Leaders of the Pack Week 1 2026

by Dennis Michelsen

Total Fantasy Football points and even Points per Game can be deceiving. In Fantasy Football, we want to know not only who the hot players are early in the season, but also which players have been productive over a longer period. My rankings use four separate indexes, explained below, to rate each player. Let’s look at who the leaders of the pack are in Fantasy Football after week one. 

MVP Index Explained

Every week in Fantasy Football, there are three possible outcomes for a player’s statistics. They can help your team win by having a huge points week. They can cause your team to lose with a very low-scoring week. They can keep your team in contention by having a performance above the historic median of expected output. The goal of the MVP Index was to combine these three outcomes into one easy-to-understand number. While the historic median for Fantasy Football points differs by position, using the same expected performance level for RB, WR, and TE gives us a score to compare while making Flex starting decisions all season. 

MVP26 Explained

This index uses the same formula as the MVP Index above, but uses data only from this season. 

Upside Index Explained

While consistency matters in Fantasy Football, weekly upside consistency matters even more. The UPSIDE INDEX calculates a player’s best 1/3rd of his games over the past 2 seasons plus the current season. This extended database gives us a better idea of a player’s long-term form, not just the few data points represented by the current season. Each week, the data is weighted more heavily toward the current season. 

GOOD Index Explained

Quite often in the NFL, a young player will struggle early in their career. While the MVP Index does a solid job of keeping up with the latest player developments, the GOOD Index only counts their best games over the past 2 seasons plus the current season. This index values rookie and second-year players lower because they have fewer total games to post a high GOOD Index, but it rewards players who stay healthy and productive over a longer time frame. 

Scoring System Used

Regular 1-point-per-reception scoring is used, with no TE premium applied. Players get 1 point for every 10 yards of rushing and receiving yards and 1 point for every 25 yards of passing. TDs count 6 points, including passing TDs. 

Leaders of the Pack at QB

20 Point Games Week One: 18

30+ Point Games Week One: 8

1. Lamar Jackson: Will be missing his top two options at WR in Week 2

2. Josh Allen: Superman wore his good cape to HOU last week

3. Jalen Hurts: It ain’t always pretty, but the production is usually there

4. Jared Goff: Started slow at home in Week 1 

5. Joe Burrow: Lackluster game to start the season

6. Patrick Mahomes: League investigation over bionic man parts installed in left knee

7. Baker Mayfield: Lost three fumbles in week one

8. Jayden Daniels: Looked healthy in week one

9. Caleb Williams: Fourth quarter Caleb showed up fromthe  start of the game

10. Jaxson Dart: Might have been a sneaky late-round value this season

11. Trevor Lawrence: Didn’t have to do any more in week one against a horrible team

12. Brock Purdy: Never gets the respect he deserves

13. Dak Prescott: Should be steady all season 

14. Drake Maye: Stumbled through week one and now lost his best WR

15. Tyler Shough: Strong second half for Shough 

There is a large tier drop after the top two

Leaders of the Pack at RB

10 Point Games Week One: 26

20+ Point Games Week One: 12

1. Bijan Robinson: Top 2 are rated in the top 3 at every metric

2. Jahmyr Gibbs: Will be the undisputed top RB if heavy volume continues

3. Derrick Henry: The King is still the King until further notice

4. Jonathan Taylor: Solid game for what could be a bad team

5. Christian McCaffrey: Big volume drop-off in week one

6. De’Von Achane: Calling the Dolphins a dumpster fire is insulting…to dumpster fires

7. Chase Brown: Passing game involvement seals his value in Fake Football

8. D’Andre Swift: Led the way for the most points in Bears history

9. Kylen Williams: Volume split is predictable, making him a cheap top-10 option all season

10. David Montgomery: Another huge bargain in Fantasy Football drafts this season

11. James Cook: Sluggish start in week one against a great defense

12. Saquon Barkley: Slips a little in the ratings due to a lackluster week one 

13. Bucky Irving: The rookie version of Bucky is back

14. Ken Walker: Slapped a solid defense in the face on MNF; will be rising into the top 5 soon

15. Ashton Jeanty: Dynamic ball carrier didn’t show any signs of injury in week one

16. Javonte Williams: Slow start but typical Javonte game in the end

17. Chubba Hubbard: Got the passing volume work in week one

18. Breece Hall: If he can stay healthy, he is destined for the top ten

19. Cam Skattebo: Lost some key touches to Singletary

20. Rhamondre Stevenson: Lackluster week one opens door for Henderson

21. Aaron Jones: Volume split kills his upside

22. Travis Etienne: Solid but not spectacular start with new team 

23. RJ Harvey: Appears to be the better RB in the Denver attack

24. Omarion Hampton: Who appointed Mike McDaniel as an “Offensive Genius?”

25. Rico Dowdle: Lost the volume battle 15-10 to Warren

26. Jaylen Warren: Targeted six times in the passing game

27. Kyle Monangai: 100-yard game off the bench in his first action of the season

28. Jordan Mason: Volume split kills his upside, and he was not used in the passing game

29. JK Dobbins: Coach likes him but only had one good run in 8 tries on MNF

30. Jeremiah Love: Rookie’s volume was managed in week one

31. Quinshon Judkins: Very good RB on a very bad team

32. Tony Pollard: Offense looked awful in week one

33. Devin Singletary: Vultured a TD and some passing-down work

34. Rachaad White: Didn’t do much with his 9 touches in Week 1

35. Jacory Croskey Merrit: A fumble got him replaced late in the game

The top 2 have a nice tier drop after them, and the same after 3 and 4, and again after 6, with another big tier drop after 19th place. 

