It is safe to exhale, finally, everyone. After several grueling months of pacing back and forth and staring at the calendar, the NFL and fantasy football returned in full force. Thursday and Friday provided us with a nice appetizer – two competitive games that were decided by the final few drives, pinning divisional rivals against each other. Los Angeles and Philadelphia ultimately prevailed over Dallas and Kansas City, prompting the usual knee-jerk reactions on social media that one would expect.
Sunday’s opening slate began more timidly in comparison, with my former co-worker Jake Ciely of The Athletic summing things up nicely on Twitter, asking his followers if “they were enjoying Week 4 of the preseason yet.” It was evident that several teams needed to knock the rust off from the offseason, following the decision not to provide their starters with much-needed reps over the last few weeks, in fear of risking injury.
Thankfully, scoring picked up in the second half of the afternoon and evening, capped by the 81-point epic showdown between Baltimore and Buffalo, with the Bills completing a comeback for the ages, winning on a last-second field goal on the leg of veteran Matt Prater. This was an instance where the billing lived up to the hype, with nearly every fantasy-relevant starter going ballistic. More to come on that contest later.
Every Monday morning, I’ll take a look back at the “week that was” and provide my thoughts and analysis on several players who carried their fantasy teams to victory, or those who were nothing but dead weight. The usual cast of characters will be covered, but I’ll also highlight players who caught my attention that might be worth tracking moving forward, for waiver wire purposes.
Without further ado, here were some of the best and worst performances from this week.
Fantasy Football Studs & Duds: Week 1
Quarterbacks
Stud: Josh Allen (QB – BUF)
Josh Allen currently sits as the QB1 for the week, following his outstanding performance against Baltimore on Sunday evening. During a battle of offensive juggernauts with each defense struggling mightily, Allen passed for 394 yards and two touchdowns, adding another two scores and 30 rushing yards on the ground.
Allen’s grit and determination were on full display, especially late in the game, where his accuracy and poise were off the charts. One could tell that the tide was shifting late, and Allen appeared dead-set on not starting the season 0-1. His chemistry with Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir was fantastic, as he relied heavily on both wideouts during the comeback effort.
Stud: Aaron Rodgers (QB – PIT)
Left for dead by the fantasy community after two disappointing seasons in New York, Aaron Rodgers hit the ground running during his Pittsburgh debut, completing 22-of-30 pass attempts for 244 yards and four touchdowns, in a revenge game against the Jets.
Heavily relied upon due to struggles in the ground game, Rodgers made the most of Arthur Smith’s offensive play-calling, peppering DK Metcalf (4/83), Calvin Austin III (4/70/1) and Jonnu Smith (5/15/1) with looks to move the ball. Rodgers doesn’t have the elite upside of younger (and more mobile) options, but it is evident that he still has enough left in the tank as a back-end starter or bye-week pivot.
Dud: Russell Wilson (QB – NYG)
So much for all the positive feelings in New York, following a largely successful preseason. Russell Wilson and the Giants’ offense turned back into a pumpkin after midnight, repeatedly running for his life behind a shaky offensive line.
Completing just 17 passes on 37 attempts for 168 yards, Wilson actually led the team on the ground, with Tyrone Tracy and Cam Skattebo being bottled up by Washington’s stout front. Already on a short leash due to the success of rookie backup Jaxson Dart, Wilson’s job security is on shaky ground. Head coach Brian Daboll has already begun to field questions over a potential switch, with the New York media sensing blood in the water.
Dud: Jared Goff (QB – DET)
Some analysts (myself included) wondered what sort of potential impact the departure of Ben Johnson would have on Detroit’s offense. This wasn’t the answer I was hoping for. On the road against a formidable divisional rival in Green Bay, Jared Goff completed 31 passes for 225 yards and one touchdown, dinking and dunking his way downfield for most of the afternoon.
The Packers’ ability to contain the Lions on the ground (neither David Montgomery nor Jahmyr Gibbs was particularly effective) resulted in Detroit being unable to work off of play-action passes to push things downfield. With Jameson Williams an afterthought most of the contest, Goff instead continually checked down to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Gibbs. Goff and company should find things much easier next week at home against Chicago in a hopeful rebounding effort.
Running Backs
Stud: Derrick Henry (RB – BAL)
Derrick Henry paced all running backs in Week 1, rushing for 169 yards and two touchdowns against Buffalo during Sunday Night Football. Although a late fumble in the fourth quarter allowed the Bills to complete their comeback victory, Henry’s fantasy managers will be happy to accept the occasional gaffe in exchange for his elite production.
It is clear that even at 31 years old, Henry hasn’t lost a step and should continue to provide owners with elite production all season behind a strong offensive line in Baltimore. Limited usage in the passing game caps his upside somewhat, but no one is his equal between the tackles to pick up yards. Expect another season with a heavy workload.
Stud: Javonte Williams (RB – DAL)
Anyone who has followed my career for a bit of time knows what an ardent supporter of Javonte Williams I’ve been, so it makes my heart happy to be able to include him on the studs portion of this list after two rough seasons. The new feature back in Dallas, Williams rushed for 54 yards on 15 carries, showing off his trademark power and ability to carry defenders for extra yards.
With rookie backup Jaydon Blue a healthy scratch, Williams’ only competition for touches on Thursday was fellow veteran Miles Sanders, who lost a costly fumble. Fantasy managers should continue to expect Williams to handle the bulk of the work in this committee situation, especially on early-down and short-yardage situations.
