Niners WR Deebo Samuel fulfilled the Deebo Samuel role in Sunday's opening loss to the Bears. He drew a team-high 8 targets but caught just 2 for 14 yards in rain-drenched conditions. Samuel added 52 yards and a TD on 8 carries, trailing only QB Trey Lance among 49ers in rushing yards. We certainly can't count on rushing scores every week for Samuel, but the target count to go with the rushing work is encouraging. That's what lacked in the 2nd half of last year, when he was getting more handoffs than passing looks. Brandon Aiyuk drew just 2 target against the Bears, catching both for 40 yards. WR Jauan Jennings posted team highs of 4 receptions and 62 yards on 6 targets.
Niners QB Trey Lance completed just 13 of 28 passes for 164 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT in Sunday's rain-soaked loss at Chicago. He added 54 yards on 13 rushes, leading the team in both categories. The day presented tough weather conditions, but we can't shrug off the performance entirely. Week 2 should bring a friendlier setup: a home date with Seattle.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon was fed 27 carries and 9 targets in Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh. He turned the heavy workload into 145 total yards and 7 catches, the latter mark matching a career high. Sure, Joe Burrow tossed 53 passes in a game that lasted all 70 minutes. But it was still encouraging to see Mixon deliver as a pass-catcher following spotty production there last season. His 9 targets accounted for 17% of Burrow's total pass attempts, a rate in line with Mixon's increased passing game usage through last year's playoffs. Samaje Perine mixed in for only 1 carry and 3 catches (5 targets). Look for Mixon to remain busy this week at Dallas — especially if Tee Higgins (concussion) is sidelined.
In a game that lasted all of regulation and overtime, Bengals QB Joe Burrow tallied 338 yards and 2 TDs on 33 of 53 passing. Burrow added 4 INTs and took 7 sacks despite facing pressure on only 14.1% of his dropbacks, per TruMediaSports. Adding 47 rushing yards, Burrow really delivered for fantasy owners. His decision-making must get cleaned up, though. One particularly late throw to the outside was returned for 6 by S Minkah Fitzpatrick. Note that Burrow lost WR Tee Higgins to a concussion in the 1st half, making him questionable for a Week 2 matchup at Dallas.
Titans TE Austin Hooper trailed teammate Geoff Swaim in both snaps (69% vs. 62%) and targets (4-2) in Sunday's loss to the Giants. Swaim turned his 4 looks into a 3-19 receiving line, with Hooper catching just 1 ball for 6 yards. Rookie TE Chig Okonkwo added 1 catch for 11 yards and a carry for minus-4 while playing 15% of snaps. This looks like a committee situation to avoid as much as possible in fantasy football lineups.
Titans WR Treylon Burks played the 4th most snaps among Tennessee wideouts in Sunday's loss to the Giants. At 37% playing time, he trailed Robert Woods (71%), Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (68%) and fellow rookie Kyle Philips (48%). Burks saw nice involvement after a less-than-stellar preseason, though, finishing 2nd on the team in targets (5). The 1st-round pick caught 3 of those for 55 yards. He saw his 1st action on the team's initial possession. And the 2 incomplete passes thrown Burks' way were an end-zone target and a deep look that could have drawn a defensive PI call. Burks will still make for an iffy option in Week 2 fantasy lineups, but it was an encouraging start. Philips led the team in targets (9), receptions (6) and receiving yards (66). Woods and Westbrook-Ikhine each caught just 1 ball for 13 yards among 2 targets apiece.
Titans RB Derrick Henry got the carries expected (21) in Sunday's narrow loss to the Giants but managed just 82 yards (3.9 per rush) for a lackluster fantasy outing. He added 0 catches on just 1 target and watched RB Dontrell Hilliard score both of Tennesssee's TDs. Hilliard found the end zone on receptions of 7 and 23 yards as part of a 3-61 receiving line on 4 targets. He added just 2 carries. No other Titans RB touched the ball.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says QB Dak Prescott needs surgery on his right thumb and will be out "a few weeks," according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. Prescott suffered the injury late in Sunday night's loss to the Buccaneers. It's obviously a huge loss for the Dallas offense, especially high profile fantasy pass-catchers WR CeeDee Lamb and TE Dalton Schultz. Cooper Rush is the backup, but we wouldn't be surprised to see Dallas try to make a move for another QB.
WR Kadarius Toney barely got onto the field in Sunday's win over the Titans. He played just 12% of the offensive snaps and ran a route on just 10% of dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. That's terrible usage for a guy who seemed to have a shot at serving as the Giants' #1 wideout. Little else went right for the passing game to push Toney aside. RB Saquon Barkley led the team in targets and catches. Richie James served as the top-producing wideout, with 5 catches for 59 yards among 6 targets. Sterling Shepard led the team with 71 receiving yards, thanks mostly to a 65-yard TD. Kenny Golladay garnered just 2 targets, and rookie WR Wan'Dale Robinson left with a knee injury.