Leaders of the Pack at WR

10 Point Games Week One: 30

20+ Point Games Week One: 9

1. Amon Ra St Brown: Death, taxes, and the Sun God having a solid game always counted on.

2. Jaxson Smith Njigba: So much for the concern about the new OC on JSN production

3. Puka Nacua: Whole offense looked blah down under

4. Nico Collins: More passing volume in week one for the Texans

5. Justin Jefferson: Might have benefited from having Wentz at QB most of the game

6. Cee Dee Lamb: Still led the WR Room in volume

7. Chris Olave: Might have been the steal of the Fantasy Football draft at WR again

8. Malik Nabers: Looked healthy in week one

9. Zay Flowers: Had a career game before suffering a hamstring injury

10. Ja’Marr Chase: Was he even in the field in week one? 

11. Mike Evans: The old guy is still getting it done

12. AJ Brown: Serious ankle injury will sideline him for at least 4-6 weeks

13. DJ Moore: Josh Allen’s favorite target for sure

14. Davante Adams: Wasn’t in the lineup in 6 of 7 plays near the goal line

15. Garret Wilson: Geno Smith was an upgrade at QB as expected, whew! 

16. Drake London: Great WR on a blah offense

17. George Pickens: Offense didn’t look good in Week 1

18. Tee Higgins: Has he been downgraded to just a Flex play?

19. Rashee Rice: Lackluster game one, but this passing offense will start cooking soon.

20. Stefon Diggs: Nine targets in week one; he might be their top WR as expected

21. Ladd McConkey: Left the game with an injury after beingthe  only bright spot for the team

22. Jameson Williams: When LaPorta is on the field, Jamo is inconsistent

23. Brian Thomas: Leftthe  game early, and PW took over

24. Jakobi Meyers: Finds the offense often enough to be an emergency flex play

25. Courtland Sutton: Did the Broncos even show up for MNF? 

26. Deebo Samuel: Got the band back together, still makes wonderful music

27. Chris Godwin: Lots of mouths to feed in that passing game

28. Terry McLaurin: Almost looked like the third option in the passing game in Week 1

29. Quentin Johnson: If Ladd misses any time, QJ will rise

30. DeVonta Smith: Vacated targets seemed to go to others in week one

31. Christian Watson: When this guy stays healthy, he is Top 15 capable in Fake Football

32. Alec Pierce: Lead WR on a blah passing offense in week one

33. Wan Dale Robinson: Tied with Tate for most targets, but the passing offense was terrible

34. Antonio Williams: The rookie looked very dynamic in week one

35. Khalil Shakir: Could be fading fast with DJ Moore and Kincaid healthy

36. DK Metcalf: 10 targets but only 4 catches

37. Tetairoa McMillan: Was second banana on his own team to Coker in week one

38. Emeka Egbuka: Solid but not great in week one

39. Caleb Douglas: One of the few positives from week one for the Dolphins

40. Michael Wilson: Maybe the late-season surge was a sign 

The top 3 have a large tier advantage over the rest. 

Leaders of the Pack at TE

10 Point Games Week One: 14

20+ Point Games Week One: 3

1. Trey McBride: With Bowers out, he becomes the consensus top TE

2. Dallas Goedert: Maybe those AJB vacated targets go to Dallas all season

3. Travis Kelce: Showed on that 59-yard catch-and-run that he still has tread left on his tires

4. George Kittle: Played plenty of snaps in week one, which was a positive sign

5. Tucker Kraft: Leads the next group of TEs from 5th through 11th 

6. Dalton Kincaid: If this guy can stay healthy, he could be the steal of the draft this year at TE

7. David Njoku: The other shiny star on an otherwise gloomy week one for the Chargers

8. Sam LaPorta: Lots of mouths to feed on that Lions offense

9. Mark Andrews: The old guy ain’t dead yet in Fake Football

10. Pat Freirmuth: Should be leaned on more in this offensive scheme

11. Mike Gesecki: Fantastic week one, but can he keep it going? 

12. Tyler Warren: The best option in the passing game by far

13. Hunter Henry: Whole offense struggled in week one

14. Kyle Pitts: Return of Penix at QB can’t come soon enough

15. Juwan Johnson: Fant could cut into some of his red zone targets

Big tier drops after #1 and again after #3 and #4. Bowers will return to the Top 2 when he is healthy. 

Conclusion

Ratings are weighted for the 2026 season starting week one and will be quite volatile for the first few weeks. The system makes it tougher for rookies to make the list, so when a player like Antonio Williams does it after week one, it's impressive e. There aren’t many surprises at the top of the list, but towards the bottom, a few guys snuck in thanks to a strong week one or poor weeks by others in their same tier. 

Good luck in week two.