Sept. 5 (UPI) — Amon-Ra St. Brown, Skyy Moore and Drake London are among my five must-start wide receivers for Week 1 of the fantasy football season.
The NFL season will start Thursday, with many fantasy lineup decisions being made up until kickoff.
My season-long annual Top 200 overall rankings and individual rankings for quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends remain available for your preparation. These rankings will be updated for injuries and other developments.
Once your team is drafted, you need to figure out the correct Week 1 lineup to maximize point production. You should consider difficulty or ease of matchup, injury status and expected game script when deciding between options at each position.
All of my must-start wide receivers rank inside the Top 24 of my Top 50 positional rankings, which are available below.Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (L) is the No. 3 player in my position rankings for Week 1. File Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI
Amon-Ra St. Brown
St. Brown is the No. 9 player in my season-long wide receiver rankings. The Detroit Lions playmaker totaled a career-high 106 catches for 1,161 yards and six scores in 16 starts last season. St. Brown is primed to repeat as a spectacular performer and should get off to a quick start in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Brown logged at least 10 targets in eight games last season. The Chiefs allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to wide receivers in 2022. I expect the Chiefs to break out to a lead early on against the Lions, forcing their foes to pass and increasing St. Brown’s volume. He can be trusted as a Top 5 play in Week 1 and is an elite season-long option.New Orleans Saints star Chris Olave (R) is the No. 10 player in my Week 1 wide receiver rankings. File Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI
Chris Olave
Olave showed off his playmaking ability, totaling 1,042 yards and four scores on 72 catches last season, despite a rookie learning curve and inconsistency from New Orleans Saints quarterbacks.
The Saints went out and acquired Derek Carr this off-season. I expect Carr to improve the Saints offense, which should lean on the passing game a bit more at the start of the year because of running back Alvin Kamara’s suspension.
They will start the season against the Tennessee Titans, who allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers in 2022.
Look for Olave to snag at least eight catches for 100 yards and a score in Week 1. He is my No. 10 play.Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Skyy Moore can be used as a fantasy football WR2 or WR3 in Week 1. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI
Skyy Moore
Moore carries a little more risk than Olave and St. Brown, but deserves to be in lineups for Week 1. The Chiefs wide receiver totaled just 250 yards on 22 catches in 2022. He should provide more consistent fantasy football value in his second season.
Moore and the Chiefs will face a Lions team that allowed the second-most receiving yards and third-most fantasy points to wide receivers last season. He has a great chance to catch one of several touchdown passes thrown by starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Thursday’s NFL season opener.
Drake London
London is my No. 22 option for Week 1, when the Atlanta Falcons face the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers allowed the fourth-most receiving yards and fifth-most fantasy points to wide receivers last season.
The Falcons will likely be a run-centric offense yet again in 2023, but look for London to see most of the receiving targets. London totaled nine catches for 69 yards and a score in two games last season against the Panthers. I expect him to eclipse those numbers Sunday in Atlanta.
London can be trusted as a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3.Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is the No. 24 player in my Week 1 rankings. File Photo by Steve Nesius/UPI
Mike Evans
Tom Brady is no longer a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and other capable weapons remain on the roster. Baker Mayfield — the Buccaneers’ new quarterback — and is capable of keeping fantasy football relevance alive for those pass catchers.
Evans scored just six times last season, but remains one of the best red zone targets in the NFL. The 6-foot-5 wide receiver averaged more than 10 touchdowns per year from 2018 through 2021. Look for the veteran to get close to that total again in 2023.
The Buccaneers start the season against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings allowed the most catches and receiving yards to wide receivers in 2022. They also allowed the second-most fantasy points to the position.
The Buccaneers could find themselves playing from behind a lot this season, especially in Week 1, when they play on the road. That should lead to more targets for all of the Buccaneers’ pass catchers. Evans’ upside in the red zone is the main reason for his placement as the No. 24 player in my wide receiver rankings for Week 1.
He can be plugged in as a WR2 or WR3.Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (L) leads my Week 1 rankings. File Photo by Mark Black/UPI
Week 1 fantasy football wide receiver rankings
1. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings vs. TB
2. Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals at CLE
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions at KC
4. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles at NE
5. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys at NYG
6. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers vs. MIA
7. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins at LAC
8. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks vs. LAR
9. Calvin Ridley, Jacksonville Jaguars at IND
10. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints vs. TEN
11. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills at NYJ
12. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins at LAC
13. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets vs. BUF
14. DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans at NO
15. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders at DEN
16. D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears vs. GB
17. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals at CLE
18. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles at NE
19. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers at PIT
20. Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers at CHI
21. Skyy Moore, Kansas City Chiefs vs. DET
22. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons vs. CAR
23. Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers vs. MIA
24. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MIN
25. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns vs. CIN
26. Brandin Cooks, Dallas Cowboys at NYG
27. Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings vs. TB
28. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts vs. JAX
29. Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals at WAS
30. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers at PIT
31. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints vs. TEN
32. Dionatae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. SF
33. Adam Thielen, Carolina Panthers at ATL
34. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks vs. LAR
35. Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders vs. ARI
36. JuJu Smith-Schuster, New England Patriots vs. PHI
37. Allen Lazard, New York Jets vs. BUF
38. Marvin Mims, Denver Broncos vs. LV
39. George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. SF
40. Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams at SEA
41. Odell Beckham Jr., Baltimore Ravens vs. HOU
42. Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars at IND
43. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MIN
44. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos vs. LV
45. Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders at DEN
46. Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens vs. HOU
47. Jonathan Mingo, Carolina Panthers at ATL
48. Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears vs. GB
49. Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans at NO
50. Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders at DEN
