NFL Week 1 Tiers Picks

Fantasy Alarm is proud to bring you insight and advice for playing in your Splash Sports tiers contest for Week 1 of the NFL season. The rules are quite simple, each tier consists of 10 players for Week 1. You as the competitor are picking one player from each of the tiers to roster on your squad for the week. Each player accumulates fantasy points for their performance in the game. Whichever player has the most fantasy points at the end of the contest wins.

Tiers Contest Scoring

• 4 points per passing TD
• 1 point per 25 passing yards
• 3 points for a 300+ Yard Passing Game
• -1 point per interception
• 6 points per rushing touchdown
• 1 point per 10 rushing yards
• 3 points for a 100+ Yard Rushing Game
• 6 points per receiving touchdown
• 1 point per 10 receiving yards
• 3 points for a 100+ Yard Receiving Game
• 6 points per Punt/Kickoff/FG Return for TD
• -1 points per lost fumble
• 1 point per reception

Start a 2023 NFL Tiers Contest

Run your own tiers contest on Splash Sports for the 2023 NFL season! Customize your contest size and entry fee, and compete against your family and friends all season long.

Tier Picks For NFL Week 1

Tier 1

• Josh Allen, QB Buffalo Bills
• Jalen Hurts, QB Philadelphia Eagles
• Justin Fields, QB Chicago Bears
• Joe Burrow, QB Cincinnati Bengals
• Ja’Marr Chase, WR Cincinnati Bengals
• Lamar Jackson, QB Baltimore Ravens
• Justin Herbert, QB Los Angeles Charges
• Justin Jefferson, WR Minnesota Vikings
• Dak Prescott, QB Dallas Cowboys
• Stefon Diggs, WR  Buffalo Bills

Pick: Lamar Jackson, QB Baltimore Ravens - Let’s kick the Todd Monken era off with a boom, shall we? The new Baltimore Ravens OC is set to change the way the Ravens run their offense with more spread formations and a downfield passing attack that will not only help preserve the team’s franchise QB but also give him more favorable fronts to run against. In Week 1 the Ravens draw a home matchup against the Houston Texans who figure to once again boast a bottom-tier defense. Jackson’s elite rushing upside is a huge benefit in this format where you only get four points for a passing TD. I look for the Ravens' new-look offense to set the tone for the season early and for Jackson to show why he is a former league MVP.

Tier 2

• Deshaun Watson, QB Cleveland Browns
• Christian McCaffrey, RB San Francisco 49ers
• Trevor Lawrence, QB Jacksonville Jaguars
• Austin Ekeler, RB Los Angeles Chargers
• Tyreek Hill, WR Miami Dolphins
• Cooper Kupp, WR Los Angeles Rams
• Daniel Jones, QB New York Giants
• Tua Tagovailoa, QB Miami Dolphins
• Russell Wilson, QB Denver Broncos
• Saquon Barkley, RB New York Giants
  

Pick: Trevor Lawrence, QB Jacksonville Jaguars - The Jaguars made waves when they acquired suspended wide receiver Calvin Ridley from the Atlanta Falcons but with his suspension over we now look to Trevor Lawrence who is coming off of a breakout sophomore season and now has a legitimate top tier wide receiver to throw the football too. While there are certainly some appealing names in this tier, I’m looking for Lawrence to take yet another step forward this season and that begins with his Week 1 matchup against the Colts where I think he and Calvin Ridley put the league on notice that the Jaguars are indeed a team to worry about in the AFC.

