Now that the 2023 NFL schedule has been released, we can dive right into all the big-time matchups and games loaded with fantasy superstars. Some of those games could have massive fantasy implications, including several that feature the top three teams in the AFC, the NFC’s defending champions and … the Detroit Lions?
SEE ALSO: 5 Fantasy Takeaways From 2023 NFL Schedule Release
Here’s my look at the top 10 fantasy matchups for next season.
1. Bengals at Chiefs (Week 17)
Patrick Mahomes vs. Joe Burrow in fantasy championship week? Does it get any better than that? Mahomes has averaged 20.4 fantasy points in his last four games against the Bengals (including the postseason), and Burrow has averaged 24.8 in those games. Add the likes of Travis Kelce, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Joe Mixon (among others), and this should be a real fantasy points bonanza. This game will also very likely be uber-important in determining the AFC postseason seedings.
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2. Bills at Chiefs (Week 15)
Mahomes vs. Burrow is awesome, but Mahomes vs. Josh Allen ain’t bad, either. These two teams have combined to average 57 points in their last five meetings, including a bananas postseason matchup in 2021 where the Chiefs won 42-36 in a thriller. Allen has averaged 28.4 fantasy points per game in those five contests, scoring a combined 15 touchdowns. The game also features an elite fantasy wideout in Chase and a superstar, Hall of Fame tight end in Kelce.
3. Bills at Bengals (Week 9)
Notice a trend here? Yes, anytime the top three teams in the AFC face off there’s a good chance we’ll see fantasy fireworks. Allen and Burrow will get at it in a Week 9 matchup that could have postseason implications. These two quarterbacks faced off once in their career, when the Bengals beat the Bills 27-10 in the 2021 playoffs. In that contest, Burrow had two touchdowns and scored 20.8 points. The two teams did play last season, but the game never concluded after Damar Hamlin collapsed.
4. Dolphins at Chiefs (Week 9)
In one of the NFL’s international series games, two of the league’s prolific offenses will battle in the “Tyreek Hill revenge game.” This contest is loaded with fantasy stars from Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Tua Tagovailoa to Mahomes, Kelce and Isiah Pacheco (and/or) Jerick McKinnon. Hill is going to want to make a statement against the team that traded him, so expect both offenses to be clicking in Frankfort, Germany.
5. Eagles at Chiefs (Week 11)
A rematch of Super Bowl LVII, this is also a matchup full of fantasy superstars. In the big game, a 38-35 Chiefs win, Mahomes and Jalen Hurts combined for seven total touchdowns including three on the ground from the latter. We also saw huge fantasy games from Kelce, Pacheco, DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert. In all, these juggernauts combined for 73 points and 757 yards of total offense.
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(AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
6. Bills at Eagles (Week 12)
A potential Super Bowl preview, this will be the first game where Allen and Hurts will face off against one another. A season ago, these two teams combined to field two top-three quarterbacks, two top-nine wide receivers, and a tight end who ranked fifth at the position in terms of points per game averages. The Eagles have a great defense and are even tougher at home, but this should still be a barnburner.
7. Chiefs at Vikings (Week 5)
When you have the best quarterback, wide receiver and tight end in fantasy football all on one field, it should equate to big-time production. That’s what we’ll see in this matchup with Mahomes, Justin Jefferson and Kelce in what should be a high-scoring affair. The Vikings averaged the eighth-most points among home offenses at 24.9 a game last season, but their defense allowed the fifth-most points to offenses there, too.
8. 49ers at Eagles (Week 13)
A rematch of the 2022 NFC Championship Game, the Niners will have revenge on their minds after being blown out in a game where Brock Purdy was injured. If we assume both teams are at full strength, this will be a battle of the two best teams in the NFC and it could have postseason implications. From Hurts, D’Andre Swift, Brown, Smith and Goedert on the Eagles side and Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle for the Niners, we can probably throw the defenses out the window and expect a plethora of fantasy points.
9. Raiders at Lions (Week 8)
You might think this is an odd choice on the surface, but the Lions offense averaged the most points (33.1 PPG) and yards (412.1 YPG) among home teams last season. On the flip side, their defense allowed the fourth-most points (25.3 PPG) and the most yards (398.2 YPG) to opposing teams at Ford Field. The Raiders defense gave up the seventh-most points (24.6 PPG) and the fifth-most yards (365.6 YPG) overall last season, so this has all the makings of an absolute fantasy shootout.
10. Cowboys at Bills (Week 15)
A rematch of Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII (O.K., it was a while ago but you get it), the Cowboys and Bills should light up the scoreboard in Orchard Park. The contest will include a matchup of brothers, as Stefon and Trevon Diggs will match up in what should be a high-scoring affair. While the weather could become an issue (a game in Buffalo in mid-December holds that risk), there’s no denying the fantasy star power this contest has with Allen, Diggs, Dak Prescott, Tony Pollard and CeeDee Lamb.
