Week 1 Studs & Duds + Overreaction Hour!

Overreaction to Week 1

• The hosts acknowledge the tendency to overreact to Week 1 performances and caution against excessive reactions.
• Week 1 is challenging due to turnover in rosters, coaching staff, and rookies, but some reactions are still valid.

“Expectations are built up for months, and Week 1 can lead to a flurry of reactions. However, not all reactions are warranted.”

Monday Punday

• The hosts share some Monday Punday submissions from their followers, highlighting clever puns related to Week 1 performances and outcomes.
• Puns include wordplay on player names or team performances.

“Our followers had some great Monday Punday submissions, making light of Week 1 performances.”

Good Performances in Week 1

• The hosts highlight some standout performances from Week 1, including notable players who exceeded expectations.
• Mike Evans and Leonard Fournette are praised for their strong performances.

“Stairway to Evans, you’re my guy! Congrats on a fantastic game.”

Disappointing Performances in Week 1

• The hosts discuss underwhelming performances in Week 1, focusing on players who did not meet expectations.
• Tua Tagovailoa and the Dallas defense are mentioned as disappointments.

“The Dallas defense performance was one of the greatest ever witnessed, but there were still disappointments in Week 1.”

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Overreactions to Week 1

• Overreactions to week one are not advisable, proper reactions to a handful of things are what we should be doing.
• One overreaction worth considering is the performance of the Bengals, Bears, Steelers, and Giants, as they appeared outmatched.
• Another overreaction is the disappointing performances from T. Higgins, Dallas Goedert, and Drake London.

“We have been here before, overreactions to week one, not advisable in general, proper reactions to a handful of things. That’s what we should be doing.”

Rachaad White‘s Performance

• Rashad White’s volume and pass-catching ability made him an appealing option in fantasy drafts.
• However, his poor performance in Week 1, going 17 for 39 on the ground, raises concerns about his potential.
• Sean Tucker, who had fewer carries but a better yards-per-carry average, could threaten White’s opportunity.

“The entire argument for drafting Rashad White was volume and he’s a good pass-catching running back, but he’s also not in the running back dead zone.”

Pittsburgh Steelers‘ Offensive Struggles

• The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ offense looked putrid in Week 1, struggling without key players like Deontay Johnson.
• The performance of Kenny Pickett, their starting quarterback, was disappointing, and upcoming matchups against tough defenses make things uncertain.
• It’s unclear whether the Steelers’ offensive struggles are a result of their own deficiencies or the dominance of the 49ers’ defense.

“If obviously it’s a little bit of both, but one is the heavier truth that the Steelers are putrid offensively.”

San Francisco 49ers‘ Dominant Defense

• The San Francisco 49ers‘ defense continued their dominant play from last season, causing problems for the Steelers’ offense.
• Their pass rush and ability to shut down opposing teams make them a formidable opponent.
• The dominance of the 49ers’ defense could continue to impact opposing teams’ performances throughout the season.

“It’s not just that the 49ers defense is for real. It’s that the 49ers offense with Brock Purdy is for real.”

Justin Fields‘ performance

• Justin Fields threw 37 passes but had only three completions that traveled more than 10 yards in the air. He also primarily targeted DJ Moore.

“37 passes for Justin Fields. 10 of them, or I’m sorry, three of them went over 10 yards in the air. Only two of them went to DJ Moore.”

• Fields’ performance was not promising, as he struggled to connect on deep passes and lacked target diversity.

“That wasn’t good either. And only two of them went to DJ Moore. Not good.”

News and notes from around the league

• Cooper Kupp has been placed on injured reserve by the Rams, which means he will miss at least four games.

“Prior to kickoff, the Rams placed Cooper Kupp on IR. That means that first game will count towards his four mandatory minimum games.”

• J.K. Dobbins suffered a season-ending torn Achilles injury, leaving a void in the Ravens’ backfield.
• Jacobi Meyers left the game with a concussion after having a strong performance.

