Football fans, the long wait is finally over – the NFL tips off with Ravens vs Broncos on Thursday, September 5. You can be sure that Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, Adrian Peterson and JJ Watt are all ready to go. But, as a fantasy football manager, the important question is whether or not YOU are ready to get after it. Rhetorical question, since we all know the answer is yes, but let’s take a minute to discuss strategy for the opening quarter of the season before we delve into the Week 1 rankings. 

Whether you think you had a great draft, a decent draft or a horrid draft, you need to put those thoughts behind you. The goals for your first four weeks (besides winning your matchup each week) should be as follows:

-       Identify your team’s strengths and weaknesses.

-       Keep a close eye on breakout players available in free agency.

-       Find potential trade partners for shoring up any weaknesses.

Even before your first matchup, you have a good idea as to what position(s) your team needs to improve. But after four weeks of the season, you’ll either confirm your initial thoughts, or will revamp them as needed. Who knows, maybe you hit on one of your sleeper draft picks, or picked up a solid player off the free agent list who has filled a need, or (unfortunately) you may have had a key player suffer an injury. Maybe all of those things happened.  In any event, after four weeks you should have a good sense of where your team’s strengths and weaknesses lie.

EVERY season, players from the waiver wire end up having a strong impact on fantasy football championships. Now, these free agent game changes don’t always burst onto the scene during the first four weeks, but keep an eye out for those that do. So not sure who to pick up? We’ll help you here in the weekly column. You should especially pay close attention to players who play positions that you deem to be your team’s weakness. If WR is an area of weakness, rather than holding on to a veteran on the decline, take a chance on a youngster and see if he pans out. Don’t be afraid to take some calculated risks. Further, don’t be hesitant to add a player to an area of strength. Ultimately, you want to accumulate as many assets as possible. End up with a surplus of RBs? That’s fine and dandy, because…

Who’s looking for a RB? That’s right, ship from your surplus to a team that can help fill a need. You should target specific players, and it would make the most sense to find teams that have needs that match up with what you can offer. Now, you don’t want to rush into any trades, which is why I recommend waiting, barring some exceptional circumstances, at least four weeks before making any major trades.  But, you should identify the teams/managers that have what you need.

So in summary, during the first four weeks of the season, here’s the plan: 1) win, 2) identify team strengths and weaknesses, 3) add talent of the waiver wire as it becomes available (taking calculated risks), and 4) identify trade partners so that you can go get what you need to address any weaknesses.

Now, without further delay, here are the Week 1 rankings:

Quarterbacks

1. Drew Brees, Saints (ATL)

2. Matt Ryan, Falcons (at NO)

3. Tom Brady, Patriots (at BUF)

4. Colin Kaepernick, 49ers (GB)

5. Andrew Luck, Colts (OAK)

6. Peyton Manning, Broncos (BAL)

7. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (at SF)

8. Tony Romo, Cowboys (NYG)

9. Matthew Stafford, Lions (MIN)

10. Robert Griffin III, Redskins (PHI)

11. Michael Vick, Eagles (at WAS)

12. Cam Newton, Panthers (SEA)

13. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (TEN)

14. Joe Flacco, Ravens (at DEN)

15. Russell Wilson, Seahawks (at CAR)

16. Eli Manning, Giants (at DAL)

17. Matt Schaub, Texans (at SD)

18. Carson Palmer, Cardinals (at STL)

19. Alex Smith, Chiefs (at JAC)

20. Andy Dalton, Bengals (at CHI)

Running Backs

1. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (at DET)

2. Doug Martin, Buccaneers (at NYJ)

3. Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks (at CAR)

4. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs (at JAC)

5. Alfred Morris, Redskins (PHI)

6. C.J. Spiller, Bills (NE)

7. Trent Richardson, Browns (MIA)

8. Ray Rice, Ravens (at DEN)

9. David Wilson, Giants (at DAL)

10. Steven Jackson, Falcons (at NO)

11. Arian Foster, Texans (at SD)

12. LeSean McCoy, Eagles (at WAS)

13. Stevan Ridley, Patriots (at BUF)

14. Reggie Bush, Lions (MIN)

15. Lamar Miller, Dolphins (at CLE)

16. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (KC)

17. Chris Johnson, Titans (at PIT)

18. DeMarco Murray, Cowboys (NYG)

19. Frank Gore, 49ers (GB)

20. Daryl Richardson, Rams (ARI)

21. Ahmad Bradshaw, Colts (OAK)

22. Matt Forte, Bears (CIN)

23. Isaac Redman, Steelers (TEN)

24. Darren Sproles, Saints (ATL)

25. Rashard Mendenhall, Cardinals (at STL)

26. Eddie Lacy, Packers (at SF)

27. Darren McFadden, Raiders (at IND)

28. Ryan Mathews, Chargers (HOU)

29. Montee Ball, Broncos (BAL)

30. Giovani Bernard, Bengals (at CHI)

31. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers (SEA)

32. Chris Ivory, Jets (TB)

33. Mark Ingram, Saints (ATL)

34. Vick Ballard, Colts (OAK)

35. Shane Vereen, Patriots (at BUF)

Wide Receivers

1. Calvin Johnson, Lions (MIN)

2. Dez Bryant, Cowboys (NYG)

3. A.J. Green, Bengals (at CHI)

4. Julio Jones, Falcons (at NO)

5. Brandon Marshall, Bears (CIN)

6. Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (BAL)

7. Vincent Jackson, Buccaneers (at NYJ)

8. Roddy White, Falcons (at NO)

9. Randall Cobb, Packers (at SF)

10. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (at STL)

11. Reggie Wayne, Colts (OAK)

12. Andre Johnson, Texans (at SD)

13. Victor Cruz, Giants (at DAL)

14. Marques Colston, Saints (ATL)

15. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs (at JAC)

16. Torrey Smith, Ravens (at DEN)

17. Danny Amendola, Patriots (at BUF)

18. Hakeem Nicks, Giants (at DAL)

19. Wes Welker, Broncos (BAL)

20. Pierre Garcon, Redskins (PHI)

21. Cecil Shorts, Jaguars (KC)

22. Jordy Nelson, Packers (at SF)

23. DeSean Jackson, Eagles (at WAS)

24. Antonio Brown, Steelers (TEN)

25. Steve Smith, Panthers (SEA)

26. T.Y. Hilton, Colts (OAK)

27. Mike Wallace, Dolphins (at CLE)

28. Mike Williams, Buccaneers (at NYJ)

29. Steve Johnson, Bills (NE)

30. Eric Decker, Broncos (BAL)

31. Greg Jennings, Vikings (at DET)

32. Anquan Boldin, 49ers (GB)

33. Lance Moore, Saints (ATL)

34. Golden Tate, Seahawks (at CAR)

35. Kenbrell Thompkins, Patriots (at BUF)

Tight Ends

1. Jimmy Graham, Saints (ATL)

2. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons (at NO)

3. Jason Witten, Cowboys (NYG)

4. Zach Sudfeld, Patriots (at BUF)

5. Vernon Davis, 49ers (GB)

6. Kyle Rudolph, Vikings (at DET)

7. Owen Daniels, Texans (at SD)

8. Jared Cook, Rams (ARI)

9. Brandon Myers, Giants (at DAL)

10. Antonio Gates, Chargers (HOU)

11. Jordan Cameron, Browns (MIA)

12. Greg Olsen, Panthers (SEA)

13. Brent Celek, Eagles (at WAS)

14. Brandon Pettigrew, Lions (MIN)

15. Martellus Bennett, Bears (CIN)