NFL Week 1 Target Report 2026: Fantasy Football Targets, Rankings & Usage

Week One is the most crucial week in all of fantasy football. And that goes double for our Week 1 Fantasy Football Target Report. We are about to get an absolute DUMPTRUCK full of data. With that, we will get some answers, but we’ll also get just as many new questions. And we’re going to sort through all of that to help you decide who to snap up off the waiver wire next week.

A big part of that process is this fantasy football target report. We use this to not only know who the top dogs are but who is the next man up. Since we only have one game in the books, we are largely still speculating. So what we are doing in this article is making our best predictions and then, at the bottom, highlighting the most interesting situations to watch for this weekend.

2026 Fantasy Football NFL Week 1 Target Report Preview

Here’s what we do with the target report. We take every team, and we rank the pass-catchers in terms of who we think gets the most targets over the course of the season from left to right. Then we color-code those players based on the confidence we have in them meeting certain thresholds. So these are not weekly predictions but more general feelings for the rest of the season.

We set these thresholds as, statistically, 125+ targets is what you need to be a WR1 in fantasy and 100+ is what you need to be top 24. We have had a few examples of guys finishing top 24 with less than 100, like Deebo Samuel that year; he got a ton of carries or some field stretchers hitting big plays on limited targets, but for consistency week to week, we are shooting for 100.

Same goes for tight ends. Truly elite guys will get 125+. For fantasy-relevant guys, we generally want 100. Technically, you can finish top five at tight end with 90+ targets or 10+ touchdowns, but most of the meaningful fantasy-relevant guys get 100+.

Historically, it is very rare for three guys to all get 100+ targets on the same team. Even with injuries factored in, it happens less than 4% of the time. For instance, last year the Cowboys did it, but Jake Ferguson was not on a 100+ target pace without CeeDee Lamb being hurt for those ~5 games. So we are focusing on guys who can be top two targets on their team. 

Fantasy Football Target Chart 2026 NFL Week 1

Fantasy Football Week 1 Risers, Fades, and Takeaways

Fantasy Football Week 1 Target Risers

As no games have been played yet, you can’t really have any true “risers”. But we have been updating the chart over the summer with guys moving and falling based on roster changes, injuries, and speculation. As always, a lot of rookies are getting the hype, but there are some vets in there too. 

De'Zhaun Stribling, WR, San Francisco 49ers

With Ricky Pearsall ruled out for the season, that bumped everyone up a spot. Deebo Samuel obviously was added to the chart along the way rather than being a free agent.

Ja'Kobi Lane, WR, Baltimore Ravens

We originally had Rashod Bateman in that slot. But legal issues for him, as well as hype for Lane, have led us to swap those two in our speculative version of the chart. Lane is rostered in more leagues with Rashod Bateman (3% on Yahoo) and Elijah Sarratt (0%) much easier to add off the wire, so let’s lean into what is easier to correct after Week One.

KC Concepcion, WR, Cleveland Browns

There was an early drumbeat for Denzel Boston, but it has been all KC Concepcion in the hype streets this last month. Scoring on an end around in the preseason will do that. Jerry Jeudy still could be the WR1, but this team has an eye on the future. 

Parker Washington, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

We originally thought Parker Washington might be a part-time player. Even then, we had him second on the chart. Now there have been some rumblings that Washington is too good to take off the field and that he’ll be operating as an every-down player. In Liam Coen’s scheme, that legit gives him WR1 upside. Even if there is some uncertainty there, we moved him to the top. 

Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If you like Parker Washington, it’s hard not to like Chris Godwin. Folks were worried about his and Baker Mayfield’s health, but those are actually the two healthy ones while Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan are now nicked up. Godwin is feeling like a fairly safe pick all of a sudden. 

Juwan Johnson, WR, New Orleans Saints

With Jordyn Tyson set to miss a big chunk of the start of the season, Juwan moves back into the #2 chair behind Chris Olave. He has a great matchup with the Lions in Week One if you managed to snag him. 

