Everything to Know for Fantasy Football in Week 1

Plus, college football and NFL ATS picks and fantasy football lineup advice.

The Lions left Kansas City with a statement win on Thursday over the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

Even if you believed the hype, it’s fair to be a bit surprised by the outcome of the opener.

Dan Campbell wasn’t. After his team’s 21-20 win, he was asked what he learned and responded: “I didn’t learn anything. I got verification of what I already knew.”

The Lions’ Super Bowl odds are already on the move. Earlier this week, they were +2000 to win the Big Game but those odds dropped to +1600 (tied with the Jets for seventh-best) after Thursday’s win.

That was fun. Let’s do it all over again Sunday.

In today’s Winners Club you’ll find:

• Fantasy football Start ’Em, Sit ’Em
• Week 1 NFL ATS picks and predictions
• College football best bets for Week 2

Fantasy Football Lineup Decisions

The first Sunday of the 2023 NFL season is nearly here and the league is all systems go. Well, almost. Travis Kelce did not suit up Thursday and Rams receiver Cooper Kupp (hamstring) has already been ruled out for Week 1 against the Seahawks.

George Kittle (groin), Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) and Christian Watson (hamstring), among other key fantasy contributors, are also questionable heading into the weekend. Keep up with injury news before lineups lock Sunday afternoon here.

Injuries are inevitable in fantasy football, but you want to be sure you trot out the best possible lineup each and every week. That’s the goal of Michael Fabiano’s famous Start ’Em, Sit ’Em series as well as his player rankings, which you can consult below.

Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: QB | RB | WR | TE | K & D/ST

Player Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | FLEX | D&ST | K

Jen Piacenti also took a look at some of the games with the highest over/unders of the week to inform her DFS lineup decisions. Find out which players (and which QB-TE stack) Piacenti prefers for Sunday’s slate and she also has a few bargain recommendations to round out your lineup.

NFL Week 1 Picks and Lines

For the most part, this weekend’s spreads are relatively tight. Only two teams (Ravens and Commanders) are favored by more than a touchdown and four games are projected to be decided by less than a field goal.

Matt Verderame weighed in with one matchup that will define each contest this week and Verderame, Gilberto Manzano and I ranked the five best Week 1 games to bet on and offered score predictions and against the spread and over/under picks for each.

Manzano also zeroed in on five over/under bets he likes in Sunday’s games.

JAMIE GERMANO / USA TODAY NETWORK

And if you’re interested in straight-up picks, the MMQB staff picked every single game. (The Titans and Packers were both popular upset picks).

1 p.m. ET (FOX): Panthers vs. Falcons (-3.5) | Total: 39.5

1 p.m. ET (CBS): Bengals (-1.5) vs. Browns | Total: 47.5

1 p.m. ET (FOX): Jaguars (-4.5) vs. Colts | Total: 46.5

1 p.m. ET (CBS): Buccaneers vs. Vikings (-5.5) | Total: 45.5

1 p.m. ET (CBS): Titans vs. Saints (-3.5) | Total: 41.5

1 p.m. ET (FOX): 49ers (-2.5) vs. Steelers | Total: 41.5

1 p.m. ET (FOX): Cardinals vs. Commanders (-7.5) | Total: 37.5

1 p.m. ET (CBS): Texans vs. Ravens (-9.5) | Total: 43.5

4:25 p.m. ET (FOX): Packers vs. Bears (-1.5) | Total: 41.5

4:25 p.m. ET (CBS): Raiders vs. Broncos (-3.5) | Total: 44.5

4:25 p.m. ET (CBS): Eagles (-3.5) vs. Patriots | Total: 44.5

4:25 p.m. ET (CBS): Dolphins vs. Chargers (-3.5) | Total: 50.5

4:25 p.m. ET (FOX): Rams vs. Seahawks (-4.5) | Total: 45.5

8:20 p.m. ET (NBC): Cowboys (-3.5) vs. Giants | Total: 44.5

8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN): Bills (-2.5) vs. Jets | Total: 45.5*

*Monday Night Football

Colorado Storms Into Week 2 in the Top 25

There were plenty of upsets when the college football season began in earnest last weekend. One of the most shocking was Colorado’s 45-42 triumph over then-No. 17 TCU on the road. Now, Coach Prime, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter find themselves not only ranked No. 22 but installed as 3.5-point favorites in Boulder against a Nebraska team that was once favored to beat the Buffaloes by more than a touchdown.

Find out what the best play is when Colorado hosts the Cornhuskers on Saturday.

Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports

No. 13 Oregon wowed in Week 1 with an 81-7 rout of Portland State while Texas Tech’s season got off to an inauspicious start when it was upset by Wyoming, 35-33., in double overtime. Bo Nix and the Ducks head to Lubbock as 6.5-point favorites as the Red Raiders look to correct course and Tyler Shough gets a crack at his former team.

See which team you should take when Oregon takes on Texas Tech on Saturday night.

For more college football picks, see who Richard Johnson and Pat Forde are riding with this weekend. They’re split on a handful of games but they both like the Longhorns to cover on the road against the Crimson Tide.

Top-25 Action

3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2): No. 20 Ole Miss (-7.5) vs. No. 24 Tulane | Total: 66.5

7 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 11 Texas vs. No. 3 Alabama (-7.5) | Total: 53.5

Other Games for Your Consideration

12 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 10 Notre Dame (-7.5) vs. N.C. State | Total: 50.5

3:30 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 23 Texas A&M (-3.5) vs. Miami | Total: 51.5

7:30 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 19 Wisconsin (-5.5) vs. Washington State | Total: 58.5

In Other News

Chiefs Stand Atop Preseason Power Rankings: To no surprise, the defending champs and Super Bowl favorites come in at No. 1 (of course, that was before their Thursday night loss to Detroit). See where the rest of the league stands between top-ranked Kansas City and last-place Arizona.

Super Bowl, Playoffs and Award Predictions: The Bengals are a popular pick to win their first-ever Lombardi Trophy this season. See which of our experts picked Cincinnati and who believes the Chiefs can pull off the first repeat in two decades.

AFC Leads the Way in Week 1 QB Rankings: Four of the top five signal-callers hail from the AFC. Find out where Trevor Lawrence stands heading into Year 3 and see where the first-round rookie quarterbacks are ranked.

Joe Burrow Inks Record-Breaking Contract: The Bengals’ franchise quarterback is now the highest-paid player in NFL history after he signed a deal worth up to $275 million, with over $219 million in guaranteed money.

Predicting NFL Statistical Category Leaders: With the season officially underway, see SI’s predictions for which players will lead the league in everything from passing touchdowns to total tackles.

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That’s all for today, but be sure to keep up with @SI_Betting and @SI_Fantasy throughout the weekend for continued coverage as kickoff approaches. Go get that Week 1 W.