FantasyPros publishes approximately 7.7 million pieces of weekly fantasy football content to help you win your league and eventually take home fantasy gold. It can be difficult to read such a vast amount of content, which is why we’ve rounded up a few of the most actionable, can’t-miss stat nuggets you absolutely need to know each week to aid with fantasy football start sit decisions.
We’ve broken down this weekly TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) article by each of the four main skill positions in fantasy football (quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end), with at least two stats per position. Click on each author’s byline to read the entire article. Good luck this week.
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TL;DR Fantasy Football Week 1
Must-Know Quarterback Fantasy Football Stats
Daniel Jones (QB – IND)
Fantasy players might be nervous about starting Daniel Jones in Week 1. The veteran quarterback hasn’t played since tearing his Achilles in Week 14 last season. However, he is ready to go for Sunday’s matchup against the Ravens.
Last year, Jones was playing arguably the best football of his career before getting hurt, ranking as the QB6 over the first eight weeks, averaging 1.6 passing touchdowns and 20.8 fantasy points per game, totaling 22.2 or more in 62.5% of the contests. Furthermore, he was outstanding when playing at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Last season, Jones averaged 248.6 passing yards, 1.7 touchdowns, and 21.3 fantasy points per game at home. By comparison, he averaged 226.8 passing yards, 1.2 touchdowns, and 14.7 fantasy points per game on the road.
Meanwhile, the Ravens improved their defense over the offseason, adding Trey Hendrickson and Zion Young. However, Baltimore struggled on the road last year, surrendering 19.3 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, allowing 27 or more in three matchups, including Week 1. Don’t be surprised if Jones has a strong fantasy performance at home on Sunday.
Tyler Shough (QB – NO)
Tyler Shough will get to attack a Detroit secondary in Week 1 that will be without both its starting safeties (Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch). Shough could be in line for a big day if he can pick up where he left off last year. Last year, in Weeks 12-18, Shough was the QB6 in fantasy points per game while averaging 25 rushing yards per game.
That rushing yardage mark per game would have placed him at 12th-best last year had he kept it up for the entire season. In Weeks 12-18, among 30 qualifying quarterbacks, Shough was 12th in yards per attempt and highly accurate throw rate, ninth in hero throw rate, and seventh in passing yards per game.
Last year, in Weeks 12-18, Detroit ranked 15th in passing success rate allowed while giving up the fifth-most yards per attempt and the 14th-highest completion percentage over expected (CPOE). Shough could post QB1 numbers in Week 1.
Must-Know Running Back Fantasy Football Stats
Tank Bigsby (RB – PHI)
One of the most essential handcuff running backs in fantasy, Tank Bigsby would have enormous value if Eagles running back Saquon Barkley were to miss time. Bigsby isn’t much of a pass-catcher (11 receptions in 50 career games), but he’s an effective runner who averaged 5.9 yards on 50 carries for the Eagles in 2025 after an early-season trade that brought him to Philadelphia from Jacksonville.
The Eagles have one of the better offensive lines in the league, and Eagles beat writers have reported that Bigsby could play an expanded change-of-pace role this season.
Jonah Coleman (RB – DEN)
It’s no secret that the Denver Broncos’ backfield is crowded, with J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey and rookie Jonah Coleman all competing for touches. But Coleman is the player I’m particularly interested in targeting late.
Coleman has already received plenty of praise from head coach Sean Payton, including comparisons to teammate Dobbins. At 5-foot-8 and roughly 220 pounds, Coleman brings a powerful, wrecking-ball style run game while adding value in the passing game
If Dobbins misses time (which he has a history of doing), Coleman becomes Denver’s primary early-down and goal-line back, while Harvey would remain involved in passing situations. That gives Coleman significant upside in touchdowns and volume if the depth chart opens up.
Over Coleman’s last three collegiate seasons, he ranked 54th, 13th and first in yards after contact per attempt and 61st, sixth and fourth in elusive rating, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). In two of those three seasons, he also ranked in the top 24 in yards per route run. Coleman is a wonderful late-round dart throw.
Must-Know Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Stats
Michael Wilson (WR – ARI)
There has been a lot of hype on Michael Wilson this offseason. What sent the hype into the stratosphere was his three-year, $75 million extension that was inked this summer. That’s a lot of money for a player with 46 career games and just over 2,100 receiving yards, 14 touchdowns and zero playoff games in his career.
However, because fantasy managers have drafted Wilson rather high this offseason, there is almost an obligation to play him in Week 1. And while Wilson will have career backup Jacoby Brissett throwing him the rock this season, there is some cause for optimism for him, at least for this week.
Wilson, who had a route-run rate of 80.6% last year, did manage to emerge with 0.37 fantasy points per route run, according to the Fantasy Points Data Suite. And he will look to get off to a good start against Cam Hart. Hart allowed 0.33 fantasy points per route run last season. That was the ninth-highest of all cornerbacks playing in Week 1.
Wilson will have tougher matchups this season, and I can see mentioning him a few times in this column this season. Therefore, you need to start him when he has a positive matchup.
