Stars of Week 1

QB: Drew Brees, NO: 28-42, 423 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs           

RB: Spencer Ware, KC: 11 carries, 70 yards, 1 TD (7 catches, 129 yards, 0 TDs) 

WR: AJ Green, CIN: 12 catches, 180 yards, 1 TD          

TE: Jack Doyle, IND: 3 catches, 35 yards, 2 TDs

So very nice to have football season upon us again! Hopefully you started out Week 1 with a victory. And if not, don’t panic – it’s just one week! Looking at our top performers, we have two fantasy stalwarts, one key handcuff and a 'who’s that?!' at tight end. As mentioned in my draft guide, Drew Brees remains a top flite QB option, so expect his high level performance to continue this season. For those of you who drafted Jamaal Charles, hopefully you were able to scoop up Spencer Ware as well. As long as Charles is out, Ware remains a must start. AJ Green was a consensus top 5 WR on draft boards, and he posted 8 of his 12 catches on Darrelle Revis. Sure, Revis appears to have lost a step from his island lockdown days, but nevertheless Green’s performance is nothing short of spectacular. So who’s Jack Doyle? Well, he’s owned in 1% of leagues currently, a number that will surely increase. We’ll take a closer look at Doyle below.

Week 1 Takeaways – A Closer Look 

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

- Carson Wentz, QB – PHI: 22-37, 278 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs

Analysis: We had the debut of prized rookie QB Carson Wentz on Sunday, and he actually fared quite well. Wentz appeared to have good control of the huddle, and he took good care of the ball to go along with his two TD passes. Before you give any serious thought of turning over the reigns of your QB position to Wentz, just remember that he’s a rookie, and that he was facing the lowly Browns. Certainly from a snapshot level, Wentz has the tools to become a strong QB option over time (meaning not this year). He will have ups and downs though, and he should not be viewed as anything more than a low end QB2 at this time.

- Theo Riddick, RB – DET: 7 carries, 45 yards, 1 TD (5 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD)

Analysis: We received our first glimpse of the Detroit Lions’ offense p.m. (post-Megatron), and we learned quite a bit. Golden Tate remains the possession receiver, Marvin Jones has big play upside and Theo Riddick will play a huge role as a safety valve out of the backfield. As was the case in the game against the Colts, look for Riddick to get around a third of the carries to go along with the third down role. There’s no reason that Riddick can’t push the 800 yard mark, to go along with around 500 rushing yards. For those of you in PPR leagues, Riddick will push towards the RB2 line, while he’ll serve as a flex option in standard leagues. In any event, if Riddick remains available in your league, go grab him if you need an RB.

- Adrian Peterson, RB – MIN: 19 carries, 31 yards, 0 TDs                     

Analysis: Moving on now from a pleasant write-up to one of potential great concern. A first round pick in most leagues, Adrian Peterson had a game to forget against the Titans. As AP has 31 years on this earth, there’s a heightened panic level when he rushes for only 31 yards. Is this the year he falls off the RB cliff? Certainly possible, but I doubt it. The Titans fully committed themselves to stopping Peterson, stacking the box and making Shaun Hill beat them. Hill didn’t come through, but rather Minnesota’s D bailed them out. If you have AP, don’t panic. Just hope that Sam Bradford finds his way into the lineup ASAP. Sure, Bradford is no savior, but he’s better than Hill, and Bradford will require defenses to lay off the box a bit. So don’t sell low on AP!

- Willie Snead, WR – NO: 9 catches, 172 yards, 1 TD 

Analysis: Second year WR Willie Snead was a semi-popular sleeper pick for the 2016 season. Snead found his way onto fantasy rosters last season as well, so he’s not an unknown quantity. Well, Snead had his hand as part of the shootout against the Raiders, hauling in 9 catches on all nine targets, with a touchdown and 172 yards to boot. Snead has the tools to creep into WR3 territory, but the question will be weekly consistency – just as it was last season. The Saints have a lot of options in the passing game in addition to Snead, including Brandin Cooks, Michael Thomas and Coby Fleener. So there are many mouths to feed. But the Saints will be chucking the ball around all year, so there’s room for Snead to get his. I’m not quite ready to elevate Snead to WR3/flex status full-time. For now, I’m comfortable with Snead as WR3/flex in home games, but as a WR4 on the road. Keep an eye on his consistency as the season goes on.  

