The Christmas season is finally upon us with our first Sunday of the 2015 NFL year officially in the books. Obviously by “Christmas season” I really mean “football season,” the time of year in which we finally stop doing fantasy drafts and start evaluating our players as they perform week to week.

If you’re new to this column, here’s the basic rundown. I’ll start this piece by touching on the bigger bits of news (injuries, trades, depth chart changes, etc.) followed by diving into the games one by one.

We’ll try to hit on everything that’s everything in each game, all geared toward helping you try to figure out what to make of player’s production or lack thereof. That’s the gist. It’s simple, quick-hitting, and a fun little way to refresh yourself on what happened over the weekend.

 

Week 1 NFL Recap

The biggest bit of news to come out of Week 1 so far has been the injury to Dez Bryant. He’s set to have surgery on a fractured foot that should sideline him for at least a month. It’s a huge blow to the Cowboys offense, one that knocks Tony Romo down a peg as it relates to fantasy. If you’re looking for a wide receiver on the waiver wire to add, Terrance Williams would be the guy I’d target as a Dez Bryant fill-in. I’d also keep an eye on Cole Beasley but wouldn’t rush out to get him. Overall, I think the biggest beneficiary of Dez’s injury is tight end Jason Witten. He had a great name in general Sunday night so he’ll likely see an uptick in targets until Bryant returns.

Not as big of a name as Dez Bryant, DeSean Jackson is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a hamstring strain is a blow to fantasy teams as well. D-Jax has always been the type of player that is either going to win you your week with his upside or be a complete dud on Sunday but still, injuries suck no matter what. Hopefully you were using DeSean as a low-end WR2/flex play anyway so you should be able to find a suitable replacement on your bench. Hamstring injuries tend to linger though so if you do end up with a solid fill-in, I’d consider waiting a week to see just how strong that hammy is before putting Jackson back into your lineup.

T.Y. Hilton rounds out the trio of injured wide receivers this week but the most recent update on him has been that he’s day-to-day with a bruised knee. We’ll have to wait a bit to see if he’ll be ready for week two’s Monday night matchup with the New York Jets but if he can’t go, Andre Johnson and Donte Moncrief will have to carry the load. Either way, Moncrief should be owned in all leagues until Hilton is back to full strength. Even though the Colts struggled mightily against the Bills, this is still expected to be an explosive offense so Moncrief should benefit in Hilton’s absence. I’d also consider using Andre Johnson in daily fantasy…

In non-receiver related injuries, Arizona running back Andre Ellington is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with a PCL sprain. It’s a real shame that Ellington can’t ever seem to stay healthy and now we’ll have to see what Chris Johnson has left in the tank. Any starting running back in the NFL holds value so Johnson is worth an add for those looking to enhance their bench but I wouldn’t hold my breath on him making a massive impact. He’s worth a stash for sure, I just wouldn’t use a ton of my budget in any sort of league that uses a blind auction for waiver wires.

There were some other random injuries that we’ll get to in the individual games but those were the four biggest ones of the week. Overall, just keep reminding yourself that it’s only week one and there’s plenty of time to rebound from an injury or a rough loss.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots

I’m going to resist the urge to be the one-billionth person to make a deflategate joke and instead focus solely on the game here. In case you were wondering why anyone would consider Antonio Brown or Rob Gronkowski in the first round, the opening game might have convinced you they weren’t insane. Antonio’s nine receptions for 133 yards and a garbage time touchdown were enough to net him the second most fantasy points among wide receivers in standard scoring this week and third most in PPR. He’s a stud who is going to have another ridiculous year. What more is there to say about him?

The other interesting thing to note on the Pittsburgh side of the ball was the play of DeAngelo Williams. Williams is filling in for the suspended Le’Veon Bell and ran extremely well against a shoddy New England front line. He ended up with 127 yards but was pulled at the goal line in favor of fullback Will Johnson. It’s a classic case of a touchdown being vultured away from a key fantasy contributor but what are you gonna do? 127 yards is still legit for a backup. Granted, his value becomes relegated to handcuff duty (no pun intended…maybe) once Bell comes back. The Steelers get a depleted 49ers defense next week so I’d roll with DeAngelo one more time, especially in a weekly format.

