Cowboys QB Dak Prescott completed 13 of 24 attempts for 143 passing yards without any TDs or INTs in Sunday night’s win vs. the Giants. The veteran also added another 6 yards as a rusher in Week 1. An early blocked FG TD and a 22-yard INT return for a TD each occurred in primetime action before the end of the first quarter. The fact of the matter is that Prescott didn’t need to have a massive game for Dallas to pull out the victory. Considering how big of a blowout this 40-0 game was before halftime, it isn’t easy to take much away from the contest for fantasy purposes. Prescott and company are set to square off against the Jets in Week 2.
Packers RB Aaron Jones didn't sound concerned about the hamstring injury that knocked him out of Sunday's win over the Bears. Jones told reporters afterward that he felt his hamstring "bite" at the end of his TD catch but that it's nowhere near as bad as previous hamstring pulls he's dealt with, per insider Ryan Wood. Jones added that he could have returned if the game was still in doubt. It sounds like he has a good chance to play vs. the Falcons next Sunday, but we'll keep a close eye on Jones' status throughout the coming week.
Broncos RB Javonte Williams led the backfield in snaps, carries, and targets in Week 1, his first regular-season game since October's multi-ligament knee injury. Williams played 48% of the offensive snaps, carried 13 times for 52 yards, and caught four of six targets for five yards. That's 19 total opportunities to RB Samaje Perine's 12 and RB Jaleel McLaughlin's one. It was encouraging usage for Williams coming off that devastating injury. His volume should only grow going forward.
Titans WR Treylon Burks drew an uneventful 3 targets in Sunday's loss to the Saints, trailing WR DeAndre Hopkins, WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and RB Tyjae Spears. But Burks played more offensive snaps than any skill-position player besides QB Ryan Tannehill. His 57 snaps led Hopkins by 8. Burks also ran one more route than Hopkins, despite recently returning from a knee injury. Burks will obviously need to turn the playing-time edge into more targets before we can put him in fantasy lineups. But these numbers make Burks' opener look better than his receiving stats do.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert finished Week 1 with just 228 passing yards and 1 TD. A short-range toss to TE Donald Parham accounted for his only passing score. Herbert added a second score on a QB sneak, but there wasn’t much to speak of otherwise. Keenan Allen led the way with 6 grabs for 76 yards. Mike Williams — who left briefly for a concussion check — tallied just 45 yards on 4 catches. And Round 1 rookie Quentin Johnston mixed in for only 9 yards on 2 receptions. Overall, a slow start isn’t a total surprise given the presence of new OC Kellen Moore (plus a talented Miami defense). Keep expectations high for Sunday’s matchup at Tennessee.
Broncos QB Russell Wilson played OK in his first game under new HC Sean Payton. He was efficient but conservative, completing 79.4% of his passes at only 5.2 yards per attempt. He didn't turn it over and tossed TDs to WRs Courtland Sutton and Lil'Jordan Humphrey. Wilson spread the ball around to 10 different pass-catchers, with none of them catching more than five balls. He was playing without WR Jerry Jeudy and lost TE Greg Dulcich in-game to a leg injury. We'll see when those guys return, but don't expect to see Wilson close to the top 12 in our Week 2 Rankings in a matchup vs. the Commanders.
Fantasy owners have no reason to complain about Austin Ekeler’s Week 1. He posted 26.4 PPR points on 20 touches, powered by one score and a sweet 55-yard run up the gut. He could have had even more, though. Justin Herbert scored on the ground from one yard out. Ekeler also watched Josh Kelley score from 2 yards out and handle 16 carries. New OC Kellen Moore seems to favor a rotation, but we’re far from concerned about Ekeler’s season-long outlook. He remains a high-end RB1.
Raiders WR Davante Adams was relatively quiet in Sunday's season-opening win over the Broncos, catching six balls for 66 scoreless yards. He dealt with tough coverage from All-Pro CB Patrick Surtain for much of the contest. The good news is that Adams drew nine targets -- a big 34.6% share on a day when QB Jimmy Garoppolo threw it just 26 times. Adams won't have many tougher matchups than this one going forward. And he'll remain a fantasy WR1 if he continues to see that type of volume.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs did not have a big fantasy day in the Week 1 win over Denver, totaling 71 scoreless yards. But he remained a workhorse, despite re-joining the team just about two weeks ago. Jacobs handled 19 of Vegas' 20 RB carries and three of the five RB targets. His 88% share of his team's backfield opportunities (carries + targets) is the second highest on the week through the Sunday afternoon games. If this type of usage holds -- and we think it will -- Jacobs will have no problem scoring as a RB1. Week 2 brings a tough spot in Buffalo, but Jacobs' volume should keep him in fantasy lineups.
Dolphins TE Durham Smythe led the team with 33 routes run in Week 1. The former Round 4 pick came close to hauling in one TD, but he ultimately wound up with 3 grabs for 44 yards on a 15.5% target share. Not bad for a guy believed to be an afterthought in Miami’s top-heavy offense. We’re not rushing out to grab Smythe in fantasy circles — but he is a name to monitor in deep (or TE premium) formats.
Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill started hot, snagging 11 balls for 215 yards and 2 TDs in a win over Los Angeles. His yardage marked the third-most in a season-opener in league history, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Hill scored from deep and in close, showcasing his extraordinary burst throughout the game. On the day, Hill saw a 33.3% target share and accounted for 46.1% of Tua Tagovailoa’s 466(!) passing yards. If Tua continues to cook, Hill will retain an overall WR1 upside for the road ahead. The upcoming schedule just isn’t a cakewalk: at New England, vs. Denver, and at Buffalo.
