JC Fantasy Football National Poll: Week 1

Week 1 is in the books, which means the National Poll finally has real football to work with. This week’s rankings give actual Week 1 performance slightly more weight than the preseason model while still keeping enough of the Week 0 information to avoid completely overreacting to one Sunday.

Each manager earned one result from the head-to-head matchup and one from the division’s weekly median, so records range from 2-0 to 0-2. Scoring and all-play performance are normalized within each division so a 10-team score is not automatically treated the same as a 12-team score, and opponent strength also matters.

There is already plenty of movement.

Week 1 National Poll

1. Tryten Kelly — Division D

2-0 | 178.80 points | Week 0: #9 | ▲ 8

Kelly takes over the No. 1 spot after posting the highest score in Division D and beating every other team in the division in all-play. The preseason model already liked this roster, but 178.80 points turned “potential contender” into immediate evidence.

There is still plenty to prove after one week, but the combination of a strong preseason profile and the best possible Week 1 result makes Kelly the first regular-season No. 1 of 2026.

2. Eric Collier — Division D

2-0 | 158.86 points | Week 0: #2 | —

Collier did exactly what a preseason No. 2 team was supposed to do, beating Charissa Burkhead comfortably while clearing the Division D median by nearly 28 points. He did not quite match Kelly’s monster score, which is the only reason he does not take the top spot.

The Week 0 roster strength is still very much intact, and Collier remains one of the safest early bets to stay near the top of the poll.

3. Todd Wilson — Division C

2-0 | 139.44 points | Week 0: #1 | ▼ 2

The preseason No. 1 did nothing wrong, winning his matchup and the median game while finishing fourth in Division C scoring. The small drop is more about Kelly and Collier producing bigger Week 1 statements than it is about Wilson disappointing.

A roster already viewed as championship-caliber now has a clean 2-0 start, so there is no reason for concern at No. 3.

4. Michael Russo — Division C

2-0 | 151.20 points | Week 0: #8 | ▲ 4

Russo backed up his lofty newcomer ranking immediately, scoring 151.20 and finishing third in Division C for the week. That is exactly the kind of opening performance a manager with no historical résumé needed to validate the preseason projection.

The veteran-heavy roster still carries some of the durability concerns mentioned in Week 0, but for now those players are producing and Russo is firmly inside the national elite.

5. Vikki Simpson — Division D

2-0 | 170.60 points | Week 0: #14 | ▲ 9

Simpson delivered one of Week 1’s strongest performances, scoring 170.60 while also facing Robert Buchanan’s very respectable 148.76. That opponent strength gives this result a little more weight than a routine blowout over a struggling lineup.

The preseason ranking may have been too conservative, because a roster featuring this much veteran firepower looked every bit like a Top-5 team in Week 1.

6. Jen Grantham — Division A

2-0 | 138.62 points | Week 0: #3 | ▼ 3

Grantham handled Week 1 exactly as expected, beating Dustin Barnett and finishing comfortably above Division A’s 117.69 median. Her score was good rather than spectacular, which allows several massive Week 1 performances to jump ahead of her.

The historical pedigree and strong roster remain major assets, and a clean start in the league’s deepest division keeps Grantham securely in the Top 10.

7. Steven Matey — Division A

2-0 | 173.56 points | Week 0: #18 | ▲ 11

Steven Matey made one of the loudest statements of the opening week, scoring 173.56 and finishing second in Division A behind only Trey Matey. That kind of performance combined with an established championship résumé sends him flying eleven spots.

The only real Week 1 criticism is that another team in his own division somehow scored even more, which is a pretty good problem to have.

8. Aaron Crawford — Division C

2-0 | 158.72 points | Week 0: #17 | ▲ 9

Crawford scored 158.72, beat Colton Black decisively and finished second in Division C all-play. His Week 0 ranking already suggested a playoff-caliber roster just outside the line, and Week 1 provided immediate evidence that the ceiling may be much higher.

Another week or two at this scoring level would quickly turn Crawford from a riser into one of the poll’s established contenders.

9. Allen Barnes — Division C

2-0 | 135.90 points | Week 0: #7 | ▼ 2

Barnes begins his JC career 2-0 after defeating Tammie Simms and clearing the Division C median. His 135.90 was closer to the middle of the division than the scores posted by several teams around him nationally, which costs him a couple spots.

Still, the newcomer has now paired a highly rated draft with a winning debut, and there is nothing alarming about the start.