Recap of Seahawks vs. Rams Game

• The Seahawks had a tough game against the Rams, with multiple injuries and a struggling offense.
• Tyler Lockett left the game with a concussion and Geno Smith left at halftime.
• The Seahawks only had three total yards in the second half.
• The Rams offense was a big problem for the Seahawks defense, keeping them on the field.

“That was one of the interesting things of how do you react to that game of the Rams who heading into the season on paper going, well, this, this defense is not going to be anything special.”

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Injuries and Updates

• There are conflicting reports about a player’s injury.
• The hosts are discussing whether it was a knee injury or a concussion.

“Believe it was a knee injury.” “The report I’m seeing though is they’re going to say he will be fine.”

• Despite the injury scare, it seems like the player will be alright.
• The hosts mention that he looked like he was going to be fine.

“Yeah, he looked like he was going to be all right.”

• The hosts express confusion regarding how a knee problem was caused on a specific play.
• They mention that the player actually got hit in the helmet.

“I don’t even understand on that play how it was a knee problem. You got smashed in the helmet.”

• The conversation then transitions to discussing the performance of DeSean Watson.
• Despite some concerns about his throwing, the hosts highlight his rushing performance.
• They mention his rushing yards and rushing touchdown.

“Yeah, DeSean Watson ended up in the five for 45 and a touchdown on the ground.” “Another touchdown through the air on 154 yards.”

“If you run the ball, you can be an average. You can be a below-average passer.”

• The hosts note that Watson’s performance was even more impressive considering the rainy conditions of the game.

“And this was in the rain. So maybe some of those passes weren’t his fault.”

Drake London‘s Performance

• Drake London‘s performance was discussed.
• He had 18 targets and they won by two touchdowns.
• The hosts mentioned that “they’re mustache” and Arthur Smith could replicate this every week.

“They threw it 18 times. They won by two touchdowns. I mean, they’re mustache. Arthur Smith could do this every week.”

Atlanta’s Upcoming Matchups

• The hosts discussed Atlanta’s upcoming matchups against Green Bay, Detroit, and Jacksonville.
• Green Bay looked good, so the matchup might not be as easy.
• Against Detroit and Jacksonville, there might be more passing opportunities.

“Now the next couple of weeks though, they play Green Bay. Green Bay looked good. So that might not be as easy a matchup where you can be up to scores and not throw the ball. Then they play against Detroit, whose offense is great. They just beat the Chiefs. They might have to throw the ball a little bit more. Then they play against Jacksonville and the Jaguars who, you know, if you’re not up 14 points, you would think maybe you have to throw the ball more.”

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Drake London‘s Production and Attitude

• The hosts discussed Drake London‘s production and attitude.
• They mentioned that London’s production doesn’t matter as long as they get the win.
• However, they mentioned that London may care about his production when it comes to contract extension discussions.

“Speaking of Drake London‘s production, we’ve got things to clean up. We don’t care. Drake London doesn’t care. All we care about is one or no. And the truth is that’s true. Yeah. That’s all that’s true. I think the Drake London doesn’t care part is untrue. No, I mean, I’m going to give him the credit. I think it’s given Drake London credit to say he doesn’t care. 100%. They want the W. Mike cares. No, no, no, I definitely, I’m saying when Drake London is eventually going for a contract extension, he’s going to care what his production looks like. Yeah. Maybe in some minor way, thinking long ahead to that day. But I think he’s pretty happy about yesterday.”

Travis Etienne‘s Performance

• Travis Etienne‘s performance was discussed.
• He had 18 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown.
• He also had 5 catches for 27 yards.
• The hosts mentioned that he looked great and that he will dominate in both the running and passing game.

“Travis Etienne 18 for 77 and a touchdown. Five targets, five catches, 27 yards through the air, 80% of snaps, 15.6% target share. That is a career high for Travis Etienne. Travis Etienne looked great. You did have the situation where you had the tank in for some goal line action. He got a touchdown himself. But this is Travis Etienne‘s backfield for a while where he’s going to dominate in the running and passing game.”

