Finally, offseason conjecture turned to real, meaningful football games in Week 1. Gamers shouldn’t overreact to a one-week sample. Nevertheless, information from Week 1 is critical for making informed decisions such as fantasy start sit decisions going forward. So, let’s look at some of the surprise performances, disappointments and other useful takeaways from Week 1.
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- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Week 1 Surprises
J.K. Dobbins is Back
J.K. Dobbins was the feel-good story from Week 1. Yet, he did more than stay healthy in his first action this year after enduring multiple catastrophic lower-body injuries the previous few years. Dobbins thrived in Week 1.
He had 10 carries for 135 yards, one rushing touchdown, three targets, three receptions and four receiving yards. Dobbins gashed the Raiders for runs of 12, 46 and 61 yards. Comparatively, Gus Edwards toted the rock 11 times for 26 scoreless yards, with a long of 10. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Dobbins ran 17 routes versus only six for Edwards. Dobbins is worth the top waiver priority and a substantial percentage of FAAB in leagues where he’s available. He’s already a viable RB2 in Week 2 against the reeling Panthers and could emerge as a lineup lock with another stellar showing.
Houston’s Offense is Streamlined Through Their Fantasy Studs
Everyone won’t produce a fantasy-relevant line every week for the Texans. Still, Week 1 was an encouraging data point for multiple players helping fantasy teams weekly. First, Joe Mixon handled 30 of Houston’s backfield’s 33 rush attempts, rumbling for 159 yards and a touchdown. He also caught all three of his targets for 19 yards.
Second, Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs had eight, seven and six targets, respectively. Dell and Diggs had two and one rush attempts, respectively. Per PFF, Collins had 64 snaps and 33 routes, Diggs had 62 and 35 and Dell had 51 and 34. Collins led the team in receiving yards (117) and tied Diggs for the team lead in receptions (six). Diggs had only 33 receiving yards and six rushing yards. However, he made up for the lackluster yardage output with two touchdown receptions. Dell had three receptions for 40 yards and two rushes for 19 yards.
Perhaps most importantly, Houston didn’t waste many routes on ancillary wide receivers. Instead, Robert Woods ran two routes and Xavier Hutchinson ran five. The consolidated route participation is a massive win for Collins, Diggs and Dell. Furthermore, Mixon ran 19 routes versus 10 for Dare Ogunbowale. Gamers with any of Houston’s four best skill-position players should feel great about Week 1’s outcome. Leaning on the best players was a win for C.J. Stroud, too.
Fantasy Football Week 1 Disappointments
The Bengals
The first headline for the disappointments says it all. The Bengals were pathetic as the largest betting favorite in Week 1, losing outright 16-10 to the Patriots. Joe Burrow was sacked three times and had only 164 passing yards on 29 pass attempts. Ja’Marr Chase‘s six receptions and 62 receiving yards paced the team, and no one else cleared 30 receiving yards.
Zack Moss was essentially the only bright spot from a fantasy perspective. He handled nine of the backfield’s 12 rushing opportunities, rumbling for 44 yards and a touchdown. He also had two receptions for 17 yards on four targets. The underlying data was also favorable for Moss. He handled 33 snaps and 17 routes compared to 17 and 13 for Chase Brown. Moss’s usage plants him firmly in RB2 territory, but Cincinnati’s dreadful showing in Week 1 is problematic for his floor and ceiling.
Nearly All of the Top-12 Tight Ends
It wasn’t a banner week for the top tight ends. The following table has the data from Week 1 for the top-12 tight ends in half-PPR average draft position (ADP).
Kyle Pitts was the only top-12 tight end in ADP to score a touchdown in Week 1. Brock Bowers was the only one to exceed 50 receiving yards. Except for the injuries of Jake Ferguson and David Njoku, gamers shouldn't be too down in the dumps about the dreadful showings from the top tight ends since their collective route participation was rock-solid or better.
Miscellaneous Note
Washington's Pass Defense is Still Atrocious
The Commanders were a train wreck against the pass last year. Washington coughed up the second-most fantasy points per game (20.8) to quarterbacks in 2023. The Week 1 returns were more of the same under new head coach Dan Quinn. Baker Mayfield completed 24-of-30 pass attempts for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Moreover, Mayfield was sacked only once, didn't throw an interception and ran for 21 yards. Gamers should excitedly fire up their fantasy quarterbacks and pass-catchers against the Commanders until they show signs of improvement.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.