Fantasy Football Week 1 PPR cheat sheet: Player ratings to guide tough start/sit calls, find sleepers

These matchup ratings for every player in PPR leagues provide a system-based approach to making your toughest decisions

Sep 10, 2026 at 9:13 am ET • 3 min read

The Lineup Cheat Sheet was created so that Fantasy football managers can get quick answers to crucial start/sit questions with analysis already built in. For more detailed rationale, check out my latest content, including my weekly Lineup Decisions column.

What do the numbers mean? All weekly analysis, from data points to matchup outlooks to game-flow predictions, is represented as a number on a 1-10 confidence scale. The higher the number next to a player's name, the more confident I am that you should start him. The numbers are not projections but confidence scores to help you pick who to start. Every relevant player for this week is listed, so if you do not see a player named, do not start them start him.

To find a specific player, use your search function (CTRL-F on PCs and Command-F on Macs). If neither is an option, or if you're on a mobile device, you can search by typing the name in the URL bar or scrolling down by game. If you're still unsure, just send me a note (@DaverRchard), and I will take a look, time permitting. Remember to use the #AskFFT hashtag!

If you're reading this on Sunday, please refer to CBS Sports' weekly rankings, which are updated in real-time.

Ready to get off on the right foot? Here's how to approach every play for this week in every PPR league.

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Patriots		Seahawks
Drake Maye	7.8	Sam Darnold	4.4
Rhamondre Stevenson	7.3	Jadarian Price	6.62
A.J. Brown	8.3	George Holani	5.28
Romeo Doubs	5.6	Jaxon Smith-Njigba	9.18
Demario Douglas	3.34	Rashid Shaheed	4.45
Hunter Henry	5.48	Cooper Kupp	3.95
Patriots DST	7.8	AJ Barner	5.18
		Seahawks DST	7.5

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

49ers		Rams
Brock Purdy	7.0	Matthew Stafford	8.0
Christian McCaffrey	9.5	Kyren Williams	7.42
Mike Evans	6.95	Blake Corum	5.4
Deebo Samuel	5.82	Puka Nacua	9.0
De'Zhaun Stribling	5.58	Davante Adams	8.15
George Kittle	6.48	Terrance Ferguson	2.9
49ers DST	4.8	Rams DST	9.3

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Saints		Lions
Tyler Shough	6.3	Jared Goff	7.6
Travis Etienne	7.35	Jahmyr Gibbs	10.0
Chris Olave	8.85	Amon-Ra St. Brown	9.4
Devaughn Vele	3.32	Jameson Williams	7.38
Juwan Johnson	6.1	Sam LaPorta	6.88
Saints DST	4.5	Lions DST	5.1

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Buccaneers		Bengals
Baker Mayfield	6.7	Joe Burrow	9.3
Bucky Irving	7.0	Chase Brown	8.7
Kenneth Gainwell	5.72	Ja'Marr Chase	9.9
Chris Godwin	6.63	Tee Higgins	8.6
Emeka Egbuka	6.65	Erick All	2.74
Ted Hurst	3.98	Bengals DST	6.0
Jalen McMillan	3.62
Buccaneers DST	4.9

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Ravens		Colts
Lamar Jackson	9.0	Daniel Jones	5.9
Derrick Henry	8.95	Jonathan Taylor	9.3
Zay Flowers	8.45	Josh Downs	6.76
Ja'Kobi Lane	4.08	Alec Pierce	6.25
Rashod Bateman	3.56	Keenan Allen	5.12
Mark Andrews	5.88	Tyler Warren	7.28
Ravens DST	7.1	Colts DST	6.5

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Browns		Jaguars
Deshaun Watson	1.8	Trevor Lawrence	8.1
Quinshon Judkins	6.82	Bhayshul Tuten	6.64
Dylan Sampson	3.88	Chris Rodriguez Jr.	5.65
KC Concepcion	5.98	Parker Washington	7.82
Denzel Boston	5.15	Brian Thomas Jr.	6.55
Harold Fannin Jr.	6.84	Jakobi Meyers	5.8
Browns DST	3.5	Brenton Strange	5.08
		Jaguars DST	8.5

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Jets		Titans
Geno Smith	4.8	Cam Ward	3.8
Breece Hall	8.4	Tony Pollard	6.15
Braelon Allen	3.38	Tyjae Spears	5.42
Isaiah Davis	3.24	Wan'Dale Robinson	6.3
Garrett Wilson	8.82	Carnell Tate	6.28
Adonai Mitchell	5.68	Calvin Ridley	3.7
Mason Taylor	5.22	Elic Ayomanor	3.58
Kenyon Sadiq	2.4	Gunnar Helm	3.48
Jets DST	5.9	Titans DST	4.6

