Fantasy Football, Week 1: These 4 players should be in your starting lineup

It has finally arrived. The NFL regular season is here, as are the millions of hopeful Fantasy Football participants finalizing their lineups, engaging in daily competitions, and clicking away online to structure their bets for the best weekly matchups. And with that intense competition comes plenty of deliberation.

Each week on Bears Talk, I’ll dive into some of my weekly favorable matchups for each key position: QB, RB, WR, and TE.

Whether you’re on Yahoo, ESPN, or DraftKings, these are the players to strongly consider playing heading into Week 1 of your Fantasy Football season. Best of luck, everyone. Let’s dive in.

QB Pick: Trevor Lawrence (JAC) vs. IND

Losing Stephon Gilmore (via trade), Isaiah Rodgers, and Rashod Berry to indefinite suspensions (later waived by the Colts) has taken Indianapolis from a promising defensive team to below-average in one offseason. Trevor Lawrence is a quarterback on the rise. With Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk running routes, I expect a big season opener for Lawrence against a now sub-par Colts defense.

RB Pick: Bijan Robinson (ATL) vs. CAR

As of today, Brian Burns is still on the outs with the Panthers amid contract negotiations. Perhaps one of the few bright spots on this Carolina team (aside from the QB potential of Bryce Young) is the defensive presence of Burns. With his status in jeopardy for the Panthers’ Week 1 matchup against Atlanta, Falcons RB1 Bijan Robinson is looking to make an explosive regular-season debut at home. Robinson is projected to be one of the top backs in the league this year, and going against a middle-of-the-road Carolina defense led by a new coordinator looks like a very opportune way to kick things off.

WR Pick: Ja’Marr Chase (CIN) vs. CLE

The Cleveland Browns may have revamped some things on both sides of the ball in the offseason, but things take time to click, and I don’t see that happening right away in Week 1. What won’t require time to get into a regular season groove is the on-field impact of Ja’Marr Chase, arguably a top-2 receiver in the NFL. It’s a division matchup with the Browns sorting through some changes in defensive personnel against one of the best QB-WR duos in the league, and Joe Burrow looks ready to roll (calf). This is Cincy’s game, with plenty of stats generated by Chase.

TE Pick: Cole Kmet (CHI) vs. GB (‘Under the Radar’ Selection of the Week*)

Yeah. I’m doing it. In what could possibly be one of the most injury-riddled offensive positions heading into Week 1, I’m taking Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet. I wanted to pick Kelce. I could have taken Andrews. Kittle would have been a no-brainer. But they’re all banged up. It’s rivalry week in a new era for the NFC North. Coming off of a solid 2022 campaign, Kmet can absolutely be one of the guys to have a statement game in Week 1 of the 2023 season.

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