Dud: Kenneth Walker III (RB – SEA)
I think I speak for all fantasy managers when I say, “What the heck was that, Seattle?” In a 17-13 loss against San Francisco, Kenneth Walker finished the contest with just 10 carries for 20 yards, chipping in three receptions on check-downs. Backup Zach Charbonnet had more rushing attempts, finishing with 47 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
Initially, I was hopeful that Walker’s limited usage was due to the team easing him into action as he returned from a preseason foot injury, yet he was left entirely off the injury report before the contest began. Like many others, I was bullish on Walker’s chances of a rebound in 2025, thanks to the “ground-and-pound” mindset of new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. If this remains an actual 50/50 split for touches, Walker’s upside would plummet.
Dud: Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC)
Pegged as a sleeper candidate by many analysts who anticipated he would return healthy and receive the lion’s share of carries in Kansas City, Isiah Pacheco was a player whom I routinely selected as my RB3 late in drafts. I was willing to dismiss his poor performance at the end of 2024 because of his return from a fractured fibula — he appeared to rush coming back and didn’t have the same burst and explosiveness that we saw earlier in his career.
Negative game script is partially to blame for Pacheco finishing with just five carries (and eight total touches) since the team needed to scramble in a comeback effort against Los Angeles. Head coach Andy Reid needs to make the ground game a priority in future weeks (a request we’ve heard before) and will hopefully have more confidence in Pacheco over backfield mate Kareem Hunt.
Wide Receivers
Stud: Puka Nacua (WR – LAR)
Both Zay Flowers and Keon Coleman blew up this week, but for the sake of covering additional games, I’d like to touch on Puka Nacua. Some fantasy managers were scared off late during draft season, following the news of quarterback Matthew Stafford‘s back woes and how it may present an issue all season long. Hopefully, you weren’t one of them.
Nacua reeled in 10 receptions on 11 targets for 130 yards against Houston on Sunday, playing through a laceration he suffered early in the game to his forehead. Clearly the alpha option in the Los Angeles passing attack, Nacua stands to benefit from the presence of Davante Adams opposite him, drawing away defensive attention at times. As long as Stafford remains upright and standing, Nacua is a locked-and-loaded high-upside WR1 each week, especially in PPR formats.
Stud: Quentin Johnston (WR – LAC)
Is this truly the same player we’ve seen over the past two seasons? Villainized for his imprecise route running and concentration lapses in the past, Quentin Johnston caught five of his seven targets from quarterback Justin Herbert for 79 yards and two touchdowns, as the big-play threat for the Chargers.
The former first-round selection stands to benefit from the presence of both Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen working under routes to move the sticks, and should find himself in nearly constant one-on-one coverage. His performance has me intrigued. However, I will caution fantasy managers not to go overboard here. We’ve seen flashes of brilliance in the past, and the Chargers had a much heavier reliance on the passing game this past weekend than we’ve ever seen under head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Dud: Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
Touted as one of the safest selections possible atop the first round in fantasy drafts this year, Ja’Marr Chase managed to royally flop out of the gate on the road against Cleveland, catching just two passes for 26 yards on five targets.
Cincinnati as a whole struggled to move the ball against the Browns, totaling just 141 net yards all afternoon. Am I worried? Not at all. The Bengals square off against Jacksonville during Week 2 in their first home game of the year, and I fully expect Chase (along with Tee Higgins, who wasn’t any better) to rebound in a strong offensive showing.
Dud: DeVonta Smith (WR – PHI)
DeVonta Smith was drafted as an upside WR2 in August, with many fantasy managers attempting to claim as many pieces of Philadelphia’s offense as possible. Unfortunately, we saw on Sunday what the Eagles tend to do when playing with a lead — heavily lean on the running game, in an effort to bleed out the clock.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts attempted just 23 passes total on Thursday, with the majority of looks going towards tight end Dallas Goedert. Smith and running mate A.J. Brown (who had just one reception for eight yards) were essentially afterthoughts, with every Philadelphia score coming from a rushing touchdown. Smith will have swings in his production to be sure, but I’m not worried about his long-term outlook just yet, other than from a consistency metric.
Tight Ends
Stud: Tyler Warren (TE – IND)
Drafted by Indianapolis late in the first round, it was evident that the Colts planned all along to make Tyler Warren the focal point of their passing attack in 2025. They wasted little time reinforcing that point, with Daniel Jones looking his way a team-high nine times on Sunday in a 33-8 blowout victory over Miami.
Jones’ presence under center affords Warren (along with the other receiving threats on the Colts) upside, as he is a much more accurate option than Anthony Richardson (nowhere to go but up, folks). I believe Warren’s 7/76 line represents his weekly floor, rather than ceiling. Managers would do well to remember that this was a blowout and he was still an essential piece.
Stud: Harold Fannin Jr. (TE – CLE)
Selected by Cleveland in the third round, Harold Fannin Jr. was initially viewed as a backup option behind David Njoku, a project that needed refinement at a much higher level of competition, who would be slowly brought into the offense. Well, scratch that.
Fannin led all Cleveland pass-catchers in targets and was on the field much more than anyone expected. His immediate success makes me envision a scenario where he joins Njoku on the field in 2-TE sets frequently. I’m excited about his long-term outlook for this team, despite the uncertain situation under center.
Dud: Evan Engram (TE – DEN)
Like many, I bought into the Evan Engram hype this offseason, after reading news of how excited head coach Sean Payton was to implement him in the “joker” role all over the field. In the midst of a close contest against Tennessee, where quarterback Bo Nix struggled to find any rhythm or consistency, Engram came away with just three receptions for 21 yards.
Engram injured his calf in the fourth quarter, forcing him to miss the remainder of the game. I haven’t seen any detailed news regarding the extent of the injury, but Engram’s history of soft-tissue maladies isn’t encouraging. Managers will likely need to find a pivot option until further notice to replace his services.
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