Fantasy Football Week 1 Target Fallers

A.J. Brown, WR, New England Patriots

Brown suffered a high ankle sprain in the very first game of the season, which is pretty brutal for fantasy managers. On top of that, Romeo Doubs looks terrible, and Hunter Henry was asked to stay in and block a ton. So I’m not sure who, if anyone, really moves up drastically for us- maybe Demario Douglas, who plays a lot of snaps?

Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This toe situation for Egbuka makes us pretty nervous. It sounds like he’s going to play through it, but is this something that is going to linger and pop up all year? They have not explicitly said it’s turf toe, but if it is, that is pretty common for that type of injury. Let’s hope not. 

Marvin Harrison, WR, Arizona Cardinals

We were pretty hopeful for Marvin Harrison Jr - and we still are. He got more targets than Michael Wilson in every single game they were both healthy last year. But this is a new regime and a new scheme. The more we hear about it, the more it sounds possible that things are split more evenly between him and Michael Wilson. 

DJ Moore, WR, Buffalo Bills 

DJ Moore really felt like maybe he could be the “new Stefon Diggs” in Buffalo. And that is still possible. But why then are his reception lines set SO low with the sportsbooks? We took a look at it in this article on WR ADP vs prop markets, and the lines for Moore stood out more than any other. They actually have his line set at 59.5 receptions, with Khalil Shakir at 62.5. A guy like Rashee Rice is set at 99.5 receptions. That makes me a little more nervous for Moore than I was earlier in the summer. 

Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Brian Thomas Jr still has some upside in there - we saw it in his rookie year. But his role for Liam Coen has not been great. And now there are reports that he might actually be the odd man out for two WR sets in favor of Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers. We are hoping that the down year last year was more due to injuries and he could bounce back, but we have to be cautious with all the recent reports. 

Fantasy Football Week 1 Target Takeaways

Obviously we want as many guys in the blue or green as possible. In the early rounds, we want certainty. But as we get later in drafts and onto waivers, uncertainty becomes your friend. The real opportunity comes from those yellow or even orange sections. The farther left on the chart we have yellow, the more uncertainty we have. That’s where breakouts can be found.

Houston Texans

With Jayden Higgins done for the year and Tank Dell starting the season on IR, there is an opportunity after Nico Collins now. Last year, Dalton Schultz was the second target on the team, but second-year slot man Jaylin Noel could push for targets in that range. They also traded for outside WR Kayshon Boutte, who can hopefully get up to speed quickly. 

Cleveland Browns

We mentioned KC Concepcion already, but it’s really anyone’s game with a whole new coaching staff and scheme coming to town. It could be more Jerry Jeudy and Harold Fannin again. Or maybe rookies KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston take over. 

Green Bay Packers

Due to injuries, we didn’t really see any games last year with Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, and Tucker Kraft all on the field at the same time. With Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks gone, there is room for someone to potentially run away with some fantasy relevance here. But it won’t be all four guys, so the early target distribution is going to matter. 

Jacksonville Jaguars

We mentioned it above with Brian Thomas Jr but I’m really interested to see who the odd man out will be for two WR snaps. If Parker Washington is a full-time player and the slot guy for three WR sets, the ceiling is MASSIVE for him. And does Travis Hunter play offense at all here or just defense? Really interesting team. 

Tennessee Titans

Lot of moving parts here. Carnell Tate is a high-end draft pick rookie. Wan’Dale Robinson came in as a highly paid free-agent acquisition. Gunnar Helm gets to start with Chig Okonkwo gone. And the veteran Calvin Ridley is still floating around. Can Cam Ward take a step forward here and deliver some fantasy goodness?

San Francisco 49ers

Because of the fullback usage and all the tight end snaps, the snaps and targets can be highly consolidated between the top two WRs. Mike Evans will be one, and whoever plays more out of Deebo Samuel or De’Zhaun Stribling will be in a good spot. Tonight’s game will be very interesting to watch from that perspective.