Burning Questions: Week 2
After an exhilarating Week 1, we’re faced with a number of burning questions fantasy owners must answer. Whether you are suffering from the season-ending injury of Keenan Allen (unfortunately I do), perplexed by the Seattle Seahawks lack of offensive firepower, or still jumping for joy after you started Spencer Ware, here are a number of our writers sharing their opinions to some hot topics.
Who surprised you the most with their fantasy performance in Week 1?
“I was blown away to see that Alex Smith set a career high by throwing the ball 48 times. He exceeded 40 passing attempts just 5 times in the past 3 seasons and this was just his 3rd 300-yard passing game as a Chief.” -Michael Wenrich, @mpw270
“Adrian Peterson surprised me most with his fantasy performance. In a game where Shaun Hill was the quarterback, surely, AP would take the lead right? Wrong. Adrian Peterson totaled 19 carries for 31 yards, averaging a pathetic 1.6 yards per carry. I’m going to chalk this one up to a fluke game and expect him to bounce back Week 2 vs Green Bay.” -Nate Hamilton, @DomiNateFF
“Jimmy Garoppolo surprised by by completing 72.7% of his passes while leading New England to an improbable win despite missing several offensive starters including Gronk.” -Eric Ludwig, @FF_Gouge
“A.J. Green. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when a stud like Green goes nuclear. I just expected Revis and the Jets to try to take him away since Cincinnati had no other legitimate receiving threats in this game.” -Keaton Denlay, @KeatonDenlay
“I was impressed that A.J. Green torched Darrelle Revis and the Jets for 12 catches, 180 yards, and a TD on the road. Andy Dalton didn’t show any rust and was confident throwing the deep ball. For those owners who drafted Green as a top 5 WR, he could easily end up in the conversation with Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, and OBJ in the elite pantheon of pass catchers.” –Kyle Borgognoni, @kyle_borg
Who has the most to prove after a disappointing Week 1?
“Coby Fleener has a lot to prove in week 2, drawing 4 targets and coming away with just 1 reception for 6 yards on a day where Drew Brees threw the ball 42 times. This is a reminder to temper expectations for players on new teams.” -Michael Wenrich
“Coby Fleener easily had the most disappointing performance after managing 6 yards on 1 reception in a shootout. Even Travaris Cadet had 3 receptions and a TD in that game!” -Eric Ludwig
“A guy that has the most to prove after Week 1 is Devonta Freeman. He had 11 carries for 20 yards and 4 receptions for another 20 yards. 40 total yards from a guy that finished as the number 1 running back in 2015 is very disappointing. The reason he has the most to prove is because he has Tevin Coleman over his shoulder, ready to take over as the number 1 RB in Atlanta if Freeman doesn’t bounce back from a terrible Week 1. Coleman did not do much better than Freeman on the ground but he took over as the best target through the air with 5 receptions for 95 yards. Freeman has to do much better than he did if he wants to remain the guy in Atlanta.” -Nate Hamilton
“Devonta Freeman. Freeman was drafted to be an RB1 in many fantasy leagues but an inefficient Week 1 has put him in jeopardy of losing his RB1 status in Atlanta as well as in fantasy football. He’s going to need to re-emerge to avoid what has the makings of an ugly RBBC with Tevin Coleman.” -Keaton Denlay
“What the heck happened to Dez Bryant? On a day where Dak Prescott attempts 45 passes in his pro debut, how does Dez end up catching 1 ball on 5 targets for 8 measly yards? The Giants were porous against the pass in 2015 so I was expecting big things here. Apart from a red zone opportunity he couldn’t secure as he fell to the ground, owners had to be disappointed especially when teammate Cole Beasley saw 12 targets. He faces a tough matchup in Week 2 against Josh Norman and the Redskins so we’ll have to wait and see if Dez is up for the challenge.” -Kyle Borgognoni
Who looks like they could be a league winning pick after Week 1?
“I’m going to dig down the list to point out someone who might get lost in the shuffle of Week 1. Tevin Coleman outproduced Devonta Freeman with 3 fewer carries and 1 more reception on 2 more targets, finishing with 77 more total yards. If you didn’t draft him, you may still be able to acquire him via trade and he very well could become a league winner by the end of the season. He is a must-stash player for me!“- Michael Wenrich
“Will Fuller looks like he could be the league winning pick after Week 1. Fuller was taken very late in fantasy drafts and even went undrafted in some. He has great chemistry with quarterback, Brock Osweiler. Fuller was targeted 3 more times than DeAndre Hopkins and out performed him as well. Fuller totaled 107 yards and a touchdown Week 1 and I see this type of production being the norm for this talented rookie.” -Nate Hamilton
“C.J. Anderson looked like a RB primed for a huge year after racking up 139 total yards and 2 TDs against a very good Carolina defense. I can’t wait to see what he does against average defenses.” -Eric Ludwig
“Spencer Ware. Maybe it’s just the uniform, but Ware’s situation reminds me of Larry Johnson circa 2005. With Charles on the shelf, Ware doubled his career total in receptions and torched the Chargers defense. Depending on when your league drafted Ware, he might not have even qualify as a “pick”, as he was available on the waiver wire in many leagues, but he has a chance to do something special this season in Kansas City.” -Keaton Denlay
“Despite being a Spencer Ware truther, I’ll go in another direction. I think owners who grabbed Melvin Gordon late will be ecstatic to have a solid RB2 with upside. He showcased the 1st round talent against a tough KC run defense and should continue to get involved in the passing game. I love his matchup next week at home against the Jaguars.” –Kyle Borgognoni