The NFL season is upon us with the Bills and Rams opening game kicking off on Thursday, Sept. 8, so the time has come for Week 1 fantasy RB rankings. Despite the fact that the NFL is obviously a pa sing league, the running back position remains the most important position in fantasy football, and making the right start 'em, sit 'em calls at RB -- from the top players to the sleepers -- is vital to getting your season started rightNot surprisingly, the early storylines revolve around injuries and rotations. Some of the best RBs in football Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, and JK Dobbins are coming off huge injuries. Saquon Barkley, Dalvin Cook, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Nick Chubb, and Kareem Hunt have all spent considerable time on the injury reports over the past year. Najee Harris has revealed his training camp injury was actually a sprained Lisfranc in his foot. In Washington, rookie and presumed Commanders RB1 Brian Robinson Jr. was shot during an attempted car-jacking/robbery. Thats a lot to unpack.Of course, if the top-15 backs are suiting up, theyre auto-starts. Dont get cute and "ease in" CMC (Browns) or King Henry (vs. Giants) back to your weekly fantasy lineup. Dont ever bench Jonathan Taylor, especially against the Texans. The real questions that will pop up for most fantasy owners involve RB2s and flex starts and sits.WEEK 1 FANTASY PPR RANKINGS: | | | | | Perhaps most intriguing are the backfields of Baltimore and San Francisco, where Dobbins (@ Jets) and Elijah Mitchell (@ Bears) each have mysterious Drake Jackson Jersey Week-1 statuses. We think both backs should be ready to roll in favorable matchups on opening Sunday, but as we well know, things can change quickly in the days leading up to the regular season. (UPDATE:Mitchell will play, and Dobbins is a game-time decision.)WEEK 1 STANDARD FANTASY RANKINGS: | | | | Committee-wise, there seems to be plenty of ambiguity around the backfields of Green Bay, Philly, Seattle, Miami, and the New York Jets (among others). Our rankings reflect an expected boost in usage for beastly third-year Packers back AJ Dillon (@ Vikings) and a slight distrust in the ability of Eagles RB Miles Sanders to take a step forward despite a favorable matchup (@ Lions). Rashaad Penny (vs. Broncos) should be solid with Kenneth Walker III (hernia) banged up, while Chase Edmonds (vs. Patriots) has a lot of upside -- especially in PPR -- despite a tough matchup.WEEK 1 DFS LINEUPS: | | We have been quietly optimistic about rookies Breece Hall (vs. Ravens) and James Cook (@ Rams) in terms of season-long outlook, but tread lightly in Week 1 until we get a look at their actual roles. All rookie RBs carry extra risk in Week 1, though the reward can sometimes be great. Michael Carter (vs. Ravens) and Devin Singletary (@ Rams) are slightly better flex plays than Hall and Cook, but even they come with risk.WEEK 1 DFS: | Clevelands Kareem Hunt highlights our top sleepers for the week, as interim QB Jacoby Bri sett should be dumping, dinking, and dunking against Carolinas improved front-seven. We also like Tony Pollard (@ Buccaneers), as we have all offseason he demonstrated tremendous efficiency in 21, and should see increased touches early and often.WEEK 1 FANTASY PICKS: | | Similarly, power-runner Rhamondre Stevenson (@ Dolphins) should also see a boost in volume and production in the early going, but it's always tough to know what to expect from the Patriots, which is why we're still being a bit cautious with Stevenson. And dont forget about Dameon Pierce (vs. Colts), the preseason MVP who looks poised for a ma sive rookie campaign with a young, run-heavy Houston offense. He's the best bet among all rookie backs.We'll learn a lot from Week 1, both in terms of matchups and usage, but when in doubt, stick with your studs as long as they're healthy.Note: We'll be updating these RB PPR rankings throughout the week, so check back for analysis and the latest player movement.Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoringRankPlayer1Jonathan Taylor, Colts @ Texans2Derrick Henry, Titans vs. Giants3Christian McCaffrey, Panthers vs. Browns4Austin Ekeler, Chargers vs. Raiders5Najee Harris, Steelers @ Bengals6Alvin Kamara, Saints @ Falcons7Dalvin Cook, Vikings vs. Packers8Nick Chubb, Browns @ Panthers9Joe Mixon, Bengals vs. Steelers10Saquon Barkley, Giants @ Titans11D'Andre Swift, Lions vs. Eagles12Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers @ Cowboys13James Conner, Cardinals vs. Chiefs14Aaron Jones, Packers @ Vikings15Javonte Williams, Broncos @ Seahawks16Antonio Gibson, Commanders vs. Jaguars17Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys vs. Buccaneers18Rashaad Penny, Seahawks vs. Broncos19Elijah Mitchell, 49ers @ Bears20Cam Akers, Rams vs. Bills21David Montgomery, Bears vs. 49ers22Travis Etienne Jr., Jaguars @ Commanders23Damien Harris, Patriots @ Dolphins24Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs @ Cardinals25Josh Jacobs, Raiders @ Chargers26Miles Sanders, Eagles @ Lions27AJ Dillon, Packers @ Vikings28Chase Edmonds, Dolphins vs. Patriots29Devin Singletary, Bills @ Rams30Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons vs. Saints31Dameon Pierce, Texans vs. Colts32Tony Pollard, Cowboys vs. Buccaneers33Kareem Hunt, Browns @ Panthers34Michael Carter, Jets vs. Ravens35James Cook, Bills @ Rams36Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots @ Dolphins37Melvin Gordon III, Broncos @ Seahawks38Kenyan Drake, Ravens @ Jets39Breece Hall, Jets vs. Ravens40James Robinson, Jaguars @ Commanders41Darrell Henderson Jr., Rams vs. Bills42Mike Davis, Ravens @ Jets43Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles @ Lions44Jeff Wilson Jr., 49ers @ Bears45Khalil Herbert, Bears vs. 49ers46Jamaal Williams, Lions vs. Eagles47Raheem Mostert, Dolphins vs. Patriots48Rachaad White, Buccaneers vs. Cowboys49Nyheim Hines, Colts @ Texans50J.D. McKi sic, Commanders vs. Jaguars51Rex Burkhead, Texans vs. Colts52Alexander Mattison, Vikings vs. Packers53Travis Homer, Seahawks vs. Broncos54Joshua Kelley, Chargers vs. Raiders55Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs @ Cardinals56Darrel Williams, Cardinals vs. Chiefs57Boston Scott, Eagles @ Lions58Damien Williams, Falcons vs. Saints59Zamir White, Raiders @ Chargers60Mark Ingram, Saints @ Falcons Randy Cross Jersey