 While Kwiatkowski and Alaphilippe were considered to have to rely on a breakaway on one of the final climbs, several sprinters were counted among the favourites if a larger group reached the finish line together.2014 winner Alexander Kristoff () was among them, as was Arnaud Démare (), who won the race in 2016, but had to withdraw from Paris–Nice due to a cold.Other strong sprinters at the start line were Elia Viviani (), Matteo Trentin (), Edvald Boasson Hagen (), Magnus Cort (), André Greipel () and Marcel Kittel (), who took part in the race for the first time.