Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings, Grades & Start/Sit Advice (2023)

Welcome to Week 1, friends. As always, we’re here to provide you with some fantasy football Quick Grades (or Start/Sit Grades, if you prefer) for the week.

We tapped into our consensus projections and rankings and Derek Brown’s weekly Primer to generate this week’s Quick Grades. See below for the results and accompanying notes.

• Fitz’s Tiers & Rankings
• Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
• Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
• Fantasy Football Trade Tools

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Week 1 Quarterback Start/Sit Grades

Bryce Young: Despite being the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, Young has largely been an afterthought in the fantasy football world other than in dynasty rookie drafts. It might have been different if Young had looked splendid during the preseason, but that wasn’t the case. He completed 14-of-24 passes (58.3%) for 129 yards (5.4 YPA), with one touchdown and no interceptions. Young draws a somewhat favorable matchup against an Atlanta pass defense that ranked 31st in DVOA last season and gave up the 12th-most fantasy points to opposing QBs, but the rookie is not an appealing 1QB option in a matchup with a Vegas total of only 39.5 points. Young is playable in superflex, however, even though the Carolina pass catchers don’t exactly quicken the pulses of fantasy managers.

Desmond Ridder: Find yourself someone who loves you as much as Falcons head coach Arthur Smith loves the running game. Smith’s devotion to the smashmouth life doesn’t exactly go hand-in-hand with QB fantasy value, so Ridder is a clear fade for Week 1 even in an above-average matchup against a Panthers defense that may be without disgruntled edge rusher Brian Burns. Ridder made four late-season starts as a rookie and posted a double-digit fantasy point total in only one of them. Ridder averaged 177 passing yards in those four starts and threw two TD passes. Ridder has intriguing rushing potential, but he ran only 16 times for 64 yards in 2022. Even in superflex leagues, Ridder is not an appealing Week 1 option.

Deshaun Watson: When the curtain lifts on the 2023 season, will we see the Deshaun Watson who was a top-five fantasy QB in each of his three full seasons as a starter with the Texans, or the Deshaun Watson who was thoroughly unimpressive in six late-season starts for the Browns last year? Logic suggests that we should lean toward the larger sample size as the better predictor of future performance, but it would be hard to fault anyone who insisted on getting a “show me” game from Watson before plugging him into a lineup or using him in DFS. Watson will face a Bengals pass defense that had the third-best opponent passer rating and allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks last season. Consider Watson a high-end QB2 this week.

Anthony Richardson: The fourth overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, Richardson is being handed the keys to the Colts’ offense without a watch-and-learn period. The rookie has a big-time arm, but Richardson was only a starter for one season at the University of Florida, so it might take time for him to become even an adequate NFL passer. Richardson’s rushing is another story, however. That figures to be where Richardson derives much of his fantasy value early in his pro career. The 6-4, 244-pound Richardson has 4.43 speed and ran for nine TDs in his final college season with the Gators. Shane Steichen, the Colts’ new head coach, was the Eagles offensive coordinator for the past two years and helped develop QB Jalen Hurts. In Hurts’ first season as a starter in 2021, Steichen went extremely run-heavy. From Week 6 on, that Eagles team ran the ball on 56% of its offensive snaps. Hurts averaged a modest 209.6 passing yards per game that year and threw 16 TD passes in 15 starts, but he also averaged 52.3 rushing yards per game and ran for 10 touchdowns. I think we could see something similar with Richardson this year. There’s a wide range of possible outcomes for Richardson in Week 1, and his Week 1 output will probably depend heavily on his rushing totals. Play it conservatively and regard Richardson as a midrange QB2 for Week 1.

Baker Mayfield: This former No. 1 overall pick is set to make his debut with the Buccaneers, the fourth team he’s played for in the last two years. Mayfield played poorly in seven games with the Panthers last season but then played reasonably well in four late-season starts with the Rams and a heavily depleted supporting cast. There’s a flickering candle of hope that Mayfield can be a competent starter for the Bucs this season, but fantasy managers would be wise to monitor Mayfield from afar for now. There’s simply too much risk and too little reward to using Mayfield in fantasy. He hasn’t thrown for 300 or more yards in a game since October 2021, and he hasn’t thrown three or more TD passes in a game since December 2020.

