Stars of Week 1

QB: Matt Ryan 31-43, 448 yards, 3 TDs

RB: Marshawn Lynch 20 carries, 110 yards, 2 TDs

WR: Calvin Johnson 7 catches, 164 yards, 2 TDs

TE: Julius Thomas 7 catches, 104 yards, 3 TDs

With the opening NFL weekend in the books, let’s honor the top Week 1 fantasy performers at each position. No unfamiliar names here. Matt Ryan reminded us that he’s an upper echelon fantasy QB, with serious weaponry at his disposal. Beast Mode confirmed that rumors of his demise are greatly exaggerated. Megatron did his thing and will be featured here several times during the season, so why not start during Week 1. And Julius Thomas picked up where he left off last season.

Before we delve into the week 1 analysis, one important message needs to be conveyed:

DON’T OVERREACT TO WEEK 1. 

This means, don’t jump off a cliff with your team or your players, and on the flip side, don’t make title game preparations yet. One week does not a season make, and while there’s information to gleam from Week 1, we’ve got lots of football remains to be played. Tony Romo owners, don’t jump off the ledge. Instead, channel your inner Tim Duncan and look at Week 1 from a pragmatic standpoint. 

Week 1 Takeaways – A Closer Look

Each week we’ll take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.

- Jake Locker 22-33, 266 yards, 2 TDs, 6 carries, 14 yards

Analysis: Titans’ fans have to be encouraged by Jake Locker’s performance against a tough Chiefs’ defense. This season certainly amounts to a make or break year for Locker, and so far so good. Fantasy managers also need to take note, especially if your team needs help at QB. With coach Whiz providing tutelage to Locker, expect him to take the leap into solid QB2 territory, provided that he stays healthy. No, not a life raft for your QB spot, but Locker can be a solid backup and fill-in starter as needed, depending on matchups.

- Knowshon Moreno 24 carries, 134 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: Over the offseason Moreno swapped out Peyton Manning for Ryan Tannehill, a downgrade by all accounts, but nevertheless his week 1 performance spoke loudly. Several key takeaways here, among them: 1) Moreno’s breakout from last season was no fluke, 2) Miami’s O-line is much improved, and 3) Moreno, and not Lamar Miller, stands to get the majority of the carries. Moreno should be viewed as a solid RB2, and for those who drafted him, your ROI should be quite high. Nice work!

- Terrance West 16 carries, 100 yards, 0 TDs

Analysis: If you read my draft guide and/or follow me on Twitter, you know that I touted West as a great high upside player in the later rounds and urged you to draft him. It took only the first game to see why. Predictably, Ben Tate got injured, and West came in and moved the chains quite nicely. Yes, Isaiah Crowell vultured the TDs from West, but West will be the lead back in games where Tate is out. Also, don’t be surprised if West forces his way into a time share even with a healthy Tate. West remains a must add in the event that he was not drafted in your league. As of this writing, Tate will be out 2-4 weeks, so feel comfortable starting West this week.

- Justin Forsett 11 carries, 70 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: Lots of news happening with the Ravens, including two key items that impact the RB situation. First, unless you have been living in a cave or some other far outpost, you’ve heard by now that Ray Rice no longer plays for the Ravens. The other key RB development was the benching of Bernard Pierce in favor of Justin Forsett, which Forsett used to assert himself as the new top RB in Baltimore. At this point Forsett is what he is – a smaller, capable RB that will be solid but not spectacular. But, Forsett has the thing that matters most – an opportunity. All things being equal, I prefer Terrance West if you have to make a choice, but Forsett’s path is less encumbered, so completely understandable if you choose to go with Forsett. He’s another RB who is a must add if you need RB help. Will Forsett keep the lion share of carries for the entire season? Probably not, but for now he will.

