Bengals TE Hayden Hurst ran well ahead of #2 TE Drew Sample in Sunday's OT loss to the Steelers, playing 75% of the team's offensive snaps to Sample's 29%. More importantly, Hurst ran a route on 78.8% of Joe Burrow dropbacks, compared with Sample's rate of just 15.2%. Burrow's 53 pass attempts inflated volume for everyone, but Hurst's 8 targets ranked 3rd on the team and accounted for a solid 15.1% of total attempts. He caught 5 for 46 yards. Hurst looks like he belongs among the top 20 fantasy TEs going forward. Beyond that, we'll see -- including what Tee Higgins' return from a Week 1 concussion means for target shares.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow tossed 3 first-half INTs and took 4 sacks before the break in Sunday's OT loss to the Steelers. He settled down in the 2nd half, though, finishing with 338 yards, 2 TDs and 4 INTs on 53 pass attempts. The 7 sacks for the game might be most alarming for Burrow's outlook. His ability to salvage the fantasy line despite losing WR Tee Higgins to a 1st-half concussion, though, should remind you why you drafted the 3rd-year QB.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth racked up 10 targets in Sunday's OT win over the Bengals, accounting for 26.3% of QB Mitchell Trubisky's total attempts. Freiermuth caught half of those for 75 yards. That kind of inclusion puts Freiermuth in weekly starter consideration for fantasy football lineups.
Vikings TE Irv Smith played just 31% of the offensive snaps and ran a route on 45% of pass plays in Sunday's opener vs. the Packers. He finished catch-less on 2 targets. Smith wasn't listed on the Week 1 injury report, but we're assuming he was limited because he missed 3 weeks in August after thumb surgery. Smith's role figures to grow -- and he's worth keeping on fantasy rosters. But he can't be trusted in fantasy lineups until we see the route rate climb.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson led the team with 12 targets in the opener, claiming 31.6% of Pittsburgh's total pass attempts. Johnson caught 7 for 55 yards. WR Chase Claypool drew 6 looks, catching 4 for a mere 18 yards. Rookie George Pickens followed with 3, catching 1 but drawing defensive PI to negate a 4th target. That trio operated as the team's clear top 3 WRs. We'll see whether the QB play can improve to enhance the output going forward. Claypool added 6 rushing attempts for a team-high 36 yards, with a (supposedly minor) ankle injury limiting RB Najee Harris' playing time.
The rain was no joke in Chicago on Sunday, helping produce sub-50% completion rates for both the Bears and 49ers. QB Justin Fields attempted just 17 passes for the game, completing 8 for 121 yards and 2 TDs. Unfortunately for anyone who started WR Darnell Mooney or TE Cole Kmet, those scores went to WRs Dante Pettis and Equanimous St. Brown. RB David Montgomery led the team with 4 targets. Mooney tied for 2nd with just 3 looks, catching 1 for 8 yards. Kmet garnered just 1 target, which fell incomplete. Each guy did, at least, easily lead his position in Week 1 playing time. We're not altering our fantasy football outlooks for Mooney or Kmet based on the opener.
The Bears didn't need QB Justin Fields to do much in a rain-soaked victory over the 49ers Sunday. He completed 8 of just 17 pass attempts for 121 yards and 2 TDs, plus an INT. Fields found WR Dante Pettis for a 51-yard score in the 3rd quarter and Equanimeous St. Brown from 18 yards out in the 4th. The QB added just 28 yards on 11 carries. The weather definitely dampened the Week 1 production. We'll see whether a Week 2 visit to Green Bay can help make Fields a true fantasy starting option for a Week 3 home date with Houston.
Bears RB David Montgomery remained the clear #1 back in workload for Sunday's win over the 49ers. He beat Khalil Herbert 17-9 in carries and led the team with 4 targets (among just 17 Justin Fields pass attempts). Montgomery caught 3 of those for 24 yards, while Herbert caught his lone target for a loss of 2. Herbert proved more efficient on the ground, though, tallying 45 yards (5.0 per rush) and the team's lone rushing score vs. just 26 yards (1.5 per rush) for Montgomery. Playing time went a little more than double in Montgomery's favor (66% vs. 29%). We'll see whether that changes going forward. Rookie RB Trestan Ebner got onto the field for just 4 offensive snaps.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler registered a 49% snap rate and 18 opportunities (carries + targets) in the Week 1 win over the Raiders. He played 58+% of the offensive snaps in all 14 of his healthy games last season. Ekeler averaged 19.1 opportunities across those 14 games, dipping below 18 just 5 times. We'll continue to monitor Ekeler's usage going forward. He remains an obvious must-start but might not be the elite fantasy RB he was last year if the Chargers are serious about scaling back his snaps and touches.
Rex Burkhead operated as Houston's clear lead back in Sunday's opener vs. the Colts. He out-snapped RB Dameon Pierce 50 to 20, out-carried the rookie 14 to 11 and out-targeted him 8 to 1. Neither guy had any success on the ground, averaging 3.0 and 2.9 yards per carry, respectively. But Burkhead's usage has him on the fantasy radar for Week 2. We're still expecting Pierce's role to grow at Burkhead's expense throughout the season. But, for now, Pierce can't be trusted in fantasy lineups.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is expected to miss "more than a month" with the right thumb fracture he suffered in Sunday night's loss to the Bucs, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Prescott will have surgery on Monday. The team expects to have a firmer timetable for his return after the surgery. QB Cooper Rush is the next man up for the Cowboys. He went 7 of 13 for 64 yards in relief of Prescott on Sunday night and posted a 325-2-1 passing line in his lone full game last year. We'll see if Dallas makes an addition at QB.
