Safest Fantasy Football Starts of Week 1 (2023)

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 Safest Starts (2023 Fantasy Football)

Safest

Joe Mixon (RB – CIN)

The Bengals tried to bring back Samaje Perine on the same contract he ultimately agreed to take from the Denver Broncos. And while that seemed like a show of faith, or lack of, in running back Joe Mixon, now the season is here, and outside of a few backup caliber options, the Bengals seem ready to roll with Mixon, who recently agreed to a cut-price deal to remain with the team.

Mixon might be heading towards his late 20s, an age when we want to avoid running backs, but for now, at age 27, he is the clear three-down workhorse on this Bengals team in a divisional matchup against the Browns. We should be comfortable starting him in Week 1.

Over the last three seasons, Joe Mixon has averaged 18.3 Half-PPR fantasy points per game in wins vs. 12.3 FPG in losses

That's the difference between ~RB4 and ~RB20 in scoring

The Bengals are favored in six-straight games to start their season by an average margin of 5 points

— Graham Barfield (@GrahamBarfield) September 4, 2023

Derrick Henry (RB – TEN)

Speaking of running backs on the wrong side of 25, Derrick Henry might finish 2023 on a different team than the Titans, but for now, Mike Vrabel and the Titans seem to be saddling up for one last hurrah, and it starts with Week 1 against the Saints. Henry might not be the spring chicken he once was, but he’s is coming off a career-best 4.5 forced missed tackles per game in 2022, as well as seeing his average time to line of scrimmage hit 2.70, which was the fastest of his seven-year career.

Tyjae Spears might intrude on Henry’s playing time as the season goes on, but if you drafted Henry recently, you absolutely have to be willing to start him in Week 1.

Deebo Samuel (WR – SF)

Stop me if you’ve heard this record before, but George Kittle is injured and potentially will miss Week 1 with a groin injury. Meanwhile, the Niners will take on the Steelers in Week 1 with a healthy Brock Purdy and a defense potentially missing their star pass-rusher, Nick Bosa. If the offense is in a pass-heavier script, that could favor Samuel more, who is typically a first-read player for the Niners. Even if you drafted Samuel as a WR3, he should be an automatic start this week.

Deebo Samuel is ready to rock our world’s again this season
pic.twitter.com/Rclo4Qayvb

— JAY® (@JayLGK) September 4, 2023

Keenan Allen (WR – LAC)

In 2022, Justin Herbert‘s average depth of target (aDOT) dropped to a miserable near-league low of 6.4 yards per attempt as he dealt with rib injuries and a series of injuries for Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. Still, when the two star wide receivers eventually took the field, Herbert’s aDOT jumped to 7.6 yards per attempt, a far more agreeable amount for fantasy production.

When Allen was healthy down the stretch, he averaged 17.2 point per reception (PPR) points per game and was a fantasy star. With the Chargers playing a Dolphins defense depleted of Jalen Ramsey in Week 1, Allen is an auto-start.