Parker Washington (WR – JAX)
The only thing we fantasy analysts love more than a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a cozy, well-lit workspace in our parents’ basement is Parker Washington.
Washington was the “it” boy of fantasy football all summer after a dazzling finish to his 2026 season. Over Jacksonville’s final four games, including their playoff loss to the Bills, the former sixth-round draft pick from Penn State averaged 10.3 targets, 6.5 catches, and 113.5 yards, with three touchdowns.
Washington averaged 8.9 yards per target and 2.19 yards per route run last season. He also averaged 0.24 targets per route run – a higher target-per-route-run number than teammates Brian Thomas Jr. and Jakobi Meyers.
Slot receivers have thrived in Liam Coen’s offenses, and Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence seems to prefer throwing to his slot guys than his outside receivers. Washington is expected to toggle between the slot and Z receiver this season.
And Washington was reportedly a standout in training camp. Lawrence has been lavishing praise on him. The drumbeat of Parker Washington positivity has reached John Bonham volume levels.
Washington opens the season Sunday with a home game against the Browns.
Tre Tucker (WR – LV)
While many drafted him as a late-round upside pick, Tre Tucker is a borderline top-30 wide receiver in Week 1 because Brock Bowers is out with a knee injury. The veteran finished last season as the WR38, averaging 9.5 PPR fantasy points per game despite playing on one of the NFL’s most dysfunctional passing attacks.
Tucker played well in excellent matchups, including in Week 3, when the former Cincinnati star had eight receptions for 145 receiving yards, three touchdowns and 40.9 fantasy points against the Washington Commanders.
Thankfully, Tucker has an outstanding fantasy matchup on Sunday against the Dolphins. Last season, Miami surrendered 29.5 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, the 19th-most in the NFL. However, they gave up 17 receiving touchdowns to wide receivers, the seventh-most in the league, allowing at least one in 76.5% of their matchups.
More importantly, the Dolphins’ secondary is arguably the worst in the NFL, outside of first-round rookie cornerback Chris Johnson. Tucker should have no problem taking advantage of the matchup, especially with the expected uptick in targets.
Must-Know Tight End Fantasy Football Stats
Juwan Johnson (TE – NO)
In 2025, Juwan Johnson set career highs with 77 receptions, 102 targets and 889 receiving yards. He also scored three touchdowns and was second on the team in targets. A large chunk of that production came after Tyler Shough took over at quarterback from Spencer Rattler for the last nine games of the season.
Entering 2026, we know Shough will be the starter for the entire season, barring injury, which means Johnson’s role as a favorite target is secured.
There is also the matter of a lack of target competition, at least at the start of the season. Jordyn Tyson is on the injured reserve (IR) to start the season, which means the only New Orleans pass-catchers with any experience besides Johnson are Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele.
Johnson should see a healthy target share at least until Tyson returns. With the Saints-Lions game checking in with about a 50-point implied total on Sunday, there is plenty of opportunity for lots of fantasy points to be spread around to the Saints’ position players.
Mark Andrews (TE – BAL)
Mark Andrews is coming off his worst season in the NFL as the TE23 in fantasy points per game. Last year, Baltimore limited his playing time, as he was 22nd in route share (62.9%, per Fantasy Points Data). I’m expecting that to rebound in 2026 with Isaiah Likely gone, but we still have to see it materialize.
Last year, among 59 qualifying tight ends, Andrews was ninth in first-read share, but his yards per route run (41st) and first downs per route run (27th) were nothing to write home about. Andrews could have a nice game in Week 1 that quells some of my concerns about his 2026 season.
Last year, Indy allowed the fourth-most yards per target and the 12th-most fantasy points per opportunity to tight ends. Lou Anarumo’s defenses have bled out production to tight ends over the years, so this wasn’t a one-year isolated incident. I think it transfers over to 2026.
Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL)
Last season, Kyle Pitts finished as the TE2 in total fantasy points. He opens the season with a matchup against a Steelers defense that allowed the fourth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to the tight end position, yet it still feels like a risk to start him in Week 1.
The Falcons had a pathetic quarterback competition this offseason, with Tua Tagovailoa defaulting to starter reps while Michael Penix Jr. recovered from his third career ACL injury. It remains to be seen whether Tagovailoa can keep the starter job beyond Week 1, as the preference seems to be Penix, but uncertainty about his recovery persists.
Tagovailoa was dreadful in preseason games and joint practices, leaving us with very little faith in him, and another factor remains that might be even more noteworthy.
In the 12 games Pitts played with Drake London, he averaged a mediocre 9.63 fantasy points, 4.42 receptions and 0.17 touchdowns per game. In the five games London missed, Pitts boomed, averaging 19.04 points, 7.0 receptions and 0.6 touchdowns. Those stats are massively inflated by an 11-catch game against Tampa Bay, where he went for 166 yards and three touchdowns.
Yes, Pitts was the TE2 last season, but Brock Bowers was injured. Tucker Kraft and Sam LaPorta also missed significant time. Everything about Pitts screams risky.
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