Week 1 Fantasy Football rankings updates with Zack Moss, Trey Sermon inactive

Welcome to Week 1 of the Fantasy Football season. If you want to get off to a good start this season, these rankings are here to help you out.

Head here to see updated rankings from Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard, and Heath Cummings, and make sure you tune into Fantasy Football Today on CBS Sports HQ at noon ET every day this week as they discuss and debate their rankings all the way through Sunday's games -- we'll also be live on HQ Sunday morning from 11 a.m. to kickoff to help you set your lineups.

And the FFT team has a whole lot more than that going on now that the season is starting, too. be live on the FFT YouTube channel with Adam Aizer to take your start/sit questions Sunday at 11:30 through kickoff. That's all at YouTube.com/FantasyFootballToday, so make sure to head there and subscribe to get notified every time we go live.

Week 1 Rankings

The Fantasy Football Today newsletter will be the first place you can find my rankings every week this season, and I'll be including them every Tuesday morning to kick off the new Fantasy week moving forward. Along with my rankings -- which will be updated throughout the week, obviously, so make sure you check back in before locking in your lineups! -- I'll include notes on some of the most interesting players with each update, beginning with today's initial in-season rankings. My goal is to have commented on the majority of the players that matter each week. This newsletter will work in conjunction with my game previews which will be published every Friday.

Here are my initial rankings for Week 1!

Quarterbacks

Just like with the season-long rankings, I think there's a gap between Mahomes and even the rest of the elite options at the position. The two biggest risers from the preseason rankings to Week 1 are Tom Brady and Matt Ryan, who both benefit from projected high-scoring games in offenses that figure to throw the ball a ton early on. Neither is widely available, so if you're looking for a streamer, your best option is probably Ryan Fitzpatrick against the Chargers or Baker Mayfield against the Chiefs in a game he may be chasing points in. Among players you may have drafted with the intention of starting, I'm most concerned about Ben Roethlisberger and Jameis Winston. I want to see what both look like in their respective offenses before I trust them.

Patrick Mahomes
Josh Allen
Tom Brady
Kyler Murray
Lamar Jackson -- Jackson gets a little boost from Edwards' injury, because I think he's got a higher rushing ceiling, but it wasn't enough to push him any higher in the rankings than where he started.
Russell Wilson
Aaron Rodgers -- Look, I'm still high on Rodgers. I know, hot take. But, while there will be some regression coming off last year's numbers, he's got plenty of room to regress and still remain a must-start QB. I'm expecting him to be one.
Dak Prescott -- I'm starting Prescott, but after he missed much of training camp coming off ankle surgery and a shoulder injury, I'm at least a little concerned about his first game, especially against a tough matchup and potentially playing without two starters on the line.
Matthew Stafford
Matt Ryan
Jalen Hurts
Ryan Tannehill
Justin Herbert
Trevor Lawrence -- There's a drop-off right here, and you could put any one of a number of quarterbacks here. I'm not convinced Lawrence will be great in his NFL debut, but the matchup against the Texans is about as soft a landing as you could hope for, and he's got good weapons in the passing game. Why not?
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Joe Burrow -- Burrow is another one I'm not quite sure what to expect from coming back from a serious injury. The Vikings defense wasn't great last season, so hopefully this is a fairly soft landing, but I would hope you have a better option for Week 1.
Jimmy Garoppolo -- One of the most interesting things to keep an eye on in Week 1 will be how the 49ers use their quarterbacks. In the final preseason game, Garoppolo and Trey Lance were swapping off regularly as the 49ers worked on different looks, but that's not an approach you ever really see in the NFL. Will Kyle Shanahan be willing to do it when the games count -- and if so, how much might that limit the passing production?
Carson Wentz
Tyrod Taylor
Baker Mayfield -- Mayfield isn't a bad streamer against the Chiefs, and you might want to add him just because he gets the Texans next week.
Kirk Cousins
Tua Tagovailoa -- I'm high on Tagovailoa for the season, but he's got a pretty tough slate to open the season, so I'll want to see what he looks like before I trust him, especially with Will Fuller not playing in Week 1.
Mac Jones
Derek Carr
Teddy Bridgewater
Andy Dalton
Sam Darnold
Ben Roethlisberger
Jameis Winston
Jared Goff
Zach Wilson
Daniel Jones

Running backs

There's not much change from the top of the preseason rankings to Week 1, but I'm putting my money where my mouth is with Mixon, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire and James Robinson rank a little higher than they did thanks to situations that should set up pretty well for them. My notes will focus on situations I want to really keep a close eye on in Week 1.