Kyren Williams‘ Performance

• Kyron Williams’ performance was discussed.
• He had 15 carries for 52 yards and two touchdowns.
• The hosts mentioned that he looked better than Cam Acres and was able to gain extra yards.
• They also mentioned that Williams had a higher number of routes run compared to Acres, making his touches more valuable.

“Kyron Williams 15 for 52, two touchdowns looked way better than Cam Acres. Just between the tackles, he was getting extra yards. Cam Acres, I don’t know how we can get all the way back to where we were in the middle of last year with the comments that McVay has made, but he’s a liar. We know that. This is good friend of the show, John Dagle had a tweet that really points out when I said I was worried about Cameron and you say, well, Cameron, by the end of the game, looks like he was even and this is why you can capitalize and sell Ron. But Kyron Williams outtouched Cam Acres 14 to 11 until the Rams took a 24 to 13 lead.”

Brian Robinson and Roschon Johnson‘s Performances

• The performances of Brian Robinson and Roshan Johnson were discussed.
• Brian Robinson had 19 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown.
• Roshan Johnson had a goal line touchdown and also had seven targets.
• The hosts emphasized the need to pay attention to Roshan Johnson.

“Brian Robinson, I want to mention this. If you looked at Antonio Gibson, who we’ll talk about later, Brian Robinson more than doubled his routes run record as an NFL player. And we should remember the fact that you have a brand new offensive coordinator and Eric Biennami there. He was 19 for 59 on the ground. He only caught one pass, but it was a touchdown. And then, like I said, Gibson was mostly a ghost. Gibson did what Gibson can not do. Gibson has a fumbling issue over the last several years. He’s been benched for it. And he fumbled in that game. He still played after the fumble, but that is sparsely. Yeah. It’s not great. And then Roshan Johnson ended up with the goal line touchdown. He also had seven targets. You need to pay attention to Roshan Johnson.”

Discussing Wide Receivers

• The hosts discussed wide receivers.
• Tyreek Hill had the highest Week 1 fantasy points since 2019.
• They mentioned that Tyreek Hill will be dominant every week.
• They also highlighted the performances of Brandon Aiyuk and Calvin Ridley.
• Christian Kirk was not heavily involved in the offense.

“Wide receivers Tyree Kill had the highest week one fantasy points since 2019 Sammy Watkins. I mean, Tyree Kill will be dominant weekend and weekend. 3,655 receiving yards. That’s the pace. Hey, Brandon Iuk. 8 for 8. Nice. 29 and 2, I don’t know. Is that a perfect game? I mean, that’s a perfect game. He had a perfect game. He had some catches. His second touchdown was really a great throw, but also just great body positioning to be able to catch the ball. He had, he laid down the wall on a block that was Christian McCaffrey‘s huge run. You watch that run again. Just watch number 11 out there laying someone out. He had a great game. Looks awesome is obviously going to succeed in this offense. Man, I mean, maybe, is there enough to go around for the San Francisco 49ers? My worry has been like with Christian McCaffrey and Debo and Iuk and Kittle. It’s like, there’s not enough volume to go around, but they sure seem to make it work against a good defense. You had big weeks from Calvin Ridley. Yeah. 11 targets, 8 for 101. Christian Kirk was poof, not a part of the offense.”

Anthony Richardson‘s Promising Performance

• Anthony Richardson had a strong performance.
• He received 11 targets and made big plays down the field.
• He showcased his talent as the clear number one option for the offense.

“Yeah, he looked good. He got the targets that you want to see… So if he’s the clear number one for this offense and he’s getting used down the field, he’s a talented player.”

Kendrick Bourne, Jakobi Meyers, and Romeo Doubs

• Kendrick Bourne, Jacobi Myers, and Romeo Dobbs had unexpected standout performances.
• Bourne had six receptions for 64 yards and two touchdowns.
• Myers had nine receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns.
• Dobbs had four receptions for 26 yards and two touchdowns.
• There are uncertainties surrounding their future performances.

