Wan'Dale Robinson, Chris Godwin, Michael Wilson, and 5 Other Must-Sit Wide Receivers in Week 1 Fantasy Football
Football is a game within a game. There are matchups that make up the entirety of a football game. Those matchups decide the outcome. It can be a pass rush versus the offensive line, or man coverage versus a wide receiver. The matchups are endless, but each matters. In that case, certain wide receivers can stumble despite good overall team projections. We dissecting the necessary traits to boom or bust, I find these 8 wide receivers as options worth benching in NFL Week 1.
KC Concepcion
Throw out the metrics. They mean nothing right now. Concepcion is on a bad team with a bad quarterback. The Browns are going to test the limits of Concepcion's floor as a rookie wideout. This week, Concepción is projected as the WR61 with 4.4 targets and fewer than 3 expected receptions. The betting lines have Cleveland as 8-point underdogs with a low over/under of 40.5.
Denzel Boston
Once again, Boston is on a bad team, just like Concepcion. While their ceilings remain formidable, I cannot bear to start them this time around prior to seeing any downs of football from before their bad NFL team. Boston is my WR64 this week, and I hope we can start him in the coming weeks, just not now.
Wan'Dale Robinson
Fantasy managers ought to always be hesitant in starting mid-level players in new situations. Yes, Robinson plays for his old head coach. He does, however, play with a new quarterback under a new head coach. Robinson is the WR2 on a bottom-5 Titans offense that is expected to score fewer than 20 points per game.
Jordan Addison
Addison is not a big beneficiary of the JJ McCarthy benching. In fact, Addison has a net negative. The Vikings brought in Jauan Jennings, who darn-near won a Super Bowl MVP. They also have a healthier TJ Hockenson. I only have Addison projected as the WR55. He will be big-play reliant. Though possible, I think it is more likely that Addison finishes outside of this week's top-40 wideouts.
Carnell Tate
As good as Tate will be, we can only be so confident in his quarterback. Cam Ward was the 39th/43 rated quarterback according to PFF. He has 23 turnover-worthy plays, 40th in the NFL. Ward was just not very good in his rookie season. Maybe that changes in 2026, but "maybe" is not "definitely."
If I do see one great week out of the Ward-Tate connection, it will make him a near-weekly starter in fantasy football. Until that happens, I may prefer someone else, depending on the roster I have in place.
Michael Wilson
Can Wilson repeat his 2025? The coaching change probably doesn't help. Though Drew Petzing was let go of his duties, he did breed Jacoby Brissett into a top passer in the NFL, and Wilson into the WR10. The odds that it happens again are... low. Let PFF tell us why:
- 41st in Drops
- 48th in YAC/Reception
- 48th in Passer Rating When Targeted
Wilson ranked 1st in the NFL in passing snaps played for a wide receiver. That is what it took to become WR10. This week against a top-5 Chargers defense, Wilson has it hard and is projected as the WR42 in my weekly projections.
Chris Godwin
As bad as the Bengals' defense's reputation is, they were stellar against opposing wideouts in 2025. The secondary allowed the 8th-fewest fantasy points and 5th-fewest yards per game to the position. That is not a great matchup for Godwin to find WR1 or WR2 upside this week. Godwin is probably worth a go in 3-WR leagues, but certainly not in 2-WR setups.
Quentin Johnston
Managers should definitely be worried about a depth chart battle here. Mike McDaniel has praised second-year wide receiver Tre' Harris. The Chargers love his physicality. If Harris is a blocking threat, that will earn him more and more repetitions. The team has mostly described the wide receiver room as a trio rather than a 1-2-3.
For the above reason, Johnston's upside is less than it was in 2024 and 2025. We really need a big play for Johnston to be relevant. If he does not benefit in the first half, Johnston could fall flat as the Chargers face the Cardinals as 10-point underdogs.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.