Christian McCaffrey
Alvin Kamara
Dalvin Cook
Joe Mixon
Derrick Henry
Austin Ekeler -- With Ekeler healthy and expected to play without limitations, he's a top-six back for me again.
Aaron Jones
Najee Harris
Ezekiel Elliott
James Robinson
Jonathan Taylor
David Montgomery -- I know it's a tough matchup against the Rams, but I'm expecting Montgomery to have one of the biggest workloads in the league yet again this season, which puts him in RB1 territory almost by default. And, if he gets the kind of passing game usage he did after Tarik Cohen's injury in 2020 -- an 80-target pace -- this could be low for most weeks.
Antonio Gibson -- Gibson hardly played on third down as a rookie, and that continued in the preseason. If he's just a two-down back, it could be tough for him to live up to expectations, so if this one turns into a shootout, we want to see Gibson out there in passing situations.
Nick Chubb
Clyde Edwards-Helaire -- The Chiefs are expected to roll in this one, with the highest implied total of any team in Week 1. We'll want to see Edwards-Helaire get whatever goal-line work is there, or else he could really tumble down the ranks.
Chris Carson
Saquon Barkley -- The expectation is Barkley won't have his full role in Week 1, but I've still got him projected for 15-ish touches, including four receptions. If he's well below that, then this will probably be an even slower start to the season than expected.
Myles Gaskin
Mike Davis
Darrell Henderson -- I'm still projecting Henderson to be the lead back on early downs and in passing situations, but it wouldn't surprise me if Sony Michel cut into either role right away.
Miles Sanders
Raheem Mostert -- The 49ers should be able to handle the Lions pretty easily, which should mean plenty of work for Mostert -- Jamey Eisenberg's Start of the Week! However, I think he'll probably stay in the 15-carry range, with Trey Sermon also taking on a healthy amount. Mostert's big play ability means he's got big upside, but if we don't get a touchdown, the upside is capped.
Josh Jacobs
Kareem Hunt -- Hunt is going to slot in around RB24 most weeks, though he could be in for a nice performance Sunday if the Browns have to rely on the passing game more than normal against the Chiefs.
Chase Edmonds
D'Andre Swift
Ty'Son Williams -- Williams slots in one spot behind where I had Edwards. It's not that I think Williams is especially good; I just think anyone who gets 13-plus carries next to Lamar Jackson is in the RB2 discussion.
Devin Singletary -- With Zack Moss a surprise healthy scratch, Singletary becomes a much more interesting sleeper play.
Damien Harris
Jamaal Williams
Melvin Gordon -- All preseason, Gordon has ended up higher in my projections than I ever feel comfortable actually ranking him. If he's the lead back for the Broncos to start the season, however, he's going to be a solid starter, whether we like it or not.
Javonte Williams
Kenyan Drake
David Johnson -- If the Texans are going to be chasing points, we could see quite a bit of Johnson even in his diminished role. They are severely depleted at wide receiver, so don't be surprised if we see Johnson split out wide regularly.
J.D. McKissic
James Conner
James White
Tevin Coleman
Sony Michel
Michael Carter
AJ Dillon
Nyheim Hines
Ronald Jones -- With Giovani Bernard active, I'm not viewing any of the Bucs running backs as anything more than low-end desperation plays until I know how this timeshare is going to work out.
Malcolm Brown
Leonard Fournette
Phillip Lindsay
Giovani Bernard
Wayne Gallman
Jeremy McNichols
Tony Pollard
Darrel Williams
Devontae Booker
Kenneth Gainwell -- I'll be watching the passing downs very closely for the Eagles, because I could see Gainwell taking on a significant role right from the beginning and growing from there. If you're going to look for a late-round RB to stash, a guy with a locked-in passing role would be the right place to start.
Latavius Murray
Joshua Kelley
Tony Jones
Damien Williams

Wide receivers

Similarly, there isn't much change at the top of the rankings from the preseason, but beyond that, there's been quite a bit of movement. Mostly because there are so many talented rookies in the WR class this season who we have high hopes for this season but who we know may not have the roles we expect from Week 1.