“Are you trading him with Chris Watson eventually coming back or are you gonna see if… I’d rather just, I’d rather hold on and see what happens next week against Atlanta.”

Zay Flowers Impresses

• Zay Flowers had a solid debut with 9 receptions for 78 yards.
• He displayed his playmaking ability and received a significant target share.
• There are expectations that he will continue to be involved in the offense.

“He looks fantastic on the field. He is twitchy. He is fast… The fact that they used him in important situations, I’m really bullish on his outlook.”

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Hunter Henry‘s Productive Game

• Hunter Henry had a strong game and is considered a viable start.

“He’s gonna be a viable start. Yeah, he’s good.”

Hayden Hurst Scores for the Panthers

• Hayden Hurst scored a touchdown for the Panthers.
• Panthers have limited options at the wide receiver position.

“Panthers have, they don’t have anything at the wide receiver position… No, they’ve got one guy.”

Top 10 tight ends

• The top five tight ends from the previous week were Hunter Henry, Hayden Hurst, Donald Parham, Blake Bell, and Harrison Bryant. Brian apologizes for leaving Bryant off the list.

“I can’t believe you left him off the list. When you have a superstar like that, you should mention him.”

Tight end performances

• The discussion revolves around the top 10 tight ends of the week. They clarify that it is the top 10 from the previous weekend’s games.
• Mr. La Porta is mentioned and his ranking below Musgrave is discussed.
• The hosts express their disappointment in the Tennessee Titans‘ tight ends, saying they didn’t show up in the previous week’s games.

“Yeah, I was, Titans didn’t show up this week guys, in case you were curious.”

Quarterback performances

• The hosts discuss the underwhelming performances of quarterbacks in the previous week’s games.
• They note that most of the quarterbacks who recently signed big contracts had an off week.
• The poor performances of Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and Justin Fields are specifically mentioned.

“The, I don’t know if you guys put this together, but I believe basically every quarterback who got paid was off.”

Jalen Hurts‘ performance

• The hosts discuss Jalen Hurts‘ performance in a recent game and comment on his tendency to go down early during scrambles.
• They speculate that this cautious approach may hurt his production in the running game.
• Comparisons are made to other rushing quarterbacks who had lackluster performances in the previous week.

“So Jalen Hurts. Going down early before contact. Very, very early. I did notice. Yes. Very, very early in the scrambles.”

Justin Fields‘ performance

• The hosts express concern about Justin Fields‘ performance in the previous week’s game.
• They reference his low passing yardage and lack of successful pass attempts.
• The need for improvement in the passing game is emphasized.

“This is his 28th start as a professional quarterback. Don’t forget this. I mean, like, it wasn’t just for DJ Moore, but it was, DJ Moore was part of the package.”

Bears offense and Justin Fields

• The hosts discuss concerns about the Chicago Bears‘ offense and Justin Fields‘ performance.
• They mention the need for adjustments in the offensive strategy and better utilization of DJ Moore.
• The importance of improvement in the passing game is emphasized.

“And they need to overcorrect. Like DJ Moore should see 10 targets next week.”

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Dak Prescott‘s performance

• The hosts discuss Dak Prescott‘s performance in the previous week’s game.
• Concerns are raised about the potential limitation of Prescott’s passing opportunities if the defense performs exceptionally well.

“Yeah, that defense, if that defense is as good… that’s going to put Dak in situations where he doesn’t need to throw the ball a lot.”

Geno Smith‘s performance

• The hosts express disappointment at Geno Smith‘s performance, considering the excitement surrounding him in the previous season. His low passing yardage is discussed.

“Geno Smith, maybe the worst performance of the week, compared to expectations.”

Running back performances

• The hosts highlight underwhelming performances from running backs Najee Harris and DeAndre Swift.
• The limited usage of Swift is noted, which may concern fantasy football managers.

“Najee Harris, six for 31 on the ground. That’s not good. He did have Jalen Warren, had six targets, Najee had two.”