Panthers WR Robbie Anderson led the Panthers in targets (8), receptions (5) and receiving yards (102) in Sunday's loss to the Browns, with an 75-yard TD delivering most of that production. WR D.J. Moore checked in 2nd with 6 targets, catching 3 for 43 yards. Anderson claimed nearly 30% of Panthers targets for the game, with Moore garnering 22.2%.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey ran for 33 yards and a score on 10 carries in Sunday's loss to the Browns, adding 4-24 receiving on 4 targets. A largely sluggish offensive day for Carolina hurt, and QB Baker Mayfield claimed a rushing TD from 7 yards out in the 4th quarter. D'Onta Foreman and Chubb Hubbard combined for just 3 carries and 0 targets behind him.
Browns TE David Njoku garnered just 1 target in Sunday's win over the Panthers, trailing Harrison Bryant (4) among other teammates. Njoku did run a route on 74% of QB Jacoby Brissett's dropbacks. So there's hope for his opportunities increase. But Njoku shouldn't be in Week 2 lineups, if you can help it.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott left in the 4th quarter of Sunday night's game against the Buccaneers after taking 2 shots to his right hand. After getting the had checked on the sideline, he jogged to the locker room for further testing. We'll see about the extent of the issue. Cooper Rush came on in relief.
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones led the Browns in targets (11), receptions (6) and receiving yards (60) in Sunday's win over the Panthers. He beat WR Amari Cooper by 5 targets, while RB Kareem Hunt was the only other Cleveland player to catch more than 3 balls or crack 20 receiving yards. Cooper managed just a 3-17 receiving line on his 6 looks. Anthony Schwartz drew the only other 2 targets among WRs.
Browns RB Nick Chubb racked up 141 yards on 22 carries in Sunday's win at Carolina, but RB Kareem Hunt got both of the team's TDs. Hunt scored from 24 yards out on the ground, among 11 rushes for 46 yards. He added a 1-yard TD reception amid 4 catches for 24 yards. Hunt checked in 2nd on the team in receptions and yards. WR Donovan Peoples-Jones was the only other Brown to crack 20 receiving yards.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson torched the Packers for 184 yards and 2 TDs on 9 catches in HC Kevin O'Connell's debut. Jefferson was clearly the focal point of the offense, garnering a 34% target share and lining up all over the field. Per ESPN, Jefferson took 41 snaps on the outside, 12 in the slot, 1 in the backfield and 1 inline. He racked up 93 yards from the outside and 91 from the slot. He also went in motion on 7 snaps. "I definitely like the motioning and just seeing the whole field," Jefferson said. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to do it a lot more." Jefferson will be battling for the WR lead in fantasy points all season.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara posted just 39 yards on 9 carries in Sunday's win over the Falcons, plus a mere 7 yards on 3 receptions. New Orleans fell behind 16-7 and 26-10 in this contest, which likely didn't help the rushing volume. And the pass offense struggled for much of the game. New Orleans ran just 21 offensive plays in the 1st half vs. 36 for Atlanta. The Saints got better on that front after the break but were also playing catchup. It was a frustrating start for Kamara, but not particularly worrisome. He still beat Mark Ingram 9-4 in carries and 4-1 in targets. And although Taysom Hill stole the team's lone rushing TD, he garnered just 5 offensive opportunities.
Commanders WR Jahan Dotson tallied 3 catches, 40 yards and 2 TDs against Jacksonville. The rookie saw only 5 targets — a 12.1% share — but made them count alongside a surprisingly effective Carson Wentz. Both scores came on end zone targets, including one that was in particularly tight coverage along the sideline. Encouragingly, Dotson ran a route on 90% of Wentz’s drop-backs — not far behind Terry McLaurin’s 94%. Dotson has the talent to stick as a useful fantasy option in the right matchups. Week 2 turns up a matchup with a burnable Lions secondary.
Saints TE(?) Taysom Hill led the team with 81 rushing yards and scored the lone ground TD in Sunday's clock-beating win over the Falcons. Hill ran only 4 times for the game, with a 57-yard scamper and 11-yard TD on the same 1st-quarter drive providing most of the production. Hill added a 2-yard catch on his lone target. This doesn't look like the kind of role that will make him startable at TE (or QB where designated) in lineup-setting leagues. We'll see whether he can continue delivering for best-ball squads, however, and just how much he gets in Alvin Kamara's way.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley torched the Titans for 194 total yards on 24 touches. Yeah…he’s back. Not only based on today’s results, or the eye test. But check this one out, too: Barkley reached 21.11 MPH on today’s 68-yard run. That marked his fastest speed as a ball carrier since Week 17 of 2019, per Next Gen Stats. A healthy Barkley should continue to roll as an upside RB1. Week 2 brings up a home date with Carolina.
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