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Fantasy Football Player Notes

Week 1 Rankings

Geno Smith Note
Geno Smith photo 10. Geno Smith (vs . LAR)
Geno Smith is an overlooked gem for Week 1 of the 2023 NFL fantasy season. The Seahawks quarterback averaged an impressive 19.4 fantasy points per game last season, tied for 6th in the league. Seattle boasts a strong implied team total (25.5) against the completely overhauled Rams defense, which ranks 32nd in secondary per PFF. With youth and growing pains on the Rams' side, Smith, as a 5-point home favorite, is set to shine. He's had success against the Rams in the past, averaging nearly 22 fantasy points per game last year, making him a solid option to start, especially if Jaxon Smith-Njigba is unavailable. Double stacking Smith with D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett could pay big dividends in DFS formats. If you landed Smith as your late-round drafted QB, you are in good hands for Week 1.
27 weeks ago
Sam Howell Note
Sam Howell photo 19. Sam Howell (vs . LAR)
The second-year man out of UNC impressed over the summer and preseason contests to earn the starting job in the nation's capital. I for one, am not too surprised considering every time Howell has gotten an opportunity to play, he has performed well. During the preseason, he completed 76% of his passes for 265 yards and 3 TDs. Good for an impressive 122.0 passer rating. And during his Week 18 start last year, Howell was equally as effective. Averaged 8.8 yards per attempt with two TDs (one passing, one rushing) and 35 yards on the ground to boot. Again, his early success is not surprising to any that followed his college profile. When he had legitimate NFL talent around him at North Carolina back in 2020, he finished as the nation's sixth highest-graded quarterback (92.3) and fourth-best deep passer (98.0). Howell's got all the tools to be a fantasy-friendly quarterback, and there's no better spot for him to be in than against a lowly Arizona Cardinals defense that is playing for the 2024 season. They boast PFF"s 32nd-ranked defensive line and 29th-ranked secondary. This defense is potentially WORSE than it was last season, when it was a consensus bottom-10 unit in most metrics, "highlighted" by allowing the league's second-highest passer rating.
27 weeks ago