Welcome in, Nerds! The Dynasty Nerds have helped you throughout the NFL offseason preparing for the 2023 fantasy football season. Now that your teams are set it is time to get to work and win some dynasty championships. Every week our writers will help you with some of the tough decisions and give you insight that you can’t get anywhere else. I will be giving my quarterback start/sits every week to help you set your starting lineups.
Below is a list of all of our weekly positional articles. Please follow us, tweet us, and DM us. We can’t wait to talk football with all of you nerds!
- Changing the Call (QB): Mike Hicks
- The Cutback (RB): Jake Oliver
- Slant Pattern (WR): Tristan Cook
- 12 Formation (TE): Steven Pintado
- Flex on ‘Em (FLEX): Evan Brown
- IDP Start/Sit (IDP): Jon Glosser
NOTE: Rankings are based on a 12-team PPR league. So, saying WR2 means top 24, or TE1 means top 12, etc., and are pulled from Fantasy Pros consensus expert rankings
LAST WEEK
Record: 2-2
Just like a lot of NFL teams in Week 1, I did not start the season in complete rhythm. I started off the year getting some things right but also got some things wrong as well. I went 1-1 in both my starts and sits. Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks, in general, let many of us down. I predicted that Smith would have a top-10 performance, and unfortunately, he finished as QB25. On the other hand, Sam Howell struggled at times, but overall he even exceeded my expectations finishing as QB11 on the week.
Just like my starts, I also went 1-1 on my sit predictions for week 1. Kirk Cousins did not have a great performance but still finished as QB9 in a loss to the Tampa Buccaneers. Daniel Jones and the Giants struggled like I predicted, but even I couldn’t fathom they would struggle as badly as they did in week 1. I thought he would finish around QB20, and he finished as QB28.
WEEK 2 STARTS
Jordan Love, Packers, QB18
Coming into the season, Love was definitely one of the biggest unknowns at the quarterback position. And he did his best to silence his doubters in week 1 against the Chicago Bears. Are all the questions and concerns about Love answered? Absolutely not, but he is definitely on the way.
In week 1, Love performed better than expected, even without wide receiver Christian Watson in the lineup. Love finished the week as QB3 with 23 points. He relied heavily on Aarion Jones, but that is expected from an inexperienced quarterback.
In Week 2, the Packers have an opportunity to continue their strong start to the season against the Atlanta Falcons. Last season, the Falcons finished a mediocre 21st in points allowed to the QB. The Falcons added some pieces to the defense during the offseason. However, it is still a work in progress. Yes, the Falcons’ defense had a strong start to the season, but that’s more due to the fact they played a weak Carolina Panthers offense in week 1. The Packers are currently a -1 favorite, and to win the game, I believe they will have to do well in the passing game.
The wild card for the Packers seems to be head coach Matt LaFleur. For the past 15 years, the Packers offense has run through and been controlled by Aaron Rodgers. With him gone, the offense is completely controlled by LaFleur. He is going to try to keep Love’s strong start going, and that’s why I believe he will have another good performance in week two. Love will finish as a high-end Superflex QB, with the upside to finish as high as QB10.
Derek Carr, Saints QB19
Carr debuted for the New Orleans Saints and helped the Saints earn a victory against the Tennessee Titans. Carr’s debut was a success, but he looks to improve his fantasy outcome and hopes to use the momentum of his performance in Week 2.
Carr was up against a strong Titans pass rush and overall defense in Week 1 and finished as QB15. He threw for 305 yards, but more impressively, he led the NFL in week 1 with an ADOT of 11.5 yards. He also showed one of his strengths and had a ninth-ranked completion percentage of 69.7%.
In Week 2, Carr and the Saints will face a division opponent, the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers are an intriguing matchup for the Saints. In 2022 the Panthers ranked 22nd in points allowed to quarterbacks. In Week 1, the Panthers only gave up 221 total offensive, which was sixth in the NFL. However, this was more about their opponent than the ability of their defense. I believe the Saints’ offense will have a bounce-back game, and I do not think the Falcons will be able to control Carr and the passing attack the entire game.
Carr will look to use wide receivers to help him have a good performance this week. The Panthers’ defense is not as good as the Titans are, so Carr will look to exploit that. The Falcons went against a low-powered Falcons passing attack, and the Saints hope to be the exact opposite of that. Carr might start slow, but he should be able to heat up and have a good performance. Carr will outperform his projection and should finish as a very high-end QB2 for the week or as high as QB12 overall.
WEEK 2 SITS
Anthony Richardson, Colts, QB11
Rookie Richardson has been one of the most intriguing quarterbacks coming into the 2023 season. He came out strong in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars to show the league that he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL. There will be ups and downs throughout his rookie season, and this week is the next step in his journey.
Richardson came out strong in his debut finishing as QB4 on the week with 21.9 points. He scored two total touchdowns, one passing and one rushing. Richardson will look to use his athleticism and strong arm to continue his success and, for the Colts, hopefully, get them their first win of the season.
Richardson will go on the road to face division rival the Houston Texans. It is early in the season, but it seems like the Texans’ defense is not the lowly Texans’ defense anymore. New head coach Demeco Ryans is a defensive-minded coach, which bodes well for the Texans in the future. In Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens, the Texans finished sixth in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. The opening week performance was against a team in the Ravens with an athletic running back, which, to me, helps them against Richardson. Yes, the Texans might still be a work in progress, but the defense looks to show that they have made major progress.
Richardson will play in his first-ever road game of his career on Sunday. He will need to continue his rushing success to be a QB1 this week, but the Texans were able to hold Lamar Jackson to 38 yards rushing in week 1. The question is will Richardson be able to continue his progression and improve on his 223 yards passing performance? Yes, the Colts win the game, but Richardson will not be able to have a top-10 fantasy performance. Richardson will still be a play in Superflex leagues, but he will be a sit in 1QB leagues while he finishes close to QB15.
Justin Fields, Bears, QB8
Fields had high expectations coming into the NFL season. Unfortunately, Fields and the Bears offense as a whole struggled against the Green Bay Packers. Can the offense and Fields get back on track against the Tampa Buccaneers? We will have to wait and see.
In Week 1, Field struggled mightily and never looked comfortable in the Bears offense. He targeted the Bears’ top wide receiver DJ Moore a total of twice. Fields ended the week finishing as QB16 with 14.5 points. The only bright spot was that he had 59 yards rushing, even though only 2 of his 9 carries were designed runs.
In Week 2, the Bears travel to Tampa Bay, where Fields will look to have a bounceback performance. In 2022, the Buccaneers had an average defense finishing 18th in points allowed to the quarterback position. The Buccaneers came out of the gates strong, finishing tenth in points allowed. They forced three turnovers and had a sack against the Vikings. The biggest factor in this game might be the blitz. The Bears have a struggling offensive line, and they should be on their heels against a defensive that blitzed at a rate of 44.7% in week 1.
Fields needs to show the Bears and the NFL that he is the QB that the Bears think they drafted. To do so, he will need to have a bounceback game against the Buccaneers. Fields isn’t the entire issue in Chicago. They have an offensive coordinator in Luke Getsy, who also is looking to have a bounceback game. Unfortunately, it will not be against the Buccaneers. Fields will be a fringe QB1 and more than likely will finish right outside the QB1 conversation.
Make sure you subscribe to the #NerdHerd, where you get exclusive content, dynasty/rookie/devy rankings, a buy/sell tool, and a bonus podcast. Dynasty Nerds also recently launched the #DynastyGM tool, a complete game-changer in the fantasy industry. Click here for a free trial. We truly are your one-stop shop for all your fantasy football needs!
