Who should I start in fantasy football Week 1? Assessing Dak Prescott, DK Metcalf, Dalvin Cook and co.

Week 1 of the 2023 fantasy football season has finally arrived after a long offseason of preparation and anticipation. Most fantasy leagues have completed their drafts at this point and many managers are now tweaking their lineups.

Making the right lineup decisions in Week 1 can directly determine whether a manager begins their campaign with a victory or a defeat.

This means crucial decisions need to be made about who to plug into a fantasy lineup and who should be left on the bench.

Using Sportskeeda's Start/Sit Optimizer tool can help all managers make these tough choices.

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Should I start Dak Prescott in Week 1 of the 2023 fantasy football season?

Week 1 QB advice

Who to start each week is all relative, depending heavily upon the potential options available. Managers should always start their studs, regardless of their match-up, but the next tier of players must be debated each week. Dak Prescott serves as a good example of a borderline quarterback option in Week 1.

Comparing him to other relative options makes him a solid starter in Week 1. He slightly edges out his direct opponent Daniel Jones via the analyzer, mostly due to his touchdown upside in a stronger offense. His potential rushing contributions also make him a better choice than other similar options like Jared Goff and Derek Carr.

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Should I start DK Metcalf in Week 1 of the 2023 fantasy football season?

Week 1 WR advice

While DK Metcalf plays in a crowded offense this year, he is still expected to serve as a WR1 for his own team and a potential WR2 on fantasy rosters. He holds more upside in Week 1 than other similar wide receivers with heavy competition for targets, including Mike Evans, Brandon Aiyuk, and Keenan Allen.

Per the analyzer, Metcalf is expected to record the most yards of this group while also having the best chance of scoring a touchdown. This makes him the preferred option, especially in a favorable matchup against a weak defense.

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Should I start Dalvin Cook in Week 1 of the 2023 fantasy football season?

Week 1 RB advice

Dalvin Cook is one of the most polarizing running backs this year due to switching teams during the offseason. After always serving as a featured back, he will now be sharing the workload with Breece Hall.

While it's unclear how the touches will be distributed, the analyzer suggests Cook is the better option in Week 1.

Cook also projects a higher output in Week 1 than many other running backs expected to be in a committee. Some examples include Jamaal Williams and David Montgomery. Both also switched teams during the 2023 NFL offseason.

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Use Sportskeeda's fantasy football trade analyzer as another useful tool to dominate leagues this year.

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Other players to target in Week 1 of the 2023 fantasy football season

QB - Tua Tagovailoa, Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins.

WR - Amari Cooper, Christian Watson, Allen Lazard.

RB - Khalil Herbert, James Cook, Rachaad White.