Fantasy Football Week 1 Positional Power Rankings

Fans Only Sportz Network
Sep 6
4 min read

by Zak Drapeau, Matt Hylen, and Joseph McLaughlin 9/5/2025 Sportz Nation

Quarterbacks (Zak)

1. Jalen Hurts vs Cowboys

2. Lamar Jackson @ Bills

3. Josh Allen vs Ravens

4. Bo Nix vs Titans

5. Joe Burrow @ Browns

6. Jayden Daniels vs Giants

7. Kyler Murray @ Saints

8. Patrick Mahomes vs Chargers

9. Baker Mayfield @ Falcons

10. Dak Prescott @ Eagles

11. Jared Goff @ Packers

12. Caleb Williams vs Vikings

13. Drake Maye vs Raiders

14. Brock Purdy @ Seahawks

15. Trevor Lawrence vs Panthers

This list is already somewhat defunct because of Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes already playing and Justin Herbert doing better than all of them. Against a great Chiefs’ defense Justin Herbert looked exceptional both on his feet and in the air just like Jalen Hurts did but with a better scoreline.

I have Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson both in the Top-3 even though they’re facing each other’s great defenses out of respect for their games and even though they should play a sting SNF game they should also put up yards and TDs the both of them.

One shocker I have is Bo Nix so high but when you play the Titans at home, Nix is bound to get some good fantasy points especially if he can run the ball like he did in 2024. That also goes for Jayden Daniels and Kyler Murray who are facing tough secondaries Week1, but in easy games.

Towards the bottom we have Goff, Williams and Maye who all have new coaching staffs and I don’t want to put them any higher until I get a better look although I do believe Goff, then Williams will separate themselves to a Top-7 guy before long.

Running Backs (Matt)

1. Bijan Robinson vs Buccaneers

2. Chase Brown @ Browns

3. Jahmyr Gibbs @ Packers

4. Christian McCaffrey @ Seahawks

5. Bucky Irving @ Falcons

6. Johnathon Taylor vs Dolphins

7. Saquon Barkley vs Cowboys

8. Josh Jacobs vs Lions

9. Alvin Kamara vs Cardnials

10. James Connor vs Saints

11. Derrick Henry @ Bills

12. Devon Achane @ Colts

13. Kyren Williams vs Texans

14. Ashton Jeanty @ Patriots

15. Aaron Jones Sr. @ Bears

I think we could see a lot of surprises this week in terms of running back production. With defenses likely to get settled slower than offenses, we could see some running backs run wild against their opponents. For me, Bijan Robinson is the clear #1 heading into Week 1. The matchup is great, and that offense is going to rely on him heavily while they discover their offensive identity. However, I do not have Chase Brown that far behind. The Browns' defensive line should be good, but Brown will be effective with the 25+ touches he is likely to get.

I also think a bunch of RB2-type players will have big top-15 weeks. Players like James Conner, Aaron Jones Sr., and Alvin Kamara are not your ideal RB1s long term, but are all guys that I think can give managers that level of production in Week 1.

Overall, this will be an exciting week for running backs. Of course, the familiar top names are likely to produce, but do not be surprised if some of the middle-tier guys break out onto the scene to open their season.

Wide Receivers (Joe)

1. Ja'Marr Chase @ Browns

2. Justin Jefferson @ Bears

3. CeeDee Lamb @ Eagles

4. Puka Nacua vs Texans

5. Amon-Ra St. Brown @ Green Bay

6. Malik Nabers @ Washington

7. Nico Collins @ Rams

8. Brian Thomas Jr. vs Panthers

9. Drake London vs Buccaneers

10. Ladd McConkey vs Chiefs

11. AJ Brown vs Cowboys

12. Tee Higgins @ Browns

13. Tyreek Hill @ Colts

14. Terry McLaurin vs Giants

15. Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs 49ers

We have already seen some top receivers play on Thursday and Friday. CeeDee Lamb, for instance, was stellar against the Eagles with seven catches for 110 yards. Ladd McConkey also had a good performance against the Chiefs in Saõ Paulo, Brazil, where he caught six passes for 74 yards.

Some receivers failed to produce, however. AJ Brown had a quiet night against the Cowboys, only catching one pass for eight yards. For that reason, I dropped him from the top ten to the 11th spot. However, he should see more action as the season progresses, so that will most likely change.

As for the rest of the list, expect big things from Justin Jefferson against the Bears' defense and Amon-Ra St. Brown, who will be battling a Green Bay secondary without Jaire Alexander after the Baltimore Ravens picked him up in free agency.

Tight Ends (Zak)

1. Brock Bowers @ Patriots

2. Trey McBride @ Saints

3. George Kittle @ Seahawks

4. T.J. Hockenson @ Bears

5. David Njoku vs Bengals

6. Travis Kelce vs Chargers

7. Sam LaPorta @ Packers

8. Evan Engram vs Titans

9. Mark Andrews @ Bills

10. Dallas Goedert vs Cowboys

11. Tyler Warren vs Dolphins

12. Hunter Henry vs Raiders

13. Jake Ferguson @ Eagles

14. Tucker Kraft vs Lions

15. Zach Ertz vs Giants

The Top-4 preseason TE rankings all had decent matchups so I kept them where they were but LaPorta and Kelce both have tougher matchups so they dropped 2 spots, (side note after the Friday Night game, Kelce’s 11.7 points was much better than I had foreseen.)

The bottom of this list is separated by almost nothing between Goedert, Warren, Henry, Ferguson, Kraft and Ertz. Each of these Tight Ends often have 2 or 3 catches and a quiet night but will also have these 7 catch-TD nights and it’s impossible to justify them. Go for the matchups if you have two of these but… It’s a toss up.