Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em — Week 1 (2023)

Fantasy Football is officially back! It’s been an exciting offseason with tons of massive transactions that sent players, coaches, and others to new teams. Needless to say, many teams will look much different in 2023. This should create a lot of new opportunities for skilled players to prove their abilities to solidify a bigger role.

Fantasy football drafts might still be going on, but Thursday Night Football is only a few days away. We get an exciting matchup for the first game of the 2022 NFL regular season, as Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions go on the road against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. You can check out an entire NFL schedule grid for the 2023-2024 NFL season, here.

Ben Ditlevson and Brendan O’Bryan return to help guide you through your toughest start or sit decisions for the whole 2023 fantasy football season. Stay tuned as we’ll have our best players to start and sit for Week 1 of the upcoming fantasy football season.

These players will be those “less-obvious” players that you’re on the fence about starting as your WR3 or Flex type of options. Nobody needs to tell you to start Justin Jefferson or Christian McCaffrey.

Start ‘Em

Jared Goff (QB) Detroit Lions

It’s Week 1, so you really just want to stick with who you drafted. However, there are certain situations where you might deviate a little from your draft picks. Injuries to star players like Cooper Kupp or Jonathan Taylor or if you have a Superflex position where you need to consider many things. Personally, if I am on the fence on a quarterback position, I am starting Jared Goff this week against the Chiefs.

Goff has some new weapons to work with and is facing a depleted Chiefs defense without Chris Jones. Last year, Goff had a middle-of-the-pack Consistency Score last year at 6.7 and I’d expect that to go up this year. Don’t be shocked if we get a shootout to kick the 2023 NFL season off on Thursday Night Football.

Sam Howell (QB) Washington Commanders

Want to get a whole bunch of people riled up in Week 1? Consider Sam Howell as a starter this week. In his only career NFL start, he only threw for 169 passing yards but he ran five times for 35 yards. While that doesn’t seem like a lot, it’s a great boost to his weekly output.

If Howell churns up 35 yards in each game, he’ll finish with 595 rushing yards on the season. That would’ve been the sixth most in the league among quarterbacks last season. No, I’m not saying he’ll be a top-five starter from the get-go. However, if you’re questioning your late-round selection, Howell is your Week 1 answer.

Cam Akers (RB) Los Angeles Rams

Cam Akers had quite the unique 2022 Season between injury recovery and being in Sean McVay’s dog house. While Kupp is out, the Rams are going to need to lean into other playmakers on the offense, which bodes well for Akers. While in a timeshare last year, Akers also seems to have secured a much tighter grip on RB1. Also, Akers was looking strong at the tail end of the 2022 season averaging 17 carries, 85 yards, and one touchdown per game. I expect that to continue in 2023.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB) Kansas City Chiefs

BUST. Hopefully you ignored our advice on this one!

Antonio Gibson (RB) Washington Commanders

Next up is the potential breakout candidate, Antonio Gibson. The Commanders face off against the Cardinals this week, who could very well be tanking for USC’s Caleb Williams.

After finishing as the RB13 in his rookie season and the RB12 last year, Gibson fell off a bit and finished as the RB27 last year. However, now Washington has Eric Bieniemy. I’d expect more of a hurry-up offense and opportunities to catch the ball out of the backfield this year. Not to mention, JD McKissic is no longer the pass-catching threat on this team.

Treylon Burks (WR) Tennessee Titans

Reports are saying that Trelon Burks is fully healthy and ready to go after the sprained LCL scare back in mid-August. Burks has had a bit of a bumpy road to start his career but appears to be in the best situation now to showcase his talents this year. Additionally, he has an aging, but still dynamic, playmaker with DeAndre Hopkins across the field from him to attract attention. The same can be said for Derrick Henry in the backfield.

Overall, all the stars are aligning for a breakout season from Burks. With that, there is no better matchup for him with CB2 Paulson Adebo with the Saints this week.

Adam Thielen (WR) Carolina Panthers

In many fantasy football leagues, Adam Thielen went undrafted. However, now back at full health and the clear first option in the passing game, he’s ready to go. At 33 years old, he is in the later stages of his NFL career, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have early season value.

Through his first four games of 2022, Thielen caught 21 of 28 targets for an average of 55.25 yards per game. Atlanta may not be the easiest of opponents when it comes to the pass. Thielen would beg to differ, as he has scored in each of his last two meetings with the Falcons. If you’re looking for a solid Week 1 performance from your Flex or WR3, Thielen is a great fill-in option.

Tyler Higbee (TE)  Los Angeles Rams

Much like the reasons to start Cam Akers, I also think Tyler Higbee is a solid start this week. With Cooper Kupp being out, the Rams are going to need to rely on a few other playmakers and Higbee was solid last season. Higbee had the 11th-highest Consistency Score last season at 2.72 and was in good company between Dawson Knox and David Njoku. If you’re streaming tight ends this year, Higbee is a fine Week 1 option.

