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Fantasy Football: Week 1 IDP rankings and tiers

Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) runs off the line during the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Ravens first-round rookie Kyle Hamilton (among other rookies) should be on fantasy benches this week as we preach patience for Week 1.

San Francisco 49ers edge defender Nick Bosa has an ideal matchup to start the season to kick off his campaign for DE1 on the year.

New York Giants linebacker Tae Crowder becomes more IDP-relevant as a low-end LB2 after the release of Blake Martinez.

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

Week 1 of the NFL season brings plenty of fantasy football questions that won't be answered until the players take the field. With that in mind, it’s best to play things safe when it comes to lineup decisions until more information is available. Most rookies and ambiguous positional battles should be avoided during Week 1 in IDP leagues. No fantasy manager has to win Week 1, so there’s no need to risk any questionable lineup decisions.

Check the PFF.com rankings page for any updates closer to game time.

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JUMP TO A POSITION:

LB | ED | DI | S | CB


LINEBACKERS

RANK

TIER NAME TEAM OPP

NOTES

1

1A Roquan Smith CHI SF Q

2

1A Jordyn Brooks SEA DEN

Q/MNF

3

1A De’Vondre Campbell GB @ MIN
4 1A Bobby Wagner LAR BUF

TNF

5

1B C.J. Mosley NYJ BLT
6 1B Eric Kendricks MIN

GB

7

1B Shaquille Leonard IND @ HST Q
8 1B Foyesade Oluokun JAX @ WAS

9

1C Devin White TB @ DAL SNF
10 1C Cole Holcomb WAS

JAX

11

1C Fred Warner SF @ CHI
12 1C Logan Wilson CIN PIT

Q

13

2A Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah CLV @ CAR
14 2A Micah Parsons DAL TB

SNF

15

2A Lavonte David TB @ DAL SNF
16 2A T.J. Edwards PHI @ DET

17

2B Devin Lloyd JAX @ WAS
18 2B Shaq Thompson CAR

CLV

19

2B Cody Barton SEA DEN MNF
20 2B Christian Kirksey HST

IND

21

2C Bobby Okereke IND @ HST
22 2C Tremaine Edmunds BUF @ LAR

TNF

23

2C Tae Crowder NYG @ TEN
24 2C Nicholas Morrow CHI

SF

25

3A Demario Davis NO @ ATL
26 3A Dre Greenlaw SF @ CHI

27

3A Myles Jack PIT @ CIN
28 3A Zaven Collins ARZ

KC

29

3B Denzel Perryman LV @ LAC
30 3B Rashaan Evans ATL NO

31

3B Nick Bolton KC @ ARZ
32 3B Kyzir White PHI @ DET

33

3C Drue Tranquill LAC LV Q
34 3C Jerome Baker MIA

NE

35

3C Josey Jewell DEN @ SEA MNF
36 3C Matt Milano BUF @ LAR

TNF

37

4A David Long TEN NYG
38 4A Mykal Walker ATL

NO

39

4A Kamu Grugier-Hill HST IND
40 4A Zach Cunningham TEN

NYG

41

4B Jordan Hicks MIN GB
42 4B Isaiah Simmons ARZ KC

43

4B Quincy Williams NYJ BLT
44 4B Ja’Whaun Bentley NE @ MIA

45

4C Alex Anzalone DET PHI
46 4C Jamin Davis WAS JAX

47

4C Anthony Walker CLV @ CAR
48 4C Patrick Queen BLT @ NYJ

49

5A Pete Werner NO @ ATL Q
50 5A Quay Walker GB @ MIN

51

5A Ernest Jones LAR BUF TNF
52 5A Germaine Pratt CIN PIT

53

5B Cory Littleton CAR CLV
54 5B Jonas Griffith DEN @ SEA

Q/MNF

55

5B Willie Gay Jr. KC @ ARZ
56 5B Leighton Vander Esch DAL TB

SNF

57

5C Divine Deablo LV @ LAC
58 5C Malcolm Rodriguez DET

PHI

59

5C Devin Bush PIT @ CIN
60 5C Elandon Roberts MIA

NE

Micah Parsons (LB14) draws a tougher matchup this week as a pass-rusher against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ offensive tackles, which includes Tristan Wirfs, who is trending toward playing. Tom Brady also had the second-highest time to throw (2.34 seconds) last season and only took a sack on 14.7% of his pressures (10th lowest). There will be better matchups for Parsons this season, but Week 1 pushes him just outside the LB1 range.

Falcons linebacker Mykal Walker (LB38) is stepping into a starting job with Deion Jones on IR, which could make him a big-time riser after this week depending on usage and efficiency in his season debut. 

There’s a lot of excitement about Nick Bolton (LB31) playing a near every-down role this season, but considering the Chiefs linebacker usage in the past, IDP managers should take a “see it to believe it” approach to avoid a potentially lower floor than some other full-time linebackers in Week 1.


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