Week 1 is always a mystery! We had numerous bizarre results and some even more obscure stat lines. It’s always challenging to write about Week 1 because of the unpredictability, but we love to learn every week! That’s one of the best parts of the NFL grind because adapting to new information is critical to succeed.
The premise behind this article is simple: Identifying fantasy football smash plays that are on the fringe of your starting lineup. We will rarely recommend a top-10 player at any position, but we want to help you fill those critical flex spots!
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10 Fantasy Football Smash Starts for Week 2 (2023)
Quarterbacks
The final stat line from Anthony Richardson is nothing special, but this kid looked composed in the pocket. That’s the most important thing when evaluating a prospect like this because we know A-Rich will be one of the rushing leaders among quarterbacks at the end of the season. That rushing floor allowed Richardson to score 20.9 fantasy points in Week 1, and he did that damage despite throwing for just 223 yards. His biggest asset this week is the matchup with Houston, who surrendered the most rushing yards in the NFL last season, which is Richardson’s specialty.
Running Backs
People will be discouraged by Rachaad White’s lackluster stat line in Week 1, but we’re excited! The youngster was supposed to be the go-to back coming into the year, which was undoubtedly the case in the opener. White played 79 percent of the team’s snaps, the sixth-highest total among all backs. Those 54 snaps are on par with his two highest shares last season, with White averaging 13 fantasy points per game in those outings despite failing to score a touchdown. We love that in this matchup, with Chicago allowing Aaron Jones to have one of the biggest stat lines in Week 1.
Jamaal Williams was running into a wall throughout Week 1, but we don’t want to fade him in this type of role. He’s playing nearly every down with Alvin Kamara sidelined, receiving 18 of the team’s 19 running back carries in Week 1. It was unfortunate he did not get any goal-line carries because J-Will had 17 touchdowns last season! If he gets 15-20 carries and all the goal-line work, Williams should be an elite flex option against Carolina. The Panthers allowed the most fantasy points to opposing rushers in Week 1, with New Orleans entering this matchup as the favorite.
This is risky with how bad Deon Jackson looked in Week 1, but the usage remains strong. Jackson started for Jonathan Taylor and had 13 carries and six targets. He also played 71 percent of the team’s snaps and is clearly the go-to guy without JT. He averaged 11 fantasy points per game as the starting running back last year and should be able to reach that total against Houston. The Texans surrendered the most fantasy points to opposing backs last year and allowed three rushing touchdowns in Week 1. With that said, we’d stay away if Zack Moss can go.
Wide Receivers
Ryan Tannehill looked as bad as possible in Week 1, but DeAndre Hopkins looked promising in his Tennessee debut. The former All-Pro receiver had seven catches for 65 yards. That’s a decent stat line, but it looks even better since he had 13 targets. That’s one of the highest totals in the league, with D-Hop posting an absurd 38 percent team target share. He’s been that type of player in the past, and it’s not like there are many players to compete with him in this lackluster passing game. The matchup is the icing on the cake, with the Chargers allowing 466 passing yards in Week 1.
Gabe Davis can be far from impressive at times, but he also showcases one of the highest ceilings of any receiver in fantasy. We believe one of those could be in play here because Davis barely came off the field in Week 1. The speedster played 94 percent of the team’s snaps despite finishing with just two catches for 32 yards. Playing 65 snaps is extremely encouraging because Davis averaged 11 fantasy points per game in the four outings he played at least 65 snaps last year. We would love that against Las Vegas, with the Raiders surrendering the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL last year.
Many people were worried about Michael Pittman Jr. in the offseason, but he looks like the go-to target for Richardson. That’s massive since Pittman Jr. has been a target hound throughout his career, averaging 93.5 catches on 135 targets over the last two years. That’s one of the highest workloads out there, and it was on full display when Pittman Jr. provided eight catches on 11 targets in Week 1. He also added 97 yards and a touchdown, making him one of the biggest breakouts in the opening week. The matchup couldn’t be much better against Houston, with the Texans owning one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
Tight Ends
There were some glowing reports out of camp about Jake Ferguson, and it was evident in Week 1 that Dallas wanted to feed this talented tight end. You might see he had just two catches for 11 yards, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. That 40-0 blowout limited this passing game, but Ferguson saw 28 percent of the team’s targets. That’s the second-highest total among all tight ends, which looks even better since he led all of them with five red zone targets. If that continues, Ferguson could be the breakout tight end fantasy managers need right now.
D/STs
New York Giants (at ARI)
The Giants couldn’t have looked much worse in Week 1, but it wasn’t their defense’s fault. The offense put them in poor positions all night, and this should be a much-improved unit when looking at some of the offseason moves. This is an excellent spot for them to show that potential because Arizona has the worst offense in the NFL. They’re not at the bottom of every offensive statistic, but they will be in a month.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