Tier 3

• Jordan Love, QB Green Bay Packers
• Aaron Rodgers, QB New York Jets
• A.J. Brown, WR Philadelphia Eagles
• Geno Smith, QB Seattle Seahawks
• Ceedee Lamb, WR Dallas Cowboys
• Kirk Cousins, QB Minnesota Vikings
• Davante Adams, WR Las Vegas Raiders
• Brock Purdy, QB San Francisco 49ers
• Anthony Richardson, QB Indianapolis Colts
• Bryce Young, QB Carolina Panthers
  

Pick: Kirk Cousins, QB Minnesota Vikings - This was not an easy tier to pick from as the wide receivers are all elite talents but have tough matchups so I will settle in on a home QB against what could be one of the worst teams in football this season in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I don’t love that you get just four points for a passing touchdown but you do get a bonus for a 300-yard passing game and I think we get that from Cousins here as he is loaded heading into the year with Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson and rookie Jordan Addison ready to carry this Vikings offense.  
‍

Tier 4

• Matthew Stafford, QB Los Angeles Rams
• Sam Howell, QB Washington Commanders
• CJ Stroud, QB Houston Texans
• Kenny Pickett, QB Pittsburgh Steelers
• Derek Carr, QB Las Vegas Raiders
• Mac Jones, QB New England Patriots
• Nick Chubb, RB Cleveland Browns
• Devonta Smith, WR Philadelphia Eagles
• Jimmy Garoppolo, QB Las Vegas Raiders
• Jaylen Waddle, WR Miami Dolphins
  

Pick: Nick Chubb, RB Cleveland Browns - The QB trend ends in Tier 4 with Nick Chubb getting the call. The Browns open the season at home against the Cincinnati Bengals in a matchup that could set the tone for the Browns season. Expectations are that the Browns offense will look much improved with Deshaun Watson now settled in and ready for a full NFL season for the first time in over three years. With Nick Chubb, the team no longer has Kareem Hunt which could lead to Chubb seeing increased usage in the passing offense and we already know what he is capable of when it comes to running the football after rushing for 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.

Tier 5

• Ryan Tannehill, QB Tennessee Titans
• Baker Mayfield, QB Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• DJ Moore, WR Chicago Bears
• Tee Higgins, WR Cincinnati Bengals
• Bijan Robinson, RB Atlanta Falcons
• Keenan Allen, WR Los Angeles Chargers
• Derrick Henry, RB Tennessee Titans
• Desmond Ridder, QB Atlanta Falcons
• Garrett Wilson, WR New York Jets
• James Conner, RB Arizona Cardinals
  

Pick: Bijan Robinson, RB Atlanta Falcons - If Robinson is the player everyone thinks he is going to be this season then this is likely the last time we see him in Tier 5 so why not throw the dart with a high upside play? He is going to be a factor in both the running and passing game which is a bonus in this full-PPR scoring format. The matchup also isn’t too shabby with the Falcons drawing a home start against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. In Arthur Smith’s run-heavy offense, we should see Robinson with plenty of usage in this one.

Tier 6

• Chris Olave, WR New Orleans Saints
• Michael Pittman, WR Indianapolis Colts
• Amari Cooper, WR Cleveland Browns
• Josh Jacobs, RB Las Vegas Raiders
• Calvin Ridley, WR Jacksonville Jaguars
• Rhamondre Stevenson, RB New England Patriots
• Travis Etienne Jr., RB Jacksonville Jaguars
• Chris Godwin, WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Najee Harris, RB Pittsburgh Steelers
• Brandon, Aiyuk, WR San Francisco 49ers
  

Pick: Calvin Ridley, WR Jacksonville Jaguars - We come full circle in Tier 6. We selected Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence in Tier 2 and we finish our roster with Jacksonville Jaguar WR Calvin Ridley. The last time we saw Ridley play a full season in the NFL he was a menace, finishing as the WR5 overall in fantasy. He has the upside to not only be a target monster but also having the ability to stretch the field and be a key red zone threat. We saw Ridley and Lawrence connect on a nice downfield play in the team’s last preseason game and all reports from Jaguars camp is that Ridley is looking as fast as ever. It’s important to remember that Ridley missed all of last season due to suspension, not injury, and he is by all accounts in shape and ready to return to the form of being an elite pass catcher. He is not a Tier 6 player so let’s take advantage here.

‍