We’ve finally made it! After seven months without a meaningful NFL game, Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season is here!

That means it’s time to put all the offseason preparation into winning your Week 1 matchup. Unfortunately, the offseason was the easy part. Now, we get to the season-long grind. So, let’s get off to a hot start and look at the top streaming options for Week 1.

All the quarterbacks in this article are rostered in under 50% of ESPN 1QB leagues and under 25% in superflex leagues.

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Streaming Targets in 1QB Leagues

Jared Goff (DET) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (47.9% Rostered)

The 2023 NFL season kicks off with an opening night matchup between the Super Bowl champions and Goff’s Lions. Last year, the veteran quarterback surprised the entire fantasy football community, ending the season as the QB10, averaging 16.7 fantasy points per game. The former No. 1 overall pick had the fifth-most passing touchdowns last year, finishing with only six fewer than Joe Burrow despite a much weaker supporting cast.

More importantly, the Chiefs struggled to stop quarterbacks in 2022. The Super Bowl champions surrendered 20.5 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, the third-most in the NFL. Furthermore, Kansas City failed to keep their opponents out of the end zone, surrendering 33 passing touchdowns, leading the league. With Chris Jones unlikely to play on Thursday night, Goff should have an easy time picking apart the Chiefs’ defense.

Derek Carr (NO) vs. Tennessee Titans (28.8% Rostered)

Last season didn’t end how Carr had hoped with the Las Vegas Raiders. The veteran quarterback has never been a fantasy superstar. However, he was a solid streaming option last year. Carr was the QB17 in 2022, averaging 14.6 fantasy points per game. He also finished seventh in passing touchdowns with 24, making last year the third consecutive season the veteran has thrown at least 23 touchdowns. Now Carr joins an exciting New Orleans offense with Chris Olave at his disposal.

Meanwhile, the former Raider gets a fantasy-friendly matchup in his first contest as a Saint. The Titans gave up 20.5 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks last season, the third-most in the NFL. Tennessee’s secondary had no answer for quarterbacks, leading the league in most passing yards surrendered (4,931), nearly 200 more than any other team. Furthermore, they gave up the second-most passing touchdowns per game (1.7). Carr won’t have a top-five performance, but his matchup makes him an excellent Week 1 streaming option.

Streaming Targets in Superflex Leagues

Jordan Love (GB) vs. Chicago Bears (15.6% Rostered)

After having only one career start in his first three NFL seasons, Love star takes over under center in Green Bay. His only career start came in 2021 against the Chiefs, completing under 56% of his pass attempts for only 190 yards. Yet, he scored a respectable 11.9 fantasy points in the matchup. More importantly, Love was much better in limited playing time last season. He scored 8.52 fantasy points on only 10 snaps in the Week 12 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, averaging 0.95 fantasy points per pass attempt in that contest.

Fantasy players should be excited about Love’s first career start as the franchise quarterback. The Bears struggled on defense last season, giving up 19.1 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, the seventh-most in the NFL. Chicago made several additions on defense in the offseason, but only one meaningful one in secondary – using a second-round pick on cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. While many believe the Bears will be better this season, their defense will still struggle. Therefore, Love is an appealing QB2 option this week.

Sam Howell (WAS) vs. Arizona Cardinals (9.4% Rostered)

Last year, fantasy players saw a glimpse of what Howell could do in the Week 18 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. The former UNC star had a strong performance, totaling 169 passing yards and a touchdown in the win. He also showed off his rushing ability with 35 yards and a touchdown on only five rushing attempts. More importantly, Howell was excellent in the preseason. He completed over 75% of his throws, had an 8.1% touchdown rate, and averaged 0.68 fantasy points per pass attempt.

The former UNC star has an outstanding Week 1 matchup against the Cardinals. Arizona is the heavy favorite to be the worst team in the NFL this season. Last year, the Cardinals gave up 18 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, the 11th-most in the league. They also gave up 29 passing touchdowns, the second-most in the NFL. However, the team lost several members from their starting defense last season, including J.J. Watt, Byron Murphy Jr., and Markus Golden. Howell was impressive during the preseason and should carry that momentum into Week 1.

Streamer to Avoid

Jimmy Garoppolo (LV) vs. Denver Broncos (13.2% Rostered)

Typically, streaming articles tell you which players to target off the waiver wire. However, I will give one quarterback each week that you should avoid.

Garoppolo is replacing Derek Carr in Las Vegas. While he has never been a fantasy superstar, the veteran was the QB18 on a points-per-game basis last season, averaging 18 fantasy points per contest, the same average as Russell Wilson. Furthermore, Garoppolo had 15 passing touchdowns in 11 games. By comparison, Daniel Jones had 15 passing touchdowns but played in five more contests. Unfortunately, the veteran quarterback has an awful Week 1 matchup.

Denver had arguably the best defense in the NFL last season. They held quarterbacks to 13.9 fantasy points per game, the third-fewest in the league. The Broncos also surrendered only 20 passing touchdowns, the fifth-fewest in the NFL, despite facing Patrick Mahomes twice. Last season, Mahomes had three passing touchdowns in both matchups against the Broncos, meaning Denver held quarterbacks to less than one passing touchdown per game in their other 15 contests. While Garoppolo has Davante Adams this season, the veteran quarterback belongs on the waiver wire this week.

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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.