What an opening weekend. All the drama we'd expect, but not in the ways many expected.
Last year I introduced a weekly Monday morning column that ran down the most notable fantasy impact of each Sunday contest. When I solicited feedback from some of you at the end of the season, you named this feature as your favorite . . . along with the 50-50 DFS Lineup of the Week.
Speaking of the 50-50, my first one of the year luckily hit big. It included Sunday's #3 fantasy QB (Philip Rivers), #1 and #2 RBs (Alvin Kamara and James Conner), #1 WR (Tyreek Hill), #1 TE (Gronk), and #2 DST (Ravens). If you started my lineup, you would have easily doubled your money, and because this lineup consistently finished in the top 3%-4%, some of you told me you won big in DFS tournaments. Congrats, and here's hoping a majority of these continue to hit this season.
And now, the Monday Morning Rundown . . .
Steelers – The man of the hour is James Conner. As most of you know, I've been pushing him hard since July as one of my two favorite RB handcuffs. Le'Veon Bell gambled that Pittsburgh would bring him back to the table and hand him a gaudy long-term deal. Instead, outside of a late-game fumble, Conner produced a Bell-like 192 yards and two scores on 36 touches, further weakening Bell's hand. Now go ahead and sell Conner very high if you can.
Browns – For most of this game, Tyrod Taylor was awful through the air and fantastic on the ground. Then he helped lead an impressive comeback to tie a game they probably should have lost. Oh, and he finished the day as the sixth-highest-scoring fantasy QB of Week 1 so far. He's continuing to hold off Baker Mayfield through sheer will and grit.
Bengals – After an uneven rookie season, Joe Mixon shined against, well, a low-end Indy defense. The next couple weeks against Baltimore and Carolina will be tougher. That said, he's clearly the bellcow, meaning he should match or exceed his high-end RB2 ADP over the course of the season.
Colts – Andrew Luck was my 15th ranked fantasy QB for good reason. Does he have a shot at low-end QB1 numbers? Sure. But top 10-18 QB performances will be more frequent than top 8 QB performances.
49ers – Speaking of overrated fantasy quarterbacks, I've staked my irrelevant reputation this preseason on the incredibly shortsighted idolization of Jimmy Garoppolo. While he deserves some slack for facing Minnesota on the road, and while he lost Marquise Goodwin for much of the game, he was below sub-par in a game where he should have been at least adequate. Jimmy G. will be fine this season, but he won't be a QB1, which is what nearly every fantasy expert anticipated.
Vikings – Dalvin Cook out-carried Latavius Murray 16-11 and picked up six receptions. He's a terrific buy-low option in a game where (despite the fumble) his on-the-field play looked more impressive than his fantasy numbers.
Texans – A disastrous return for Deshaun Watson, whose late-fourth TD couldn't salvage a day where he looked more like a rookie than he did during last year's rookie season. Missing Will Fuller and snapping behind a piss-poor offensive line didn't help, and surely Bill Belichick had plenty of time to game-plan this one. But for what people paid for Watson, he needs a big rebound in a comparably tough test next week in Tennessee.
Patriots – Jeremy Hill's injury and Rex Burkhead's high usage are worth mentioning. But the biggest story is former first rounder Phillip Dorsett's 7-for-7 day, converting it into 66 yards and a TD. He now has to be on the streaming radar for deep-leaguers needing a boom/bust WR3, and he's got three more games to solidify a role after Julian Edelman returns.
Buccaneers -- Simply amazing. Ryan Fitzpatrick's career could have ended years ago. But he's often capitalized on limited "show-me" opportunities. It happened again yesterday in a performance for the ages that culminated in a near-perfect QB rating. Anyone who thinks Jameis Winston automatically deserves to start when he returns is fooling themselves. A win over Philly next week could earn Fitz more starts and a "must-roster" label.
Saints – Alvin Kamara. How? Because he's Alvin Freakin' Kamara. 1,695 yards and 16 TDs in 17 NFL games -- mostly as a non-starter.
