Chiefs TE Travis Kelce edged WR JuJu Smith-Schuster for the Week 1 target lead, 9-8, with WR Mecole Hardman checking in 3rd (with 6). It was WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, though, playing more snaps than any offensive skill player besides Patrick Mahomes. MVS edged Smith-Schuster by 1 route and Kielce by 2, according to Pro Football Focus. Hardman checked in 4th in that category, with the rest of the team far behind. Valdes-Scantling might well remain behind Kelce and Smith-Schuster in target distribution. But his 5.5-yard Week 1 average depth of target suggests he won't merely be the downfield player he was in Green Bay. (MVS' ADOTs with the Packers went 13.8, 16.6, 18.2, 18.2.) Keep MVS in mind more than you would most WRs who open the year with 4 targets and 2 other significant receiving threats in the lineup.
Saints HC Dennis Allen said RB Alvin Kamara was dealing with a rib issue in Sunday's opener vs. the Falcons. That helps explain Kamara's disappointing usage and production in that one. "I think he’s going to be fine," Allen said. We'll need to keep an eye on Kamara this week, but it sounds like he has a chance to play vs. the Bucs on Sunday. RB Mark Ingram would be the beneficiary if Kamara is out or limited.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes delivered 360 yards and 5 TDs on 30-of-39 passing in Sunday's laugher at Arizona. Mahomes largely spread targets around, dealing 9 to TE Travis Kielce, 8 to WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, 6 to WR Mecole Hardman -- with 3 other guys drawing at least 3. RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire snagged 2 of the TD throws, with 1 apiece going to Kielce, Hardman and TE Joe Fortson. It was a soft Cardinals defense, but Mahomes let fantasy football players know we need not worry too much about life after Tyreek Hill.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell is expected to miss "about 2 months" with the MCL sprain he suffered in Sunday's loss at Chicago. Jeff Wilson Jr. stepped in after Mitchell left the game, though WR Deebo Samuel nearly matched his carry total (9-8). We'd bet on Samuel remaining significantly involved in the run game, which isn't great for his chances of staying healthy. We'd also expect rookie Tyrion Davis-Price to be activated for Week 2, after being a healthy scratch in the opener. RB Jordan Mason was active ahead of him but didn't play a snap on offense. Wilson is the only 49ers RB worth considering for Week 2 use. Don't expect him to land high in our Week 2 rankings when they hit the site Tuesday, however.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor confirmed Monday that WR Tee Higgins is in the concussion protocol. Taylor said "the conversations are encouraging" -- whatever that means. Consider Higgins no better than 50/50 to be cleared in time for Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys. His absence would be a boost to WR Tyler Boyd and TE Hayden Hurst.
Texans TE O.J. Howard caught both of QB Davis Mills' TD passes in Sunday's tie with the Colts. He ran well behind the other 2 TEs in playing time, though. Howard spent just 12 snaps in the game, trailing Brevin Jordan's 40 and Pharaoh Brown's 45. Brown ran 16 routes to Howard's 6, with Jordan leading at 24. It was a great Week 1 for anyone who stashed Howard late in a best-ball draft, but don't consider it a reason to go pick him up.
Texans WR Brandin Cooks drew 12 targets in Sunday's season opener, accounting for 32.4% of QB Davis Mills' total pass attempts. He caught 7 of those for 82 yards, including a 42-yarder. RB Rex Burkhead was the only other Texan to see more than 3 targets in the game. Chris Moore and Nico Collins tied for 2nd among wideouts with 3 apiece. Collins ran much closer to Cooks in usage, though, running a route on 78% of Mills' dropbacks. Cooks hit 92.7%, with Moore well behind at 51.2%. Cooks looks like the only usable Houston passing-game piece right now, but there's room for Collins to work his way into deeper-league contention.
QB Matt Ryan racked up 352 yards in his Colts debut. He did so primarily thanks to 50 pass attempts, though (7.0 yards per attempt), completing 32 for 352 yards, with 1 TD and 1 INT (by EDGE Jerry Hughes on an attempted screen pass). It was not a great debut for Ryan, though fantasy drafters didn't hit the season expecting big things.
49ers RB Elijah Mitchell is expected to miss "a few weeks (or more)" with the knee injury he suffered in Sunday's opener vs. the Bears, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Mitchell is undergoing an MRI on Monday to get a full view of the damage to the knee. We should get a more concrete timeline for his return over the next couple days, but fantasy owners need to start making replacement plans. Jeff Wilson is the favorite to take over as San Francisco's lead RB, but Jordan Mason and Ty Davis-Price are also worth stashing.
Patriots QB Mac Jones dealt with back spasms during or after Sunday's loss in Miami, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's relatively good news, although Rapoport adds that Jones has a "chance" to play this week. It sounds like we'll need to keep a close eye on him throughout the week. If Jones is unable to play vs. the Steelers on Sunday, New England would turn to QB Brian Hoyer.
Colts WR Michael Pittman drew 13 targets in Sunday's tie with Houston, 6 more than his nearest teammate. Matt Ryan's 50 pass attempts helped enhance that number, but the 26% target share marked a nice start for Indy's clear lead wideout. He proved efficient, too, racking up a 9-121-1 receiving line. RB Jonathan Taylor and TE Kyle Granson tied for 2nd on the team with 7 targets apiece. RB Nyheim Hines and WR Ashton Dulin followed at 6 apiece. No one else drew more than 4. That made Week 1 disappointing for WRs Parris Campbell and Alec Pierce, who drew targets on just 7.7% and 6.3% of routes, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus. (For context: Pittman finished at 27.1%, Dulin at 46.2%.) Campbell and/or Pierce will need things to change before making sense for fantasy football lineups.