- Allen Hurns 4 catches, 110 yards, 2 TDs

Analysis: Every year we have a “WHO’S THAT” breakout in week 1, and this year’s honors go to Allen Hurns. Anyone who started Hurns must have been in the deepest of deep leagues, or otherwise a friend/relative of his. The undrafted rookie took the first quarter of Sunday’s early games by storm, posting 2 quick TDs and causing many in survivor pools to wonder if they were one and done (myself included). Before anointing Hurns as the second coming of Jerry Rice, remember the following: 1) Cecil Shorts sat this game out, and 2) he plays for the Jaguars, who do not qualify as a passing juggernaut. OK, so the $10,000 question: what will Hurns do for week 2 and beyond? Color me skeptical that Hurns amounts to anything more than a backup (WR4 territory). In addition to the two reasons provided above, my skepticism comes from the fact that the Jaguars have several other pass catchers that they want to develop, including Marquise Lee and Allen Robinson, to go with incumbents Cecil Shorts and Marcedes Lewis. That being said, who knows – maybe Hurns pushes into WR3 territory. Crazier things have happened, and in any event, Hurns is worth an add if you need WR help.  Just keep your expectations in check.

- Dwayne Allen 4 catches, 64 yards, 1 TD 

Analysis: Another player touted as a sleeper in the draft guide, Dwayne Allen had a strong opening game after losing the 2013 season due to an injury. While Coby Fleener is better known among the casual football fan, Dwayne Allen is actually the better player. He’s faster than Fleener and has better hands, and look for Allen’s targets to continue to rise. Allen’s upside for this season is as a high end TE2, so if you need a backup TE, add Allen.

Rapid Fire Pickups

Each week we’ll throw out a potential free agent pickup from each position, in each case 1) someone who has not been referenced above, and 2) a player available in most leagues. 

QB: Ryan Tannehill, MIA

RB: Ahmad Bradshaw, IND

WR: Andrew Hawkins, CLE

TE: Larry Donnell, NYG

Week 2 Projections

Quarterbacks

1. Peyton Manning
2. Dree Brees
3. Aaron Rodgers
4. Matthew Stafford
5. Andrew Luck
6. Russell Wilson
7. Nick Foles
8. Colin Kaepernick
9. Jake Locker
10. Matt Ryan
11. Carson Palmer
12. Tony Romo
13. Tom Brady
14. Ben Roethlisberger
15. Andy Dalton
16. Robert Griffin III
17. Ryan Tannehill
18. Alex Smith
19. Jay Cutler
20. Chad Henne

Running Backs
1. Adrian Peterson
2. LeSean McCoy
3. Marshawn Lynch
4. Jamaal Charles
5. Matt Forte
6. Arian Foster
7. Alfred Morris
8. Giovani Bernard
9. DeMarco Murray
10. Montee Ball
11. Eddie Lacy
12. Le'Veon Bell
13. Chris Johnson
14. Frank Gore
15. Shane Vereen
16. C.J. Spiller
17. Andre Ellington
18. Toby Gerhart
19. Rashad Jennings
20. Knowshon Moreno
21. Zac Stacy
22. Doug Martin
23. Ryan Mathews
24. Darren Sproles
25. Joique Bell

Wide Receivers
1. Calvin Johnson
2. Demaryius Thomas
3. A.J. Green
4. Jordy Nelson
5. Julio Jones
6. Brandon Marshall
7. Antonio Brown
8. Dez Bryant
9. Andre Johnson
10. Emmanuel Sanders
11. Alshon Jeffery
12. Michael Floyd
13. Percy Harvin
14. Roddy White
15. Cordarrelle Patterson
16. Vincent Jackson
17. Julian Edelman
18. Pierre Garcon
19. Mike Wallace
20. Reggie Wayne
21. Kendall Wright
22. T.Y. Hilton
23. Jeremy Maclin
24. Brandin Cooks
25. DeSean Jackson

Tight Ends
1. Jimmy Graham
2. Julius Thomas
3. Rob Gronkowski
4. Vernon Davis
5. Greg Olsen
6. Dennis Pitta
7. Jordan Cameron
8. Zach Ertz
9. Martellus Bennett
10. Kyle Rudolph
11. Jason Witten
12. Heath Miller
13. Antonio Gates
14. Delanie Walker
15. Charles Clay