Fantasy Football: 1 player at each position that has emerged as a must-start the rest of 2023

The 2023 fantasy football season has already seen 10 weeks pass and through the windy, curving roads that is your fantasy season, managers have had to make some big adjustments this season. Whether it be due to injuries or players not performing to expectations, it has been a turbulent year.

But some things are starting to come into clear focus and as you guide your team toward the playoffs and into the final stretch of this season, these are things you need to begin to trust.

Like any good fantasy football advice, this is not going to be to tell you that Patrick Mahomes, CeeDee Lamb or Christian McCaffrey is a must-start for the rest of this season. That is obvious. But the cases of some of these players, at least when this season was at its midway point and in some cases, even more recently, were not as cut and dry.

If you have any of these players on your roster, unless you have an incredibly great option, start them every week going forward.

Must-Start QB: Sam Howell, Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy has his team putting the ball in the air quite often and Sam Howell is performing well under those circumstances, all the while racking up big points for his fantasy owners.

Howell has put the ball in the air at least 44 times in each of the team's last three games and he has gone over 300 yards passing in all of them. He has good options in the passing game as well as Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson are playmakers but players like Logan Thomas and Dyami Brown have made plays in recent weeks. In addition, running backs Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson have been great options in the passing game.

Howell appears to have a great understanding of this offense and though his play is not translating to success in terms of wins and losses, he is scoring a ton of fantasy points.

Think back to last year when Justin Fields, playing for one of the worst teams in the league, finished the season on a tear. He didn't win many games for his team but he won a lot of people a fantasy title. Look for Howell to have the same kind of conclusion to the 2023 campaign.

Must-Start RB: David Montgomery, Detroit Lions

You are likely already starting Montgomery every week but some owners may have become a bit worried with the emergence of Jahmyr Gibbs while he was out hurt. Stop fretting.

The last time we saw Montgomery on the field prior to this past week, he had just 14 yards on six carries before leaving with an injury. Gibbs took over the backfield and exploded. And while Gibbs has the love of the fantasy community, Montgomery is the better running back right now.

He showed that again when he returned to the field in Week 10, rushing for 116 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers. That included him breaking a 75-yard touchdown run.

If you haven't watched the Lions this season, they are a terrific running team as is but Montgomery gives them even more, running right at the defense with a no-nonsense approach. He is averaging 4.7 yards per carry this season.

In games, he gets stronger as the game goes on and can come in and really help the team close out games. he can easily do the same for your fantasy squad, coming into your lineup each week between now and the end of the season and rack up more points than most running backs in the league.

Make sure he is a starter for your team, regardless of how the team chooses to use Gibbs.

Must-Start WR: Tank Dell/Nico Collins, Houston Texans

You have to take advantage of this Houston Texans passing game between now and the end of the season. C.J. Stroud is playing at an incredibly high level and there is no indication that he is going to slow down.

But the team does not have a huge name in the passing game, at least in terms of name value. But if you have either Tank Dell or Nico Collins, you can't sit them going forward.

Collins has been nursing a calf injury that caused him to miss the team's Week 10 game, so that will have to be monitored, but Dell, a rookie, is having a fabulous year as well. In addition, as long as Collins is out, an even more under-the-radar name, Noah Brown, is a great option.

That's how good this Texans' passing game has been. Those three players are not only relevant in fantasy football, but poised to help their owners win a championship.

Collins and Dell are must-starts the rest of this season and Brown is a solid flex option the rest of the way too.

Must-Start TE: Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

For a position that has lacked great options this season, there are actually a few options to consider here as rookies Dalton Kincaid and Sam LaPorta also fit the bill. But Trey McBride is the perfect guy to have right now.

As soon as the Cardinals placed Zach Ertz on injured reserve, the door was open for last year's second-round pick. Many fantasy owners expected to see this right out of the gate from McBride, but he got off to a slow start, catching just 29 passes as a rookie.

He already has 36 catches so far this season and he is coming off of his first 100-yard game, coincidentally the same week the team got Kyler Murray back.

With Murray back and a lack of great receiving options on this team, McBride is poised to have a huge week every game for the rest of this season. In the three games since Ertz has been out of the lineup, McBride has been targeted 29 times and he has 21 receptions for 248 yards and a touchdown.

He will prove to be an excellent option over the next several weeks, perhaps boosting your fantasy team to the championship.