RealGM Analysis
Stars of Week 1
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick, TB: 21-28, 417 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs
RB: Alvin Kamara, NO: 8 carries, 29 yards, 2 TDs (9 catches, 112 yards, 1 TD)
WR: Tyreek Hill, KC: 7 catches, 169 yards, 2 TDs (1 punt return TD)
TE: Rob Gronkowski, NE: 7 catches, 123 yards, 1 TD
With Week 1 now in the books, let’s take a look at our first honor roll of the season. If you started Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 1, you must be in a league with 24 plus teams. We’ve seen this song and dance from Fitzpatrick before – he’ll have a few great games, and then revert back to being Ryan Fitzpatrick again. Don’t expect the past to change here. Fitzpatrick is nothing more than a matchups-based QB2, even if we see an accompanying hot streak to follow. The rest of our stars will likely be up here multiple times this season. Saints RB Alvin Kamara picked up right where he left off last year, and he’s a top five RB. With Patrick Mahomes looking like a stud (more on that later), Tyreek Hill will have a monster season for the Chiefs. Last but not least, Gronk had himself a game against the Texans, leading all tight ends this week.
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.
- Patrick Mahomes QB – KC: 15-27, 256 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs
Analysis: Patrick Mahomes was a favorite of mine and many other analysts heading into the season, and he was nothing short of electric against the Chargers in Week 1. Mahomes carries a rifle for an arm, but he also displayed a nice touch on his throws – see his throw to fullback Anthony Sherman for a 36 yard TD as an example. Mahomes had top 10 QB upside going into the season, but I’ll take a small leap and state that he will comfortably finish in the top 10 for QBs. All this said, don’t get spooked if Mahomes has a few rough games – this was only his second NFL start of this career. But more times than not, Mahomes will deliver, and you should feel comfortable starting him in all but the toughest of QB matchups.
James Conner, RB – PIT: 31 carries, 135 yards, 2 TDs (5 catches, 57 yards, 0 TDs)
Analysis: For those of you who drafted Le’Veon Bell, James Connor was an important handcuff to fill in while Bell sits out indefinitely to “save wear and tear on his body”. Connor showed in Week 1 that he’s an RB1 for the Steelers as long as Bell remains on hiatus. Connor lost a fumble, but otherwise delivered the goods in both the rushing and passing game, while finding the end zone twice. Connor can capably pick up the blitz, and will continue to be a three down back while he starts. If you’ve got Connor, he’s a must start until Bell’s return – at which time he’ll need to return to your bench. For those of you in keeper leagues, hang tight with Connor until next year. He’ll have the gig to himself when Bell departs in free agency.
- Phillip Lindsay, RB – DEN: 15 carries, 71 yards, 0 TDs (2 catches, 31 yards, 1 TD)
Analysis: Royce Freeman received all of the preseason hype with respect to the Broncos’ RBs. While Freeman had a solid game in Week 1 against the Seahawks, it was Phillip Lindsay who made the biggest impression in the Broncos’ backfield. Lindsay is an undrafted free agent rookie from Colorado, but he proved to be too much to handle for the Seahawks. Despite being only 5’8”, Lindsay stands 190 pounds and plays bigger than that, while also serving as a capable WR. Lindsay’s emergence spells bad news for Devontae Booker, and will also cut into Freeman’s carries going forward. Freeman will remain the lead back as an RB2, but look for a time split which gets Lindsay somewhere between one-third to forty percent of the carries. Lindsay will be a flex option and should be rostered in all but the shallowest of leagues.
- Geronimo Allison, WR – GB: 5 catches, 69 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: The Packers have a WR pecking order with Davante Adams at the top, Randall Cobb next and Jimmy Graham floating around somewhere nearby. As long as Aaron Rodgers is healthy enough to play – we’ll see for week 2 – then you need to consider Geronimo Allison as another key piece of the Packers’ passing game. Rodgers had a game for the ages this past Sunday, leading the Pack on a rabid second half comeback against the Bears. Setting the stage for the comeback, Rodgers hit Allison in the third quarter for a 39 yard bomb – the first TD of the game for the Packers. More importantly, Rodgers targeted Allison 8 times on Sunday. So we’ve got a rising WR who has the attention of Mr. Rodgers, and he should also have your attention. Allison can be flex worthy moving forward, and warrants a pickup if you need a WR. He’ll be part of the Packers’ passing game moving forward.
- Will Dissly, TE – SEA: 3 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: The Seahawks lost both Jimmy Graham and Luke Willson over the offseason, and thus needed to undertake a makeover in the tight end room. To fill one of the open spots, the team selected local product Will Dissly from the University of Washington in the fourth round. A converted defensive lineman in college, Dissly was considered one of the top blocking tight ends in the land, with his receiving skills considered a secondary attribute. Well, Dissly showed very soft hands and ran some great routes against the Broncos, which jives with the rumblings that came out of Seahawks training camp. Unfortunately the Seahawks love to spread the ball around, so Dissly doesn’t have more than TE2 upside for fantasy purposes. But he should be on your watch list, and the underlying skills are there for Dissly to make an impact if the Seahawks give him opportunities. If you’re in a very deep league (14 or more teams), then Dissly is worth an add. Otherwise, he’s not going to be consistent enough in terms of usage to be worthwhile starter for you.