As for the Patriots, Rob Gronkowski’s three touchdown day is essentially what gave them the Pats the W. The Steelers went with the bold strategy of straight up not guarding him near the endzone which shockingly proved to be unsuccessful. I’m exaggerating but still, he was basically wide open yet it kind of doesn’t matter. He’s a beast who will could easily win you your league if you went TE early. Tom Brady played like we all expected him to. He came out firing with a chip on his shoulder and that should continue for the entire year. I’m honestly ready to move him up all the way to QB3 on the year. He’s going to have a ridiculous season and you should even consider trading for him if your QB situation is dire, especially if the Brady owner in your league has a decent backup since many expected him to be suspended.

Also, Antonio Brown's haircut should be owned in all leagues.

 

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears

This was another Packers/Bears classic with Green Bay pulling away in the fourth quarter. Aaron Rodgers and Eddie Lacy were as solid as expected but the biggest takeaway from this game in terms of the Packers was that of James freakin’ Jones. All ofseason we’ve been trying to figure out who the true number three receiver on this team was, Jordy Nelson gets hurt, in walks James Jones and everyone’s summer analysis is thrown out the window. Honestly, this might just be a case of the Bears not strategizing for him since he wasn’t even on the team initially. I’m not sold on him as the official replacement for Jordy Nelson just yet but I do think he’s worth an add, especially for those teams who lost a key wide receiver this week. I still like DeVante Adams as the team’s number two receiver, he just couldn’t get in on the touchdown party this week.

Alshon Jeffery did end up suiting up in this game to the tune of 78 yards. He had an okay game which was to be expected while nursing an injury, you just have to roll with your studs in the event they go off. Perhaps the biggest surprise of this game was Matt Forte racking up 141 yards. Forte had basically been forgotten about in terms of being an RB1 this year but it’s clear that he still has plenty of production left in him. I would bet the Matt Forte owner in your league got him at a discount, maybe even as his second RB (I did) so don’t be afraid to send out some early feelers on him to see what his price may be.

 

Kansas City Chiefs @ Houston Texans

In what started out as a blowout, the Texans actually ended up coming back only to lose by seven in this game. The key to that might have just been replacing quarterback Brian Hoyer with Ryan Mallett. Hoyer was struggling mightily so Mallett came in to give the offense a boost. DeAndre Hopkins had a big game here with two scores and 98 yards but the head scratcher was the return of the ghost of Nate Washington. Washington was left for dead in Houston, finishing the week one loss with six receptions for 105 yards. I wouldn’t read too much into this, especially if the QB situation is in flux. I’m not adding Washington in any league just yet, I’d just keep my eye on him for another week to see if this is legit.

Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce gave fantasy owners a scare when he exited the game after scoring two touchdowns but it turned out to be nothing. Not much else to report on the Chiefs side of the ball other than Jamaal Charles proved once again he doesn’t need a ton of touches to live up to his status as a top-five running back. Lastly, I’m hoping that Jeremy Maclin’s targets increase as the year progresses since this team is still very much in need of another consistent pass catcher.

 

Carolina Panthers @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Exhale if you had the Panthers in one of your survivor pools. This game started out too close for comfort with the Jags staying in it during the first half before the Panthers pulled away in the second. There honestly wasn’t a ton to react to in this game as far as fantasy is concerned. Cam Newton had an okay game with the Carolina defense basically bailing out the offense. The Panthers D was already a solid streaming option week one and should continue to be in their next game against the Houston Texans. Again, this game was fairly uneventful so I think we have to wait and see what happens with each of these team’s offensive players before we make any rash decisions.

 

Miami Dolphins @ Washington Redskins

Also exhale if you had the Miami Dolphins in one of your survivor pools. (I sure know how to pick em huh?) Aside from the injury to DeSean Jackson, this was another rather uneventful game with both teams struggling to get the passing game working. That said, the biggest star of this contest was Washington running back Alfred Morris. Morris racked up 121 yards on 25 carries without a touchdown in Sunday’s loss, an effort that nets him solid RB2 numbers. Not surprisingly, Morris didn’t have any receptions either, a hindrance that continues to plague him in PPR leagues. He’s still good enough to get the job done in standard scoring. It’ll be interesting to see if rookie Matt Jones has his role increased as the season progresses but for now he’s simply an Alfred Morris handcuff with upside as a change of pace back.

