Top 10 week 1 fantasy football wide receivers, including Adam Thielen

Saints receiver Michael Thomas exploded in 2018, catching 125 passes for 1405 yards and nine touchdowns. In week 1, he’ll get to play at home in a matchup against the Texans in what should be a shootout. Expect Brees to target the talented wide receiver early and often.

Hopkins had exactly zero drops last season. He caught every pass thrown his way. He finished the year with 115 catches for 1572 yards and 11 touchdowns. Hopkins finished the 2018 season with the 2nd most fantasy points and should have a strong start to the year against a Saints team that has no real answer for the talented receiver.

Last season, Adams was a model of consistency, finishing below a double-digit fantasy point total just once in 15 starts. Adams has clearly become Aaron Rodgers’ favorite target and is a strong play in week 1, even against a tough Bears defense on the road.

Adam Thielen started his 2018 season on fire with eight straight 100 yard receiving weeks. In that span, Thielen also caught six touchdown passes and was the leading fantasy receiver in the NFL. As the season went on, Thielen cooled off, but he remained a big part of the Vikings offense. In week 1, Thielen will get to take on a Falcons defense that was absolutely destroyed by opposing offenses last season.

Now that Antonio Brown is gone, JuJu will take on the number one receiver role in Pittsburgh. Both Antonio Brown and JuJu finished in the top 10 in fantasy points in 2018, so it should be a lucrative role. If JuJu can build on his 1400+ yard receiving and 7 touchdown campaign from 2018, he could be the top scoring fantasy wide receiver in 2019. He’ll have plenty of chances in what should be a high scoring game against the Patriots in week 1.

Odell is going to have something to prove after being traded away from the New York Giants. He couldn’t have picked a better spot to be traded to, as Cleveland is a team on the rise with new offensive weapons. Baker loves to throw the ball downfield, and Odell excels at getting open. That combination should allow for some great fantasy games for Odell in 2019.

Normally, the #1 scoring fantasy wide receiver from last season would find himself higher on this list. However, Tyreek will have to deal with Jalen Ramsey in week 1, who seems to shut down most high-profile receivers. Last season, Tyreek managed to score just eight fantasy points against the Jaguars. Hill is still a top ten receiver for the week, but expectations should be tempered.

When Mike Evans is on the field, Tampa Bay quarterbacks tend to throw the ball towards him. Ryan Fitzpatrick loved doing it last year, and so did Jameis Winston. Evans finished the 2018 season with more than 1500 yards and eight touchdowns and will once again be the top target in Tampa Bay. He’ll start the year against the 49ers.

One of the best fantasy wide receivers in every season for the past several years will start his 2019 year with a difficult matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. It doesn’t seem to matter who Jones plays, as he almost always manages to rack up big yardage totals, going for over 1600 yards last season. He struggles to score lots of touchdowns, which is why he isn’t higher on this list, but Julio remains a consistent performer at the position.

When Keenan Allen is healthy, he’s one of the game’s top receivers. Thankfully, he’ll be healthy in week 1 for Philip Rivers, who loves to throw the ball his way. Allen is definitely a top 10 receiver in what should be a shootout matchup at home against the Indianapolis Colts.