Jake Ferguson (TE) Dallas Cowboys

If you’re one of those fantasy managers who needs to make a late pivot at tight end, here’s a guy for you. Jake Ferguson steps into the role that was vacated when Dalton Schultz left for Houston. That role saw 89 targets in 2022 with 47 of them coming in the last six regular season games. On top of that, the perceived emphasis on the running attack is going to put Ferguson on the field a lot. More opportunities lead to more production, after all. Ferguson is a sneaky candidate as a top-10 tight end in 2023.

Sit ‘Em

Kenny Pickett (QB) Pittsburgh Steelers

First of all, I’m really high on Kenny Pickett and this Pittsburgh Steelers offense this season. However, this is not the week to test that opinion. Pickett looked really good this pre-season, but once again it’s only pre-season. He also has a very tough matchup going against a strong 49ers defense. Even without Nick Bosa, the 49ers defense is going to give Pickett some problems. Pickett had a very low Consistency Score last year of 4.94, but over the course of the 2023 season, I expect that to rise.

Anthony Richardson (QB) Indianapolis Colts

The sky is the limit for Anthony Richardson with all that raw talent and athleticism. That’s also the knock on him as he is very raw. If you drafted him as your Week 1 starter, you might not have many options at this time.

Unfortunately, a Week 1 faceoff with the division rival Jaguars is not the ideal start to a young athlete’s career. Jacksonville scooped up the second most fumbles (13) and scored the third most defensive touchdowns (4) in 2022. All in all, the best course of action for this situation is to pull back on the reins until we see what he can do.

Najee Harris (RB) Pittsburgh Steelers

Furthermore, it’s clear I am really low on the Steelers in Week 1 this year. For the same reasons for Pickett above, I am fading Najee Harris this week against the Steelers. As good as the 49ers were against the pass last year, they were better against the run ranked second in rushing yards allowed and yards per carry allowed in 2022. Harris did have a top-10 Consistency Score last year at 6.3. However, with all the talk about an increased role for Jaylen Warren, I am not sure how that impacts Harris.

Isiah Pacheco (RB) Kansas City Chiefs

I just finished telling you to start one Chiefs runner and now I’m putting the brakes on another. First of all, Isiah Pacheco is not a threat in the passing game with only 13 catches in 2022. Second, he’s one of three runners who will be getting consistent work out of the Chiefs’ backfield. Finally, his Consistency Score (2.13) was lower than that of teammate Edwards-Helaire (2.45) last season.

Finally, the potential of Pacheco seeing a smaller fraction of the backfield touches makes me leery of his early season value. Yes, he should be the running back to roster on this offense, but I’d wait a week personally.

Mike Evans (WR) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

All does not appear to be well between Mike Evans and Tampa Bay right now. He’s in a contract year, and talks between him and Tampa Bay appear to be breaking off. Additionally, he is nursing a day-to-day groin injury. Not to mention, he now has Baker Mayfield throwing him passes.

Contrary to popular belief, Evans has always been a very consistent wide receiver, scoring a ninth-highest Consistency Score of 5.25 last season. He’s facing a tough matchup against the Vikings this week, all leading to a solid sit for Mike Evans this week.

Zay Flowers (WR) Baltimore Ravens

We’re all looking forward to the season that Zay Flowers could produce in his rookie campaign and I’m sure it’s going to be wonderful. However, like most rookies not named Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs, I’m expecting a slow build to his potential stardom. Even Justin Jefferson was irrelevant at the very beginning of his career.

Now, Houston will be the first challenge for Baltimore in 2023. It won’t be easy, as they gave up the third fewest yards per catch (10.4) among teams that allowed less than 260 receptions in 2022. Flowers is a player that you’ll be able to lean on many times this season. However, probably not until he’s got a few weeks under his belt.

George Kittle (TE) San Francisco 49ers

To be completely honest, I’m not sure where I stand on the 49ers passing game this year. There are so many options and athletes involved that any kind of consistency could be lacking all year. Add to that the injury status of Kittle, his great run-blocking ability, and a tough Pittsburgh defense and you get an amalgamation of uncertainty when you need production. Each of the two tight ends listed above are more appealing to me in Week 1.

Dalton Kincaid (TE) Buffalo Bills

Rookie tight ends have always had a rough start to their career. They are usually pretty slow to pick up the game and start being productive. I do think Dalton Kincaid has a little benefit to breaking that trend, as he is going to be used much more as a slot or WR3 option in this Bills offense. However, I would want to wait and see what this exactly looks like before jumping on the bandwagon.

Don’t forget to hit us up on Twitter with any of your lineup questions. You can find Benjamin @FFRabbitDad and Brendan @OBryanBren. If you have a question, we will give you some guidance. After all, we want you to win!

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