- Will Fuller, WR – HOU: 5 catches, 107 yards, 1 TD 

Analysis: The Texans made a significant investment in their wide receiver corps in the draft, selecting Will Fuller in the first round to complement stud D’Andre Hopkins. After Fuller’s first game in the NFL, so far so good. Fuller found the end zone and crossed the 100 yard mark, while being targeted 11 times by Brock Osweiler. That’s the most promising number here – the targets. Granted the Bears’ pass defense leaves much to be desired, but Fuller will continue to make noise this year. What should you expect going forward? Not a weekly starter, but rather a WR3/WR4 straddler that can capably fill in during bye weeks and good matchups. But he should be owned in all but the deepest leagues – so in case he sits available in your league, pounce on him now. 

- Jack Doyle, TE – IND: 3 catches, 35 yards, 2 TDs 

Analysis: So the Colts lost Coby Fleener to the Saints this offseason, and in steps Jack Doyle to pick up the slack. Have we stumbled upon a fantasy gem? The bet here is no. Dwayne Allen remains the top TE in Indy, and Doyle’s more of a blocking/short yardage TE – not the same level of pass catcher as Fleener. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Doyle finish the season with 6 TDs (he’s got two already), but you’re probably looking at 400 yards as a receiving cap. So, he’s valuable on days where he scores TDs, and not very much for the rest of the games. That amounts to a low end TE2, and nothing more. Those in deeper leagues, perhaps worth a flyer, but he should not be a weekly starting tight end for your team.

Rapid Fire Pickups 

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

QB: Joe Flacco, BAL

RB: Tevin Coleman, ATL

RB: Chris Thompson, WAS (especially for PPR leagues)

WR: Tajae Sharpe, TEN (last chance to snag him in case he’s available)

WR: Mike Wallace, BAL

TE: Vance McDonald, SF

Week 2 Rankings 

Quarterbacks

  1. Cam Newton, CAR (vs SF)
  2. Eli Manning, NYG (vs NO)
  3. Drew Brees, NO (at NYG)
  4. Aaron Rodgers, GB (at MIN)
  5. Carson Palmer, ARZ (vs TB)
  6. Matthew Stafford, DET (vs TEN)
  7. Ben Roethlisberger, PIT (vs CIN)
  8. Kirk Cousins, WAS (vs DAL)
  9. Blake Bortles, JAX (at SD)
  10. Derek Carr, OAK (vs ATL)
  11. Russell Wilson, SEA (at LA)
  12. Andrew Luck, IND (at DEN)
  13. Joe Flacco, BAL (at CLE)
  14. Phillip Rivers, SD (vs JAX)
  15. Andy Dalton, CIN (at PIT)
  16. Jameis Winston, TB (at ARZ)
  17. Matt Ryan, ATL (at OAK)
  18. Marcus Mariota, TEN (at DET)
  19. Jimmy Garoppolo, NE (vs MIA)
  20. Ryan Fitzpatrick, NYJ (at BUF)

Running Backs

  1. David Johnson, ARZ (vs TB)
  2. DeAngelo Williams, PIT (vs CIN)
  3. CJ Anderson, DEN (vs IND)
  4. Lamar Miller, HOU (vs KC)
  5. Ezekiel Elliott, DAL (at WAS)
  6. Spencer Ware, KC (at HOU)
  7. Mark Ingram, NO (at NYG)
  8. Adrian Peterson, MIN (vs GB)
  9. Matt Forte, NYJ (at BUF)
  10. LeSean McCoy, BUF (vs NYJ)
  11. Todd Gurley, LA (vs SEA)
  12. DeMarco Murray, TEN (at DET)
  13. Rashad Jennings, NYG (vs NO)
  14. Latavius Murray, OAK (vs ATL)
  15. Doug Martin, TB (at ARZ)
  16. Jonathan Stewart, CAR   (vs SF)
  17. Ryan Mathews, PHI (at CHI)
  18. Eddie Lacy, GB (at MIN)
  19. Devonta Freeman, ATL (at OAK)
  20. Carlos Hyde, SF (at CAR)
  21. Jeremy Langford, CHI (vs PHI)
  22. Danny Woodhead, SD (vs JAX)
  23. LeGarrette Blount, NE (vs MIA)
  24. Arian Foster, MIA (at NE)
  25. Melvin Gordon, SD (vs JAX)
  26. TJ Yeldon, JAX (at SD)
  27. Ameer Abdullah, DET (vs TEN)
  28. Jeremy Hill, CIN (at PIT)
  29. Theo Riddick, DET (vs TEN)
  30. Thomas Rawls, SEA (at LA)
  31. Frank Gore, IND (at DEN)
  32. Isaiah Crowell, CLE (vs BAL)
  33. Tevin Coleman, ATL (at OAK)
  34. Duke Johnson, CLE (vs BAL)
  35. Justin Forsett, BAL (at CLE)
  36. Christine Michael, SEA (at LA)
  37. Matt Jones, WAS (vs DAL)
  38. Giovani Bernard, CIN (at PIT)
  39. Derrick Henry, TEN (at DET)
  40. Terrance West, BAL (at CLE)         
  41. Shane Vereen, NYG (vs NO)

