2026 Fantasy Football: Week 1 Wide Receiver and Tight End Starts and Sits

Week 1 creates a unique fantasy football problem. I do not have any data, film, or anything from actual games this season. It is literally the most difficult week for me to write articles for.

We have new depth charts, new coaches, new quarterbacks, and defenses that may look significantly different from the units we evaluated last season. We also do not have current-season routes, targets, or snap shares to analyze.

That does not mean we should guess; it means we should rely on common sense. And while common sense is not always common, you clearly have it because you are reading this. In Week 1, this is not the time to get cute with WR or TE start/sit decisions.

With all of that said, man, it is so good to be back.

Week 1 Starts and Sits

Wide Receivers to Start

Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers

Watson enters Week 1 as Green Bay’s clear primary receiver. From Weeks 8–18 last season, he averaged 61.1 receiving yards per game. He had 18.2% target share and 68% route participation last season. Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks are gone. The Packers have trimmed branches off the passing tree, which means targets should be more condensed this season.

The Vikings actually gave up the fewest fantasy points to wide receivers last year. They have some major changes to the defense this season that will impact that. Jonathan Greenard is gone, so we do not know if the Vikings will get the pressure they had last season on the quarterback.

NOTE: With Josh Jacobs out, I like the Packers’ passing game to help pick up the slack. The volume will be there.

Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars

Cleveland’s perimeter coverage could create problems for Jacksonville, but Washington operates primarily from the slot.

That distinction matters.

Cleveland was tough on wide receivers last season. But slot wide receivers had success. Washington also closed out the 2025 season with encouraging usage. During his final six-game stretch, he earned a 22.6% target share. Feels like recency bias, but it isn’t.

Trevor Lawrence has a safety valve and trust in Parker Washington.

NOTE: The real debate about Parker Washington or Brian Thomas Jr. is based on the player’s role in the offense, not the talent level.

Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals

Arizona may need to throw while playing on the road, as the over/under on this game is 47.5.

Wilson’s value comes from route participation and the possibility of facing secondary coverage throughout the afternoon. We are not positive about the role or what this overall offense will look like. We are positive about the chemistry between Wilson and quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Last season, Wilson ended the year with 78 catches, 1,006 yards, and 7 touchdowns.

I know not a lot of people are expecting big things here, but that is probably the reason to play him.

Wide Receivers to Sit

Khalil Shakir & DJ Moore, Buffalo Bills

Shakir missed significant time late in camp with an undisclosed injury. Although Buffalo is optimistic that he will play, availability and fantasy readiness aren’t the same.

Moore is entering his first regular-season game for Buffalo, and we do not know what will happen with target distribution. If you have Moore, you are probably playing him.

The Bills have a lot of branches on the passing tree. The Texans were exceptionally good at defending wide receivers last season. Josh Allen tends to spread the ball around. All of this creates uncertainty for me for the Bills pass catchers.

I want to see what is happening before trusting the Bills wide receivers.

Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

Washington’s slot matchup may be favorable, but Thomas faces a much different assignment on the perimeter. Match-ups matter.

The Browns gave up the tenth fewest fantasy points to wide receivers in 2025. The defense hasn’t changed all that much. They were exceptionally good at defending the outside. Only

Thomas is a field stretcher. He has a high ceiling, but it also makes him particularly vulnerable to Cleveland’s strong defense against outside wide receivers

Managers in deeper leagues may not have the luxury of sitting him, but he should be downgraded from an automatic start.

Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans

Tate’s matchup is not the primary reason for caution. New York’s current outside-cornerback combination is not intimidating enough to make him an automatic fade.

The concern is uncertainty. He is a rookie wide receiver trying to get acclimated to the NFL.

Tate failed to catch any of his six preseason targets. We have no idea how target distribution will be for Tennessee. We do know Brian Daboll is the offensive coordinator, and Wan’Dale Robinson played for him in New York.

Tate has the talent to beat this recommendation, but Week 1 is not the time to assume a rookie’s role before seeing it. Bench him in shallower leagues and reconsider once we have an actual route and target sample. Always be cautious with rookie wide receivers.

Tight Ends to Start

Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers

Kraft was producing like an elite fantasy tight end before suffering an ACL injury last season, and he has returned to full participation. Kraft should provide Jordan Love with a dependable middle-of-the-field option while also carrying TD upside.

With Josh Jacobs out indefinitely, I expect the passing game to carry the Packers offense. You will feel Krafty plugging him into your Week 1 lineup.

Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints

Johnson finished as a top-10 fantasy tight end last season and enters Week 1 with an even clearer path to targets.

Jordyn Tyson is on injured reserve, and New Orleans may be forced to throw more against Detroit. That should create opportunities for Johnson underneath and in the red zone.

He is one of the strongest non-elite starts for Week 1, as there will not be much competition for targets in the Saints offense. If you did not know, I like Juwan Johnson.

Tight Ends to Sit

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Kittle is expected to be active, but active does not necessarily mean unrestricted.

He is attempting to return less than eight months after tearing his Achilles. Obviously, if he does not play Thursday’s game, you will know to sit him. What we do not know is if the Niners will ease him in, have him on a snap count, or go all in Week 1.

Kittle remains an elite season-long player when healthy. For Week 1, the uncertainty of how he will be used makes me want to sit him.

NOTE: I actually am sitting him and playing Travis Kelce in Week 1. I usually do what I recommend.

T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

Green Bay was one of the league’s toughest defenses against tight ends last season, allowing only 759 receiving yards and six touchdowns to the position. In the final 10 weeks of the regular season, only 1 tight end managed to score double-digit fantasy points against the Packers.

Hockenson gets a new quarterback with Kyler Murray. We know Murray had chemistry with Trey McBride, so there is a chance, but it simply feels yucky.

Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns

Fannin’s concern is less about Jacksonville than Cleveland.

The Jaguars were reasonably fairly good at defending tight ends last season, but they were not an opponent you needed to avoid completely. The more important variables are Cleveland’s quarterback uncertainty and competition for targets. Do you trust Deshaun Watson? Fannin could be an absolute target hog, we just don’t know yet.

I like Fannin for season-long. If you have him, you’ll probably play him, but lower your expectations for Week 1. Yes, it hurt me to put him as a Sit.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!

Reedy Rule for Week 1

Do not let a matchup erase a dependable role, and do not let a favorable matchup convince you to invent one. For now, opportunity remains the starting point, and the matchup is the adjustment.