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Seattle Seahawks @ St. Louis Rams

No, I didn’t also have the Seahawks in survivor. Nice try, though. I’m not overly shocked the Rams pulled out this win since it’s a divisional game with a tough opponent but I am surprised at HOW they did it. With both Todd Gurley and Tre Mason out, St. Louis turned to Benny Cunningham as their starting running back yet ran it in for two touchdowns with quarterback Nick Foles and wide receiver Tavon Austin. I’m not going to be burned by Tavon Austin this year so if you want to buy back into his hype, be my guest, he’s all yours. Once Brian Quick comes back Austin will once again be irrelevant.

As for the Seahawks, the team racked up the majority of their points on defense and special teams but it was nice to see Jimmy Graham reel in a touchdown. Graham’s fantasy production will be directly tied to how many times he’s able to get into the endzone so it was reassuring to see him pull that off in week one. He’s not going to have the same type of year he would have had in New Orleans but as long as the touchdowns keep coming he’ll remain a slight step above most of the other tight ends not named Rob Gronkowski and perhaps even Travis Kelce. Also, I wouldn’t worry about Marshawn Lynch just yet…heavy emphasis on “yet.”

 

Cleveland Browns @ New York Jets

I was watching part of this game with some friends and the second Johnny Manziel came in for Josh McCown, my friend and I said “watch the Browns win this game now.” Well, that was rather short lived. Manziel did actually make the offense move more effectively in spurts but not enough to spread the wealth in regard to fantasy. Travis Benjamin had the most receiving yards for them with one touchdown but eh, I’m not convinced that’s legit. The combination of Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson out of the backfield didn’t really do too hot so there really isn’t anything exciting to report on the Cleveland side of the ball outside of Manziel. Josh McCown will remain in the concussion protocol throughout the week so Manziel becomes an interesting deep league flier at QB with his ability to rush out of the pocket.

Ryan Fitzpatrick did for the Jets exactly what Ryan Fitzpatrick needed to do. He just needed to be competent enough to get the ball to Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker and that’s exactly what he did. Each receiver ended up scoring a touchdown in this game so you can expect the Harvard-grad QB to continue to keep this offense afloat. That said, it was running back Chris Ivory who helped propel the Jets to victory on Sunday, ending the day with 91 yards and two touchdowns. Ivory’s preseason ADP was rather low for a guy expected to get the majority of the workload. After seeing what we saw in week one, I have every shred of confidence that Ivory will remain a legit RB2 for the entire season provided he’s healthy. There are certain things you can toss out in the first game as being too early to react to like the aforementioned Travis Benjamin but this Ivory thing is legit. The Jets will run the ball effectively with Fitzpatrick under center trying to get the ball to Marshall and Decker.

Side note, how horrendous are those new Cleveland uniforms? Jiminy Cricket those things are rough on the eyes. Yowza.

 

Indianapolis Colts @ Buffalo Bills

In what could be viewed as the biggest stunner of the week, the Bills manhandled the Colts to the tune of a 27-14 victory over Indianapolis. The amazing thing is that their biggest offensive score came from the passing game. A 51 yard passing play from quarterback Tyrod Taylor to Percy Harvin gave the Bills an early lead that they just piled on from there. Sammy Watkins didn’t catch a single pass in this game so the Harvin play should make Watkins owners nervous. I could easily envision a scenario where Harvin ends up being the more productive wide receiver this year but the problem is his health. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy for all 16 games in quite some time so although I would advocate adding him, it’d be tough to rely on him at any given point. Much like Marshawn Lynch, I’m not worried about Buffalo running back LeSean McCoy just yet. He was still recovering from a hamstring injury so let’s give it a few weeks before we revisit him as a legit low-end RB1.