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Bills		Texans
Josh Allen	8.6	C.J. Stroud	5.0
James Cook	9.25	David Montgomery	7.15
DJ Moore	6.68	Woody Marks	5.38
Khalil Shakir	5.85	Nico Collins	9.15
Skyler Bell	2.6	Kayshon Boutte	4.88
Dalton Kincaid	5.9	Dalton Schultz	5.25
Bills DST	7.4	Texans DST	9.0

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Falcons		Steelers
Tua Tagovailoa	3.7	Aaron Rodgers	5.3
Bijan Robinson	9.55	Rico Dowdle	6.52
Drake London	8.75	Jaylen Warren	6.42
Kyle Pitts	7.32	DK Metcalf	7.08
Falcons DST	3.0	Michael Pittman	6.4
		Steelers DST	9.4

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Bears		Panthers
Caleb Williams	7.3	Bryce Young	4.7
D'Andre Swift	8.28	Jonathon Brooks	6.45
Kyle Monangai	4.7	Chuba Hubbard	4.85
Luther Burden III	7.55	Tetairoa McMillan	7.52
Rome Odunze	6.72	Jalen Coker	6.22
Colston Loveland	8.35	Darren Waller	5.02
Bears DST	5.5	Panthers DST	5.0

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Packers		Vikings
Jordan Love	5.9	Kyler Murray	6.5
MarShawn Lloyd	6.78	Jordan Mason	6.5
Christopher Brooks	3.2	Aaron Jones	5.62
Christian Watson	7.31	Justin Jefferson	9.35
Jayden Reed	6.6	Jordan Addison	6.75
Matthew Golden	5.92	Jauan Jennings	3.36
Tucker Kraft	7.18	T.J. Hockenson	3.9
Packers DST	6.9	Vikings DST	7.0

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Dolphins		Raiders
Malik Willis	6.4	Kirk Cousins	4.6
De'Von Achane	9.22	Ashton Jeanty	8.18
Malik Washington	5.2	Mike Washington Jr.	5.0
Caleb Douglas	5.05	Tre Tucker	6.05
Chris Bell	4.62	Jalen Nailor	4.6
Greg Dulcich	5.66	Michael Mayer	6.08
Dolphins DST	4.1	Raiders DST	5.8

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Cardinals		Chargers
Jacoby Brissett	6.1	Justin Herbert	7.5
Jeremiyah Love	7.25	Omarion Hampton	8.72
Tyler Allgeier	5.09	Keaton Mitchell	3.44
Marvin Harrison Jr.	6.92	Ladd McConkey	8.38
Michael Wilson	6.85	Quentin Johnston	7.02
Kendrick Bourne	3.22	Tre Harris	3.18
Trey McBride	8.78	Charlie Kolar	3.5
Cardinals DST	3.3	Chargers DST	8.3

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Commanders		Eagles
Jayden Daniels	7.1	Jalen Hurts	7.4
Jacory Croskey-Merritt	6.18	Saquon Barkley	9.28
Rachaad White	5.7	DeVonta Smith	8.48
Terry McLaurin	7.2	Dontayvion Wicks	5.1
Stefon Diggs	6.12	Makai Lemon	4.05
Chigoziem Okonkwo	3.68	Dallas Goedert	6.38
Commanders DST	4.7	Eagles DST	7.3

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Cowboys		Giants
Dak Prescott	8.2	Jaxson Dart	6.2
Javonte Williams	8.1	Cam Skattebo	7.22
CeeDee Lamb	9.32	Najee Harris	1.84
George Pickens	9.2	Malik Nabers	7.8
Jake Ferguson	5.32	Malachi Fields	3.02
Cowboys DST	7.2	Isaiah Likely	6.58
		Giants DST	5.4

Start 'em

10.0-7.00

6.99 - 5.01

5.00 - 0

Sit 'em

Broncos		Chiefs
Bo Nix	6.0	Patrick Mahomes	5.6
J.K. Dobbins	6.2	Kenneth Walker III	8.68
RJ Harvey	5.3	Emmett Johnson	3.16
Jonah Coleman	2.2	Rashee Rice	8.32
Jaylen Waddle	8.12	Xavier Worthy	3.65
Courtland Sutton	6.8	Travis Kelce	6.02
Pat Bryant	4.98	Chiefs DST	6.7
Evan Engram	4.02
Broncos DST	8.7