10. Chad Skipworth — Division E

2-0 | 157.90 points | Week 0: #28 | ▲ 18

Skipworth is the first massive Week 1 breakout, jumping eighteen positions after producing the highest score in Division E. He beat every E team in all-play and defeated Trey Reynolds despite Reynolds also finishing above the median.

The preseason model was cautious with this roster, but 157.90 points is enough to force a major reassessment immediately.

11. Julius Foster — Division A

2-0 | 153.66 points | Week 0: #22 | ▲ 11

The newcomer looked completely comfortable in his first JC week, putting up 153.66 and beating established contender John Matey. Foster also finished third in Division A scoring, a particularly strong accomplishment in the 12-team room.

The draft had a few questionable investments, but the starting lineup clearly has enough firepower to make those concerns much less important if this production continues.

12. Trey Matey — Division A

2-0 | 175.00 points | Week 0: #24 | ▲ 12

The defending champion responded to a mediocre preseason roster grade by putting up 175 points, the highest score in Division A and one of the best scores in all five divisions. That performance produced both wins easily and immediately erased a large portion of the skepticism created by the Week 0 draft model.

History was the reason Matey remained ranked at all in the preseason; Week 1 is the first evidence that the model may have underestimated what this roster can actually do.

13. Zac Grantham — Division A

2-0 | 133.66 points | Week 0: #13 | —

Grantham holds exactly where he began after beating Braxyn Smith and finishing sixth in Division A scoring. It was not the sort of performance that demands a major jump, but it was comfortably good enough to secure both available wins.

For an established contender in a difficult division, quietly stacking weeks like this is a perfectly good recipe for staying above the playoff line.

14. John Breeze — Division E

2-0 | 132.56 points | Week 0: #20 | ▲ 6

Breeze opens 2-0 after narrowly beating Beverlye Landry while also clearing Division E’s median. The raw score was not as explosive as several of the teams behind him, but his preseason roster rating and clean result work together to push him into the playoff field.

He will need a little more scoring separation to remain this high once the preseason component fades further, but Week 1 was a successful start.

15. Raiden Weeks — Division B

2-0 | 156.46 points | Week 0: #30 | ▲ 15

Weeks scored 156.46 in his opener and earned both wins despite Mark Bentley putting up a strong 143.86 on the other side. Finishing third in a high-scoring Division B week makes this much more impressive than the preseason No. 30 ranking suggested.

Weeks is already one of the biggest early surprises in the league, but staying inside the Top 16 will require proving Week 1 was not a one-week spike.

16. Kent Larson — Division E

2-0 | 136.22 points | Week 0: #25 | ▲ 9

Larson moves inside the playoff line after a clean 2-0 start and a second-place all-play finish within Division E. The roster looked better than its Week 0 ranking even before the games began, and the opening week supports that argument.

The Top 16 position is deserved, but Heath Strickland and Mark Handy are immediately behind him after even bigger Week 1 performances, so there is no breathing room yet.

— CURRENT PLAYOFF LINE —

17. Heath Strickland — Division B

2-0 | 163.60 points | Week 0: #36 | ▲ 19

Strickland produced Division B’s highest score and one of the league’s best overall Week 1 performances, which launches him nineteen spots and leaves him barely outside the playoff field.

The only thing holding him behind the Top 16 is the low preseason starting point; another performance anywhere close to this one will erase that quickly.

18. Mark Handy — Division C

2-0 | 178.66 points | Week 0: #40 | ▲ 22

No manager rose more than Handy, whose 178.66 was the highest score in Division C and second-highest score across the entire JC field.

A preseason rank of 40 creates some early inertia, but another strong week would make it almost impossible to keep him outside the Top 16.

19. Jay Robinson — Division B

0-2 | 130.66 points | Week 0: #6 | ▼ 13

Robinson takes a significant fall after losing both available results, but the score itself was not disastrous and he happened to draw Division B’s highest-scoring team in Heath Strickland.

The highly rated preseason roster keeps him inside the Top 24 for now, but Week 2 needs to provide some actual wins.

20. Daniel Horn — Division C

1-1 | 137.96 points | Week 0: #26 | ▲ 6

Horn had one of the most respectable losses of the week, scoring 137.96 and beating the median while running directly into Mark Handy’s 178.66 explosion.

That combination of solid scoring and brutal opponent luck is exactly why the National Poll looks beyond head-to-head record.

21. April Marlow — Division B

1-1 | 110.66 points | Week 0: #4 | ▼ 17

Marlow won the head-to-head matchup but missed the Division B median badly, finishing only eighth in the division in scoring.

