6 MUST START Players in Week 1 Fantasy Football (2026 Advice)

JJ Zachariason identifies Brock Bowers as a top-tier tight end option worthy of early draft consideration, positioning him as a primary choice alongside Trey McBride when evaluating premium tight end targets.

Charlie Kolar signed for significant money with the Ravens but lost the playing-time battle to Isaiah Likely. The Ravens' historical pattern shows the second tight end drafted has outperformed the first in fantasy in all four instances since 2010, with Likely beating out Kolar as the second tight end drafted in their class.

JJ Zachariason is starting Chris Godwin in week one despite being drafted as a bench player around WR 37–38 overall. Godwin is healthy (unlike last year), Baker Mayfield is healthy, and Mike Ibuka and Jaylen McMillan are both injured, clearing the target path. The Bengals allowed the seventh-most pass yards per game last year and lack secondary improvements (Kyle Duggar is a run-stuffer). The game has a 50.5 over/under suggesting shootout potential. Godwin's last healthy season (with Liam Cohen as OC) he ranked WR2 behind Jamar Chase; the Buccaneers hired Zack Robinson (Rams pass game coordinator under McVay when Cooper Cup had the best all-time WR fantasy season in 2021 operating from the slot) to replicate that scheme. When both Godwin and Mike Evans were on field, Godwin averaged 7 more fantasy points per game than Evans, demonstrating slot receiver alpha in that system. Zachariason rejects the false choice dilemma between Godwin and Ibuka that has artificially held Godwin back; both can excel on the 2024 Buccaneers, and most good players come from good teams.

Zachariason is explicitly anti-Colston Loveland in rounds two, three, and four; he argues those rounds should be reserved for running backs and wide receivers where league winners are typically found, not tight ends, even elite ones. Loveland is projected as potentially the third target on the Lions behind Roma Dunes and Luther Burton, placing him outside the top-two target threshold necessary for tight end upside. However, Declan Doyle and Ben Johnson use Loveland as a big wide receiver, running him from that alignment rather than inline, which mirrors Mark Andrews' career usage pattern and suggests high-volume receiving opportunity.

Cyrus Allen is not startable in week one despite being drafted. JJ Zachariason is focusing on fringe tight ends who can actually be started in week one rather than bench stashes, and Allen does not qualify as a week one starter.

JJ Zachariason's top week one running back pick. Swift is ranked fairly high in weekly rankings because Kyle Monangai is week-to-week with injury and will likely be a 20-25% snap share guy even when healthy. Against the Panthers, Swift gets the opportunity to be the lead back. The Bears led all backfields in EPA per run last year and had the best or second-best backfield in fantasy historically. Swift was injured all of last year but is healthy now, making him a potential league-winner if he stays healthy and gets bellcow volume.

May have been permanently ruined by high ankle sprain; cited as cautionary example of how this injury can have lasting career impact.

Darren Waller exemplifies the historical late-round tight end value opportunity; he was previously available at tight end 16 during a period when drafters avoided taking multiple tight ends, allowing savvy teams to acquire breakout-caliber talent at a discount. Darren Waller was drafted as a wide receiver in the second round but outscored all other Ravens tight ends, serving as an outlier example of a player who transcended positional expectations and role constraints. Used to illustrate that exceptional talent can overcome typical Ravens tight end depth-chart dynamics.

Drake London is the primary receiver on the Falcons ahead of Kyle Pitts. Pitts shows contingent upside if London suffers an injury, as evidenced by his 90.8 yards per game average without London last year.

JJ Zachariason highlights George Kittle as a tight end value pick with significant injury discount. Over the last two years combined, Kittle averages the exact same fantasy points per game as Justin Jefferson, who goes eight to nine rounds earlier in drafts. Kittle is one of only three players in the league with three or more 40-yard plays in a single season (alongside Kyle Pitts and Chick Conwell), demonstrating elite chunk-play production. He has nine 100-yard games in the last four years compared to Kyle Pitts' one, illustrating superior consistency. Sportsbooks kept Kittle's props active throughout injury concerns, signaling confidence in his 700+ yards projection. Zachariason recommended Kittle in his draft guide as a conservative week-one tight end pick.

