Welcome to our first IDP Start & Sit article at Fantasy In Frames for the 2023 fantasy football season!
Hey everyone, it’s Nate Marcum (@natemarcum on Twitter/X). Whether you’re newer to IDP or have been playing for years, my goal of these starts and sits is to provide you with stud picks I’m a huge fan of each week, from your top-tier players to play in your shallow leagues down to deeper league options. However, with the good picks come the ones I am less high on that you should consider alternatives for each week. You can check out my back-to-back Top 10 Fantasy Pros ECR Competition rankings here at Fantasy In Frames weekly to help give you the winning edge to your weekly matchups! Here are my IDP Fantasy Football Starts & Sits for Week 1 (2023).
Start
Danielle Hunter: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: DL6
- Tampa Bay is moving Tristan Wirfs to LT, which means Hunter will line up over Luke Goedeke.
- Hunter’s 70 pressures were 7th in the NFL in 2022
- Tampa will be without Brady and will most likely be chasing points.
- 22 QB hits in 2022 tied career high
Cameron Jordan: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: DL26
- The Titans are projected to have the worst O-Line in football.
- Despite being “long in the tooth,” Jordan demonstrates a high motor.
- The presence of Carl Granderson on the opposite end should benefit greatly.
Jonathan Allen: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: DL15
- Incredible matchup against the lowly Arizona Cardinals
- Rookie Paris Campbell will get his first NFL start opposite Allen
- Expect to see a heavy dose of James Conner, which bodes well for Allen, as he was 7th in the NFL among DT in Solo Tackles
Sit
Alex Highsmith: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: DL17
- Sack/pressure efficiency lends to my doubts in 2023.
- The matchup against Trent Williams is about as tough as they come.
Rashan Gary: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: DL40
- Expected to see a reduced role in Week 1.
- Love the player, just not the situation
- A matchup against rookie Darnell Wright is alluring, but don’t be tempted as Gary gets ramped up for a return to health.
Trey Hendrickson: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: DL38
- History against the Browns suggests disappointment.
- Lack of tackle floor or ceiling handcuffs upside.
Start
Logan Wilson: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: LB7
- An ideal matchup against the Browns
- Watson’s lackluster preseason should translate into an even heavier Nick Chubb week.
- In two games vs. Cle in 2022, Wilson totaled 25 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and 2 QB hits.
Kyzir White: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: LB26
- Heavy workload in store for White vs WSH
- Arizona’s offense doesn’t look to move the ball effectively, leading to plenty of defensive snaps.
- The lack of skill players surrounding White should lend to a near double-digit tackle production.
Sit
Shaq Leonard: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: LB23
- Can’t get ahead of his ailments.
- Recovering from concussion
- Lingering health issues concern me for the limited snap count
Frankie Luvu: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: LB20
- The uncertain role in Ejiro Evero’s system has me concerned.
- If he plays a more prominent role as an OLB, I am concerned with tackle floor.
- This is one that I am watching closely.
Isaiah Simmons: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: LB52
- This applies for leagues that switched his position eligibility to LB and no longer DB
- Uncertainty to role and playing time in Martindale defense.
Start
Kevin Byard: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: DB13
- Thin options at LB should present plenty of room for upside with Byard.
- New Orlean’s offense should look to stay short to intermediate in their plays.
- 100+ tackles and 4+ INT in two of the past three seasons. This matchup is the beginning of another
Julian Love: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: DB21
- Jamal Adams ruled out for Week 1 sets up Love for an even larger role in Week 1.
- 100+ tackles for Love in 2022, despite playing 494 snaps at FS.
- Should see plenty of box snaps in Week 1 against a Rams team that could lean heavily on Cam Akers
Dax Hill: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: DB41
- The Bengals’ commitment to moving both Bates and Bell speaks volumes about the role of Hill.
- In a game expected to see plenty of work on the ground, Hill should line up in the box pretty often.
- I could see a path to DB3 upside this week.
- Deeper league start option
Sit
Antoine Winfield Jr.: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: DB9
- I want to see how he responds to a more FS role after seasons in which he played heavy box and slot snaps.
- If Vikings get up early and lean on Mattison, the TB linebackers will have no problem in gobbling up tackles, leaving little scraps for Winfield.
L’Jarius Sneed: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: DB27
- We saw a shift as the season progressed from a slot/nickel role to a more “true corner” positioning.
- If Sneed plays the majority of snaps on the outside, his ceiling can still be there within a Spagnuolo defense, but the floor is pulled out from under us.
- Alignment and usage will be on full display Thursday night.
Jeremy Chinn: Fantasy Pros ECR Ranking: DB15
- Role change for the 3rd time since entering the league. Started as a linebacker/safety hybrid, then full-time safety, and now as a nickel back.
- Despite my fandom for Chinn, this is an avoid at this time.
- I wouldn’t go and drop him yet, but wait and see how the acclimation into the new nickel role suits him.
- Chinn is the type of player who could really benefit from being around the ball at all times, but it could also mean games where he sees significantly lower snaps.