Jaguars – Leonard Fournette's injury is one of the biggest stories this morning. T.J. Yeldon was solid as his backup and should continue to be viewed as a top-5 handcuff -- and as a solid RB2 if Fournette's forced to miss time. While Fournette's expected to be okay, he was viewed as a higher-than-normal injury risk coming out of college. This probably won't be the last time this year he leaves a game hurt.
Giants – Saquon Barkley's fourth-quarter 68-yard run put fantasy managers at ease.
Bills – There was no good reason for Buffalo to start Nathan Peterman, unless the coaching staff didn't want to subject Josh Allen to a full four quarters of beat-downs. When Allen mercifully emerged, he was an instant upgrade and should give this offense some chances going forward -- meaning Kelvin Benjamin shouldn't be dropped quite yet.
Ravens – If you're in a two-QB league, sell Joe Flacco high. If you're in a one-QB league, leave him on waivers. This was simply a perfect storm of dominance for someone who will finish the season outside the top 16.
Titans – Plenty of teams had terrible games. No team had it worse than Tennessee. Marcus Mariota left the game early with an injured elbow and Delanie Walker likely will miss the rest of the year with dislocated/fractured ankle. Jonnu Smith enters the top-14 TE conversation.
Dolphins – I pushed Ryan Tannehill hard, and he rewarded two-QB leaguers as a "surprising" mid-range QB2 (though he fell short of my loftier expectations). The bigger story is that Frank Gore looked better than Kenyan Drake, who was essentially unstartable in most leagues. I've believed all summer Drake would break out Week 1 as the clear #1, and that Gore was worthless. How wrong I was.
Chiefs – Some of you have been pushing Patrick Mahomes this summer, and kudos to you for proving me wrong so far. Equally interestingly, Spencer Ware looked better than Kareem Hunt in limited action. Keep an eye on how Ware's utilized going forward. As I shared earlier this summer, there's danger here for those who drafted Hunt; a weak start combined with solid play from Ware could muddle this backfield.
Chargers – Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler accounted for nearly 300 yards. That's insane. I still believe Ekeler poses a threat to Gordon's dominance, but in this first test of 2018, Gordon proved me completely wrong.
Seahawks – Doug Baldwin suffered a sprained MCL and could miss some time. Tyler Lockett becomes an every-week WR3+, while rookie TE Will Dissly shockingly enters the "potential TE1" conversation; I won't be part of that conversation unless he proves it wasn't a fluke.
Broncos – New team, same story. Case Keenum showed why his QB-27 ADP was just plain stupid. He's got the receivers and the backfield to propel this offense every week.
Redskins – Adrian Peterson 1, Me 0. AP wins this round by virtue of being great. That doesn't mean his body can hold up for 16 games. He's already on pace to tie Larry Johnson's record 416 carries in a season. It's safe to assume something has to give.
Cardinals – A disastrous start to the Sam Bradford Era in Arizona. The over/under on Josh Rosen replacing him is about two games.
Cowboys – Is Dak Prescott a long-term option in Dallas? Plenty of you wondered that aloud last season as he struggled to replicate his 2016 breakout. His receivers are among the worst in the NFC, and his o-line is no longer elite. Pretty bad combo
Panthers – Cam Newton didn't play like an elite QB, so I'm not happy about that (based on my constant hyping of Cam all summer). More pointedly, Greg Olsen could miss time with another injury. Ian Thomas could be one of the most added TEs this week. If Ed Dickson could be a solid fill-in when Olsen got hurt last year, so could Thomas.
Bears – There's so much to talk about here. Suppose the most interesting is Allen Robinson's 4/61 line. Can Mitch Trubisky propel him to WR2+ production? Could be an uphill climb.
Packers – Amazing. For a time it looked like Green Bay's season was over. Then Aaron Rodgers came back on the field, and normalcy returned. So the biggest fantasy impact is that everyone's miraculously healthy heading into Week 2.