Her strong preseason roster and managerial résumé prevent a total collapse, but she will need considerably more points to remain nationally relevant.

22. John Matey — Division A

0-2 | 106.90 points | Week 0: #5 | ▼ 17

Matey’s highly regarded preseason team stumbled out of the gate with 106.90 points and had the misfortune of facing Julius Foster’s 153.66.

A long record of success buys patience after one bad week, but the poll cannot keep a 0-2 team near the top without production.

23. Lynn Burkhead — Division D

2-0 | 141.16 points | Week 0: #31 | ▲ 8

Burkhead handled Darren Tankersley and cleared the Division D median, giving the former runner-up a clean 2-0 opening week.

The score was solid rather than dominant, but another winning week could easily push Burkhead across the playoff line.

24. Trey Reynolds — Division E

1-1 | 129.34 points | Week 0: #27 | ▲ 3

Reynolds actually cleared the Division E median but drew the worst possible opponent, losing to Chad Skipworth’s division-leading 157.90.

That is a much healthier 1-1 than the record alone suggests, and Reynolds remains well positioned to climb.

25. Dusty Glass — Division A

2-0 | 124.44 points | Week 0: #33 | ▲ 8

Glass quietly earned both wins with 124.44 points, beating Tanner Harris and clearing Division A’s median to move within one spot of the traditional Top 24.

26. Andy Miller — Division B

2-0 | 158.42 points | Week 0: #44 | ▲ 18

Miller blew away his preseason ranking with 158.42 points and the second-best score in Division B, making him another major candidate to enter the Top 24 next week.

27. Nathan Nunley — Division E

2-0 | 142.76 points | Week 0: #47 | ▲ 20

Nunley produced Division E’s second-highest score, beat Matt Billmeier and jumped twenty positions in one week — an excellent response to a very low preseason projection.

28. Aaron Quarles — Division B

2-0 | 156.24 points | Week 0: #46 | ▲ 18

Quarles scored 156.24 and earned both wins, giving another previously low-ranked Division B team an immediate reason to believe the preseason model missed badly.

29. Matt Billmeier — Division E

0-2 | 122.36 points | Week 0: #15 | ▼ 14

Billmeier’s highly rated roster opened with a disappointing 122.36 and drew Nathan Nunley’s strong 142.76, sending a preseason playoff team tumbling out of the Top 24.

30. Charissa Burkhead — Division D

0-2 | 99.22 points | Week 0: #11 | ▼ 19

Burkhead takes one of the week’s steepest falls after failing to reach 100 points against Eric Collier, although her strong preseason profile gives her plenty of opportunity to rebound.

31. Aiden Horn — Division C

0-2 | 111.82 points | Week 0: #23 | ▼ 8

Horn’s debut produced only 111.82 and a matchup with Michael Russo’s 151.20, so the newcomer will need a stronger Week 2 to keep the preseason optimism alive.

32. Mark Bentley — Division B

1-1 | 143.86 points | Week 0: #42 | ▲ 10

Bentley lost a competitive matchup to Raiden Weeks but still beat the league median, making his 1-1 start considerably better than the preseason No. 42 ranking implied.

33. Earnest Vincent — Division B

0-2 | 73.66 points | Week 0: #12 | ▼ 21

Vincent suffers a brutal twenty-one-spot drop after posting the lowest score in Division B, but one bad opening week does not erase the roster quality that earned a preseason Top-12 ranking.

34. Danielle Abbott — Division B

0-2 | 83.30 points | Week 0: #10 | ▼ 24

Abbott’s Top-10 debut ranking disappears quickly after an 83.30-point opener, but the newcomer still has the highly rated roster that produced all that preseason optimism.

35. Tanner Harris — Division A

0-2 | 97.12 points | Week 0: #19 | ▼ 16

Harris fell below 100 points and lost both the head-to-head and median results, so Week 2 becomes an early opportunity to stop the slide.

36. Braxyn Smith — Division A

0-2 | 94.10 points | Week 0: #16 | ▼ 20

Smith drops twenty spots after a 94.10-point opening performance, a rough start for a roster that sat directly on the preseason playoff line.

37. Robert Buchanan — Division D

1-1 | 148.76 points | Week 0: #50 | ▲ 13

Buchanan may have lost to Vikki Simpson, but 148.76 easily beat the Division D median and provides strong evidence that the preseason No. 50 ranking was too low.

