The best wide receivers in fantasy football for Week 1 spotlight dynamic stars, including Ja’Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb, and Puka Nacua, all expected to see high volume and produce big point totals as the new NFL season kicks off. Fantasy managers face important roster decisions, so these expert WR rankings provide lineup advice for early-season success.
Who Are the Best WRs in Fantasy Football in Week 1?
1) Ja’Marr Chase | Cincinnati Bengals (at CLE)
2) CeeDee Lamb | Dallas Cowboys (at PHI)
3) Puka Nacua | Los Angeles Rams (vs. HOU)
4) Malik Nabers | New York Giants (at WAS)
5) Nico Collins | Houston Texans (at LAR)
6) Drake London | Atlanta Falcons (vs. TB)
7) Justin Jefferson | Minnesota Vikings (at CHI)
8) Brian Thomas Jr. | Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. CAR)
9) Amon-Ra St. Brown | Detroit Lions (at GB)
10) A.J. Brown | Philadelphia Eagles (vs. DAL)
11) Mike Evans | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at ATL)
12) Ladd McConkey | Los Angeles Chargers (vs. KC)
13) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Seattle Seahawks (vs. SF)
14) Tee Higgins | Cincinnati Bengals (at CLE)
15) Terry McLaurin | Washington Commanders (vs. NYG)
16) Davante Adams | Los Angeles Rams (vs. HOU)
17) DeVonta Smith | Philadelphia Eagles (vs. DAL)
18) Emeka Egbuka | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at ATL)
19) Jerry Jeudy | Cleveland Browns (vs. CIN)
20) Tyreek Hill | Miami Dolphins (at IND)
21) Garrett Wilson | New York Jets (vs. PIT)
22) Marvin Harrison Jr. | Arizona Cardinals (at NO)
23) Xavier Worthy | Kansas City Chiefs (at LAC)
24) DJ Moore | Chicago Bears (vs. MIN)
25) Courtland Sutton | Denver Broncos (vs. TEN)
26) Jameson Williams | Detroit Lions (at GB)
27) George Pickens | Dallas Cowboys (at PHI)
28) Zay Flowers | Baltimore Ravens (at BUF)
29) Jaylen Waddle | Miami Dolphins (at IND)
30) Calvin Ridley | Tennessee Titans (at DEN)
31) Ricky Pearsall | San Francisco 49ers (at SEA)
32) DK Metcalf | Pittsburgh Steelers (at NYJ)
33) Chris Olave | New Orleans Saints (vs. ARI)
34) Deebo Samuel Sr. | Washington Commanders (vs. NYG)
35) Rome Odunze | Chicago Bears (vs. MIN)
36) Khalil Shakir | Buffalo Bills (vs. BAL)
37) Jakobi Meyers | Las Vegas Raiders (at NE)
38) Stefon Diggs | New England Patriots (vs. LV)
39) Jauan Jennings | San Francisco 49ers (at SEA)
40) Michael Pittman Jr. | Indianapolis Colts (vs. MIA)
41) Josh Downs | Indianapolis Colts (vs. MIA)
42) Rashid Shaheed | New Orleans Saints (vs. ARI)
43) Christian Kirk | Houston Texans (at LAR)
44) Darnell Mooney | Atlanta Falcons (vs. TB)
45) Marvin Mims Jr. | Denver Broncos (vs. TEN)
46) Cooper Kupp | Seattle Seahawks (vs. SF)
47) Joshua Palmer | Buffalo Bills (vs. BAL)
48) Rashod Bateman | Baltimore Ravens (at BUF)
49) Cedric Tillman | Cleveland Browns (vs. CIN)
50) Keenan Allen | Los Angeles Chargers (vs. KC)
CeeDee Lamb (at Eagles)
A new year means plenty of change. Some things have sparked (“Kai” is the most popular baby name, up 120 spots from 2024, and ESPN now owns the Red Zone channel) while some oldies have become good again (Damian Lillard is a Trail Blazer and Happy Gilmore is back in the public consciousness).
CeeDee Lamb’s role fits into neither box. There’s nothing new to see here: he’s reached double-digit targets in an NFL-best 18 games since the beginning of 2023. For reference, the Mike Evans and Chris Godwin tandem has combined for 16 such games over that stretch.
If you want to dock him fractions of points for adding George Pickens, be my guest, but there’s nothing actionable on that front. You should be thrilled to have this combination of stability and ceiling.
Matchup proof. Script proof. Proof of negative analysis. Don’t overthink it.
Chris Olave (vs. Cardinals)
The Chris Olave discussion was interesting this summer, and I suspect it’ll be a hot-button one as the season progresses. He’s a high-pedigree player with his best days (hopefully) ahead of him, but he’s at the mercy of what projects as a broken offense.
Through three seasons, Olave’s per 17-game yardage average is 1,119, a very respectable total when you consider that the average QB+ rank of Derek Carr over those three seasons was nothing more than ordinary (17th).
The problem is that we aren’t the least confident that New Orleans will get QB17-level play this season. Does the quarterback’s play impact his fantasy value more than the perceived talent? Do they cancel each other out and make his low-end WR3 ADP accurate?
MORE: Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
The truth is that we need some data points before making an educated guess on this front. I’m tempted to trust his lead role over stars in decline (Cooper Kupp/Stefon Diggs types), other receivers with question marks under center (Jerry Jeudy and Calvin Ridley), or even players in new spots up against a tough opponent (George Pickens).
I’m cautiously optimistic that you get a nice return on your Olave investment, and who am I to say that he can’t show some upside this week with time to operate (Arizona: eighth lowest pressure rate in 2024).
