Week 1 Fantasy PPR RB Rankings

All the usual suspects get a boost in our Week 1 fantasy PPR RB rankings: James White, Tarik Cohen, Duke Johnson Jr., Dion Lewis, Nyheim Hines, Jalen Richard, and Chris Thompson, among others. And you probably already know the running backs who take a hit, like Leonard Fournette, Derrick Henry, and Sony Michel. But the key to PPR leagues is not going overboard with your mental adjustments for these types of players. Touchdowns are worth six points; a two-yard reception is worth 1.2. Don't let the promise of even five catches overly influence your start 'em, sit 'em decisions and cause you to miss out on old-fashioned points.

As is always the case in Week 1, there are plenty of players in new roles who we can't fully account for. Does the absence of Theo Riddick mean Kerryon Johnson is about to become a three-down star? How about Nick Chubb with Johnson out of town? Is Chris Carson really going to see a big uptick in targets? Will David Montgomery eat into any of Cohen's looks? The same can be asked of Josh Jacobs and Richard. 

Week 1 Non-PPR Rankings and Player Analysis:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

It will take us a few weeks before we have a good idea of the answers to these questions, so for now we're just going off the little we saw in the preseason or the receiving prowess shown in past years. The answer seems obvious in certain situation (like with Johnson in Detroit), but there's plenty we still don't know. 

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Perhaps the two biggest question marks going into Week 1 are Ezekiel Elliott and Todd Gurley (and Melvin Gordon, who we're not projecting to play). Elliott will be out of these rankings if he doesn't report to the Cowboys by Labor Day, but even if he shows up we don't expect him to be used in as many passing situations. We also don't expect Gurley to be as active as a receiver, as the Rams will likely look to limit his touches, especially early in the season. He's still a sure-fire starter (as is Zeke if he plays), but we expect his ceiling to be slightly lower in PPR formats. The opposite could wind up being true, with Darrell Henderson commanding more carries, but we'll have to watch closely to find out.

Reminder: Check back for frequent updates during the week.

WEEK 1 PPR RANKINGS: Wide receiver | Tight end

Week 1 Fantasy PPR Rankings: RBs

These rankings are for full-point PPR leagues.