38. Shane Able — Division B

0-2 | 123.70 points | Week 0: #29 | ▼ 9

Able’s 123.70 was respectable but not enough in a high-scoring Division B week, and a matchup with Aaron Quarles’ 156.24 made the opening result even tougher.

39. Michael Matey — Division A

0-2 | 110.94 points | Week 0: #35 | ▼ 4

Matey finished just below Division A’s median but had no chance head-to-head against Steven Matey’s 173.56, leaving him 0-2 without the week being quite as ugly as the record looks.

40. Cindy Able — Division E

0-2 | 117.44 points | Week 0: #21 | ▼ 19

Able’s heavily praised preseason roster scored the lowest total in Division E, making her one of Week 1’s biggest disappointments but also an obvious bounce-back candidate.

41. Aiden Benge — Division D

0-2 | 121.46 points | Week 0: #43 | ▲ 2

Benge’s score was competitive enough to move him slightly upward despite the 0-2 record, especially considering he drew new No. 1 Tryten Kelly and his 178.80 points.

42. DJ Billmeier — Division E

1-1 | 127.80 points | Week 0: #45 | ▲ 3

Billmeier beat Cindy Able head-to-head but missed the median by less than a point, producing a nearly perfect example of why the league uses two weekly results.

43. Colton Black — Division C

0-2 | 102.24 points | Week 0: #39 | ▼ 4

Black opened below the Division C median and ran into Aaron Crawford’s 158.72, so there was very little room for a positive result in Week 1.

44. Dustin Barnett — Division A

0-2 | 95.10 points | Week 0: #37 | ▼ 7

Barnett struggled to 95.10 and faced Jen Grantham’s strong 138.62, putting him behind the early pace in an already unforgiving Division A.

45. Mallory Crawford — Division C

0-2 | 73.56 points | Week 0: #32 | ▼ 13

Crawford posted Division C’s lowest Week 1 score, but there is far too much season left for one bad lineup to define the year.

46. Ashton Matey — Division A

0-2 | 79.66 points | Week 0: #38 | ▼ 8

Ashton Matey had a rough opening week and happened to face the division’s highest scorer, so she will be looking for a clean reset in Week 2.

47. Israel Flores — Division C

1-1 | 122.46 points | Week 0: #54 | ▲ 7

Flores escapes the bottom spot immediately by beating Mallory Crawford head-to-head, even though 122.46 was not enough to clear the Division C median.

48. SJ Buchanan — Division D

1-1 | 120.92 points | Week 0: #51 | ▲ 3

Buchanan earned a head-to-head win over Kile Brandon but missed the Division D median, which still represents progress from a very low preseason starting point.

49. Kile Brandon — Division D

0-2 | 80.06 points | Week 0: #34 | ▼ 15

Brandon’s 80.06 was the lowest score in Division D and turns Week 2 into an immediate opportunity for one of the league’s longtime veterans to stabilize the season.

50. Robby Meek — Division C

0-2 | 81.24 points | Week 0: #41 | ▼ 9

Meek opened with only 81.24 while facing preseason No. 1 Todd Wilson, a combination that leaves very little positive Week 1 data for the poll to reward.

51. Darren Tankersley — Division D

0-2 | 109.66 points | Week 0: #48 | ▼ 3

Tankersley missed both the matchup and median against Lynn Burkhead, but his 109.66 keeps him within reasonable striking distance of several teams immediately above him.

52. Beverlye Landry — Division E

0-2 | 125.56 points | Week 0: #53 | ▲ 1

Landry actually produced a respectable 125.56 and lost to John Breeze by only seven points, so the 0-2 record looks worse than the underlying performance.

53. Tammie Simms — Division C

0-2 | 81.96 points | Week 0: #49 | ▼ 4

Simms struggled to 81.96 in Week 1, but the low ranking also means even one solid performance could create a sizable jump next Tuesday.

54. Dwayne Landry — Division E

0-2 | 120.16 points | Week 0: #52 | ▼ 2

Landry lands at No. 54 after losing to Kent Larson and finishing near the bottom of Division E scoring, but 120.16 is hardly an unrecoverable starting point with twelve regular-season weeks still ahead.

One Week Down

Week 1 immediately showed why the National Poll will be more interesting than simply sorting teams by record. Some managers lost despite scoring well, others won head-to-head while missing the median, and several teams ranked near the bottom in Week 0 immediately proved that the preseason model had plenty left to learn.

The Top 16 is the playoff field if the season ended today, but after one week that line is about as unstable as it will ever be.

Check back every Tuesday morning for the updated JC Fantasy Football National Poll.