Fantasy Football Rankings: Week 1 Matchups to Consider

Week 1 of the NFL season is finally here! Now that the offseason speculation, free agent moves, and preseason is finished, it’s time to get teams on the field and get the 2023 season started. What all that means for fantasy managers everywhere is we finally get to officially set our lineups for the first time!

When it comes to finalizing your lineups, matchups play the biggest role from week to week, and I’ll be right here from Week 1 through Week 17 to help with some insights as to who you should be locking in or out of your lineup each week at each position. As always, I want to hear from you with your lineup decisions via the Fantasy Footballers Discord!

Quarterbacks

Sam Howell (WAS) vs Arizona

It’s been the summer of the hoooooooooooowl for the Ballers as we’ve finally gotten confirmation that Sam Howell will get his shot as the starter in Washington. We haven’t seen much of Howell in the NFL, so it’s difficult to know what to expect for fantasy, but in the one game he played in Week 18 of 2022, he finished as the QB7. While his passing numbers weren’t anything to write home about (11/19 for 169 yards, TD, INT), what’s intriguing is Howell’s potential for a rushing baseline with five carries for 35 yards and a TD.

What better opportunity for a QB to show a coaching staff they made the right decision naming him the starter than against the Arizona Cardinals who seem to be giving players away to go prepare for the 2024 season? In 2022, the Cardinals defense gave up seven QB performances over 20 fantasy points and the third-most passing TDs. There may not be many weeks that fantasy managers can confidently play Howell, but if you did hold to the late-round QB draft strategy, Week 1 sure looks like a good time to put him into your lineup.

Derek Carr (NO) vs Tennessee

A bit of new scenery has to be a breath of fresh air for new Saints QB Derek Carr. Carr spent his first nine seasons with the Raiders and was never able to post a top-12 finish at the position, though he did finish as the QB13 three different seasons. The new start in New Orleans could be a productive one especially since there are so many weapons already in the Saints locker room. Carr has a history of supporting high-end fantasy receiving options whether that’s at WR or TE, so there will be weeks throughout the year that fantasy managers may need to bring in the Carr as a streamer.

There’s a good chance we get to see Carr rev the engine on the Saints’ new passing attack this week when they host the Titans. In 2022, Tennessee gave up the most passing yards and the fifth-most passing TDs in the league. If Carr can connect early with Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and the litany of pass-catching TEs New Orleans has invested in, this could be an early insight into what we’re expecting to be a much improved Saints offense for 2023!

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Running Backs

Miles Sanders (CAR) at Atlanta

For whatever reason, it felt like the days of Miles Sanders being a viable fantasy option were long gone before the start of the 2022 season after his RB45 finish in 2021. However, Sanders reminded everyone what he’s capable of, turning in an RB13 finish last season behind 11 rushing TDs. In four seasons, Sanders has been a top-24 RB three times and he just went and got a big contract to be the main back in Carolina, so there should be plenty of fantasy-relevant days ahead in 2023.

Whenever the Panthers played Atlanta last season, it was time to start your RBs. In Weeks 8 and 10 of 2022, the Panthers’ main RB averaged 124 rushing yards and two TDs, good enough for RB5 and RB9 finishes on the week. With Carolina starting rookie QB Bryce Young to begin the season in 2023, Sanders should be called on early and often to tote the rock for the Panthers. If Sanders gets involved in the passing game like coach Frank Reich has been talking up throughout the summer, Week 1 could be an early preview of a highly used Sanders this season.

Raheem Mostert (MIA) at LA Chargers

The story of the Miami backfield all offseason has been one of uncertainty. From Dalvin Cook and Jonathan Taylor rumors to now an RB room led by Raheem Mostert. Mostert led the Miami backfield for most of 2022, finishing the year with seven top-24 finishes. Before the Dolphins traded for Jeff Wilson Jr., Mostert was the main back for Miami and had five of his top-24 finishes. With Wilson on the IR and rookie RB De’Von Achane’s role in the offense still unknown, Mostert could see heavy usage early in the year for Miami, and considering his late draft value, he could be a huge boost for fantasy managers.

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One of the main matchups fantasy managers looked to play RBs against in 2022 was the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers gave up the highest yards per carry (5.4) and the fifth-most rushing yards in the league last season. With one of the highest over/unders of Week 1 at 51, there should be plenty of fantasy points to be had in this game, so I’d be finding a way to get Mostert into every lineup that I can.

James Cook (BUF) at NY Jets

It was a tough rookie season for most of the year for James Cook, having to wait 13 weeks to see more than 30% of snaps for the Bills. However, once Cook started to see the field more consistently, he turned in two top-15 RB finishes in his last five games. Where Cook was most involved down the stretch of the season was the passing game, where he was on a 17-game pace for 42 receptions and four receiving TDs. It appears that Cook will get the first crack at handling most of the work from the Bills backfield, so a 1,000 combined rushing and receiving yard season could definitely be in the books for 2023.

