Welcome to Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season. We have been waiting so long for this, and we can finally start to set our lineups and get ready to be right and wrong on so many little details. This column will help you to try and navigate the pitfalls and traps of fantasy football, avoiding those who could crater your matchups and pointing you towards those that are safer options instead.
Welcome to Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season. We have been waiting so long for this, and we can finally start to set our lineups and get ready to be right and wrong on so many little details. This column will help you to try and navigate the pitfalls and traps of fantasy football, avoiding those who could crater your matchups and pointing you towards those that are safer options instead.
Week 1 Riskiest Starts (2023 Fantasy Football)
Riskiest
Sometimes, when a player is such an obvious pick for a 20% or greater target share, it can feel easy to suggest that they are an obvious start, but Marquise Brown is about to deal with extenuating circumstances above and beyond the usual situations we see. The Arizona Cardinals are far and above any other team to be the favorite for the first overall pick in the 2024 Draft, and that is a fact compounded by their decision to head into Week 1 with no named starter at quarterback.
The Cardinals’ offensive line looks to be terrible, and their quarterback might be Josh Dobbs, who two weeks ago wasn’t a part of the team. Brown is an exciting player, but this is not the situation to start him, particularly when no teams are on bye weeks.
After all, it could be very tempting to start one of the Colts’ backup running backs in Week 1, with Jonathan Taylor on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Still, it must be remembered that Jonathan Taylor’s backups aren’t the kind of players we would have drafted inside the first 10 rounds if Jonathan Taylor wasn’t on the Colts.
Two years ago, when JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards both tore their ACLs, Ty’Son Williams was rocketing up draft boards, only for drafters to swiftly realize that Williams was a backup who hadn’t warranted the temporary hype, and many regrets were had. This Colts team is in a rebuild, and it’s unlikely they will end up in too many positive game scripts over the coming weeks; assuming that any of the backs from this backfield will be relevant is quite the stretch.
2022 was a miserable year for the Denver Broncos until Nathaniel Hackett was fired, at which point Russell Wilson turned in two top-five performances within a three-game span. Still, we shouldn’t be so quick to turn Wilson back into a starter, given everything happening with the Broncos.
Throughout this offseason, Sean Payton has invested heavily in the offensive line while also seeing Samaje Perine as a priority pickup in free agency, along with seeing Tim Patrick ruled out for the year and Jerry Jeudy pick up a noteworthy hamstring injury. This Broncos team feels like a run-orientated team, and it will be best to see how well Russ can cook before counting on him.
Speaking of the Broncos, Javonte Williams might be a very tricky proposition for now. By all accounts, Williams is ahead of schedule and has been doing well. Still, there is a difference between being ahead of schedule and being ready to be explosive and return value upon average draft position (ADP).
If Williams was ready to return to his former form, why did the Broncos recently check in with the Colts about the cost of acquiring Jonathan Taylor?
The Eagles gave up the equivalent of a bowl of gruel to acquire D’Andre Swift from the Lions once they decided that the promise of Swift’s upside wasn’t worth dealing with him anymore. Swift ultimately might have more talent and be able to stay the healthiest out of all the Eagles running backs, but it’s fair to point out that the Eagles have a four-strong committee with Swift, Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott.
With the Eagles playing the Patriots, perhaps they’re kept in neutral script longer than they typically were in 2022, but what will Swift do within this backfield? Penny is healthy and the best fit for the between-the-tackles runner, while Gainwell is the clear option for the hurry-up offense. What is it that Swift does? Let’s wait and see.
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