Last year I introduced a weekly Monday morning column that ran down the most notable fantasy impact of each Sunday contest. When I solicited feedback from some of you at the end of the season, you named this feature as your favorite . . . along with the 50-50 DFS Lineup of the Week.
Speaking of the 50-50, my first one of the year luckily hit big. It included Sunday's #3 fantasy QB (Philip Rivers), #1 and #2 RBs (Alvin Kamara and James Conner), #1 WR (Tyreek Hill), #1 TE (Gronk), and #2 DST (Ravens). If you started my lineup, you would have easily doubled your money, and because this lineup consistently finished in the top 3%-4%, some of you told me you won big in DFS tournaments. Congrats, and here's hoping a majority of these continue to hit this season.
And now, the Monday Morning Rundown . . .
Steelers – The man of the hour is James Conner. As most of you know, I've been pushing him hard since July as one of my two favorite RB handcuffs. Le'Veon Bell gambled that Pittsburgh would bring him back to the table and hand him a gaudy long-term deal. Instead, outside of a late-game fumble, Conner produced a Bell-like 192 yards and two scores on 36 touches, further weakening Bell's hand. Now go ahead and sell Conner very high if you can.
Browns – For most of this game, Tyrod Taylor was awful through the air and fantastic on the ground. Then he helped lead an impressive comeback to tie a game they probably should have lost. Oh, and he finished the day as the sixth-highest-scoring fantasy QB of Week 1 so far. He's continuing to hold off Baker Mayfield through sheer will and grit.
Bengals – After an uneven rookie season, Joe Mixon shined against, well, a low-end Indy defense. The next couple weeks against Baltimore and Carolina will be tougher. That said, he's clearly the bellcow, meaning he should match or exceed his high-end RB2 ADP over the course of the season.
Colts – Andrew Luck was my 15th ranked fantasy QB for good reason. Does he have a shot at low-end QB1 numbers? Sure. But top 10-18 QB performances will be more frequent than top 8 QB performances.
49ers – Speaking of overrated fantasy quarterbacks, I've staked my irrelevant reputation this preseason on the incredibly shortsighted idolization of Jimmy Garoppolo. While he deserves some slack for facing Minnesota on the road, and while he lost Marquise Goodwin for much of the game, he was below sub-par in a game where he should have been at least adequate. Jimmy G. will be fine this season, but he won't be a QB1, which is what nearly every fantasy expert anticipated.
Vikings – Dalvin Cook out-carried Latavius Murray 16-11 and picked up six receptions. He's a terrific buy-low option in a game where (despite the fumble) his on-the-field play looked more impressive than his fantasy numbers.
Texans – A disastrous return for Deshaun Watson, whose late-fourth TD couldn't salvage a day where he looked more like a rookie than he did during last year's rookie season. Missing Will Fuller and snapping behind a piss-poor offensive line didn't help, and surely Bill Belichick had plenty of time to game-plan this one. But for what people paid for Watson, he needs a big rebound in a comparably tough test next week in Tennessee.
Patriots – Jeremy Hill's injury and Rex Burkhead's high usage are worth mentioning. But the biggest story is former first rounder Phillip Dorsett's 7-for-7 day, converting it into 66 yards and a TD. He now has to be on the streaming radar for deep-leaguers needing a boom/bust WR3, and he's got three more games to solidify a role after Julian Edelman returns.
Buccaneers -- Simply amazing. Ryan Fitzpatrick's career could have ended years ago. But he's often capitalized on limited "show-me" opportunities. It happened again yesterday in a performance for the ages that culminated in a near-perfect QB rating. Anyone who thinks Jameis Winston automatically deserves to start when he returns is fooling themselves. A win over Philly next week could earn Fitz more starts and a "must-roster" label.
Saints – Alvin Kamara. How? Because he's Alvin Freakin' Kamara. 1,695 yards and 16 TDs in 17 NFL games -- mostly as a non-starter.