C.J. Stroud: C.J. Stroud is a fantasy football player to avoid for Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season. His opening matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on the road is far from ideal, making it hard to trust a late-round QB when you can’t confidently start him in the first week. Additionally, Stroud is facing a severe lack of weapons, with Dalton Schultz and Nico Collins as his top two pass-catching options. This is a stark contrast to the talented receivers he had in college, such as Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Marvin Harrison Jr. Stroud is likely to encounter growing pains as he adjusts to a less experienced and talented receiving corps. All these factors combined with some offensive line injuries make him a risky fantasy option for Week 1. Kenyon Greene and Juice Scruggs were both expected to be starting options, but both have been placed on IR prior to Week 1.

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Week 1 Wide Receiver Start/Sit Grades

Jonathan Mingo: A second-round rookie with good size (6-1, 226) and speed (4.46), Mingo is an intriguing sleeper for 2023. It’s encouraging that Mingo ran a route on 29 of Bryce Young’s 31 preseason dropbacks. That sort of involvement bodes well for Mingo’s Year 1 production. With Adam Thielen and D.J. Chark both dealing with injuries, Mingo could be a flex option in deeper leagues this week as a low-end WR4.

Drake London: As a 21-year-old rookie, London had a 29.4% target share and was targeted on 32.4% of his pass routes. He averaged 2.07 yards per route run. It’s possible the kid was just revving his engine and is really going to stomp the gas pedal in Year 2. Sure, London’s target share spiked after Kyle Pitts got hurt last year. And, yes, the Falcons will be run-heavy. But, hey, there’s really no one other than London, Pitts and possibly Bijan Robinson who’s going to see a lot of targets in this offense. London is a weekly must-start in fantasy. That said, London’s matchup against Carolina might mean a lot of face time with Panthers CB Jaycee Horn, a talented young cover man with the size (6-1, 205) to avoid being bullied by the 6-4, 213-pound London. Tread lightly with London in DFS (but don’t rule him out of your lineups completely).

Elijah Moore: It will be interesting to see what sort of chemistry Moore has with Bengals QB Deshaun Watson. Moore couldn’t get on the same page with Zach Wilson last year and more or less sulked his way into a trade to Cleveland. As a rookie in 2021, Moore had a six-game stretch where he had 34 catches for 459 yards and 5 touchdowns. Moore has the talent to become a valuable fantasy contributor, but it’s easy to understand why his investors would want to see positive signs before plugging him into their starting lineups. Consider Moore a midrange WR with a wide range of outcomes.

Calvin Ridley: The last time Ridley played an NFL game was Oct. 24, 2021. He stepped away from football in the fall of 2021 citing mental health issues, and he was suspended for the 2022 season for gambling. Ridley reportedly had a terrific training camp, and it will be fascinating to see how he and talented young QB Trevor Lawrence work together. It might take time for them to build chemistry, but you’re not waiting to put Ridley into your starting lineup. regard him as a high-end WR2 for Week 1.

Michael Pittman: Pittman is a talented young receiver, but he was stuck in a bad situation last year with a dusty Matt Ryan playing quarterback for most of the season, and Pittman’s situation might not be that much better this year with rookie QB Anthony Richardson facing NFL defenses for the first time. Pittman is a good bet to lead the Colts in targets for a third consecutive season, but that might not translate into worthwhile fantasy production. Treat Pittman like a midrange WR4.

Alec Pierce: A vertical receiver like Pierce should mesh well with a rocket-armed quarterback like Anthony Richardson. But while Richardson gets accustomed to facing NFL defenses, connections between Richardson and Pierce could be more infrequent than we’d like. Keep Pierce on ice until we see him establish chemistry with the rookie QB.