Rapid Fire Pickups
Each week we 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: Tyrod Taylor, CLE
RB: TJ Yeldon, JAC (next man up if Leonard Fournette is out)
RB: Nyheim Hines, IND
WR: Quincy Enunwa, NYJ
WR: Chris Godwin, TB (if DeSean Jackson is out)
TE: Eric Ebron, IND
Week 2 Rankings
Quarterbacks:
- Cam Newton CAR at ATL
- Drew Brees NO vs. CLE
- Deshaun Watson HOU at TEN
- Aaron Rodgers GB vs. MIN (If he plays)
- Ben Roethlisberger PIT vs. KC
- Alex Smith WAS vs. IND
- Patrick Mahomes KC at PIT
- Tom Brady NE at JAC
- Kirk Cousins MIN at GB
- Philip Rivers LAC at BUF
- Jimmy Garoppolo SF vs. DET
- Andrew Luck IND at WAS
- Matthew Stafford DET at SF
- Russell Wilson SEA at CHI
- Jared Goff LAR vs. ARI
- Tyrod Taylor CLE at NO
- Matt Ryan ATL vs. CAR
- Mitch Trubisky CHI vs. SEA
- Case Keenum DEN vs. OAK
- Ryan Fitzpatrick TB vs. PHI
Running Backs:
- Todd Gurley LAR vs. ARI
- Alvin Kamara NO vs. CLE
- Ezekiel Elliott DAL vs. NYG
- Saquon Barkley NYG at DAL
- David Johnson ARI at LAR
- C. McCaffrey CAR at ATL
- James Conner PIT vs. KC
- Melvin Gordon LAC at BUF
- Kareem Hunt KC at PIT
- Jordan Howard CHI vs. SEA
- Dalvin Cook MIN at GB
- Lamar Miller HOU at TEN
- Tevin Coleman ATL vs. CAR
- Jay Ajayi PHI at TB
- Kenyan Drake MIA at NYJ
- Adrian Peterson WAS vs. IND
- LeSean McCoy BUF vs. LAC
- Dion Lewis TEN vs. HOU
- T.J. Yeldon JAC vs. NE
- Carlos Hyde CLE at NO
- Chris Thompson WAS vs. IND
- Isaiah Crowell NYJ vs. MIA
- Royce Freeman DEN vs. OAK
- Rex Burkhead NE at JAC
- Marshawn Lynch OAK at DEN
- James White NE at JAC
- Chris Carson SEA at CHI
- Derrick Henry TEN vs. HOU
- Peyton Barber TB vs. PHI
- Jamaal Williams GB vs. MIN
- Alfred Morris SF vs. DET
- Bilal Powell NYJ vs. MIA
- Duke Johnson CLE at NO
- Matt Breida SF vs. DET
- Tarik Cohen CHI vs. SEA
- Phillip Lindsay DEN vs. OAK
- Austin Ekeler LAC at BUF
- Marlon Mack IND at WAS
- Nyheim Hines IND at WAS
- Kerryon Johnson DET at SF
Wide Receivers:
- Antonio Brown PIT vs. KC
- Odell Beckham Jr. NYG at DAL
- Michael Thomas NO vs. CLE
- DeAndre Hopkins HOU at TEN
- Julio Jones ATL vs. CAR
- Keenan Allen LAC at BUF
- Tyreek Hill KC at PIT
- Davante Adams GB vs. MIN
- Mike Evans TB vs. PHI
- Adam Thielen MIN at GB
- Larry Fitzgerald ARI at LAR
- T.Y. Hilton IND at WAS
- Stefon Diggs MIN at GB
- JuJu Smith-Schuster PIT vs. KC
- Jarvis Landry CLE at NO
- Demaryius Thomas DEN vs.OAK
- Emmanuel Sanders DEN vs.OAK
- Golden Tate DET at SF
- Allen Robinson CHI vs. SEA
- Marvin Jones DET at SF
- Brandin Cooks LAR vs. ARI
- Amari Cooper OAK at DEN
- Nelson Agholor PHI at TB
- Kenny Stills MIA at NYJ
- Devin Funchess CAR at ATL
- Corey Davis TEN vs. HOU
- Chris Hogan NE at JAC
- Cooper Kupp LAR vs. ARI
- Jamison Crowder WAS vs. IND
- Randall Cobb GB vs. MIN
- Robert Woods LAR vs. ARI
- Pierre Garcon SF vs. DET
- Tyler Lockett SEA at CHI
- Quincy Enunwa NYJ vs. MIA
- Kenny Golladay DET at SF
- Robby Anderson NYJ vs. MIA
- Dante Pettis SF vs. DET
- Chris Godwin TB vs. PHI
- Keelan Cole JAC vs. NE
- Brandon Marshall SEA at CHI
Tight End:
- Rob Gronkowski NE at JAC
- Travis Kelce KC at PIT
- Zach Ertz PHI at TB
- Jordan Reed WAS vs. IND
- Evan Engram NYG at DAL
- Jack Doyle IND at WAS
- Trey Burton CHI vs. SEA
- George Kittle SF vs. DET
- Kyle Rudolph MIN at GB
- Jimmy Graham GB vs. MIN
- Jared Cook OAK at DEN
- David Njoku CLE at NO
- Benjamin Watson NO vs. CLE
- A. Seferian-Jenkins JAC vs. NE
- O.J. Howard TB vs. PHI
- Eric Ebron IND at WAS
- Ricky Seals-Jones ARI at LAR
- Jonnu Smith TEN vs. HOU
- Jesse James PIT vs. KC
- Vance McDonald PIT vs. KC
Defense/Special Teams:
- Los Angeles Chargers at BUF
- Los Angeles Rams vs. ARI
- Chicago vs. SEA
- Denver vs. OAK
- Philadelphia at TB
- Houston at TEN
- New Orleans vs. CLE
- Jacksonville vs. NE
- New England at JAC
- New York Jets vs. MIA
- Minnesota at GB
- Tennessee vs. HOU
- Washington vs. IND
- Atlanta vs. CAR
- Miami at NYJ