Kenny Gainwell’s performance

• Kenny Gainwell had 41 snaps.
• He was not discussed in the studs segment because he didn’t perform at the same level.
• Rashad Penny was a healthy scratch, so Gainwell had the opportunity to shine.
• Gainwell could potentially provide great value on draft day.

“Gainwell could be a massive draft day value.”

Dameon Pierce‘s game

• Damian Pierce had a disappointing performance against Baltimore.
• He was stifled by the strong Baltimore defense.
• It will be important to see if CJ Strau can contribute more for the offense to open up opportunities for Pierce.
• Pierce only had 48% of snaps due to the negative game script.
• Mike Boone was also on the field, which raises concerns about Pierce’s role.

“If CJ Strau doesn’t do enough in this offense, teams will definitely focus on Damian Pierce.”

Ryan Tannehill‘s struggles

• Ryan Tannell had a poor performance and was possibly the worst player in football for the week.
• Despite his struggles, the team still had a chance to win the game.
• Tannell’s passes were slow and his pocket movement was lacking.
• His performance raises concerns about the quarterback play.

“Every single play that Tannell had the ball, that it was a pass play, it looked like old Matt Ryan.”

Disappointing players: Antonio Gibson, Rachaad White

• Antonio Gibson and Rashad White had disappointing performances.
• It is suggested to be patient with Gibson for a week or two.
• Both players need to improve their performances.

“Antonio Gibson, we need to hang in there for a week or two, but not good.”

Arizona Cardinals‘ defense

• The Arizona Cardinals‘ defense performed better than expected.
• They had six sacks and scored a defensive touchdown.
• The defense may not be as easily exploitable as previously thought.
• The performance should be observed further in the upcoming weeks.

“The truth is usually in the middle. The Cardinals defense might not be one that is so easily exploitable as what was presumed.”

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Disappointing wide receivers

• Several wide receivers had underwhelming performances.
• Players like T. Higgins, Mike Williams, DJ Moore, and Christian Kirk didn’t meet expectations.
• There were various factors contributing to their lackluster performances, such as weather conditions, injuries, and target distribution.
• T. Higgins, in particular, had eight targets but failed to capitalize on them.

“What’s particularly egregious is eight targets for T. Higgins and he just complete Gooses.”

Dallas Goedert‘s performance

• Dallas Goddard had a strong performance in the game.
• His performance should not be overlooked amidst other disappointments.

“And then we talked about it, Dallas Goddard. Ah, ah.”

Goedert‘s Performance

• The Eagles offense struggled against the Patriots, and this impacted Dallas Goddard’s performance as a tight end.
• Despite the poor offensive showing, it was unexpected that Dallas Goddard was not utilized more in the game when the team was struggling.
• Other tight ends also had underwhelming performances in Week 1: George Kittle had three receptions for 19 yards, Darren Waller had three receptions for 36 yards, Kyle Pitts had two receptions for 44 yards, and Isaiah likely had one reception for four yards.

“I really didn’t understand why they never went to Dallas Goddard when what they were doing wasn’t working and he was out there running routes.”

Assessing Jake Ferguson

• Jake Ferguson had a disappointing showing with only two catches for 11 yards on seven targets. Some of these targets were dropped, leading to questions about his quality as a player.
• However, despite the lackluster performance, there is still potential for Ferguson to bounce back as he was involved in the offense and had opportunities.

“Well, is he just not good? Cause he was out there, the opportunity was there, the targets were there. He had a couple of drops. Yeah, he had some ugly drops. Maybe he just isn’t good enough.”

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The Cowboys Defense and Giants Offense

• There is uncertainty about whether the Cowboys’ strong defensive performance against the Giants was due to their own prowess or the Giants’ offensive struggles.
• This uncertainty is similar to the question of whether the Cardinals’ offensive success was a result of their skill or the weakness of the Washington defense.
• In the upcoming game between the Giants and Cardinals, we may gain more insight into the true strength of these teams.

“Were the Cowboys defense that good? Or was it that the Giants offense was that bad? And same with, is the Cardinals offense actually good? Or was the Washington? The defense that good? Yeah, the defense that good?”