Chris Godwin: There’s little question that Godwin is a high-quality receiver, but will the Buccaneers have enough passing volume to make Godwin a valuable fantasy asset? Tom Brady led the NFL in pass attempts in 2021 and 2022 with more than 700 throws in each of those seasons. That works out to an average of more than 40 pass attempts per game. In 2019, Jameis Winson led the NFL in pass attempts when he was the Buccaneers’ quarterback. In 2020, Brady was second in pass attempts. So for the last four years, Godwin’s quarterback has either ranked first or second in pass attempts. It’s hard to envision Baker Mayfield finishing top 10 in pass attempts, let alone leading the league. So, what happens if Godwin is playing with a quarterback who throws 550 passes instead of 700? Let’s not worry about that this week, since Godwin has an appealing matchup against a Minnesota defense that ranked 27th in DVOA against the pass last year and gave up the third-most fantasy points to WRs.

Mike Evans: Please refer to the Chris Godwin blurb above for an ominous message about a potential drop-off in target volume for Godwin and Evans this year. Evans has topped the 1,000-yard receiving mark in all nine of his NFL seasons, but he endured a career-long 11-game touchdown drought last season and was borderline unplayable for fantasy over the second half of the season. Evans just turned 30, so it’s not as if we should be worried about him tumbling over the age cliff, but he’s not the slam-dunk fantasy investment that he used to be. Still, he’s a worthwhile fantasy play this week against a Vikings pass defense that was bad last year and hasn’t made enough personnel upgrades in the offseason to significantly improve.

Jordan Addison: The Vikings are currently listing Addison behind K.J. Osborn on their depth chart, but Addison will be on the field in three-receiver sets, and it’s possible he’ll play with Justin Jefferson in two-receiver sets. The Vikings’ first-round draft pick is 5-11, 173 pounds and not especially athletic, but he is a route-running savant a la Keenan Allen. With Justin Jefferson hogging targets for the Vikings, Addison will pose a difficult start/sit dilemma for many of his fantasy managers. Best to play it cautiously and view Addison as a midrange WR4 for Week 1.

Zay Flowers: He’s a first-round rookie WR with a clear path to targets. He’s the only Ravens pass-catcher that hasn’t missed significant time this preseason with any injury concerns, so I like him as my highest-ranked Baltimore WR entering Week 1. The best ability is availability… which has not been the case for either of his teammates Odell Beckham Jr. or Rashod Bateman.

Week 1 Running Back Start/Sit Grades

James Cook: In a game rich with interesting storylines, one of them is the RB duel between the Cook brothers, Dalvin and James. A committee back last year, James Cook seems to have ascended to a leading role, at least based on preseason usage and reports from Bills beat writers. New Bills RBs Damien Harris and Latavius Murray will get some early-down work and could poach goal-line carries since they’re heavier and more rugged than Cook. Still, a meatier role for Cook is reason for his stakeholders to celebrate. It’s nice to have the No. 1 back in one of the league’s better offenses. This week, however, it’s best to regard Cook as a high-end RB3 in a difficult matchup against the Jets.

Damien Harris: The ex-Patriot will get touches, but he might not be fantasy-relevant if the Bills are committed to using James Cook as their lead back. Harris had 15 touchdown runs in 2021, but even if he ends up as Buffalo’s designated goal-line back, it’s hard to imagine Harris scoring double-digit touchdowns when Bills QB Josh Allen is so fond of calling his own number when the Bills are close to the end zone. Fade Harris until we see how his role evolves.

Dalvin Cook: All reports are that Cook is fully healthy heading into the season following offseason shoulder surgery. And that’s good, because fellow Jets RB Breece Hall is still working his way back from a torn ACL and is expected to be eased back into action to start the season. There’s the value for Cook, at least in the early going: with Hall likely being limited, Cook should receive a larger workload, with an opportunity to prove he fits well in this new-look Aaron Rodgers Jets offense. If I have to pick a Jets RB for Week 1, I’m picking Cook. Early Week 1 FantasyPros ECR actually disagrees with me as of this writing (Hall is at RB29, Cook at RB32), but I expect that to flip as we get closer to the weekend and practice reports start coming out. But I’m not ranking either one higher than an RB3 in Week 1.

Breece Hall: Hall showed us his potential last season. The ceiling is incredibly high. In seven games, he rushed 80 times for 463 yards (5.8 ypc) while hauling in 19 passes for 218 yards and scoring five touchdowns for an otherwise limited Jets offense. But now he has to share the backfield with veteran RB Dalvin Cook while working his way back from last year’s ACL tear. All indications are that the Jets are going to ease him back into action, and he already sat out of practice earlier this week. If the Jets are being cautious with Hall, then so should fantasy managers. I have him as a mid-range RB3 for Week 1, just behind Cook.