Davante Adams
DeAndre Hopkins -- We didn't see Hopkins in the preseason and he barely practiced as the Cardinals have been managing an ongoing ankle issue, and that probably won't change once the season starts. However, he's been playing through that issue for a few years and it hasn't limited him yet, so I'm not expecting it to be an issue here.
Stefon Diggs
Tyreek Hill
Calvin Ridley
A.J. Brown -- Brown missed practice Wednesday, but was back at it in full Thursday, so no issues. Expect that to be a pretty standard thing for him this season.
Justin Jefferson
Tyler Lockett -- Lockett over Metcalf? Yeah, sure! Metcalf over Lockett? Okay! You can flip flop these guys in my mind. I know Metcalf was drafted well ahead of Lockett, but I've had them pretty close all along, and expect both to be awesome.
D.K. Metcalf
Robert Woods
Terry McLaurin
Allen Robinson -- Robinson's got a tough matchup opening the season against Jalen Ramsey, and maybe that might scare you off a bit. That's not unreasonable, but there's no way I'm sitting Robinson in Week 1. You don't draft a WR this early to play matchups.
Julio Jones -- I'm going to move forward with Jones as I have often in recent years: If he's playing, I'm going to start him as if he's healthy. The vague leg injury he's dealt with throughout training camp is a bit of a concern for the 32-year-old, but he's been moving in the right direction.
Keenan Allen
Cooper Kupp
Amari Cooper
CeeDee Lamb -- The Cowboys open the season with a tough matchup, but Cooper and Lamb are both solid No. 2 Fantasy WR for me. Hopefully, this one turns into the kind of shootout that made both of them so useful early on last season.
Mike Evans -- Evans could benefit from a larger target share if Chris Godwin's quad injury limits or keeps him out for the opener, so we'll be looking for details on that.
D.J. Moore
Adam Thielen
Tee Higgins
Diontae Johnson
Jarvis Landry -- With the Browns likely chasing points and Odell Beckham expected to be limited, Landry could be surprisingly productive in this one.
Corey Davis
Tyler Boyd
Jerry Jeudy
Robby Anderson
Marquez Callaway -- This is a pretty aggressive ranking for a guy who basically has one great half of football with Jameis Winston on his side, but I'm willing to be aggressive here since this range of WR doesn't necessarily thrill me.
Chris Godwin -- We may not know much about Godwin's status for Thursday night until pre-game warmups, so he's a risky start as of now. I would lean toward sitting him if I have other reliable options, but that could all change come Thursday afternoon.
Antonio Brown
Sterling Shepard
Brandin Cooks
Courtland Sutton
Kenny Golladay -- It's hard to know what to expect from Golladay after changing teams and missing most of training camp with a hamstring injury. His big-play skills make him a high-upside play every week, but it's impossible to argue he's not a risk right now.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Chase Claypool
Michael Pittman -- Is he ready to take on the No. 1 role without T.Y. Hilton? Is this offense going to be ready to roll after Carson Wentz missed so much of training camp -- including most of the last week on the COVID list. Pittman is a high-upside season-long play, but a risk for Week 1.
Emmanuel Sanders
Jaylen Waddle -- We'll see what the Dolphins offense looks like at full strength in Week 2, but I expect Waddle to be Tagovailoa's top target in the opener, and his big-play ability makes him an intriguing flex play right away.
Brandon Aiyuk
Deebo Samuel -- Samuel and Aiyuk both draw a big ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ from me this week. I love the potential for both to be breakout players based on their skill sets -- Aiyuk as a more traditional alpha No. 1 WR while Samuel's playmaking with the ball in his hands makes him a weapon all over the field for a clever offensive playcaller like Kyle Shanahan. However, George Kittle has been the unquestioned No. 1 whenever he's been on the field, so I worry Aiyuk and Samuel will be fighting for a smaller pieces of a small-ish pie than we'd prefer.
Laviska Shenault
Jakobi Meyers -- This feels too low for Meyers, admittedly, especially in PPR. My expectation is he'll be either the 1a or 1b in this passing game alongside Jonnu Smith, but I also don't think Hunter Henry will be far behind either, and James White will have his role, too. Add in what should be a pretty run-heavy approach, and I'm a little pessimistic about Meyers. But he's a fine Flex play or a No. 3 if you're desperate.
Rondale Moore -- This one is a bet that Moore will have a sizable role from Week 1, but it's no sure thing. I prefer him as a high-upside dice roll for DFS than someone I want to start in seasonable leagues, because he may end up starting off as the No. 4 WR for the Cardinals. I'll want to keep an eye on that one early on.
Mecole Hardman
DJ Chark
Devante Parker
Ja'Marr Chase -- This represents a drop of about 20 spots for Chase from the preseason, which might be too aggressive -- and I would still be willing to start him in my flex if it came to that. I think there's a world of upside, but after his poor preseason and training camp, I wonder if there might be training wheels on Chase early on. The Bengals have the depth to work him in slowly if they choose.
Marvin Jones
Mike Williams
DeVonta Smith
Marquise Brown
Elijah Moore -- If we get word Crowder has been ruled out, I could see moving Moore into the WR3 range. Remember, he was the talk of camp before a quad injury limited him in the second half of camp.
Bryan Edwards
Parris Campbell -- Campbell has a nice opportunity with T.Y. Hilton sidelined, and the Colts still seem to like him despite an NFL career marred by injuries through two seasons. We need to see him have a big role before trusting him, but he could be next week's big waiver add.
Henry Ruggs
Odell Beckham -- My preference would be to avoid Beckham in Week 1, because it sounds like his snaps may be limited this week. If you're looking for a DFS play or deeper-league stash, Donovan Peoples-Jones has earned rave reviews in camp and could get off to a nice start.
Darnell Mooney
Jalen Reagor
Dyami Brown -- With Curtis Samuel aggravating his groin injury in practice Wednesday, it looks like Brown could play a pretty big role in his NFL debut. He was overlooked throughout draft season, but Brown was a productive player in college who tested well athletically and could fill the deep-threat role I was envisioning for Samuel in the passing game. Ron Rivera called him, "a big play waiting to happen," Wednesday.

