SportsLine Model Fades Josh Allen, Starts Ladd McConkey Week 1 — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- SportsLine's computer model released its Week 1 Fantasy football rankings for the 2026 NFL season, powered by 10,000 simulations per game.
- Josh Allen ranks outside the top 15 at QB despite leading all players in fantasy points last year and finishing top-two at his position in each of the past six seasons.
- The fade is driven by Houston's No. 1 defense, which sacked Allen a career-high eight times and held him to zero touchdowns with two interceptions in last year's matchup; Allen has zero rushing TDs in four regular-season starts versus the Texans.
- Ladd McConkey slots in as a top-10 Week 1 WR — ahead of CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson — with less target competition after Keenan Allen's departure and the addition of OC Mike McDaniel in Los Angeles.
- McConkey's matchup against Arizona — 27th in total defense and 29th in scoring defense last season — underpins the model's bullish call.
- The model also projects an unspecified quarterback to crack the Week 1 top 12, slotted ahead of Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye.
Why it matters: For fantasy managers, the model's two contrarian Week 1 calls — fading 2024 MVP Josh Allen against Houston's top-ranked defense and elevating Chargers WR Ladd McConkey over Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb — offer high-upside pivots from consensus rankings built around last season's production. The Allen fade specifically defies a six-year run of top-two positional finishes and a career-best fantasy scoring campaign.
Ask SkimNews
