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Nothing crazier than the first week of the NFL season. Upsets and team usage are all over the place – it will take a few weeks before we have enough data to start making decisions. But there are always injuries, and we need to add players to our rosters to help. We hope every injured player has a speedy recovery; it’s the worst thing in sports.
This week’s theme will be – Offenses we didn’t think would do well … did well.
*Disclaimer on Sleeper rostership: these will heavily point to dynasty leagues, but I wanted visibility.
QUARTERBACK
Mac Jones (New England Patriots)
Yahoo – 8% Rostered
ESPN – 5% Rostered
Sleeper – 37% Rostered
Mac started the season with a terrible matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. Mac finished with 316 passing yards, three touchdowns in the rain, and a slow start. How does he get to follow up this game? Against the Miami Dolphins, who just had their shootout with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)
Yahoo – 29% Rostered
ESPN – 30% Rostered
Sleeper – 91% Rostered
No Cooper Kupp and against a division rival? The process to not have Stafford for Week 1 was solid, but he proved us all wrong. He will get back Cooper Kupp, and with the emergence of Puka Nacua (later in this article), Stafford might be a weekly starter again. It’s not the easiest schedule with the 49ers next week, but McVay has always had their number, and Stafford might be okay.
RUNNING BACKS
Tyler Allgeier (Atlanta Falcons)
Yahoo – 56% Rostered
ESPN – 44% Rostered
Sleeper – 46% Rostered
Bijan Robinson is RB1, am I right?! Arthur Smith continues to not care about fantasy football (he probably shouldn’t) and wants to play whoever he wants (this part is probably bad). Tyler Allgeier ended up being back with the most touches and two scores; watching this running back by committee will be interesting. He may not get the start on your team as we learn more about usage, but he should not be on waivers after this week.
Kyren Williams (Los Angeles Rams)
Yahoo – 5% Rostered
ESPN – 10% Rostered
Sleeper – 6% Rostered
#Rams Week 1 backfield …
Snaps:
Kyren Williams – 65%
Cam Akers – 35%Routes:
Williams – 74%
Akers – 10%Carries inside the 10:
Williams – 3
Akers – 2— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) September 11, 2023
The usage speaks for itself. Cam Akers might still have their role, but Kyren was the clear pass catcher and had more snaps. If you need a running back, this is one of the top options to get for the season.
Justice Hill (Baltimore Ravens)
Yahoo – 3% Rostered
ESPN – 0% Rostered
Sleeper – 5% Rostered
We all hope for a healthy recovery for J.K. Dobbins; it’s terrible to see how his career has been plagued with injuries at the start. Justice Hill stepped up in the game after the injury. I wanted to include him in the list, but I would be cautious about starting him. They immediately activated Melvin Gordon off the practice squad, and Gus Edwards is still there. We need more information on usage for this backfield.
Kenneth Gainwell (Philadelphia Eagles)
Yahoo – 47% Rostered
ESPN – 22% Rostered
Sleeper – 61% Rostered
Career high in snaps and touches, with the Eagles healthy scratching Rashaad Penny. Gainwell looked like the man for the offense, and this is the top option to add this week. They are in the better offense and look to be the workhorse back.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams)
Yahoo – 5% Rostered
ESPN – 2% Rostered
Sleeper – 0% Rostered
Puka Nacua was targeted 15 times in his NFL debut, the most by a rookie in Week 1 over the last eight seasons (44.1% target rate).
Nacua had most of his production come in the short area (0-9 air yards), where he caught 6 of 9 targets for 64 yards.#LARvsSEA | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/2TopeRHJ2U
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 11, 2023
We were on Puka this offseason coming out of the draft. This is your top WR add this week, even with Cooper Kupp returning; Puka has played himself to be a force in this offense. So happy for him!
Romeo Doubs (Green Bay Packers)
Yahoo – 31% Rostered
ESPN – 19% Rostered
Sleeper – 53% Rostered
With no Christian Watson and injury concern himself, I don’t blame anyone for not starting Romeo Doubs. But….now we know we need to add him to our rosters. Jordan Love looked poised, and this offense might be explosive on weeks against porous defenses. Add Doubs if you have room. Plus, if you have Calvin Ridley and add him, you can change your team name to Calvin and Doubs.
TIGHT ENDS
Hunter Henry (New England Patriots)
Yahoo – 16% Rostered
ESPN – 4% Rostered
Sleeper – 65% Rostered
Worries about their signing of Mike Gesicki; Hunter out targets and outran him all game. Mac Jones returned to familiar faces this game when he needed to, and Hunter Henry is that player. Comfortably pick him up and start him next week against the Miami Dolphins.
Hayden Hurst (Carolina Panthers)
Yahoo – 11% Rostered
ESPN – 5% Rostered
Sleeper – 22% Rostered
It may not have been a great game for the Panthers, but Hayden had a good day. Lead the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. He also had their lone touchdown. A target favorite for Bryce Young to start the season, and with how bad the tight-end landscape is – add Hurst if you can or need one.
DROP CANDIDATES
Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney – WR (Kansas City Chiefs)
As a Kansas City Chiefs fan, this will be unbiased. I think neither player should see the field or the football ever again. I imagine these players will be in the doghouse in the future, and I expect Justyn Ross to start getting more looks. Expect the Chiefs to be active in trading for a wide receiver.
D’Andre Swift – RB (Philadelphia Eagles)
Maybe it wasn’t just the Lions that hated Swift. A major non-factor in the game, I would expect this to not change much with how well Gainwell performed. Penny could also play any week, and Swift isn’t playing on special teams. Watch for Swift to start being the healthy scratch.
