The NFL season is finally here, which means it’s time to set your lineups for Week 1 of the fantasy football season. Below are the quarterback rankings, tiers, and analysis for Week 1.
Quarterback Rankings for Week 1 Fantasy Football
Tier 1: Superstar Quarterbacks
1. Josh Allen
2. Jalen Hurts
3. Lamar Jackson
4. Patrick Mahomes
Allen leads all quarterbacks in the week 1 rankings with a favorable game against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are expected to be one of the worst defenses in the league, giving Allen a great matchup to exploit to start the season strong, even with a new group of receivers.
Jackson and Mahomes play each other in a rematch of the AFC Championship game to kick off the season. Mahomes will be without one of his top receivers, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, for the opener, placing more trust in rookie Xavier Worthy. Both teams boast strong defenses, so this could turn into a low-scoring affair. While both quarterbacks are obvious must-starts, don’t expect week 1 to be their best fantasy football performance of the year. If playing in a Superflex league, remember to put these players in the quarterback spot and not the Superflex spot.
Tier 2: Solid QB1s
5. Anthony Richardson
6. Kyler Murray
7. C.J. Stroud
8. Jordan Love
9. Jared Goff
Murray should get a lot of points in a high-scoring matchup against the Bills. He gets a boost this year with superstar rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. joining the team. Murray is coming into the year fully healthy and is ready to go for Week 1 at full strength.
Richardson and Stroud face off in what promises to be a high-scoring matchup, with one of the highest over/under lines of the week. Richardson is returning from a season-ending shoulder surgery last year, but he’s back and ready to go and run wild. If he can play the full game, finishing as the overall QB1 any week is well within his reach. On the other hand, Stroud lacks the rushing upside, so he’ll need to rely on his arm to secure a top-five finish, which is why he ranks behind both Richardson and Murray in the week 1 quarterback rankings.
Tier 3: Good QBs with Question Marks for Week 1
10. Dak Prescott
11. Joe Burrow
12. Caleb Williams
13. Jayden Daniels
14. Brock Purdy
This tier includes good quarterbacks who have the potential to be top-ten on the season, but several concerns in week 1 have lowered them in the quarterback rankings. Prescott has a tough matchup against the Browns defense, which was one of the best last year and expected to be great again this season. Burrow and the Bengals are ten-point favorites against the Patriots, so expect them to run a lot in the second half. Williams and Daniels are making their debuts so expect some rookie struggles. Purdy faces the Jets defense which might be the best secondary in the league. In smaller one-QB leagues, it might be a good idea to look for a better streaming option than one of these guys.
Tier 4: Potential Streamers
15. Baker Mayfield
16. Tua Tagovailoa
17. Trevor Lawrence
18. Matthew Stafford
19. Justin Herbert
20. Geno Smith
Tier four of the quarterback rankings for week 1 are full of players with lower floors and talent than the previous tier, but they have higher ceilings due to the matchups they are in. Mayfield plays the Commanders who were one of the worst secondaries last season. Tagovailoa and the Dolphins go to Jacksonville to play in one of the highest projected point totals of the week. Tagovailoa typically starts the season strong, and with two elite weapons in Hill and Waddle, he has top-ten quarterback potential.
Stafford gets another chance of a revenge game in Detroit in the highest projected scoring matchup of the week. He has plenty of playmakers around him including Puka Nacua and fully healthy Cooper Kupp. Despite his struggles last year, Smith has a favorable home matchup against the Broncos, with plenty of weapons to boost his ceiling. Any of these six guys in tier four is going to have an above-average week for them to finish as a QB1, but they are in great spots to do so.
Main Image: Charles LeClaire – USA Today Sports