JJ Zachariason ranks Isaiah Likely much higher in full PPR than half standard due to target volume potential offsetting his lack of high-end speed (48+ 40-time). Historically, only two tight ends with 48+ 40-times have finished top-5 in fantasy (Jake Ferguson with 600 yards, Heath Miller in 2012). Likely beat out Charlie Kolar (who signed for significant money) for Ravens playing time. Ravens have a pattern of the second tight end drafted outperforming the first in fantasy (4-for-4 since 2010, including Likely over Kolar). Zachariason won't fade Likely despite athleticism concerns because slow tight ends with adequate target volume can produce (Zack Ertz, Jason Whitten with 800 yards at age 38). Ravens are a double-tap team, and Likely may be the Arian Foster outlier of tight ends.

Zachariason uses Jake Ferguson as a cautionary comparison to Kyle Pitts: Ferguson was tight end 20 in PPG when healthy alongside CD Lamb but tight end 2 in PPG without Lamb, illustrating the dependency on being a top-two target. Zachariason states he is 'completely out on' Jake Ferguson with CD Lamb healthy, emphasizing that target hierarchy is the crucial differentiator for tight end fantasy value. Ferguson is cited as one of only two tight ends since Zachariason's tracking began to finish top-5 in fantasy despite running a 48+ 40-time; he managed only 600 yards, illustrating the production ceiling for slow tight ends. Zachariason explicitly avoids drafting Jake Ferguson, color-coding him in red as a player he never takes, citing the principle that he won't draft tight ends unless they are one injury away from being a top-two target on their team.

Jake Tonges is a viable pickup if George Kittle sits week one. In his last four games without Kittle, Tonges averaged 7.8 targets per game and 15.7 fantasy points per game. The Bengals allowed 22.2 fantasy points per game to tight ends last year—30% more than any other defense in fantasy points data history—making this matchup particularly exploitable for a Kittle backup.

Jaylen McMillan is dealing with a knee injury heading into week one, creating uncertainty about his availability and opening up target share for Chris Godwin in the Buccaneers offense.

Jason Whitten at age 38 was slow but still accumulated 800 yards, demonstrating that athleticism decline and age do not preclude elite production for tight ends with strong coverage and route-running skills. Zachariason emphasizes the quality of Whitten's play: "Watching Jason Whitten, that was some of the craziest stuff." Used as evidence that Isaiah Likely's lack of high-end speed should not disqualify him from fantasy consideration.

Jawan Johnson is a converted wide receiver conducive to chunk plays with excellent week one conditions. Jordan Tyson's injury creates a path to top-two target status; Chris Ave is the clear number one, leaving Johnson as the focal point. Week one matchup against Lions with both starting safeties (Brian Branch and Kirby Joseph) out. Saints are 14-point dogs in a 52-point over/under game expected to be a high-volume passing game. Johnson is one of the safer week one plays and will be in many DFS lineups.

Zachariason advocates for Kyle Pitts as a value pick in ideal draft scenarios where other teams draft Loveland, Warren, Craft, Leaporta, and other early tight ends, allowing Pitts to fall to a 'crazy good value' ADP. He projects Pitts as a top-two target on the Falcons with elite speed and chunk-play production, featuring him as a key part of the new Kevin Stefanski offense. Pitts has three 40-yard plays in a season (tied with George Kittle and Chick Conwell for league lead) and Zachariason references Rob Gronkowski's 330 PPR season when Wes Welker got 173 targets, arguing top-two target status enables tight end upside even with multiple receivers on the team. However, Pitts has only one 100-yard game in the last four years compared to George Kittle's nine; he averaged 90.8 yards per game without Drake London last year, showing contingent upside if London is injured. Zachariason ranks him as TE9, not TE5, citing Kevin Stefanski's track record and scheme fit concerns despite the Falcons' weak receiver room.

JJ Zachariason notes there's a mathematical path for Washington to catch 80 balls in a run-heavy offense; even with Malik Willis at quarterback and expected heavy run volume, target math still projects significant receiving opportunity for Washington.

Zachariason argues Andrews has nothing stopping him from being top-five again unless completely washed; runs 85% of routes from wide receiver spot, pass blocks on only 1% of plays, finished top-five when Nick Boyle played 70% of snaps and Andrews only 40%; Lamar Jackson's scrambling style creates touchdown opportunities; no more competition from Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar, or Patrick Ricard; typically goes off board as tight end 12-15, providing value. However, 2025 marked first year below 2.0 yards per route run (1.33), and he finished TE15 by ADP last year after three straight years in top-three ADP. High ankle sprain suffered last year could have lasting effects; Zachariason notes the injury involves spiral fractures and ligament damage requiring tightrope surgery, which is severe and can permanently impact players like Tony Pollard and Darnell Mooney; real possibility Andrews comes back just okay rather than elite.