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Taking on the Jets defense might not be the ideal start for a Cook breakout campaign. In 2022, the Jets allowed the eighth-lowest yards per carry and finished in the top half of the league in both rushing TDs and rushing yards allowed. While fantasy managers have been ready to see Cook take the lead RB responsibilities for Buffalo, they may have to wait another week before they get one of the big performances that could cement him in that role going forward.

Wide Receivers

DJ Moore (CHI) vs Green Bay

After years of the fantasy community asking, DJ Moore has finally gotten himself paired with a QB who should be able to help him ascend into the WR1 conversation. Through five seasons, Moore has never finished higher than the WR18 in a year, and just last season caught more than four receiving TDs for the first time in his career. The main concern for Moore coming to Chicago has to do with the low passing volume fantasy managers saw from the Bears in 2022 and whether or not that number can increase enough to raise the ceiling for Moore. If Chicago’s offense can find a way to not throw the ball the least in the league again, there’s hope for Moore’s future alongside Justin Fields.

While the Packers’ defense did well against opposing fantasy WRs in 2022, they did give up the sixth-most receiving yards in the league. The one time we saw Justin Fields against Green Bay last year, Fields still had a good day in the air, throwing for 254 yards and two TDs. It’s always stressful putting players we’ve never seen play in their new situations into fantasy lineups, but making sure to have Moore locked in for Week 1 could be a good bet for high upside to start the fantasy year.

Calvin Ridley (JAX) at Indianapolis

Fantasy managers haven’t seen Calvin Ridley on the field since Week 7 of the 2021 season, but the expectations for his return haven’t dropped a bit. In his first three seasons, Ridley finished no lower than the WR25, including a WR4 finish in 2020. Ridley finds himself returning to the NFL in as good of a situation as he could have hoped for, with an emerging QB on an offense that made gigantic strides in 2022 without him.

A return to the top 24 for Ridley could come in Week 1 when Jacksonville takes on a rebuilding Colts team. Indianapolis will start the season with a secondary that features a rookie and former undrafted player so there should be plenty of opportunity for Ridley to get loose in his Jags debut. The only concern fantasy managers should have is that the game could get out of hand too early resulting in Jacksonville leaning on the run, which could cap a big day for Ridley if he doesn’t get going early.

George Pickens (PIT) vs San Francisco

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Rank	Andy	Jason	Mike
WR35	WR33	WR34	WR35

The Steelers had one of the best preseasons by most accounts and there is plenty of optimism around their improved offensive attack, including second-year WR George Pickens. Pickens flashed throughout his rookie year, posting seven top-24 WR finishes on the year. What will be interesting to see regarding Pickens is if he can become more of a target leader for this Steelers offense. As a rookie, Pickens only saw eight or more targets in a game twice, so he was completely dependent on making big plays to support his fantasy production.

While the 49ers are definitely known for their stout defense, if there was a way to attack them in 2022, it was through the air. Last season, the 49ers defense gave up at least 20 fantasy points to opposing WRs in all but three games – Denver, Atlanta, and New Orleans – teams that I wouldn’t consider having potent passing games. If Pickens is going to start his sophomore breakout season on the right foot, he should have the opportunity against San Francisco, but I wouldn’t consider him any more than a FLEX play to start the year.

Tight Ends

Greg Dulcich (DEN) vs LV

It’s been a rollercoaster of a summer for Greg Dulcich. Since Sean Payton took over in Denver, fantasy managers have been teased with him being in the “Joker” role that’s been made famous in his offenses, but then wasn’t used often in the preseason. Jason has stated he still believes that Dulcich will be utilized more than the Broncos are letting on, so he’s worth keeping an eye on.

If Denver was playing any team other than the Raiders, I might not even mention him until after we see more of what their new offense is going to be. As it is, Dulcich will get to take on a Raiders defense that gave up double-digit fantasy weeks to opposing teams’ TEs in eight of their games last season. To make it even better for Dulcich, Denver will be without starting WR Jerry Jeudy, so there could be plenty of opportunity for him to be called upon early and often. If you’re looking for a high-end play at the TE spot, you could do worse than playing Dulcich to start the year based on the matchup.

Tyler Higbee (LAR) at Seattle

Tyler Higbee is coming off his second year as a fantasy TE1 for the Rams, finishing as the TE9 despite plenty of turnover at QB for the Rams in 2022. Luckily for Higbee, Matthew Stafford is back under center in LA. Whenever Stafford played the majority of snaps at QB for the Rams in 2022, Higbee averaged seven targets per game and posted half of his top-12 TE finishes of the year. With Cooper Kupp due to miss the Rams’ opener, there should be plenty of chances for Higbee to be called upon and get involved in the passing game as one of the few familiar targets for Stafford in the offense.

While Higbee was never overly successful from a fantasy standpoint against the Seahawks in 2022, Seattle’s defense was still prone to allowing big games from opposing TEs. Last year on three different occasions, the Seahawks gave up 20 or more points to opposing teams’ TEs, and only one of those games came against one of the elite TEs in the league (George Kittle in Week 15). If this game approaches the 46.5 expected combined points from these two teams, I’d expect Higbee to stand a good chance at being a productive fantasy option for fantasy managers this week.

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