Fantasy Football Week 1 Recap: 16 Things You Need To Know
It was an unofficial holiday on Sunday as the NFL returned for the first full-day slate of games. Speculation about which superstars may shine and who will break out as a star on the rise is over. Fantasy football is back! Although not all went as expected, the games provided a profusion of excitement. Now that the dust has settled, there are numerous takeaways from the first week of action.
Top Players
Tyreek Hill stood above all his peers on Sunday. Miami’s speedster made play after play facing Los Angeles. When all was said and done, he had 11 receptions on 15 targets. Hill compiled 215 yards and reached the end zone twice.
Tua Tagovailoa had a memorable afternoon coming up just three yards shy of his career-high in passing yards. He threw for 466 in an offensive slugfest against the Chargers. He did have one interception, but he made up for it with three passing scores. He spread the ball around as seven Dolphins had multiple receptions in the game.
Dolphins’ QB Tua Tagovailoa passed for 466 yards today, the fourth-most passing yards in a season-opening game in NFL history, trailing only Norm Van Brocklin, (554 yards in 1951), Tom Brady (517 yards in 2011) and Dan Marino (473 yards in 1994).
Tyreek Hill registered 215…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 11, 2023
Brandon Aiyuk played tremendously well, helping lead the 49ers to a thorough dismantling of the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The fourth-year wide receiver caught all eight of his targets converting them into 129 receiving yards and a pair of touchdown grabs.
Calvin Ridley did not look like he had missed nearly two years of football. Pairing up with Trevor Lawrence for the first time, Ridley was what the Jaguars had hoped he would be. He caught eight passes on 11 targets totaling 101 yards receiving. Most importantly, he scored a touchdown for the first time since October of 2021.
Austin Ekeler kicked off his season with an impressive performance. It took him just 16 carries to amass 117 rushing yards. He took one of those 16 carries to the house. Ekeler also caught four of five targets to tack on another 47 yards through the air.
Flop Players
Joe Burrow signed a huge contract extension on Thursday that made him the highest-paid player in NFL history. On Sunday, he followed it up with the worst game of his career. Cincinnati got nothing done in Cleveland as they were trounced by the Browns. Burrow completed just 14-of-31 attempts for 82 yards.
Tee Higgins tied a career-low with zero catches. Despite seeing eight targets, he was unable to bring in a single one. Needless to say, he recorded no fantasy points on an afternoon he is probably in a hurry to forget.
Najee Harris failed to reward those who drafted him in fantasy drafts. In a disastrous outing for the Steelers, Harris carried six times for 31 yards. He did add two receptions but was only able to total two yards receiving.
Pop Players
Jakobi Meyers stole the show in his first game for Las Vegas. After scoring eight touchdowns in four seasons in New England, Meyers has two after his first 60 minutes as a Raider. He hauled in nine of 10 targets and carried a whopping 38.5% target share. He also took a hard hit to the head and was evaluated for a concussion. It will be a situation to monitor as his status for Week 2 is in question.
Jakobi Meyers w/ NE (60 games): 0 games with 2 TDs
Jakobi Meyers w/ LV (1 game): 1 game with 2 TDs
— M.G. (@MarcasG) September 10, 2023
Anthony Richardson made good on his first start. The polarizing rookie quarterback showed his athleticism in a divisional loss to Jacksonville. Richardson rushed 10 times for 40 yards and a score. He also threw for 223 yards and a touchdown.
Jordan Love started the post-Aaron Rodgers era off on the right foot. Taking the reins of his Packer squad, Love threw three touchdown passes against zero interceptions. He totaled 245 yards through the air and added 12 more on the ground as the Packers dispatched the Bears in Chicago.
Puka Nacua surprised and delighted those who took him in fantasy drafts. Without Cooper Kupp, Nacua became a big target for the Rams. The rookie caught 10-of-15 targets in his debut and compiled 119 yards receiving.
Bijan Robinson is who we thought he was. The highly anticipated rookie averaged 5.6 yards per carry on 10 carries. In addition to 56 yards on the ground, Robinson was a factor in the passing game as well. He pulled in all six of his targets for 27 yards and a score through the air.
Drop Players?
J.K. Dobbins left the game against the Texans in the third quarter. What was initially referred to as an ankle injury worsened. Head coach John Harbaugh confirmed Dobbins has been diagnosed with an Achilles tear. His season is over.
John Harbaugh confirmed JK Dobbins has a torn Achilles. He’s done.
— Morgan Adsit (@MorganAdsit) September 10, 2023
Diontae Johnson caught three passes before leaving the Steelers’ defeat against San Francisco. He exited in the third quarter with an apparent hamstring injury. He was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game and could be facing a multi-week injury.
Aaron Jones had quite a fantasy outing before being removed from the game with a hamstring injury. He totaled 127 yards from scrimmage with a pair of touchdowns. Following his departure from the game, he was seen stretching on the sideline with the training staff. Hopefully, it is a good sign that he was not taken into the locker room for further evaluation.
