Monday morning means making sense of what happened yesterday. Fantasy values have shifted for one or more players on every Sunday team. Let's dive in, highlighting some of the most important fantasy storylines, tying them back to Sunday morning's podcast episode #47, where I zoomed in on each team's biggest fantasy pressure point heading into their first game.
Jaguars -- Podcast topic: Travis Etienne vs. Tank Bigsby. Post-game storyline: Etienne looks like a draft steal, at least for now. We know what he's capable of. The biggest question now is whether he's officially "back."
Panthers -- Podcast: Bryce Young question marks. Post-game: Young probably saved his job with an incredibly strong close-out last season. But maybe he simply delayed the inevitable. Carolina will remain patient for only so long. We'll see if he can right the ship.
Commanders -- Podcast: Jacory Croskey-Merritt vs. Chris Rodriguez. Post-game: With Rodriguez inactive, Croskey-Merritt looked terrific. He might eventually prove me wrong, carving out weekly fantasy value. I'm still wary, as he'll face many opponents tougher than the Giants.
Giants -- Podcast: Malik Nabers question marks. Post-game: Wan'Dale Robinson went toe-to-toe with Nabers, whose massive target share translated into good-not-outstanding numbers. Russell Wilson probably will give way to Jaxson Dart. In the meantime, the future Hall-of-Fame QB might lack the ceiling to elevate Nabers to 2024 levels.
Jets -- Podcast: Breece Hall undervalued. Post-game: You heard/read me push Hall again and again this summer. As long as he stays healthy, he should crush his RB16 ADP.
Steelers -- Podcast: Jaylen Warren vs. Kaleb Johnson. Post-game: Warren easily won the touch battle but arguably didn't bolster his standing atop the depth chart. Although managers will embrace the touchdown, he's still not in the clear.
Saints -- Podcast: Will Spencer Rattler throw for 150+ yards? Post-game: He had 177 before collecting 40 more against Arizona's prevent defense in the final two minutes. That might end up being comfortably above his average. It's a sell-high moment for those with Alvin Kamara and/or Chris Olave.
Cardinals -- Podcast: Marvin Harrison Jr. undervalued. Post-game: Harrison looked terrific on only six targets. And perhaps more importantly, Trey Benson easily outplayed James Conner. Entirely expected, and also a bit sooner than expected.
Patriots -- Podcast: Drake Maye overvalued. Post-game: Maye was merely serviceable on 46 throws. Not an ideal start.
Raiders -- Podcast: Ashton Jeanty's debut. Post-game: An ugly first impression, and also a fantastic buying opportunity if your opponent who drafted him in the first round is too anxious to hold on.
Colts -- Podcast: Is Tyler Warren for real? Post-game: The rookie TE led Indy with nine targets, converting it into a 7-76 receiving line. The hype was deserved.
Dolphins -- Podcast: Tua Tagovailoa undervalued. Post-game: One of my biggest whiffs of the day. I pushed Tua as one of my favorite undervalued "undraftable" QBs. If this offense continues to struggle -- not entirely likely, but certainly possible -- the fantasy ramifications would be huge for a franchise that's $12 million over the cap for 2026 (i.e., might need to make tough roster decisions).
Browns -- Podcast: Jerome Ford and Dylan Sampson in light of Quinshon Judkins' impending impact. Post-game: Ford goes from Week 1 starter to (probably) #3 RB, as Sampson played well enough (through the air) to warrant continued usage alongside Judkins.
Bengals -- Podcast: Tee Higgins' durability. Post-game: Aside from a couple of Cincy touchdowns, the offense stalled against an inspired Browns D, so it's hard to gauge whether Higgins can return to 2024 levels.
Falcons -- Podcast: Kyle Pitts . . . start, bench, trade away, or drop? Post-game: Drake London's shoulder injury might be the team's biggest story heading into Week 2. But we can't overlook Pitts' impressive 7-59 line on eight targets. Michael Penix needed 42 pass attempts, so we shouldn't expect Pitts to garner that much attention most weeks. But . . . he's in a contract year and has the talent to be the draft steal I *thought* he'd be last year.
Buccaneers -- Podcast: Emeka Egbuka ascending . . . for now. Post-game: When Chris Godwin returns, who knows how this will all shake out. But Egbuka's NFL debut couldn't have gone much better. 32-year-old Mike Evans might be in the most vulnerable situation of the team's "big three" receivers, as it's hard to envision him remaining the #1 this year.
Seahawks -- Podcast: Kenneth Walker vs. Zach Charbonnet. Post-game: Charbonnet's preseason ADP was RB35. He was my RB25. That's how high I was on him, and that's why his Week 1 performance wasn't shocking. What *was* shocking was Walker's anemic performance, though it's fair to wonder if his preseason foot injury played a role.
49ers -- Podcast: Christian McCaffrey. Post-game: While George Kittle's and Jauan Jennings' early exits merit close attention, the biggest story is CMC brutally inefficient rushing and 31 total touches. Sure, he dominated as a safety valve (9-73 receiving line). But managers should be horrified that this team seemingly has learned nothing from his disastrous over-usage in 2023 -- especially in light of his calf injury entering Week 1.
Broncos -- Podcast: JK Dobbins vs. RJ Harvey. Post-game: Dobbins did enough to remain the 1A, and Harvey did enough to challenge Dobbins for the 1A. In other words, this game didn't answer any questions, but it did showcase two capable running backs on a team that realistically can feed only one in fantasy.
Titans -- Podcast: Cam Ward and struggling rookie #1 overall QB picks. Post-game: Ward didn't have much of a chance on the road against an elite defense. But there were no silver linings here. I faded every Tennessee playmaker, and I don't expect to regret it.
Rams -- Podcast: Kyren Williams overvalued. Post-game: As many of you know, I drafted Williams last year. Was generally very happy starting him. And I warned readers beginning this past January that he'd be one of the most overvalued RBs in the opening rounds. To understand why, read recent posts and/or listen to episode 3 of the FF4W podcast. Managers should use the strength of his Week 1 performance to trade him away.
Texans -- Podcast: I don't trust Nick Chubb. Post-game: The good news? 4.6 rushing yards on 13 carries. The bad news? He's never been a rock star in the passing game, making him a TD-dependent RB with short-term appeal. A solid flyer (for now) and not much more.
Packers -- Podcast: Matthew Golden's turn. Post-game: Apparently not. Jordan Love continued to do what he does best: spread the ball around to the anguish of millions of fantasy managers. Golden has buy-low appeal, though it might take time for the rookie to become reliable.
Lions -- Podcast: Sam LaPorta confusion. Post-game: Thru one game, LaPorta is back to his 2023 self. Unfortunately, it came at the expense of virtually very other playmaker. So it's too soon to feel bullish.
Bills -- Podcast: Can we trust James Cook? Post-game: He scored and had five catches. If that's 2025 Cook, then amazing. But he won't usually face negative game scripts, so let's see if he can keep it going.
Ravens -- Podcast: Can we trust Zay Flowers? Post-game: More than ever, at least for one game. Nearly half of Lamar Jackson's throws went his way. For someone who didn't hit 12+ points in seven of his final eight games last season, Flowers remains a fascinating -- and potentially ascending -- fantasy asset.
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