Week 1 Flex Rankings for 2021 Fantasy Football

The 2021 NFL season is officially upon us and with it comes another glorious season of fantasy football! It is finally time for the months of planning and preparation to pay off. I will be here to offer my Flex rankings every single week. These are based on half-PPR scoring, and I have 250 players ranked to incorporate fantasy managers in larger fields and league sizes.

Fantasy football is very much a matchup-driven game at its core. However, in Week 1 I tend to use more of a “dance with the one who brought you” approach. Matchups still matter, of course. But most of the players on our rosters are as healthy now as they are going to be all season. We do not have bye weeks to worry about. And the crazy weather patterns that seem to wreak havoc on many of us will not have much of an impact on this weekend’s games. The game between the Packers and Saints will now be played in Jacksonville, of course. But other than a stray shower in the morning that game should go off without a hitch. Going forward, there will be more matchup-specific analysis regarding my Flex rankings. But we don’t need to reinvent the wheel in Week 1.

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Running Back Notes

There are no real surprises toward the top of my Flex rankings at the running back position. I ranked Ezekiel Elliott relatively low compared to where we are accustomed to seeing him every week. That is mostly based on his matchup with the vaunted Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive front. It may also be partially because every time I saw him on Hard Knocks, he was eating. I also have Saquon Barkley lower than normal, which is based on his recovery from last season’s torn ACL. Barkley appears ready to roll in Week 1, but I do not expect him to receive a full workload against the Denver Broncos. If you consider my ranking of Gus Edwards high, you haven’t been paying attention. I don’t think I’m high enough, to be honest.

There are some question marks in the RB3-RB4 range where I would rather use a wideout in my Flex spot this week if all else is equal. The running backs for the Buccaneers, Texans, and Jets appear to have good matchups on paper. However, we do not know how these teams will deploy their running backs. The decision on whether to start these backs is a matter of risk management. Again, since most teams are at close to full strength, Week 1 is probably not the ideal time to speculate. I would rather take a shot on a pass-catching back like Nyheim Hines or James White than anyone on the Texans or Jets. But I’d also probably rather start a wide receiver in my Flex spot than either pass-catching back.

Wide Receiver Notes

I expect there to be more passing than normal in Week 1. First, we all know that the 2021 regular season will feature a 17th game. I expect teams to focus more on managing the workloads of their running backs to try to keep them fresh later in the season. One way to do that would be to call a few more passes. I also expect defenses to be a bit behind the offenses early in the year. With all this week’s games being played in domes or warm weather, I expect teams to air it out a bit more than normal this week. The wide receivers that I have in the WR4 range are an interesting bunch. Several may be undervalued based on their previous production. Some of these players include Juju Smith-Schuster, Jarvis Landry, and Kenny Golladay.

Drops aside, I would be willing to start Ja’Marr Chase this week. I also like fellow rookie wideout DeVonta Smith as a potential Flex option, but it depends on your other options. Again, much of it boils down to us having a plethora of options this week. In a game filled with constantly changing variables, I would prefer to rely on more known quantities this week than in future weeks. Corey Davis and DeVante Parker may be boring, but they are steady hands and should be targeted pretty frequently by their young quarterbacks. As much as I love the long-term outlook for Elijah Moore and Jaylen Waddle, I lean more towards the veterans as preferred Week 1 Flex plays.

Tight End Notes

By and large, you should probably not be starting a tight end in your Flex spot unless you drafted a second tight end early with the specific intent of using him in that role. I have 40 running backs and 69 wide receivers ranked ahead of Rob Gronkowski, my TE13. In a 12-team league where you start two running backs, three receivers, and a Flex, we are well into the range of RB4s and WR6s before we get to the TE2s. Of course, several tight ends in this range will outperform their weekly expectations. But we don’t need to be throwing Hail Marys on first-and-10, and we don’t need to be starting tight ends in our Flex spots in traditional fantasy football formats.

Below are my top-250 Flex options for Week 1. Again, these are based on half-PPR scoring, so adjust as you see fit, and best of luck in Week 1!

Week 1 Flex Rankings

If you liked Mick’s Week 1 Flex Rankings, be sure to check out the rest of our Week 1 Rankings and Analysis for season-long fantasy football!

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