While everyone’s season-long fantasy drafts are wrapping up before the start of the 2023 NFL season, we’re eager to jump back into the DFS weekly lineups that allow us to take advantage of matchups and bye weeks while avoiding injuries.
FanDuel is offering players an enticing opportunity to cash in with their $4M NFL Sunday Million contest that is set to award a cool million to the winner. We will happily accept that challenge and present our lineup for Week 1.
QB: Sam Howell ($7,100)
The Cardinals’ pass defense ranked 24th in the NFL last season and allowed 29 touchdowns through the air, the second-most in the league.
Howell will get his second start as the Washington QB and is coming off an impressive stretch in the preseason, where he completed almost 76% of his throws for 265 yards and three scores.
We expect Howell and the Commander offense to take advantage of a team in transition during Week 1 and like his price point to build around for this week’s roster.
RBs: Cam Akers ($6,600) & Rachaad White ($6,400)
Akers was RB4 over the final six weeks of the 2022 season and ranked as the 18th-highest-scoring player in half-PPR formats during that time. He’s had an inconsistent role on the team for the better part of his three pro seasons but is the clear #1 option heading into 2023.
We’ve got him against the Seahawks’ run defense in Week 1, and Akers ran for 164 yards and two touchdowns in their two matchups last season.
White is another player expected to have a lead role in his team’s offensive game plan with the departure of Leonard Fournette. White saw double-digit carries in four of the team’s final eight games while accruing 5+ targets on five occasions. He should see at least 15 touches against the Vikings.
WRs: Chris Olave ($7,300), Tyler Lockett ($6,800) & Amari Cooper ($6,700)
Olave is being drafted in the early 20s on average this season in half-PPR formats and should benefit from the more reliable quarterback play of Derek Carr right from the jump. The Titans gave up the most fantasy points to wide receivers of any team during the 2022 season, and this target machine will thrive against them at home while Alvin Kamara misses the first of four games due to suspension.
Lockett is now part of a three-headed monster in the Seahawks' receiving corps. However, 2023 first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba is questionable for Week 1 after undergoing wrist surgery to repair a broken bone. If Lockett primarily competes for targets with DK Metcalf, we like his chances. The speedy threat was targeted 19 times and racked up 11 catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams in 2022.
Amari Cooper’s value seems underrated, given this low cap number for a player who put up the ninth-most points at the receiver position in 2022. The Browns’ matchup with the Bengals in Week 1 isn’t the friendliest for fantasy purposes, but Cooper should dominate the target share among Cleveland's pass-catchers.
TE: Evan Engram ($5,800)
The first-year Jaguar fit into Doug Pederson’s offense well in 2022, finishing the season as TE6 and ranking in the top five among all tight ends in targets, catches, and receiving yards.
Engram caught at least five passes in both games against Indy last season and is a familiar target for Trevor Lawrence to rely on as Calvin Ridley works his way into the offense.
FLEX: Tyreek Hill ($8,800)
Hill’s 2022 resume speaks for itself. His volume was second to only Justin Jefferson in terms of targets, catches, and yards, and he’ll again be the focal point of the Dolphins’ passing game.
He hauled in only four of his ten targets in Miami’s 2022 meeting with the Chargers but still managed to put up 81 yards and a score.
DEF: Jacksonville Jaguars ($4,400)
The Jags forced a healthy number of turnovers in 2022 to offset the amount of yardage and points opponents gained against them. Their 13 fumble recoveries ranked second in the league, and their 27 takeaways overall were good enough to tie for fourth.
Facing a rookie QB in Week 1, despite being on the road, is a solid opportunity to begin this season in a similar fashion. We like the Jaguars to force a few more turnovers against Anthony Richarson on Sunday.
