Sit/Start Week 1: Reviewing All Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, September 11th, 1:00 PM ET

Location: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Betting Odds: CIN -2, 48.5 total via PFF.com

Network: CBS

Writer: Benjamin Haller (@BenjaminHaller1 on Twitter/X).

Cincinnati Bengals

Quarterback

Joe Burrow (Start QB1)

Joe Burrow put in a full practice on Wednesday after sitting out with a niggling soft tissue issue over the past week or so. Burrow goes into the season as a Top 5 fantasy quarterback option. He is accurate in the pocket and ruthless in the red zone. With his talented array of weapons, Burrow is an every-week starter at the position and has room to grow. Last year he improved his passing touchdowns (35) and reduced his turnovers (12) while also chipping in with 5 rushing scores. Elite!

Running Backs

Joe Mixon (Start, RB1), Chris Evans (Sit, Flex)

After a slow start to season in 2022, in which he averaged as the RB19 in terms of fantasy points-per-game across the first eight weeks, Joe Mixon amassed fantasy points at will from there on – he was productive to the tune of 16.7 points for the rest of the season. Still, he’s never catapulted himself into the must-have RB1 conversation. He has a plus matchup against a Browns defense that struggled against the run last term and ranks middle-of-the-pack going into 2023 mainly thanks to their secondary. The key with Mixon is to not expect upside as he is stuck at the low RB1 end of the spectrum. Seizing the opportunity left by the departed Samaje Perine, former 2021 sixth-round flier Chris Evans has had a fantastic camp and excelled in both pass protection and pass-catching out of the backfield. There is a clear opportunity but we just don’t know how big right now. He is one to watch.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Ja’Marr Chase (Start, WR1), Tee Higgins (Start, WR1), Tyler Boyd (Start, Flex), Irv Smith Jr. (Sit, TE2) 

There is no doubting that Ja’Marr Chase is a top option at WR this season – the LSU phenom led all wideouts in red-zone targets with 28 in just 14 games. Many will have Jefferson a step ahead of Chase but they share a place atop the fantasy ladder apart from all others. Chase benefits from the fact Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd cannot be forgotten if teams were to double-team the Bengals star receiver. Higgins can be expected to hit low WR1 numbers this season, and on overall play in 2022 Higgins was the superior receiver in this corps. Burrow really does have an embarrassment of riches. New to the group is Irv Smith Jr. – the former Vikings tight end has always been productive, he’s just never been healthy enough throughout a campaign. If he stays on the field, he could be a sneaky TE1 play in the long run as he has exceptional ability in the red zone. We need to see it first though.

Cleveland Browns

Quarterbacks

Deshaun Watson (Sit, QB2)

There wasn’t much to shout about in Deshaun Watson‘s return to the NFL last season after his much-documented off-field activities. To say he looked rusty was an understatement. The signal-caller didn’t show anywhere near the pocket presence we saw in Houston at the start of his career and his mobility seems to have also suffered during his hiatus. His weapons haven’t drastically improved and his offensive line is still a huge question mark. There are too many variables to thrown him in as a starter in Week 1. He also has a tough matchup with the excellent Bengals defense allowing the second-fewest fantasy points-per-game in 2022.

Running Backs

Nick Chubb (Start, RB1), Jerome Ford (Sit, Flex)

The time of Nick Chubb sharing this backfield is finally over. Kareem Hunt has departed and Chubb is coming off the back off a quietly productive 1,525 yard season with a career-high 13 rushing scores. There is a red flag, however. Production slowed dramatically once Watson resumed his starting position. If that continues then we could be looking at regression. The receiving corps has not seen big upgrades so Chubb should be safe for now. It is a wait-and-see first month of the season in some respects though. Backup Jerome Ford flashed as a rookie but his role should be nothing more than to spell Chubb for a breather.

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

Amari Cooper (Start, WR2), Donovan Peoples-Jones (Sit, Flex), Elijah Moore (Sit, Flex), David Njoku (Start, TE1)

Former Dallas wideout Amari Cooper has presented one of the best WR2 values over the past couple of seasons with his production far outweighing his ADP. Maybe it is because he is a “boring” choice, or the fact he has had to deal with sub-par quarterback play for much of his time in Cleveland. Still, Cooper finished as the WR17 in 2022 and was a top-12 option as a red-zone wideout. If Watson can return to the form he showed in Houston, Cooper could challenge the top-12 as he enters the final prime years of his career. Deep threat Donovan Peoples-Jones boasted a WR3 or better finish in weekly fantasy ten times in 2022 but he faces tougher competition this year from former Jets misfit Elijah Moore, who was criminally underused in New York. It would be too bold to recommend either as a fantasy play at the start of the season in a offense that has both underwhelmed historically and is fiercely under pressure to perform in 2023. Tight end David Njoku offers the best fantasy value as he enters his seventh season for the Browns. Still only 27, Njoku put up his best season since 2018 last time around and finished as the fantasy TE13. If he can improve on his season-high four touchdown grabs, he will establish himself as a TE1 option in 2023.

-Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on X)