Jags TE Evan Engram posted only 28 yards on 4 grabs in Sunday’s loss at Washington. Encouragingly, he ran a route on 78% of Trevor Lawrence’s dropbacks. But the veteran TE mustered only 4 targets — a 9.5% share. Ultimately, it’s far too early to make any sweeping conclusions about this offense after just 1 game under HC Doug Pederson. Next up is a matchup with a Colts defense that just allowed a pair of scores to Texans TE O.J. Howard.
Jags WR Christian Kirk finished Week 1 with a team-high 117 yards on 6 catches. He saw a hefty 28.5% target share. After a slow start, Kirk’s production really picked up in the 2nd half. The highlight was a 49-yard deep ball that showed Kirk’s impressive route-running and ability to track the ball. Trevor Lawrence’s play wasn’t exactly consistent in this one, but consider that Sunday was the first game alongside new HC Doug Pederson. Next up is a divisional showdown with the Colts.
Playing all 81 snaps in Week 1, Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase racked up 16 targets, 10 catches, 129 yards and 1 score. The monster line came against Pittsburgh in a game that lasted until the end of overtime. Tee Higgins also departed in the 1st half with a concussion. As we saw last year, Chase was electric with the ball in his hands, dodging several tacklers and showing top-end burst. He also had 2 near TDs that didn’t count: One where he likely crossed the goal line but HC Zac Taylor decided not to challenge, the other on a sweet one-handed grab where he couldn’t quite get his 2nd foot down. Chase will look to keep rolling next week against Dallas.
The 49ers lost RB Elijah Mitchell (knee) early in Sunday's loss to the Bears, which left Jeff Wilson Jr. as the clear backfield leader. With rookie RB Tyrion Davis-Price a healthy scratch, Wilson led RBs at 59% playing time and claimed 9 of 15 RB carries. He managed just 22 yards on the ground, adding 8 more on 2 receptions (2 targets). Deebo Samuel served as the other primary -- and only productive -- runner vs. Chicago, including scoring the team's only TD. RB Jordan Mason was active but didn't get onto the field. We'll see about the outlook for Mitchell's injury and who joins Wilson in the backfield. But he looks like the best bet to lead 49ers RBs in opportunities while Mitchell is out.
Niners WR Deebo Samuel fulfilled the Deebo Samuel role in Sunday's opening loss to the Bears. He drew a team-high 8 targets but caught just 2 for 14 yards in rain-drenched conditions. Samuel added 52 yards and a TD on 8 carries, trailing only QB Trey Lance among 49ers in rushing yards. We certainly can't count on rushing scores every week for Samuel, but the target count to go with the rushing work is encouraging. That's what lacked in the 2nd half of last year, when he was getting more handoffs than passing looks. Brandon Aiyuk drew just 2 target against the Bears, catching both for 40 yards. WR Jauan Jennings posted team highs of 4 receptions and 62 yards on 6 targets.
Niners QB Trey Lance completed just 13 of 28 passes for 164 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT in Sunday's rain-soaked loss at Chicago. He added 54 yards on 13 rushes, leading the team in both categories. The day presented tough weather conditions, but we can't shrug off the performance entirely. Week 2 should bring a friendlier setup: a home date with Seattle.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon was fed 27 carries and 9 targets in Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh. He turned the heavy workload into 145 total yards and 7 catches, the latter mark matching a career high. Sure, Joe Burrow tossed 53 passes in a game that lasted all 70 minutes. But it was still encouraging to see Mixon deliver as a pass-catcher following spotty production there last season. His 9 targets accounted for 17% of Burrow's total pass attempts, a rate in line with Mixon's increased passing game usage through last year's playoffs. Samaje Perine mixed in for only 1 carry and 3 catches (5 targets). Look for Mixon to remain busy this week at Dallas — especially if Tee Higgins (concussion) is sidelined.
In a game that lasted all of regulation and overtime, Bengals QB Joe Burrow tallied 338 yards and 2 TDs on 33 of 53 passing. Burrow added 4 INTs and took 7 sacks despite facing pressure on only 14.1% of his dropbacks, per TruMediaSports. Adding 47 rushing yards, Burrow really delivered for fantasy owners. His decision-making must get cleaned up, though. One particularly late throw to the outside was returned for 6 by S Minkah Fitzpatrick. Note that Burrow lost WR Tee Higgins to a concussion in the 1st half, making him questionable for a Week 2 matchup at Dallas.
Titans TE Austin Hooper trailed teammate Geoff Swaim in both snaps (69% vs. 62%) and targets (4-2) in Sunday's loss to the Giants. Swaim turned his 4 looks into a 3-19 receiving line, with Hooper catching just 1 ball for 6 yards. Rookie TE Chig Okonkwo added 1 catch for 11 yards and a carry for minus-4 while playing 15% of snaps. This looks like a committee situation to avoid as much as possible in fantasy football lineups.
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