Fantasy Football: Week 1 position previews
BOSTON -- With most fantasy drafts all wrapped up, it's officially time to start the season.
The NFL will kick off its 2023 campaign on Thursday night in Kansas City, bringing millions of fantasy football players along for the ride.
The season is a marathon, not a sprint, so the whole year won't be made or broken in Week 1. Still, there's no better feeling than getting out to a 1-0 start.
To help with that goal, CBS Sports' fantasy expert Chris Towers has provided some rankings at each position for Week 1.
Quarterbacks
It's Week 1, so the list of top quarterbacks looks like you'd expect. It's got Patrick Mahomes (vs. Detroit) at the top, followed by Josh Allen (@ NY Jets), Jalen Hurts (@ New England), Lamar Jackson (vs. Houston) and Joe Burrow (@ Cleveland).
Interestingly, Las Vegas quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (@ Denver) is at the bottom of the list, with Baker Mayfield (@ Minnesota) and rookies Bryce Young (@ Atlanta) and C.J. Stroud (@ Baltimore) rounding out the bottom four.
And though there may be optimism for Mac Jones in New England, he ranks 28th on Towers' Week 1 list against the Eagles.
Read the full quarterback rankings on CBSSports.com.
Running Backs
It's Week 1, which means Christian McCaffrey is healthy ... which means Christian McCaffrey at Pittsburgh is the top choice at running back.
He's followed by Austin Ekeler (vs. Miami), rookie Bijan Robinson (vs. Carolina), Saquon Barkley (vs. Dallas) and Josh Jacobs (@ Denver).
Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson is RB13 for Towers, while Ezekiel Elliot is down at No. 46 for his first game with New England.
Read the full running back rankings on CBSSports.com.
Wide Receivers
With Cooper Kupp, Jerry Jeudy, Terry McLaurin and Jaxon Smith-Njigba all looking doubtful for Week 1, Towers' top picks at the position are Justin Jefferson (vs. Tampa Bay), Ja'Marr Chase (@ Cleveland), Tyreek Hill (@ L.A. Chargers), Stefon Diggs (@ N.Y. Jets) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (@ Kansas City). Just outside the top five is A.J. Brown, who's going against the Patriots.
Rookie Quentin Johnston sits at the bottom of the list at No. 75, while the top Patriots receiver is JuJu Smith-Schuster at No. 36.
Read the full wide receiver rankings on CBSSports.com.
Tight Ends
There's nothing too surprising atop this list, starting with Travis Kelce (vs. Detroit) in the top spot, followed by Mark Andrews (vs. Houston), T.J. Hockenson (vs. Tampa Bay), Darren Waller (vs. Dallas), Dallas Goedert (@ New England), Kyle Pitts (vs. Carolina) and George Kittle (@ Pittsburgh).
Towers likes Tyler Higbee as TE8, as Cooper Kupp's absence could lead to more opportunities.
New England's Hunter Henry is all the way down at No. 27 on the list of 30 tight ends.