Tight ends

It's the Big Three and everyone else here, too. Except even more so on a weekly basis, because you get reminded of how many tight ends are ultimately in that "TD or bust" group. It's probably everyone outside of the top 10, to be honest.

Travis Kelce
Darren Waller
George Kittle -- It seems like Kittle ended up a bit behind the other elite tight ends in most drafts toward the end, so it'll be interesting to see just how the 49ers put their offense to use. We know the questions about quarterback, but there's also the question of whether Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel will be able to cut into Kittle's usage. So far, that hasn't been the case, but we've seen very little of the three of them on the field together, so until the games matter, we won't truly know. Still, he's close to Waller than the rest of the field.
Mark Andrews
Logan Thomas -- Samuel's re-injury also moved Thomas up a bit in my rankings, as he was No. 7 before. Thomas figures to be the clear No. 2 option in the passing game as long as Samuel is out, and this game has the potential to turn into a shootout despite two very good defenses going up against one another. Volume is king as tight end, and Thomas is one of the best bets for it this week.
T.J. Hockenson
Kyle Pitts -- We didn't get to see enough of Pitts in the preseason to know how he's going to be used, but the expectation remains that he'll be more of a wide receiver than a tight end. Whether that means he'll be able to avoid the growing pains that go along with learning to play tight end remains to be seen, but the upside is sky high. If he's out there playing primarily out of the slot and split wide, Pitts is going to crush his ADP.
Jonnu Smith
Mike Gesicki -- Gesicki didn't typically rank this high in the preseason, but with Will Fuller out for Week 1, he should be higher in the passing game hierarchy, and his downfield skills make him a viable starter most weeks, even if he'll be frustrating.
Noah Fant -- Fant is expected to play in Week 1, but the fact that he's already dealing with a leg injury is already frustrating. Fant has elite upside, but nagging injuries were an issue last season. Hopefully, they don't continue to limit him.
Tyler Higbee -- Higbee burned a lot of people last year who were expecting a breakout, so the hype has been much more muted around him despite the upgrade from Jared Goff to Matthew Stafford. But, with Gerald Everett out of the picture, the breakout could very well come this season instead.
Dallas Goedert
Hunter Henry
Austin Hooper
Zach Ertz -- Over the summer, it seemed like a foregone conclusion Ertz would be traded. Now, it looks like he's going to play a significant role. That puts both him and Goedert in "touchdown-or-bust" territory for me.
Tyler Kroft
Robert Tonyan -- I worry I'm too low on Tonyan, who earned a lot of praise in camp and very well could be the No. 3 target again. He played somewhat limited snaps last season and was touchdown-dependent, but if he's got a bigger role, he could very well be a top-12 TE again.
Jared Cook
Blake Jarwin -- I don't really know what to make of Dallas' tight end situation, because there didn't seem to be much separation between Jarwin and Dalton Schultz in camp. I'll bet on Darwin being the top option there given that he was that before his injury in Week 1 last season, but it's tough to view him as a starting option until we see that.
Cole Kmet
Gerald Everett
Anthony Firkser
Rob Gronkowski
Eric Ebron