By MIKE HERNDON

Our fantasy teams are drafted and the 2023 is ready to be kicked off. With that, we’ll finally get some answers to the questions that have been perplexing us all offseason – or at least since the draft in April.

Here are some of the things I’ll be looking for in Week One:

Backfield splits:

We know a healthy portion of the league is going to be running their backfields by committee. What we don’t know is how the carries will be split. Week One should give us a little more clarity in places like Detroit (Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery), New York (Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook), Buffalo (James Cook and Damien Harris), Chicago (Khalil Herbert, D’Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson), and Philadelphia (D’Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Gainwell).

Remember: Volume is king for running backs in fantasy. Follow the carries.

Injury concerns:

We know Cooper Kupp, Jonathan Taylor and Kyler Murray are out. Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Jaylen Waddle, Jerry Jeudy, Christian Watson, Terry McLaurin, Marquise Brown are all questionable. Breece Hall and Javonte Williams are expected to play, but there are still questions as to whether they’re fully recovered from late-season injuries last year. This weekend should tell us more about exactly how worried we should be about each of them.

Rookie debuts:

All eyes will be on the quarterbacks, particularly Anthony Richardson, whose running ability makes him an intriguing prospect for fantasy despite his erratic passing. Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud will be thrown into the fire with precious few weapons at receiver. It’ll be interesting to see if those late-round dart throws pay off.

It’s difficult to imagine Bijan Robinson not succeeding in an Atlanta offense that will surely be tailored around him. But how big a role with Jahmyr Gibbs have in Detroit? Will Roschon Johnson , Tank Bigsby or Zach Charbonnet have roles in their respective offenses? And what kind of targets will Jordan Addison, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Zay Flowers get?

Potential bounce-backs:

Will Michael Thomas ever regain his 2019 form? Are Hall and Williams really fully recovered from their ACL tears? Can Matthew Stafford return to form after an injury-plagued 2022 – and do it without Cooper Kupp? Will Sean Payton be able to reshape Russell Wilson back into the quarterback he once was? Is Deandre Hopkins washed or will he be a steal of a mid-round pick?

Are the flavors of the month for real?

There’s been a lot written about teams like the Lions and Jets, both expected to contend this year after years of mediocrity (and usually worse). Jacksonville is also expected to take another step after emerging from the disaster that was Urban Meyer to win the AFC South last year. Are they for real? Or all hype? We’ll learn more, beginning with the Lions opening with the toughest of tests against defending Super Bowl champ Kansas City on Thursday night.

Buckle up. It’s time to do this.

Categories: Fantasy Football