye on this week: Brandin Cooks (quad), A.J. Green (hamstring), Deebo Samuel (foot), Golden Tate (hamstring), and Preston Williams (knee). All are good players, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them on snap counts in Week 1. If you have other options you may want to wait a week to see how healthy they truly are.
• I would generally target veteran wide receivers with established quarterback connections this week, mostly due to the disjointed offseason. Rookies like CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy may be ranked much higher next week, but I’m elected to take the safer options until we see them in NFL action.