The first week of fantasy is in the books, and we will review who had good performances, who had bad performances, which players to target on the waiver wire and what injuries that occurred.

Good and Bad Performances

QB

Marcus Mariota lit up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  He ranked third in scoring for QBs this week, and made it look extremely easy.  Tennessee set him up for success and adapted their game plan and playbook to what Mariota does best.  Mariota was 13 for 16, for 209 yards and four passing touchdowns.  Imagine what Mariota will score like if he’s able to add those delicious rushing yards.  Don’t expect the rookie quarterback to be a top play moving forward, but let’s keep an eye on him as he progresses.

Peyton Manning finished 28^th in scoring among QBs.  That’s not exactly the start drafters were hoping for out of their starting quarterback.  He threw one interception and zero touchdowns.  The Baltimore defense did a good job, and let’s not forget it’s just Week One and offenses are still polishing off the dust.  Look for Peyton to bounce back and play well against the Kansas City Chiefs next week.

RB

Matt Forte did not disappoint, and made a lot of people feel confident in their first round selection.  In a competitive game with Green Bay, Forte was the main weapon the Bears utilized in their offensive attack.  He dominated the backfield carries, and pulled in the most receptions for Chicago.  Forte looked electric out of the backfield, and even lined up as a receiver many times.  He was the top scoring RB in Week One, and is locked in as a top tier option moving forward.

Joique Bell did not look good, and was not even the primary option out of the backfield.  Ameer Abdullah, the second round pick who’s had a lot of hype for a breakout season, had more carries and targets in the loss to the San Diego Chargers.  Joique was 41^st in RB scoring, and now isn’t even flex-worthy moving forward. Hopefully you didn’t draft him as an RB2, because that’s not what he’s going to be this year.

WR

Deandre Hopkins led all receivers in fantasy points this week, and hauled in nine receptions on thirteen targets.  He turned those nine receptions into 98 yards, two touchdowns, and a two point conversion.  Like we have discussed, he’s Brian Hoyer’s best weapon, and has succeeded in the past with worse quarterbacks.  No surprise here, expect the targets and results to continue.

Calvin Johnson had the third most targets on his team, behind Golden Tate and Eric Ebron.  Megatron finished 49^th among WR’s in scoring this week.  He is still a matchup nightmare for opponents, and that was the case facing San Diego this week.  Matthew Stafford looks more comfortable spreading the ball around to his other weapons.  Look for Calvin Johnson to bounce back against Minnesota next week.

TE

Rob Gronkowski continues to look like a kid in a candy store with an AMEX Black Card, as he’s having a ton of fun and being able to get whatever he wants done on the field.  Gronk had eight targets for 94 yards, and three touchdowns.  The Brady-Gronkowski connection picked up where they left off, playing a simple of game of pitch and catch for multiple touchdowns in Thursday’s win over Pittsburgh.

Owen Daniels and the entire Denver Broncos offense had a subpar Week One in fantasy as the Broncos didn’t find themselves in the red zone much at all.  Daniels is someone I’ve been very high on, and it was disappointing to see him only get two targets.  He didn’t surpass 10 yards in receiving, resulting him throwing up a zero point performance in Week One.  Not what we were hoping for.

Waiver Wire Adds

James Jones, WR, Green Bay Packers

Let’s state the obvious here; James Jones needs to be owned in all formats.  The Packers-Bears game at times looked like the James Jones show.  Aaron Rodgers and he have great chemistry, and it looks like Jones had a full grasp on the game plan considering he just joined the Packers a week ago.  He pulled in four receptions for two touchdowns, and had one touchdown called back when he made a nice grab in the back of the end zone.  The biggest takeaway is that Aaron Rodgers trusts James Jones, and he will be one of the three main targets for the league’s best quarterback this year.  If you had Ty Montgomery, drop him and add James Jones if he is still available.

Dion Lewis, RB, New England Patriots

Here is the new Shane Vareen for the Patriots.  Lewis gained 69 yards on 15 carries, and 51 yards on four receptions.  At times it seemed like he was Brady’s first look, and will be a part of the offense even when LeGarrette Blount comes back from his suspension.  The only negative part was he had a fumble inside the Pittsburgh 5-yard line, that was recovered by the Patriots.  He played the next drive, suggesting he avoided being eternally benched by Bill Belichick, who is known for sitting players after fumbles.  Dion Lewis is worth the add in 10 or 12 team leagues where you could bolster your running back or flex positions.

Heath Miller, TE Pittsburgh Steelers

Heath Miller isn’t anything new or exciting, and he looked pretty consistent on Thursday night.  He was second among TE’s in targets, with 11, which he turned into eight receptions for 84 yards.  He received a good amount of red zone looks which is what you want to see out of any receiving option, but especially your tight ends in fantasy.  In fantasy, tight end is a battle for most owners each week, and if you are in need Heath Miller is someone I think is a good idea to throw onto your roster.

Injuries

Dez Bryant, WR Dallas Cowboys – Broken bone in his foot, will be out 4-6 weeks.  Jason Witten, Terrence Williams, and Cole Beasley will all benefit from seeing more targets. Devin Street will be the WR who will line up outside opposite to Terrence Williams, as Beasley primarily lines up in the slot.

TY Hilton, WR Indianapolis Colts – Left Sunday’s game with a bruised knee.  MRI came back negative, but may miss some time as we find out the extent of the injury.

Desean Jackson, WR Washington Redskins – Missed most of the opener after he went down with a hamstring injury in the first quarter.  MRI scheduled, we will found out more as week progresses.

Josh McCown, QB Cleveland Browns – Exited Sunday’s game with a head injury.  Could see concussion protocol coming into play.  Meaning it could be Johnny Manziel’s time to shine.

Derek Carr, QB Oakland Raiders – Taken out of Sunday’s game with a hand injury.  X-rays came back negative, meaning he could have a good week of practice and be fine for Sunday.  Next in line in Oakland at QB is Matt McGloin, which would be a huge blow to Amari Cooper owners if this becomes something more serious for Carr.