By Dan O’Shea
After the first week of the NFL season, it’s always fun to look around your fantasy league to see who panics first. A lot of things that happen in Week 1 won’t happen again – or at least to such an extreme – for the rest of the season.
Is Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN, destined to deliver duds for the rest of the year, like he did in Week 1, with 31 yards rushing and 21 yards receiving? I don’t think so, and he should start rebounding in Week 2 against a Detroit defense that gave up almost 500 yards of offense in Week 1. So, if whoever drafted Peterson in your league is panicking and puts him on the trading block, go make a deal.
Will Odell Beckham, Jr., WR, NYG, fail to deliver on high draft position after posting a measly five catches, 41 yards and no TDs? Very little went right for the Giants offense in Week 1, but I’m thinking that may have more to do with a solid Dallas defense. In Week 2, OBJ and the Giants face an Atlanta defense that was positively porous against the pass last year. Game on.
These are just two examples, but basically, whatever happened in Week 1, don’t panic about it if it went poorly for you, and don’t invest too much in it if you had an amazing week. It takes at least two weeks to make a trend.
Week 1 Winners
QB: Marcus Mariota, TEN.
Four TDs. Wow. Again, let’s see how things go this week before we make him a fantasy starter. Actually, he has a pretty good match-up against the perpetually messed up Browns in Week 2. Hmmm.
RB: Carlos Hyde, SF.
In the 49ers-Viking Monday night match-up, you could have sworn the the starting RBs switched jerseys. While AP struggled, Hyde reeled off 168 yards rushing.
WR: Julio Jones, ATL.
One of the least surprising great performances of Week 1: 141 yards and two TDs from a guy who could easily become the No. 1 WR in fantasy football if he stays healthy.
TE: Tyler Eifert, CIN.
Had the breakout game we were hoping for, with 104 yards and two TDs. The biggest deal about this performance: Nine catches on 12 targets. He is already looking like a go-to receiver for the Bengals even with A.J. Green in the mix.
Week 1 Losers
QB: Peyton Manning, DEN.
I know some of you were expecting this to be Andrew Luck, but Manning’s 175 yards passing and no TDs was by far the more out-of-character performance. The Broncos’ offensive line didn’t give him much time or room to work. Worth keeping a careful eye on this situation in the weeks to come.
RB: Frank Gore, IND.
Indy’s backfield still looks like a place where running backs go to die. Gore had only eight carries for 31 yards, though a lot of that was due to the Colts falling behind the Bills to the shocking tune of 24-0.
WR: Calvin Johnson, DET.
Everything we have been hearing suggested the Lions would be better throwing the ball this year and that Megatron would have a comeback season. Not a good start, with two catches on only four targets and just 39 yards.
Week 2 Big Play
Russell Wilson, QB, SEA: We were wondering if having Jimmy Graham at TE would indicate a more active passing game, and sure enough Wilson threw a career-high 41 passes in Week 1. This week he faces a Green Bay defense that failed to embarrass Jay Cutler until very late in the game. With Wilson’s new penchant for passing and his ability to break out a big run or two, I like the former Badger in his return to our cheesiest state.
Expert Wire
* SB Nation has RBs to target on the waiver wire. The most interesting one is Danny Woodhead, SD, who looked more like the starter than starting RB and rookie Melvin Gordon, actually getting the goal-line opportunities that were supposed to go Gordon’s way.
* Bleacher Report likes Mariota among top QB projections for Week 2. So, maybe Mariota isn’t a bad play this week either, but assuming he’s your QB-2, I can’t imagine your QB-1 had such an awful week that you’re ready to bench him. Even after Peyton Manning’s awful week, I’d still give him another to revert to form.
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Dan O’Shea is our man in fantasyland. He welcomes your comments.
Posted on September 15, 2015