Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
CBS Sports
Fantasy Football Rankings, sleepers, streamers, model's cheat sheets for Week 1, 2024 in standard, PPR leagues
By CBS Sports Staff,
12 hours ago
usatsi
Whether you spent months, weeks, days or minutes creating your Week 1 Fantasy football rankings, Fantasy football start-sit decisions can make a major difference in success or failure for your Week 1 Fantasy football picks. The first players at each position you selected in Fantasy football 2024 drafts are likely must-starts, but depending on your Fantasy football scoring system, choosing those second and third players at positions or FLEX options in Week 1 Fantasy football lineups can be stressful. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the first receiver drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft, but after finishing 10th among rookies in receiving yards (628), can you trust the Seattle receiver for Week 1 Fantasy football lineups? Before you lock in your Fantasy football lineups, be sure to check out the Week 1 Fantasy football rankings from the advanced computer model at SportsLine .
When it comes to ranking players, SportsLine's model beat human experts in Fantasy football for the past several seasons, especially when there were big differences in ranking. Over the course of a season, that could literally be the difference between winning your league or going home emptyhanded.
Now, the model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, has revealed its Fantasy football rankings for Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. Head to SportsLine now to see them .
Top Week 1 Fantasy football picks
One surprise in Week 1: The model is fading Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray , even though he's a two-time Pro Bowler who was one of the first 10 quarterbacks drafted on average in 2024. In fact, the model says Murray doesn't even finish in the top 20 at his position.
Murray has been an accurate albeit unspectacular passer throughout his career and he's been one of the more dynamic running threats in the NFL when healthy. However, he draws a tough Week 1 matchup against the Buffalo Bills , who ranked fourth in the NFL in scoring defense and ninth in total defense in 2023. The Buffalo offense is also hard to get off the field -- ranking first in third-down conversion rate (49.85) in 2023 -- and that could mean fewer opportunities for Murray.
A curveball: The model is high on Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin, despite him finishing with his fewest yards per game since 2018. Godwin averaged 60.2 yards per game last season and finished as WR36 on a points-per-game basis. His two touchdowns were also the fewest since his rookie season in 2017.
However, Godwin recorded his third-straight 1,000-yard season and was one of just 20 receivers to generate at least 130 targets last season. Godwin finished with 1,024 yards on 83 receptions with 130 targets. Godwin has averaged at least 70 yards per game in three of his previous five seasons and Tampa Bay opens up the season against Washington, who allowed the most yards and points per game last season. The Commanders figure to have one of the weakest defenses in the NFL again this season, making this a strong matchup for Godwin. For more start/sit Fantasy football advice, be sure to check out the rest of the Week 1 Fantasy football rankings .
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0