Nick Boyle outscored both Max Williams and Crockett Gilmore in fantasy, exemplifying the Ravens' historical pattern where the second tight end drafted has outperformed the first in fantasy in all four instances since 2010. Boyle was the second tight end drafted in his class but became the superior fantasy option.

JJ Zachariason's single favorite player and must-start for week one. Washington faces the Cleveland Browns, who have a bottom-five cornerback room despite having Denzel Ward. Brian Thomas Jr. will draw Ward, leaving Washington in a much more favorable slot matchup. Zachariason compares Washington to a younger version of Chris Godwin in the actual Liam Cohen scheme, giving extra vote of confidence.

No longer on Ravens roster; his departure clears targets and opportunity for Mark Andrews in Baltimore's offense.

Ran the second-most routes on the team behind Puka Nacua, but executed most of them from a wide receiver spot rather than inline tight end.

Zachariason expresses concern about Sam Leaporta's target hierarchy, stating he personally does not project Leaporta to be even the second or third target on his team, placing him outside the top-two target threshold he considers essential for tight end upside. Leaporta scored 240 PPR points in the year he won tight end scoring; Zachariason uses this as a benchmark to illustrate that drafting a tight end in the second round requires that player to score 250+ points to justify the draft capital, meaning even the tight end one finisher may not provide sufficient return on investment.

JJ Zachariason does not draft Sam Laporte at his current ADP. Laporte would need to slide to tight end 11 or later for Zachariason to consider him, and even then only if another top tight end (KD) is taken first. Zachariason acknowledges Laporte's talent but views his draft position as too early relative to his preference.

JJ Zachariason explicitly states he never drafts TJ Hockenson. His ranking philosophy excludes tight ends who are not one injury away from being a top-two target on their team, placing Hockenson in a red-coded tier of players he will not target regardless of draft position.

JJ Zachariason identifies Terrence Ferguson as a contingent upside play and week-one starter in his personal leagues. Ferguson is the third receiver behind Devonte Adams and Puka Nakua on the Chargers. When Adams was out in weeks 16-17 last year, Ferguson ran 37 routes (second only to Nakua), mostly from wide receiver spot, with an 18-yard average depth of target and several near-miss plays. He functions as a stash lottery ticket dependent on injury to Adams or Nakua.

Looked terrible after high ankle sprain; cited as example of how this injury can permanently impact player performance.

Travis Kelce remains wide open in coverage despite clearly losing a step athletically in recent years. Three years ago when Tyreek Hill was absent, defenses sold out to stop Kelce; now defenses appear to have forgotten about him and he is open three times per game. This illustrates that elite tight ends can maintain production through coverage lapses and route-running skill even as athleticism declines. Zachariason emphasizes: "it blows my mind how the guy could just be wide open... he's wide open three times a game and then even like now he's like clearly lost a step and he's wide open."

McBride had a top-five all-time tight end season with 315 PPR points but scored 100 fewer points than Christian McCaffrey (417); Zachariason argues this demonstrates that even elite tight end seasons do not justify early-round draft capital compared to elite running backs and wide receivers, and he would not take a guy in the second round.

JJ Zachariason ranks Tucker Craft as TE10 in PPR and TE5 in standard. Craft excels at inline blocking and play-action/screen deception, generating significant chunk plays (60+ yard plays common in highlights) and touchdown-scoring opportunities. However, Zachariason expresses concern that Craft relies heavily on chunk plays and is coming off injury, creating uncertainty about his consistency. Craft was recommended in Zachariason's draft guide as a conservative week-one tight end pick.

JJ Zachariason notes that Tyler Warren has significant target competition on his team, creating uncertainty about his ability to secure a top-two target role necessary for tight end upside.

Zack Ertz is cited as an example of a slow tight end who still produced at an elite level with adequate target volume, supporting the thesis that athleticism concerns can be overcome with opportunity. Ertz is noted as slightly faster than Isaiah Likely but still slow relative to the position, demonstrating that slow tight ends with the right amount of targets can be awesome.