Unexpected Boom Performances: Fantasy Football Risers Include Isaiah Likely, J.K. Dobbins, Alec Pierce, Jameson Williams, more

Hayden's unexpected fantasy football performances, waiver wire sleepers, and trade targets for Week 2 (2024). Can these NFL players sustain Week 1's success?

Regular season NFL football is back! The first NFL Sunday of the season is now in the books, meaning it is time to evaluate what we just witnessed. Some players exceeded their expectations, and others fell woefully short of theirs.

Many players provided great performances for their fantasy managers this week. Josh Allen showed out, as did Saquon Barkley and Jayden Reed in Brazil on Friday. However, these players were already being counted on to be successful. The players who more surprisingly delivered in big ways deserve a great deal of attention.

Let's take a look at five of this week's unexpected boom performances, starting with a standout from the NFL Kickoff game.

Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens

The 2024 NFL regular season began with a highly-anticipated rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game between Baltimore and Kansas City. The Ravens returned quarterback Lamar Jackson and many other key playmakers, including Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Mark Andrews.

Surprisingly, the receiving option who stole the show was third-year tight end Isaiah Likely. Likely roasted the Kansas City defense to the tune of nine receptions, 111 yards, and one touchdown. His 21.6 half-PPR points have made him the highest-scoring tight end so far this week entering Monday Night Football.

ISAIAH LIKELY SO GOOD

📺: #Kickoff2024 on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/wusReXzb9I

— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2024

Likely's target volume greatly exceeded that of Andrews, despite the latter being a highly-drafted option in fantasy drafts. Likely had 12 targets, whereas Andrews saw just two all game. Andrews did still have slightly more routes run (38 to 35) than Likely, suggesting a more even split in targets is probable moving forward.

Although Likely should not be expected to replicate his Week 1 performance with frequency, his fantasy stock nonetheless rose significantly on Thursday. In any league where he is not already rostered, Likely should be added as quickly as possible. He is among the most desirable options, regardless of position, on waivers this week.

Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis offense was among the most intriguing heading into Week 1. Quarterback Anthony Richardson returned to action after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury last year. He was greeted by a promising group of receivers: Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, and rookie Adonai Mitchell.

However, few expected Alec Pierce to show up and have more receiving yards than every other Colt combined. Pierce had just three catches, but he converted those into 125 yards and a trip to the end zone. Pierce posted receptions of 60 and 57 yards and performed as an excellent deep threat for the strong-armed Richardson.

ANTHONY RICHARDSON 60-YARD DIME TO ALEC PIERCE.

📺: #HOUvsIND on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/p0xddm5Kl1

— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024

With 20.0 half-PPR points, Pierce stands as the WR7 for the week entering Monday night. The performance has garnered Pierce some waiver wire buzz ahead of Week 2, although it should be noted that Pierce had just three targets in the game. Moreover, Richardson threw just 19 passes despite the contest being competitive throughout.

Pierce is likely to be very inconsistent from week to week as a big-play-dependent option. This makes it difficult to view him as a priority addition to fantasy rosters. However, he is certainly someone worth considering given the high ceiling he is capable of reaching each week. Keep an eye on Pierce moving forward.

J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers

J.K. Dobbins has had some awful injury luck over the past few years. He tore his ACL in August of 2021, leading him to miss that entire season. Another knee issue cost him about two months of his 2022 campaign, and then last year Dobbins tore his Achilles' in Week 1. The Chargers decided to give him a chance this offseason with a one-year deal.

Dobbins's season debut went quite a bit better this year than it did last year. He received 10 carries in the team's matchup against Las Vegas, turning them into 135 yards. He exploded for runs of 61 and 46 yards, and he also took the ball 12 yards for a crucial touchdown to start the fourth quarter.

J.K. Dobbins finds the end zone! Six more for the @Chargers ⚡️

📺: #LVvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/utJfFTj1L7

— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024

Teammate Gus Edwards actually had one more rushing attempt than Dobbins, but he was much less effective. Dobbins averaged 13.5 yards per attempt, but Edwards averaged just 2.4. Dobbins also played more snaps (33) than Edwards (24), and he had three targets to Edwards's one. Dobbins is the Chargers running back to have in fantasy.

Dobbins, with 21.4 half-PPR points, ranks as the week's RB3 through Sunday's games. If he is not rostered in a league already, that should be remedied this week. Dobbins is the number one running back to add off waivers, and he should turn in another strong showing next week against hapless Carolina.

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield put forth a quality season for the Buccaneers in 2023, leading the team to an NFC South title in his first year with the team. However, he was not a sought-after fantasy asset this year. His NFFC ADP was as the QB22, and in many leagues, he was simply left on waivers post-draft. 

Clearly, Mayfield felt he had something to prove entering Sunday's game against Washington. He completed 24-of-30 pass attempts for 289 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions. Mayfield also added 21 yards on the ground. His 29.66 fantasy points in the 37-20 victory were enough to make him the week's overall QB2 entering Monday.

.@bakermayfield's was cookin' in Week 1:
🔥 24/30
🔥 289 yards
🔥 4 TDs@Buccaneers | @FedEx pic.twitter.com/7CaMLQyBhX

— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024

For as long as his top targets are healthy, Mayfield will be in a strong position to succeed. He completed all eight of his targets to Chris Godwin for 83 yards and a score, and he connected with Mike Evans five times for two touchdowns. Running back Rachaad White also put in great work as a receiver.

While Mayfield will not have major rushing production to supplement his numbers, his passing output should continue to be strong throughout the season. Any fantasy manager searching for an upgrade or injury fill-in at quarterback ought to give Mayfield a long look if he is available on waivers.

Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions

Last year, Detroit WR Amon-Ra St. Brown was fifth in the NFL in targets, and Lions tight end Sam LaPorta was fifth among tight ends in targets. This season was expected to be much of the same. St. Brown and LaPorta would be the team's top two options, with others like Jameson Williams trailing behind.

Well, not so fast. Williams was the team's leading receiver on Sunday night in receptions, targets, yards, and touchdowns. He made five grabs on nine targets for 121 yards and one score, helping the Lions to an overtime victory over the Rams in a crucial prime-time bout. His 21.9 half-PPR points place him fourth among WRs thus far in Week 1.

WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYMO#LARvsDET | 📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/GtCJg72dWU

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 9, 2024

While a boom game from Williams was not completely unforeseen, the nature of it was. His target share last year was just 9.8 percent; on Sunday night it was 32.1 percent. St. Brown was uncharacteristically shut down, but it is clear that Williams has finally established a real role for the Lions in his third season with the squad.

Williams should already be rostered in fantasy leagues. If he is not, it is important to take advantage. St. Brown and LaPorta will be more prominently featured in subsequent weeks than they were in Week 1, but Williams will remain a large part of the conversation. As the WR2 in a powerful offense, Williams will be quite valuable to fantasy managers.

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