Week 1 Fantasy Football Duds
The start of the NFL season brings excitement to many, but if you started any of these players you may have a very different reflection on Week 1. Each week The Fantasy Footballers will breakdown the previous week’s games including the players who “pooped in their big boy pants”. Check out Monday’s show for the full studs and duds segment and much more. You can also jump to my Week 1 Studs article. Here we will take a look at the list of players who let owners down in Week 1.
Quarterbacks
Tyrod Taylor vs. BAL
-111 passing yards, 11 rushing yards
If the Sammy Watkins injury lingers, Taylor may be in for many rough weeks like this one.
Robert Griffin III vs. PHI
-190 passing yards, 1 INT, 37 rushing yards
It was good to see RG3 back in action. He has good touch on the deep ball but the overall stat line leaves something to be desired.
Shaun Hill vs. TEN
–236 passing yards
If you were expecting more from Shaun Hill than 200+ passing yards and no turnovers, that’s on you.
Running Backs
Adrian Peterson vs. TEN
–19 carries, 31 rushing yards
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Thomas Rawls vs. MIA
12 carries, 32 rushing yards, 3 receptions, 26 receiving yards
Christine Michael vs. MIA
15 carries, 66 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 5 receiving yards
C-Mike may be “woke” but unfortunately for him, Rawls’ alarm clock went off too. In tough games like this one, there may not be enough rushing numbers to go around.
Devonta Freeman vs. TB
-11 carries, 20 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 20 receiving yards
Not only was Freeman inefficient in this one, he was out-performed by his running mate Tevin Coleman. Just an all-around poor showing for Freeman.
Jonathan Stewart vs. DEN
–15 carries, 64 rushing yards
Get used to seeing lines like this. Stewart will have efficient days but there is the ever-present risk that he will get vultured by Cam Newton near the goal line.
Giovani Bernard vs. NYJ
-5 carries, 25 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 5 receiving yards
Game script worked against Bernard in this one, you can expect him to be more involved moving forward.
Wide Receivers
Devin Funchess vs. DEN
–1 reception, 9 receiving yards, 4 targets
The return of Kelvin Benjamin means that Funchess took a back seat in the Carolina offense. He may have some big games with TDs, but they will be difficult to predict.
Demaryius Thomas vs. CAR
-4 receptions, 48 receiving yards, 6 targets
DT had a slow day on the receiving end of first-time starter, Trevor Siemian’s passes. Perhaps more worrying, however, is that he suffered a hip injury that may slow him down in the weeks to come. Keep an eye on his status, he is set to get a second opinion on his hip.
Sammy Watkins vs. BAL
–4 receptions, 43 receiving yards, 6 targets
Similar to the DT situation, the most concerning part of Watkins’ day is the news that he is experiencing pain in his surgically repaired foot.
Dez Bryant vs. NYG
–1 reception, 8 receiving yards, 5 targets
Dez just can’t “catch” a break on this TD calls. He had another non-catch in this game that could’ve salvaged a disastrous day.
Brandon Marshall vs. CIN
–3 receptions, 32 receiving yards, 8 targets
Marshall had a rough day in this one, but Chan Gailey’s offense tends to be much more focused on a few receivers. Marshall will be just fine.
Tyler Lockett vs. MIA
–3 receptions, 17 receiving yards, 8 targets
The Seattle offense struggled as a whole on Sunday. There will be better days to come for Lockett.
Kenny Stills vs. SEA
–1 reception, 16 receiving yards, 5 targets
When a surefire touchdown hits you in the “bread basket” all that we ask is that you catch it, can you do that Kenny?
Kamar Aiken vs. BUF
–2 receptions, 14 receiving yards, 2 targets
The target numbers for Aiken are concerning, this WR corps looks to be as crowded and messy as we had all begun to fear in the offseason. Aiken is limited as an athlete and will not make an impact with workloads like this.
Tight Ends
Gary Barnidge vs. PHI
–0 receptions, 2 targets
Barnidge will need to rebound quickly to prove to his owners that his breakout 2015 season was not a fluke.
Coby Fleener vs. OAK
–1 receptions, 6 receiving yards, 4 targets
In a game in which it seemed like you could fall backward into 6 receptions for 100+ yards, Coby Fleener was the odd man out. Hopefully, the Saints will get him up to speed sooner rather than later.
Martellus Bennett vs. AZ
–3 receptions, 14 receiving yards, 5 targets
Even with Gronk out, Bennett was largely used as a blocker in this game against the Cardinals. Bill Belichick is the ultimate game planner. Next week could easily see the Patriots utilize Bennett’s receiving skills in a more prominent way.
Be sure to check out all of Episode #262 – Studs & Duds, Rising Stars, MNF Preview