The Colts struggled heavily on offense, particularly in the passing game with Andrew Luck ending the day with just 26 completions on 49 attempts. As we already discussed, T.Y. Hilton did leave this game with a knee bruise but the Colts spread the ball around pretty thin as it is. Eight different players caught passes from Andrew Luck. As someone who owns the entirety of the Indy offense throughout several leagues, I’m not panicking just yet. This is a “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed” situation for now.

 

New Orleans Saints @ Arizona Cardinals

Remember that go-to narrative Saints fans HATE about how they can’t win on the road? Know what would make that go away? Winning on the road. Even with Drew Brees throwing for 355 yards the team just couldn’t find the endzone enough with only Brandon Coleman reeling in a touchdown. Shockingly, running back Mark Ingram was the team’s leading receiver with eight receptions for 98 yards. Seeing that stat line makes me exclaim an audible “Ruh Roh” for C.J. Spiller’s fantasy prospects upon returning. Granted, the Saints have always utilized multiple backs but if Ingram start racking up receiving yards out of the backfield, Spiller’s role in the offense might be smaller than what we expect. Still, we have to wait and see what the offense looks like upon his return.

The Cardinals won this game thanks to Carson Palmer’s three-touchdown performance, throwing one to three different players. The more important aspect of that is that the only wide receiver who caught one of those TD’s was that of John Brown. I know Larry Fitzgerald had more receiving yards but I still believe Brown is the wide receiver you want to own in Arizona. Besides, if Brown has slightly less yards than Fitzgerald but starts reeling in more touchdowns than him, wouldn’t that be the guy you’d want to own anyway?

 

Detroit Lions @ San Diego Chargers

Yea so about that Ameer Abdullah hype…it’s for real. After seeing him out-touch and out-perform Joique Bell, I’m convinced Abdullah is a legitimate RB2 going forward. Here’s a realistic scenario you can likely pull off in one of your leagues. If you own Ameer Abdullah on your bench and have a starting RB2 that gives you pause, trade the RB2 for an upgrade at a different position and do it now. Get Abdullah in your lineup as fast as you can and utilize your other assets to make your team better. Also, I’m officially panicking on Calvin Johnson. Megatron’s targets were severely limited, ending the day with just two receptions for 39 yards. I don’t know what’s going on there but I don’t like it and I’m selling if I can. In fact, you know that Abdullah scenario I just mentioned? I own both guys on the same team in a league so my plan is to send Megatron and Lamar Miller packing for a better wide receiver. How’s that for some real-life analysis?

If you had Philip Rivers as the quarterback who would lead the NFL in passing yards after week one, congratulations, you win nothing. Rivers ended with 404 yards, 166 of which went to…sigh…Keenan Allen. Listen, I’m not sold on the bounce back from Keenan Allen, and if it happens, great, but I’m honestly more interested in the resurgence of Stevie Johnson. Johnson had 82 yards and a touchdown of his own in this game and it’s possible that this team could support two fantasy relevant wide receivers anyway. With that performance, Johnson automatically catapults into flex consideration and becomes a sneaky option in daily fantasy formats. That said, I’d be a little concerned about sticking to my guns about that once tight end Antonio Gates comes back from his suspension.

 

Tennessee Titans @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

What do Tom Brady and Marcus Mariota have in common? They’re tied for the lead in passing touchdowns to start the season at four. Mariota’s four touchdowns went to four different receivers, one of which was running back Bishop Sankey who somehow put together a great game overall. He finished the day with 86 total yards and two touchdowns and might have been slightly under ranked to start the season. That said, I don’t believe this Tampa Bay defense is fixed so Sankey will have to do it against a tougher opponent before I’m willing to advocate him as a flex/RB2 play. I’m not really buying the Mariota hype in anything other than a two-quarterback league but I am concerned about the injury to tight end Delanie Walker. Walker is a solid tight end who was likely a steal in your fantasy drafts but if his injury causes him to miss any time, we’re looking at a reception carousel from Tennessee’s wide receiver corps.

