The fantasy Football season is drawing near and that means it's time to start making some decisions about which players to start in Week 1 of the season. Todd Gurley finished last season as the year's top performer in ESPN standard scoring leagues. Will he do it again? Or will Le'Veon Bell, Kareem Hunt, Alvin Kamara, or maybe even Saquon Barkley take over that role? Here is a look at which players will be the best picks to start in Week 1.

1. RB Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams)

The Rams' lead back was the top fantasy scorer in 2017, and it wasn't even close, as he averaged close to 19 fantasy points per game, second among all fantasy players (including quarterbacks).

It doesn't matter what the matchup is, as Gurley is the top fantasy running back until someone proves otherwise.

2. RB Alvin Kamara (New Orleans Saints)

Last season, the Buccaneers gave up the third highest number of points to opposing fantasy running backs. In each game against Tampa Bay last season, Kamara scored 24 fantasy points. There's no reason not to expect another solid performance from a versatile back like Kamara who has a great matchup in Week 1.

3. RB Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh Steelers)

As the main running back in the Steelers' offense, Bell gets a lot of usage in both the passing and the running game. If Bell does play, he is easily a top five running back in Week 1. However, his contract holdout suggests that he may not even be on the field in Week 1.

4. RB Kareem Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs)

The Kansas City Chiefs running back was the third highest scoring running back last season. In two games Hunt put up 24 and 32 fantasy points. He should have another solid debut in 2018.

5. RB David Johnson (Arizona Cardinals)

David Johnson went down right away in Week 1 last year and wasn't able to deliver his expected value in 2017.

In 2018, Johnson will get a matchup with one of the NFL's worst run defenses in the Washington Redskins. Expect a big day for David on Sunday.

6. RB Leonard Fournette (Jacksonville Jaguars)

The Jaguars aren't going to rely on Blake Bortles to win games in 2018. Instead, they will be relying on their defense and the hard running of Fournette, who routinely gets close to 20 carries per game.

That should be a good recipe for fantasy success in Week 1 against the New York Giants.

7. RB Alex Collins (Baltimore Ravens)

Have you seen the Buffalo Bills' first team unit attempt to play defense? Its been a disaster so far in the preseason, and the Bengals only made them look worse in Week 3. Collins won't normally be in the top 10 fantasy running backs, but in Week 1, he's a must-start.

8. RB Dalvin Cook (Minnesota Vikings)

The Vikings rookie last season had a great start to the year, but an injury in Week 4 left him sidelined for the rest of the year. Minnesota is a run first team and Cook should have a great opportunity to pick up where he left off against a weak 49ers defense.

9. RB Melvin Gordon (Los Angeles Chargers)

Gordon doesn't have the greatest matchup in the world against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, but he gets enough work to make him worth the start. Last season, he did manage to average 17.5 points against the Chiefs thanks to both his passing and rushing game.

10. RB Ezekiel Elliot (Dallas Cowboys)

Normally Elliot would rank much higher on this list, but the Panthers are a team that tend to shut down the run. Fantasy owners are obviously starting Elliot if they drafted him, but don't expect too much, as the Panthers tend to clamp down on the run.
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