Drake London among 3 must-start Week 1 fantasy football wide receivers

Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Drake London is among my three must-start wide receivers for Week 1 of the fantasy football season.

The NFL season started Thursday, with many fantasy lineup decisions being made up until kickoff between the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions. Those decisions will continue until Monday night's Week 1 finale between the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets.

My Week 1 rankings for quarterbacks, running backs and tight ends remain available for your preparation. These rankings were updated after Thursday's games and will continue to be altered for other developments, including injuries.

You need to figure out the correct Week 1 lineup to maximize point production. Consider difficulty or ease of matchup, injury status and expected game script when deciding between options at each position.

All of my must-start wide receivers rank inside the Top 24 of my Top 50 positional rankings, which are available below.

New Orleans Saints star Chris Olave (R) is the No. 9 player in my Week 1 wide receiver rankings. File Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI

Chris Olave

Olave showed off his playmaking ability, totaling 1,042 yards and four scores on 72 catches last season, despite a rookie learning curve and inconsistency from New Orleans Saints quarterbacks.

The Saints went out and acquired Derek Carr this off-season. I expect Carr to improve the Saints offense, which should lean on the passing game a bit more at the start of the year because of running back Alvin Kamara's suspension.

They will start the season against the Tennessee Titans, who allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers in 2022.

Look for Olave to snag at least eight catches for 100 yards and a score in Week 1. He is my No. 9 play.

Drake London

London is my No. 20 option for Week 1, when the Atlanta Falcons face the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers allowed the fourth-most receiving yards and fifth-most fantasy points to wide receivers last season.

The Falcons will likely be a run-centric offense yet again in 2023, but look for London to see most of the receiving targets. London totaled nine catches for 69 yards and a score in two games last season against the Panthers. I expect him to eclipse those numbers Sunday in Atlanta.

London can be trusted as a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is the No. 22 player in my Week 1 rankings. File Photo by Steve Nesius/UPI

Mike Evans

Tom Brady is no longer a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and other capable weapons remain on the roster. Baker Mayfield -- the Buccaneers' new quarterback -- and is capable of keeping fantasy football relevance alive for those pass catchers.

Evans scored just six times last season, but remains one of the best red zone targets in the NFL. The 6-foot-5 wide receiver averaged more than 10 touchdowns per year from 2018 through 2021. Look for the veteran to get close to that total again in 2023.

The Buccaneers start the season against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings allowed the most catches and receiving yards to wide receivers in 2022. They also allowed the second-most fantasy points to the position.

The Buccaneers could find themselves playing from behind a lot this season, especially in Week 1, when they play on the road. That should lead to more targets for all of the Buccaneers' pass catchers. Evans' upside in the red zone is the main reason for his placement as the No. 22 player in my wide receiver rankings for Week 1.

He can be plugged in as a WR2 or WR3.