Fantasy Genius Not-So-Serious Week 1 Recap

September 15, 2026

Fantasy Genius brings you stats, stories, and rivalries every week of the season. Check out this hilarious, not-so-serious recap from Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.

We are back. Week 1 had monstrously large scoring across the board. Individual leagues will vary, but it was the second-highest all-time scoring week in my league's 16-year history. All that scoring means that almost everyone has something to hang their hat on even after a lackluster start to the season for some big fantasy names like Brock Bowers (injured), Drake Maye (bad), and A.J. Brown (had Drake Maye as his quarterback).

If this is your first time reading one of these blogs, please don't take anything I say in here seriously. You will see very quickly that I am simply an idiot with a keyboard. The data I pull is real but you are reading the commentary of a moron. Consider this fact before getting upset on the internet.

The TLDR version? This data is real. This "analysis" is fun. If you get a smile out of this info - or just like having tons of fun with your buddies throughout fantasy football season - think about syncing your league to Fantasy Genius in 2026...you can save 20% (and get three FREE months of RotoBaller's Big 4 Premium) when you use code BALLER at checkout!

Very Dumb Things

As is tradition, it's my duty every Tuesday morning to find the dumbest and/or most painful losses I can think of. Two very dumb plays stuck out to me this week. Let's start in Detroit.

In the 2nd quarter, Jared Goff was hit hard by Chase Young as he geared up to throw and threw the ball backward. The Saints picked up the ball and ran it in for a touchdown. Except... this particular backward pass is (according to the rules) actually a forward pass. Despite it being dumb, it was technically, the correct call??

Technicalities aside, you were totally bailed out if you had Goff as your starting QB. This should have been negative two points for your fantasy team. Instead, it only goes down as an incompletion. You see where I'm going with this...

3.6% of Goff owners were saved by some weird rule nobody had ever heard of. 3.6% of Goff owners won by less than two points, meaning that this call swung their matchups.

The other dumbest thing happened in the Cowboys and Giants game, as Javonte Williams taunted a Giants player on his way into the end zone (to go down by 8 points).

Javonte Williams got called for taunting after scoring a Cowboys TD, leading to the XP try being 15 yards longer. Brandon Aubrey then missed the 48-yard kick

Cris Collinsworth: "It's just. It's just... insanity."

Mike Tirico: "Completely unnecessary, and it cost his team." pic.twitter.com/xvgzciGmVk

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 14, 2026

The taunting penalty moved the extra point back 15 yards and Brandon Aubrey promptly missed it. Aubrey had made 79 of his last 80 extra point attempts. Safe to say he was probably gonna make this one until he got backed up.

A brutal turn of events for Brandon Aubrey owners as they went from getting a sure point to losing a point because of Javonte's shenanigans.

3.5% of fantasy teams that started Brandon Aubrey lost because of this two point swing. Remember folks, fantasy football is a game of inches...and apparently, extra points.

Friends From College

Do you watch college football? Did you know that Alabama has been pretty good over the last several years?

Derrick Henry (RB1), Jahmyr Gibbs (RB3), and Bryce Young (QB3) all had huge fantasy days in Week 1. Bryce Young and Jahmyr Gibbs were even in the same backfield during the 2022 Alabama season!

A Tale of Two Kyles

Kyle Pitts (0.0 points, as many fantasy points as the author of this post) was started in 76% of leagues. Kyle Monangai (20.4 points, RB11) was started in just 18% of leagues. We botched the Kyles this week!

Kyle Pitts finished with 0 yards on 1 target

What’s more concerning - Pitts only played 36 snaps (63%). His lowest in any game in 2025 was 45 snaps

— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) September 14, 2026

A Word of Caution...

Not overreacting to week 1 is critical, let's all keep our wits about us. History is helpful here... it's instructive to look at Week 1 of last year in terms of player performances. Guess who this 2025 week 1 stat line is from:

8 receptions, 112 yards, 1 TD (25.2 fantasy points)

Did you guess Keon Coleman? No, you didn't....I don't believe you.

That was good for WR2 in Week 1 last year. He went on to...not do that...the rest of the season. His next highest finish was WR26 in Week 10. I'm as excited as anyone about Jalen Coker's potential after a monster Week 1 but I've seen this movie before...

Worried about Ja'Marr Chase's slow start? Remember...last year, he opened the season with 4.6 points in Week 1. In Week 2, he dropped 36.5 points. Historical data always is correct about what the future will hold, so expect big things from Chase in Week 2 against the Texans defense.

ICYMI: Cool Stuff From Around The League

Tyler Owens of the Washington Commanders is an absolute BEAST...

Tyler Owens could not be stopped 😳

WASvsPHI on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/d4Tyw1MnqS

— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026

Patrick Ricard is our "Guy of the Week". Six foot three. 300 pounds. Fullback. Number 45. A hoss. The Giants run the ball 75% of the time that he's in the game. You know the run is coming. It's no secret...the Giants are going to have 300-pound Patrick Ricard lead the way and if you're lucky enough to get around him somehow, you run into Cam Skattebo...a guy who hits his own head for fun. This team rules.

PATRICK RICARD pic.twitter.com/RAMmeYW3RJ

— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) September 14, 2026

Cam Ward decided to flip the ball up to himself for reasons that I do not understand. But I like this...more of this kind of nonsense please.

what the hell was Cam Ward doing here lol pic.twitter.com/5HeCey61AX

— GC (@new_typ3) September 13, 2026

Crack a smile while reading this article from Fantasy Genius co-founder, Mike Barton? Sync your fantasy football league with Fantasy Genius to receive hilarious weekly recaps (written by humans, not AI overlords) after every matchup! The perks don't end, as your entire league gets access to all the bells and whistles with one premium subscription. Use code BALLER to save 20% for the whole 2026 season!

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