Jaguars – Leonard Fournette's injury is one of the biggest stories this morning. T.J. Yeldon was solid as his backup and should continue to be viewed as a top-5 handcuff -- and as a solid RB2 if Fournette's forced to miss time. While Fournette's expected to be okay, he was viewed as a higher-than-normal injury risk coming out of college. This probably won't be the last time this year he leaves a game hurt.
Giants – Saquon Barkley's fourth-quarter 68-yard run put fantasy managers at ease.
Bills – There was no good reason for Buffalo to start Nathan Peterman, unless the coaching staff didn't want to subject Josh Allen to a full four quarters of beat-downs. When Allen mercifully emerged, he was an instant upgrade and should give this offense some chances going forward -- meaning Kelvin Benjamin shouldn't be dropped quite yet.
Ravens – If you're in a two-QB league, sell Joe Flacco high. If you're in a one-QB league, leave him on waivers. This was simply a perfect storm of dominance for someone who will finish the season outside the top 16.
Titans – Plenty of teams had terrible games. No team had it worse than Tennessee. Marcus Mariota left the game early with an injured elbow and Delanie Walker likely will miss the rest of the year with dislocated/fractured ankle. Jonnu Smith enters the top-14 TE conversation.
Dolphins – I pushed Ryan Tannehill hard, and he rewarded two-QB leaguers as a "surprising" mid-range QB2 (though he fell short of my loftier expectations). The bigger story is that Frank Gore looked better than Kenyan Drake, who was essentially unstartable in most leagues. I've believed all summer Drake would break out Week 1 as the clear #1, and that Gore was worthless. How wrong I was.
Chiefs – Some of you have been pushing Patrick Mahomes this summer, and kudos to you for proving me wrong so far. Equally interestingly, Spencer Ware looked better than Kareem Hunt in limited action. Keep an eye on how Ware's utilized going forward. As I shared earlier this summer, there's danger here for those who drafted Hunt; a weak start combined with solid play from Ware could muddle this backfield.
Chargers – Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler accounted for nearly 300 yards. That's insane. I still believe Ekeler poses a threat to Gordon's dominance, but in this first test of 2018, Gordon proved me completely wrong.
Seahawks – Doug Baldwin suffered a sprained MCL and could miss some time. Tyler Lockett becomes an every-week WR3+, while rookie TE Will Dissly shockingly enters the "potential TE1" conversation; I won't be part of that conversation unless he proves it wasn't a fluke.
Broncos – New team, same story. Case Keenum showed why his QB-27 ADP was just plain stupid. He's got the receivers and the backfield to propel this offense every week.
Redskins – Adrian Peterson 1, Me 0. AP wins this round by virtue of being great. That doesn't mean his body can hold up for 16 games. He's already on pace to tie Larry Johnson's record 416 carries in a season. It's safe to assume something has to give.
Cardinals – A disastrous start to the Sam Bradford Era in Arizona. The over/under on Josh Rosen replacing him is about two games.
Cowboys – Is Dak Prescott a long-term option in Dallas? Plenty of you wondered that aloud last season as he struggled to replicate his 2016 breakout. His receivers are among the worst in the NFC, and his o-line is no longer elite. Pretty bad combo
Panthers – Cam Newton didn't play like an elite QB, so I'm not happy about that (based on my constant hyping of Cam all summer). More pointedly, Greg Olsen could miss time with another injury. Ian Thomas could be one of the most added TEs this week. If Ed Dickson could be a solid fill-in when Olsen got hurt last year, so could Thomas.
Bears – There's so much to talk about here. Suppose the most interesting is Allen Robinson's 4/61 line. Can Mitch Trubisky propel him to WR2+ production? Could be an uphill climb.
Packers – Amazing. For a time it looked like Green Bay's season was over. Then Aaron Rodgers came back on the field, and normalcy returned. So the biggest fantasy impact is that everyone's miraculously healthy heading into Week 2.