Week 1 is in the books, and out of the four leagues I partake in, I went 2-2. It’s tough to lose in fantasy after staring at your team, thinking how amazing it is. The loss is especially tough when you had Tyreek Hill give you 50 points (my league has big bonuses) but still end up losing by a point. It’s still early in the season, so I wouldn’t encourage overreacting, but some interesting trends seem to be developing. Before we start, your top-performing Dolphins:
Tyreek Hill: 44.5 Tua Tagovailoa: 27.14
River Cracraft: 13 Raheem Mostert: 13
Jaylen Waddle: 11.8 Jason Sanders: 14
Studs
Excluding quarterbacks, ten players scored two touchdowns in the season’s first week. It was an even split with five running backs and five receivers. For quarterbacks, three guys threw for three scores (our man Tua being one of them), and seven more threw for two touchdowns. Long story short, there was a lot of scoring going on in the first week.
Your position leaders, according to ESPN PPR scoring, are as follows:
Quarterback: Tua Tagovailoa 27.14
Running Back: Aaron Jones 26.7
Wide Reciever: Tyreek Hill 44.5
Tight End: Hunter Henry 16.6
Defense/ST: Cowboys 35
Kicker: Jake Elliot/Nick Folk 18.0
Having any of these players on your team most likely led you to victory unless you had my luck, but we won’t speak on that anymore. Several players exceeded expectations. Take Brandon Aiyuk on the 49ers, for example, who was second to Hill with 32.9. Jakobi Meyers also shined in his Raiders debut with 29.1. This could be attributed to Davante Adams being shadowed by Patrick Surtain II, but it’s worth a look if you need receiver help. Remember that Meyers did leave the field with an injury and is currently in the concussion protocol.
On the running back side of things, Austin Ekeler and Christian McCaffrey both had games worthy of the first round you drafted them in. Rounding out the top five running backs were Tyler Allgeier and Tony Pollard; one of them was a surprise. When the Atlanta Falcons drafted Bijan Robinson with the eighth overall pick, it was presumed he would be the starter, and by all accounts, he is. However, it seems like Head Coach Arthur Smith is relying on the “thunder and lightning” mentality, with Allgeier being the thunder. Allgeier carried the ball 15 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns, leading him to a 24.4 fantasy score; that’s RB2/Flex territory if he can stay consistent.
Duds
Playing fantasy football involves inherent risks, such as disappointment with the guys you thought were “sure to hit.” Some players who were drafted in the top six rounds ended up scoring under five fantasy points. Jahmyr Gibbs comes to mind with only 8.0 points. Although his usage was low, he did seem explosive, so perhaps more snaps will be on the way as he continues to impress the Lions’ coaching staff. A receiver that some may have believed to have upside was Drake London on the Falcons; London provided fantasy managers with the proverbial “goose egg” (another reason I lost even with Tyreek Hill). Starting running backs like Saquon Barkley, Joe Mixon, and Josh Jacobs ended up with 10 points or less. Being outscored by Roschon Johnson of the Bears and Kyren Williams of the Rams is unlikely. However, still, it’s never fun to have your first or second-round picks refuse to contribute to your fantasy roster.
Other top talents that underwhelmed at each position include:
Quarterbacks: Dak Prescott (6.32), Lamar Jackson (6.56), Josh Allen (9.04) and Geno Smith (9.08)
Running Backs: Cam Akers (8.9), Dalvin Cook (8.9), Dameon Pierce (6.7) and Isaiah Pacheco (9.4)
Receivers: Jamar Chase (9.1), George Pickens (8.6), Jahan Dotson (9.0) and Mike Williams (8.5)
Tight Ends: Everyone except for Hunter Henry, Hayden Hurst and TJ Hockenson
For tight ends, I guess H was the lucky letter, granted some top-level talent was missing with Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews sidelined for the season openers. But George Kittle (4.9) and Darren Waller (6.6) were both on the field and didn’t perform up to standards.
Waiver Wire
Disappointment often leads to overreaction, which tends to lead to panic. I wouldn’t go crazy and change your whole lineup just yet, but there are a few guys you should look to add and stash in case week-one performances become season-long problems. Also, it’s never wrong to have potential replacements as injuries pile on during the year.
Quarterbacks
Brock Purdy is available in 24.6% of ESPN leagues and could continue his hot start. It wouldn’t be a bad pairing with Brandon Aiyuk if you have him. He only scored 15 points, but the Steelers weren’t putting up much of a fight. Mac Jones is only rostered in 4.9% of leagues, and he was second only behind Tua for fantasy points. Jones might not be the “add of the week,” but he’s worth a look if you require help at the QB position.
Running Backs
The Bears’ Roschon Johnson had 17.5 points, putting him inside the top 10 for the week. It never hurts to have depth at the RB position, so look for Johnson to be rostered quickly. Kyren Williams looked like the workhorse for the Rams’ backfield, posting 17.4 points thanks to his two touchdowns. Finally, Justice Hill might be a good addition after the Ravens lost JK Dobbins for the season. Still, I feel like the Ravens’ backfield has been through this almost every year, and their running back room is largely unreliable for fantasy purposes. Kenneth Gainwell of the Eagles saw more action than D’Andre Swift and could be worth a bench spot if you have Swift.
Wide Receivers
PUKA NACUA! If you’ve watched any sports media today, his name has been mentioned several times. Nacua and Tutu Atwell had 119 yards receiving on ten and six catches, respectively. Obviously, these two come with a caveat, but Cooper Kupp is slated to miss at least the next three games, and even when he does return, Stafford will still need a wide receiver two. Nacua and Atwell are rostered in less than 6% of ESPN leagues.
Tight Ends
Hunter Henry and Hayden Hurst are rostered in less than 5% of leagues and are worth a look, as they were the highest-scoring TEs of the week. Mac Jones has seemed to find a big target in the red zone, and a rookie QB like Bryce Young will lean on a veteran safety blanket like Hurst.
Stay tuned for my week two article featuring starts, sits, and sneaky hits that could bring you to a fantasy victory.