Wide Receivers

  1. Odell Beckham Jr, NYG (vs NO)
  2. Antonio Brown, PIT (vs CIN)
  3. Julio Jones, ATL (at OAK)
  4. AJ Green, CIN (at PIT)
  5. Allen Robinson, JAX (at SD)
  6. DeAndre Hopkins, HOU (vs KC)
  7. Alshon Jeffery, CHI (vs PHI)
  8. Brandin Cooks, NO (at NYG)
  9. Amari Cooper, OAK (vs ATL)
  10. Brandon Marshall, NYJ (at BUF)
  11. Jordy Nelson, GB (at MIN)
  12. Mike Evans, TB (at ARZ)
  13. Kelvin Benjamin, CAR (vs SF)
  14. Dez Bryant, DAL (at WAS)
  15. Doug Baldwin, SEA (at LA)
  16. Eric Decker, NYJ  (at BUF)
  17. Randall Cobb, GB (at MIN)
  18. Julian Edelman, NE (vs MIA)
  19. Jarvis Landry, MIA (at NE)
  20. Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ (vs TB)
  21. Demaryius Thomas, DEN (vs IND)
  22. Jordan Matthews, PHI (at CHI)
  23. Jeremy Maclin, KC (at HOU)
  24. Sammy Watkins, BUF (vs NYJ)
  25. Marvin Jones, DET (vs TEN)
  26. TY Hilton, IND (at DEN)
  27. Golden Tate, DET (vs TEN)
  28. Michael Floyd, ARZ (vs TB)
  29. DeSean Jackson, WAS (vs DAL)
  30. Emmanuel Sanders, DEN (vs IND)
  31. Willie Snead, NO (at NYG)
  32. Michael Crabtree, OAK   (vs ATL)
  33. Sterling Shepard, NYG    (vs NO)
  34. Travis Benjamin, SD (vs JAX)
  35. Donte Moncrief, IND (at DEN)
  36. John Brown, ARZ (vs TB)
  37. Tajae Sharpe, TEN (at DET)
  38. Allen Hurns, JAX (at SD)
  39. Will Fuller, HOU (vs KC)
  40. Stefon Diggs, MIN (vs GB)

Tight Ends

  1. Jordan Reed, WAS (vs DAL)
  2. Greg Olsen, CAR (vs SF)
  3. Delanie Walker, TEN (at DET)
  4. Gary Barnidge, CLE (vs BAL)
  5. Travis Kelce, KC (at HOU)
  6. Antonio Gates, SD (vs JAX)
  7. Julius Thomas, JAX (at SD)
  8. Coby Fleener, NO (at NYG)
  9. Jason Witten, DAL (at WAS)
  10. Eric Ebron, DET (vs TEN)
  11. Dwayne Allen, IND (at DEN)
  12. Clive Walford, OAK (vs ATL)
  13. Martellus Bennett, NE (vs MIA)
  14. Zach Miller, CHI (vs PHI)
  15. Jesse James, PIT (vs CIN)
  16. Kyle Rudolph, MIN (vs GB)
  17. Virgil Green, DEN (vs IND)
  18. Vance McDonald, SF (at CAR)
  19. Jacob Tamme, ATL (at OAK) 

Defense/Special Teams:

  1. Seattle Seahawks (at LA)
  2. Carolina Panthers (vs SF)
  3. Denver Broncos (vs DEN)
  4. New England Patriots (vs MIA)
  5. New York Jets (at BUF)
  6. Arizona Cardinals (vs TB)
  7. Baltimore Ravens (at CLE)
  8. Green Bay Packers (at MIN)
  9. Kansas City Chiefs (at HOU)
  10. Houston Texans (vs KC)
  11. Los Angeles Rams (vs SEA)
  12. Oakland Raiders (vs ATL)
  13. Philadelphia Eagles (at CHI)
  14. Buffalo Bills (vs NYJ)
  15. Minnesota Vikings (at GB)