Week 1 of the NFL season is officially in the books. There were many games, and therefore many fantasy performances to flesh out. Week 1 was particularly wild this season. There were several unusual results (ei: What happened Joe Burrow?!), which led to some surprising fantasy numbers. Here’s the very good, followed by the very bad!
All Fantasy Stats are Courtesy of ESPN.com
The Good
Tyreek Hill (WR) – 44.5 PPR points
Hill was an absolute monster on Sunday in Inglewood. He was the deciding factor in many fantasy matchups. Racking up 215 yards and 2 touchdowns on 11 catches, he reminded the NFL community that he is still one of the best wide receivers in the league. There is no reason to expect anything but great performances out of him going forward.
Brandon Aiyuk (WR) – 32.9 PPR points
Aiyuk was apart of a popular debate over the offseason. While teammate Deebo Samuel was being drafted ahead of him, many expected Aiyuk to overtake Samuel as San Fransisco’s most productive fantasy wide receiver. Luckily, Week 1 left little room for doubt. Deebo served as a short yardage, gadget guy. Meanwhile, Aiyuk was playing X and serving a more traditional wide receiver role. He grabbed 155 yards and 2 touchdowns on Sunday, which was enough to secure him a spot as the second-highest fantasy scorer of the week. Aiyuk is clearly the receiver to roster in San Fransisco, and should not be sitting on any fantasy benches in Week 2.
Calvin Ridley (WR) – 24.1 PPR points
There was a ton of hype surrounding Calvin Ridley’s return to the NFL heading into the season. He lived up to it in Week 1. Ridley didn’t need any time to ease into things, as Trevor Lawrence connected with him for 8 catches, 101 yards, and a touchdown. If there were any concerns about him being rusty or out of the game for too long, they have since been relieved. Ridley is an elite fantasy wide receiver moving forward.
Breece Hall (RB)- 15.7 PPR points
Hall is fresh off of an ACL tear last season. Though he was cleared for Week 1, most expected him to need a few weeks to ease into things. The Jets front office seemingly agreed, signing veteran running back Dalvin Cook over the offseason. However, with the whole league watching on Monday Night Football, Hall flashed the burst that he showcased all throughout 2022. This was highlighted by an impressive 83-yard rush. Though his workload was still relatively small (it will increase throughout the season), he showed that he can produce fantasy points even with limited touches. I’d feel comfortable starting him in the FLEX spot next week.
The Bad
Drake London (WR) – 0 PPR points
I knew that the Falcons were a heavy-running team. However, I did not know that this meant that Arthur Smith would nearly completely ignore Drake London (and TE Kyle Pitts) for the entirety of Week 1. London, a talented second year wide receiver, only saw one target. The worst part is that the Falcons won (relatively easily) using this strategy. Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allegier are a force to be reckoned with. As of now, London’s rest-of-season outlook appears bleak. Bench him next week, then try to trade him if he has a good game.
Tee Higgins (WR) – 0 PPR points
This was the most surprising score of the day for me. It is clear that Joe Burrow was having a very tough time gripping the football on a rainy day in Cleveland. This was a major outlier performance for him, Higgins, and the entire Bengals offense. Weird things happen Week 1, and the Bengals’ rainy trip to the Dawg Pound was only one of the crazy outcomes of the week. Keep Higgins in your lineup, he’ll bounce back next week.
Dallas Goedert (TE) – 0 PPR points
The Eagles tight end is one of the few that fantasy owners can count on at the position. However, Week 1 against the Patriots resulted in a massive goose-egg for Goedert. New England has a fantastic defense, so things will get easier for Goedert and the Eagles offense moving forward. I wouldn’t worry too much about this game; he was very good last year under almost identical circumstances. With the limited options available at tight end, start Goedert next week.