If HC Frank Reich was considering shaving any portion off RB Jonathan Taylor's role this season, then he totally forgot about it in Week 1. Taylor claimed 31 of Indianapolis' 34 RB rushes in the tie with Houston, as well as 7 targets. That tied for 2nd on the team and edged Nyheim Hines by 1. Taylor racked up 161 yards and a TD on the ground, adding 4 catches for 14 yards. Hines proved efficient as a receiver, catching all 6 of his targets for 50 yards to rank 2nd on the team in both categories. But he gained just 4 yards on 3 rushes and still played too small a role to be trustworthy in starting lineups for most fantasy football formats. Both players likely saw their Week 1 target counts inflated by QB Matt Ryan's 50 pass attempts.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin could miss "a few weeks" with the hamstring injury he suffered in Sunday night's win over the Cowboys, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. "There's optimism it's not a major injury," Pelissero adds. We'll let you know if we get a more concrete timetable for Godwin's return. But considering he was just working back from the torn ACL, don't plan on using Godwin in fantasy lineups until October at the earliest. His absence is a boost for WRs Mike Evans, Julio Jones and Russell Gage.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert picked up where he left off last season, tossing for 279 yards and 3 scores against the Raiders. He played mistake-free football while showing off his absolute cannon of an arm— especially on one pass to WR DeAndre Carter that went for 6. His other scores went to TE Gerald Everett and FB Zander Horvath. Herbert did lose Keenan Allen to a hamstring injury in the 2nd quarter, an injury that figures to sideline him for at least 1 game. The Chargers have a quick turnaround this week with a Thursday road game at Kansas City.
Raiders QB Derek Carr posted an up and down Week 1, completing 22 of 37 passes (59.4%) for 295 yards and 2 scores. He added 3 INTs — and each one was truly on the QB. He underthrew deep balls to Darren Waller and Davante Adams and threw well behind Hunter Renfrow. On the positive side, Adams was every bit of the guy we saw in Green Bay, scoring 1 of Carr’s TDs and hauling in 10 of 17 targets. Carr’s other score came on a nice touch pass to Brandon Bolden. Next up for the 31-year-old is a favorable home draw vs. Arizona.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs operated as the team’s lead back in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. He played 60% of the snaps and saw nearly 77% of the team’s rushing attempts. Unfortunately, while Jacobs posted 5.7 YPC, this was a pass-happy script for the Raiders, who fired off only 13 total rushes. He also watched as Brandon Bolden factored into the passing game with 2 grabs, 21 yards and 1 downfield score. Jacobs caught his only target for 16 yards. He’ll look for more Sunday against a Cardinals defense that might remain without J.J. Watt.
Raiders TE Darren Waller ended Week 1 with 4 grabs for 79 yards. He saw 6 targets, tied with Hunter Renfrow for 2nd on the team behind clear-cut leader Davante Adams (17). Waller posted chunk gains of 31 and 23 yards, with the 31-yarder nearly going for a score. He should have scored earlier on an end zone ball, but the Derek Carr pass was thrown well behind. So, Waller will look for his first TD this week vs. Arizona. He'll remain a strong TE1 for that one.
Lions QB Jared Goff looked like the same old limited passer in Sunday's loss to the Eagles, but that didn't stop WR Amon-Ra St. Brown from helping fantasy football players. The 2nd-year wideout posted an 8-64-1 receiving line on a team-high 12 targets, accounting for 32.4% of Goff's total attempts. WR D.J. Shark followed, producing a 4-52-1 line on 8 targets (21.6%). TE T.J. Hockenson (7, 18.9%) was the only other Lions to see more than 3 looks. He caught 4 of those for 38 yards. It was a fine opener on the usage front for all 3 players, each of whom ran a route on more than 75% of Goff dropbacks. The initial results look especially encouraging for St. Brown, if you spent an early-ish pick on him. Week 2 brings a fine home matchup with Washington.
Lions RB D'Andre Swift ran well in Sunday's loss to the Eagles, racking up 144 yards and a TD among 15 carries. A 50-yard, 1st-quarter scamper certainly helped, but Swift also averaged 6.7 yards across his other 14 attempts behind an O-line that looked strong. RB Jamaal Williams stepped in for 11 carries that turned into just 28 yards, but he also siphoned 2 short-yardage scores. That figures to be at least a mild issue for Swift all season. But he more than doubled Williams in playing time Sunday (47 snaps to 23) and more than doubled him in pass routes (26-11), despite just a 3-2 target edge. So rather than lamenting the missed 2 TDs if you're a Swift drafter, you should be happy about the 2nd-round fantasy pick's outlook. Williams, meanwhile, should be on a roster in any league of 12+ teams and makes plenty of sense as a reserve in many 10-team leagues. He'll have trouble delivering standalone value but has a short trip to relevance if Swift goes down.
Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow posted a Week 1 dud, snagging only 3 of 6 targets for 21 scoreless yards. Shockingly, his first catch didn’t come until late in the 3rd quarter. He played 83% of the snaps — 3rd on the team behind Davante Adams (95%) and Mack Hollins (88%). Renfrow tied Darren Waller to rank 2nd in targets. Ultimately, this was a tough matchup vs. Chargers slot CB Bryce Callahan, who gave the Raiders’ slot everything he could handle. But it’s reasonable to expect more volatility in 2022 than we saw in 2021 with a legit #1 WR in town.
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