Outside of tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, the Buccaneers were just all around bad in this game. It certainly didn’t help that Mike Evans sat in this one but fellow receiver Vincent Jackson couldn’t pick up the slack. I’m afraid V-Jax might just be flat out done at this point but Jameis Winston really just needs to play better for any other receiver to have a decent game. I’m buying the ASJ thing a little, though. If you lost Delanie Walker to injury, I’d scoop up ASJ off the waiver wire as a suitable replacement.

 

Cincinnati Bengals @ Oakland Raiders

Ok so I’ll admit, I was sort of buying into the Oakland Raiders hype this year and even bought into the idea that they could upset the Bengals this week. That never came close to materializing but their starting quarterback succumbing to injury might have had something to do with it. Derek Carr exited this game with a hand injury so Matt McGloin came in for him. How should I put this? Matt McGloin isn’t exactly…good? So I’m kind of just going to have to throw out the passing game entirely for now. Even still, running back Latavius Murray looked okay in this game. He averaged exactly 4.0 yards per carry, a crutch of a stat I know, but he could still turn out to be usable any given week. Just going to have to give this offense some time.

I’ve been all in on the Jeremy Hill bandwagon since June so his two touchdowns on Sunday made me quite happy. This isn’t exactly a bold prediction or anything but a year from now we’ll be talking up Hill as a top-five overall pick in fantasy. He’s going to have a huge year and those who drafted the likes of DeMarco Murray and LeSean McCoy ahead of him will be kicking themselves. Tight end Tyler Eifert exploded in this game with 104 yards and two touchdowns. He’s easily entrenched into that low-end TE discussion with considerable upside. A.J. Green didn’t do much in this game but honestly I can’t imagine many games where Andy Dalton manages to get multiple receivers involved. Just going to have to roll with the punches on that one.

 

Baltimore Ravens @ Denver Broncos

Yikes, Peyton Manning looked bad in this game. If I own Peyton in any league, or even Demaryius Thomas for that matter, I’m selling now before it’s too late. 24 for 40 with 175 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception is enough to scare me away. It’s not even like the Ravens defense is as potent as it used to be. What scares me about this offense even more is the fact that Ronnie Hillman outran C.J. Anderson. Both backs got 12 carries with Hillman gaining more yards, 41 to 29. It’s disconcerting when you consider the fact that the Broncos haven’t utilized the same running back two years in a row in quite some time. If you own Anderson, I hope you at least handcuffed him with Hillman but don’t jump off the ledge just yet. You should wait it out a few weeks to see if this is a committee, Hillman really does outplay Anderson, or if this was just a one time deal.

As for Baltimore, they didn’t really do anything of note in regard to fantasy in this game. Joe Flacco had two picks and and just 117 yards so no one in the receiving game saw any significant action. Justin Forsett ran 14 times for 43 yards to which you can let out a simple “meh.” I’ve been talking down Forsett as a major bust for 2015 and although one week isn’t going to prove that claim to be true, he’s not exactly off to a hot start.

 

New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys

This game was absolutely bonkers. The Giants couldn’t really get their passing game working with no receiving touchdowns and Eli Manning only going 20 for 36. That said, it was nice to see Rashad Jennings get the majority of the work out the backfield and punch it in for a score. I was worried that this would look like a committee with Shane Vereen and Andre Williams eating into Jennings’ workload but it looks like Vereen will remain the pass-catching back with Williams as the handcuff. With this news Jennings should be viewed as a solid flex play each week with RB2 upside. I’m not concerned about the passing game long term as it relates to Odell Beckham Jr. It’ll sort itself out.

The Romo Coaster was in full effect last night as he ended the day with three touchdowns and two interceptions but managed to lead the team to another fourth quarter comeback. What you see is what you get with Romo; he’s inconsistent but can win you a game any given week. When I was thinking about this week’s recap, I was considering stating I would advocate trading for Romo since the running game clearly isn’t the same without Murray but now that we know Dez Bryant needs surgery, I think Romo remains a low-end QB1. He’ll be fine without Dez but his upside temporarily gets muted. Speaking of the running backs, Joseph Randle out-touched Darren McFadden 19 to 7, which should surprise no one. The whole narrative on McFadden being good when healthy is a myth. He’s average at best. Randle will outplay him this year and continue to get the bulk of the workload.

 

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