Week 1 Start or Sit: QB & TE Rankings, Sleepers & Tough Calls (Ep. 2179)
September 9, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readWeek 1 Quarterback and Tight End Rankings: The Rushing Quarterback Trap
The most dangerous mistake in Week 1 fantasy football rankings is underestimating a rushing quarterback's floor. Andrew Erickson put it bluntly during this episode: "That's how you get cooked in the rankings. When you rank a rushing quarterback too low and they run, you get annihilated." The panel—Chris Welsh, Andrew Erickson, and Pat Fitzmaurice—walked through their top 12 rankings at both positions, surfacing the tension between matchup analysis and the raw production that mobile quarterbacks can force regardless of opponent.
The Jaden Daniels Dilemma: When Talent Meets a Bad Matchup
Jaden Daniels sits at QB7 in the expert consensus rankings (ECR), but both Erickson and Fitzmaurice expressed real concern about his Week 1 spot against the Eagles. The Washington offensive line was described as "inoperable" during a joint practice with the Ravens—a word no fantasy manager wants to hear. The Eagles' defensive line is deep, their cornerbacks elite, and they can neutralize Terry McLaurin and Stephon Diggs.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:37) **Top 12 Quarterback Rankings for Week 1** - The hosts introduce the episode's focus on week one QB and TE rankings, with Joe Burrow as the top-ranked quarterback.
- 2 (02:03) **Jayden Daniels: Shaky Start vs. Eagles** - The panel debates whether Daniels' elite rushing ability outweighs a brutal week one matchup on the road against Philadelphia.
- 3 (05:20) **Drake Maye: Fitzmaurice's Major Fade** - The hosts are split on Drake Maye, with Fitzmaurice ranking him at QB12 while Erickson has him at QB6, highlighting a massive disagreement.
- 4 (08:42) **Jackson Dart: A Cautionary Tale on Rushing Upside** - Both analysts are lower than ECR on Jackson Dart, but Erickson admits he may be wrong given Dart's proven rushing floor.
- 5 (10:50) **Fitzmaurice's High-Upside QB1s: Stafford & Willis** - Fitzmaurice makes the case for Matthew Stafford (QB11) and Malik Willis (QB13) as fringe QB1 plays that Erickson is lower on.
- 6 (17:42) **Top 12 Tight End Rankings for Week 1** - The panel shifts to tight ends, with Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, and Colston Loveland leading the ECR.
- 7 (18:09) **Tucker Kraft vs. Juwan Johnson: Volume vs. Efficiency** - Erickson explains his strong preference for Juwan Johnson's week one outlook over the more explosive Tucker Kraft.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Chris Welsh, Andrew Erickson, and Pat Fitzmaurice break down the fantasy football quarterback and tight end rankings you need to set your starting lineup. The crew tackles the biggest start/sit decisions, including whether Jayden Daniels can overcome a difficult matchup, how much faith fantasy managers should have in Drake Maye, and whether Jackson Dart belongs among the top 12 quarterbacks.
The guys also identify quarterbacks who could beat their Week 1 rankings, including Matthew Stafford and Malik Willis, before diving into a tight end position loaded with difficult lineup calls. Can Juwan Johnson outscore Tucker Kraft? Is Harold Fannin Jr. already a top-tier fantasy option? And how high should Dallas Goedert climb with A.J. Brown out of the lineup?
Plus, find out why Mark Andrews remains one of Week 1's biggest boom-or-bust tight ends and which players offer the combination of matchup, volume, rushing upside, and touchdown potential fantasy managers should target. Get the latest Week 1 fantasy football rankings, lineup advice, sleepers, starts, sits, and expert analysis before locking in your roster.
Timestamps: (May be off due to ads)
Intro - 0:00:00
QB Rankings 1-12 - 0:00:56
Jayden Daniels (QB - Washington Commanders) - 0:01:28
Drake Maye (QB - New England Patriots) - 0:04:41
Jaxson Dart (QB - New York Giants) - 0:07:57
Matthew Stafford (QB - Los Angeles Rams) , Malik Willis (QB - Miami Dolphins) - 0:10:09
TE Ranks 1-12 - 0:14:47
Tucker Kraft (TE - Green Bay Packers) - 0:15:13
Harold Fannin (TE - Cleveland Browns) - 0:16:37
Dallas Goedert (TE - Philadelphia Eagles) - 0:19:58
Mark Andrews (TE - Baltimore Ravens) - 0:22:22
Outro - 0:24:14
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