Panthers RB Miles Sanders overcame a fumble to post 98 total yards on 22 touches. He lost out on 9 carries and 2 targets to Chuba Hubbard, who posted the more efficient day (6.7 YPC to 4.0). Still, we’re encouraged by Sanders’ use in the passing game, where he finished 2nd on the team in catches. He’ll need improvement from Bryce Young to boost the scoring outlook. But we expect the top pick to improve as he gains experience. Sanders will face a Saints run D that allowed 5.0 YPC to Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears in the opener.
Panthers TE Hayden Hurst parlayed 7 targets into 5 catches, 41 yards, and 1 TD in Sunday’s loss to Atlanta. A banged-up Carolina WR corps certainly helped shuffle targets to the TE. But recall that he signed a deal with $13 million in guarantees this past offseason. We look for him to continue posting low-end starter lines in the future — especially if the TE position continues to underproduce. Hurst will remain on the streaming radar for a Monday night tilt with New Orleans.
Bears WR D.J. Moore struggled in his debut vs. the Packers, recording only 2 catches on as many targets for 25 yards. Teammate Darnell Mooney led the team with 7 targets, 4 catches, and 53 yards, along with a receiving TD. It’s bizarre that Moore saw such little volume, considering three different Bears (Mooney, TE Cole Kmet, RB Roschon Johnson) saw 7 targets in the Week 1 loss. Moore’s totals are even more puzzling when realizing that his new QB, Justin Fields, attempted 37 passes, two fewer than his career-high of 39 (2021 Week 15). Hopefully, the veteran can regroup in Week 2 vs. a Buccaneers defense that surrendered the second-most passing yards (344) in the NFL on Sunday. We'll chalk this one up to the occasional bad luck game for now.
Bears RB Khalil Herbert struggled in Week 1 vs. the Packers, tallying only 27 rushing yards on 9 carries in the divisional loss. He also added 3 catches on 5 targets for 37 yards as a receiver. Despite winning the RB1 job outright in training camp, Herbert fell victim to rookie Roschon Johnson vulturing a goal-line TD in the fourth quarter of play. Johnson also received more targets (7) and only 2 fewer touch opportunities than Herbert in Week 1. The distribution of the RB workloard was so messy that it’ll be tough to trust any Bears back in Week 2 vs. the Buccaneers. However, that shouldn’t stop fantasy managers from checking Johnson’s availability off the waiver wire in deep leagues.
Patriots TE Hunter Henry caught 5 of 6 targets in Sunday's loss to the Eagles, collecting 56 yards and a TD. His 6 targets made up just 11.1% of QB Mac Jones' 54 attempts on a day of abnormally high passing volume. Henry doubled TE Mike Gesicki's target count against the Eagles. Henry will push for fantasy-starter consideration in an upside Week 2 matchup with the Dolphins.
Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson managed just 25 yards on 12 carries against the Eagles Sunday. He made up for that (in PPR leagues, at least) with 6 catches for 64 yards on 6 targets. That marked just 11.1% target share among QB Mac Jones' 54 pass attempts. Elliott actually edged Stevenson with 7 targets, catching 5 for 14 yards. We'll see how the distribution looks in lower-volume games. Stevenson did get a solid 60% share of RB carries, with Ezekiel Elliott taking 7 and Ty Montgomery 1. Stevenson and the Patriots get an upside matchup with the Dolphins in Week 2. If Elliott maintains that kind of receiving share, he could be a standalone fantasy option in deeper leagues. But we'd like to see another game before boosting him to that level.
Bears QB Justin Fields posted 24 completions on 37 attempts for 216 passing yards with 1 TD and 1 INT in Sunday’s loss vs. the Packers. The speedster also added 59 yards on 9 carries with a lost fumble in the contest. It’s too early in the season to declare the Bears’ experiment of supporting Fields’ passing a failure, though fantasy managers didn’t see much evidence of a step forward in Week 1. It certainly wasn't for a lack of passing volume, either. Their big offseason acquisition, WR D.J. Moore, recorded just 2 catches for 25 yards. Fields will have a chance to bounce back in Week 2 vs. the Buccaneers, a team that surrendered the second-most passing yards (344) in the NFL on Sunday.
Patriots QB Mac Jones threw for 316 yards and 3 TDs on 35-of-54 passing. He hit WR Kendrick Bourne for a pair of scores and TE Hunter Henry for the other. Jones also took just 2 sacks against a Philly D that racked up 70 last season. Overall, it was an impressive outing for a pass offense that stunk in 2022. Jones looks like at least a solid superflex play for a Week 2 home date with the Dolphins. Weeks 3 and 4 look tougher on the road against the Jets and Cowboys.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne led the team with 11 targets in Sunday's loss to the Eagles, catching 6 for 64 yards and 2 TDs. It helped that WR DeVante Parker was inactive, and that QB Mac Jones attempted 54 passes in the game. Five other Patriots drew 6 or 7 targets. Rookie Demario Douglas tied for second on the team with 7 targets, catching 4 for 40 yards. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster matched him in targets and receptions while tallying 33 yards. We'll see what target and playing-time distribution look like going forward, especially once Parker returns. Bourne gets an upside matchup with the Dolphins in Week 2 before tougher spots against the Jets and Cowboys the following two weeks. Don't be surprised if Bourne remains outside the top 36 in our WR rankings for Week 2, however. The veteran has had other splash weeks in his two Patriots seasons but hasn't been able to sustain production.
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