Kenneth Walker III: Kenneth Walker III stood as the RB8 from Weeks 6-17 after Rashaad Penny was placed on IR with a season-ending injury in 2022. The rookie was the RB9 in points per game. If you remove the two games, he missed due to injury (Weeks 13/14) he averaged 16.4 fantasy points per game, which would have placed him as the RB8 in points per game. He got absolutely FED after returning from a late-season ankle injury. Walker was either consistently playing 70 percent-plus snaps or carrying the ball 23-plus times as the Seattle workhorse. And at times, we even saw Walker earn targets while leading the backfield in routes run. But overall, he underwhelmed as a receiver as he did at the college level. And his tendency to look for home runs resulted in a rushing success rate that ranked second-to-last (31.4%) among rushers with at least 100 carries in 2022. He also missed games because of injuries. His path to RB1 upside will be that much tougher to realize after the team added Zach Charbonnet in the second round of this year’s draft. And to add literal insult to injury, Walker popped up this offseason with a groin injury, forcing him to miss time in training camp and during the preseason contests. However, he is healthy entering Week 1 and should be started in all formats as a fantasy RB2 with upside for more until we learn more about a workload split between Walker/Charbonnet. The last time he faced the Rams (Week 18 of last season), Walker rushed for 114 yards on a whopping 29 carries. The Rams also lost linebacker Bobby Wagner (who is back on the Seahawks) who finished as PFF’s highest-graded run defender among linebackers in 2022.

Zach Charbonnet: Charbonnet posted the 5th-highest PFF receiving grade and tied for first in receptions per game (3.7) among his 2023 running back draft class. The former UCLA running back also finished with the highest positive run rate (57%) and lowest bust rate (4%) among drafted running backs. The rookie Seahawk can’t deliver explosive rushes like Walker, but he can be trusted to hit doubles as a rusher and receiver consistently. He caught all four of his targets for 21 yards during the preseason. That’s concerning for those hoping Walker was stepping into a legitimate three-down role this season, which was very appealing about his fantasy profile last year. I’d expect Charbonnet to get some solid run at points versus the Rams, but not to the extent that he should be started in most formats. We still don’t know if he owns the receiving role with DeeJay Dallas seeing reps as the receiving back in the preseason. And it remains to be seen who Seattle will give the ball to when they enter the goal line. Keep the second rounder on your bench for Week 1, but don’t be shocked to see him rise in the Week 2 rankings if he sees favorable usage.

Cam Akers: I would expect to see more of what we saw of Cam Akers during the latter part of the 2022 Rams’ season, when he operated as a full-blown bell cow over the final six weeks of the season leading the NFL in rushing yards (85 yards per game). The matchup versus a questionable Seahawks’ run defense – albeit one that should be improved after offseason moves – is one we saw Akers take advantage of last season. He averaged 82 rushing yards, 21 touches and 16.4 points per game in two matchups versus the Seahawks in 2022. And it was the first Seattle game that Akers got back into the good graces of Sean McVay, out-touching Kyren Williams 18 to 3. I’d easily expect double-digit carries for Akers and some solid rushing production with volume on his side. But a ceiling game might not be in the cards if Akers fails to find the end zone or loses work in the receiving game to Williams, who the team has rested as a “starter” along with Akers during the preseason. Akers is a backend RB2, but profiles more as a floor than ceiling play in Week 1. Likely wouldn’t FLEX him if I wanted more upside.

Raheem Mostert: The planets are aligning for Raheem Mostert in Week 1. Jeff Wilson Jr. was placed on IR and rookie De’Von Achane is returning from a shoulder injury. Mostert is hardly a player that fantasy gamers should be relying on for the long-term given his horrible injury track record and 31-year old age, but for Week 1 he looks like the clear-cut No. 1 rusher in the Miami backfield. And the matchup is divine versus the Los Angeles Chargers defense that does not stop the run. They have ranked inside the bottom-six in rushing yards per game allowed since Brandon Staley took over as the head coach in 2021. Consider Mostert, a low-end RB2 player for Week 1. If you can’t start him this week with confidence, you’ll likely never start him at any point during the season. Mike McDaniel has been vocal about running the ball more consistently, and Mostert has been his GUY through different rosters and coaching staffs. In Mostert we trust…for Week 1 that is. Have faith in the ex-49ers running back even if the Dolphins should fall behind against a high-powered Chargers offense. Mostert finished the 2022 season 15th in route participation among RBs averaging just under 3 targets per game.

