When it comes to setting your Week 1 Fantasy football lineups, the decision to start a rookie quarterback in his first real NFL action can be a dicey one. Joe Burrow finished as the 20th quarterback in the first start of his pro career, while Justin Herbert was 13th when he debuted in Week 2 a season ago. A reliable set of Week 1 Fantasy football rankings can help to make the call on whether to start a young gun over a veteran passer.
This week, four rookie quarterbacks are likely to make their debuts. Will Mac Jones shine as the top dog in New England, and can you trust him in your Fantasy football QB rankings? How viable of a threat is Trey Lance as a fantasy option in San Francisco? Before you lock in your lineups, be sure to check out the Week 1 Fantasy football rankings from the proven 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 difference in ranking. Over the course of a season, that could literally be the difference between winning your league or going home empty-handed.
Last year, the model accurately predicted that Bills quarterback Josh Allen was being drastically undervalued. His Fantasy football ADP was barely in the top 70, but the model pegged him as a top-five Fantasy quarterback, a QB1 who would finish well ahead of players like Kyler Murray, Tom Brady and Drew Brees. Allen ended up being the No. 2-scoring Fantasy QB, outscoring all three of those other quarterbacks and even surpassing Patrick Mahomes. Fantasy players who followed SportsLine’s advice reaped plenty of value with that pick.
Now, the model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, has revealed its Fantasy football rankings for Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top Week 1 Fantasy football picks
One player the model is extremely high on this week: Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The top prospect in years is up against a Houston Texans side that many presume will be the league’s worst team in 2021. After mixed results in his first two preseason games, he torched the Dallas Cowboys, completing 11 of his 12 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
Houston traded starting cornerback Bradley Roby to the New Orleans Saints. Meanwhile, three defensive starters in Houston’s front seven were all limited in practice this week. Lawrence has ascended to fifth in SportsLine’s Week 1 Fantasy football quarterback rankings and is poised to throw darts all over the field against the Texans.
A massive shocker: Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who threw for 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns last season, stumbles big-time and barely cracks the top 15 at his position. Herbert had an impressive rookie season, averaging 25.5 Fantasy points per game. However, Herbert could be dealing with rust after not playing in the preseason and a matchup against the Washington Football Team won’t do him any favors.
Washington’s defense gave up just 191.8 passing yards per game last season, which ranked second in the NFL. In addition, Washington recorded 47 total sacks in 2020. With such a tough matchup on Sunday, Herbert is a player to consider putting on the bench in Week 1.
How to set your Week 1 Fantasy football rankings
The model is also calling for a surprising quarterback you aren’t even thinking about to finish in the top 10 of its Fantasy football rankings. This pick could be the difference between winning big and going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 1 Fantasy football rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that has out-performed experts big-time.