De’Von Achane: The talented rookie third rounder is the preferred long-term bet in Miami’s backfield. But for Week 1, expect him to take a backseat to a healthier Mostert. Recall that Achane was still buried on the depth chart during the preseason behind other RBs like Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin (now with the Vikings). Keep him stashed on your bench and play the waiting game with Achane. His time will come.

Week 1 Tight End Start/Sit Grades

Dallas Goedert: IF he can stay healthy, Dallas Goedert could top 1,000 yards receiving this season. But he has missed time in each of the last three seasons, so there is real concern there. He’s the clear third option in this passing attack after the duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and he should be penciled in as your starting TE each week.

Hunter Henry: If there’s any non-Stevenson Patriots player, I’d feel okay about starting in Week 1, it would be Hunter Henry. He is the clear TE1 for the Patriots with Mike Gesicki missing time due to a shoulder injury. Henry is by far Jones’ preferred red-zone target, and one receiving TD is enough to vault any tight end into TE1 territory. Henry has been with the Patriots through the entire Mac Jones era, and the two have consistently flashed their chemistry through training camp. Considering Henry has been Jones’ favorite RZ target over the past two seasons, he has a TD upside in half-PPR scoring formats. The Patriots tight end should maintain a full-time role after running a route on 70% of dropbacks over the last two seasons (11th).

Mike Gesicki: If he didn’t miss so much time in camp, I’d feel much better about Gesicki. But given questionable health and currently unknown role on offense. The ex-Dolphins tight end is just a wait and see proposition, that should remain on waiver wires until further notice.

Greg Dulcich: The time is now to fade Greg Dulcich. The new coaching staff has no allegiance to him as the TE1 on the roster. During the team’s first preseason game, Dulcich only ran a route on 50% of Russell Wilson‘s dropbacks. He was also out-snapped 10 vs 15 and out-targeted (0 vs. 3) by Adam Trautman (who was brought over from New Orleans). There are MUCH better tight ends to play in Week 1 with full-time roles. Stay away from Dulcich until he shows a usable role in Denver’s offense.

Michael Mayer: Like Dulcich, Mayer saw discouraging usage in the preseason by splitting snaps with veteran tight end Austin Hooper. It’s problematic with three decent WRs atop the depth chart for Meyer to have a major role in Year 1, let alone in Week 1 of the 2023 season.

Cole Kmet: Kmet should see a favorable route-running role in the Bears’ offense, but the additional bodies at tight end such as Robert Tonyan and WRs added to the offense create doubt on how effective he will be on a weekly basis. Despite posting the league’s highest route participation (84 percent) last season, he posted a horrible 16 percent target rate – identical to Foster Moreau. He also caught five red-zone touchdowns, despite just nine red-zone targets – a mark that ranked outside the top-15 at the position. All in all, Kmet finished as a top-12 tight end in just 25 percent of his games played (22nd). Kmet is going to remain a TD-or-bust tight end unless we see him really separate from the other pass-catchers in Chicago’s offense. Given he has surpassed 50 receiving yards once versus the Packers in his last four games with zero TDs, I am not optimistic this is a spot to start him.

Luke Musgrave: Packers TE Luke Musgrave is the clear-cut TE1 in Green Bay with an elite role. He ran a route on 100% of Jordan Love dropbacks in Week 2 of the preseason, indicating his status as a full-time player. Running enough routes is critical in finding breakout TEs, and Musgrave’s role and impressive college production profile suggests he is on the cusp of immediate impact. Stash him if he’s on waivers and start him if you need a Week 1 flier. He’s also the perfect punt tight end on DraftKings, egregiously priced at $2,900.

Week 1 Defense / Special Teams Start/Sit Grades

Week 1 Kicker Start/Sit Grades