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Run It Back: Stats, Blurbs, and Everything You Need to Know About What Happened Week 1


Sundays go by so fast It’s really easy to lose track of not only how many fantasy points players scored, but more importantly how every player was utilized. So, every week I am going to write a column on what happened during the weekends games and how it is relevant to fantasy owners. I think this should be a useful tool as a reminder to people who either couldn’t watch every game, or want to better understand a players value moving forward. I will include statistics such as targets, target share, carries snap %s as well as some of my own thoughts from watching all of the games. I know it is only week one so I won’t try to overreact but here is goes.

Denver Vs. Carolina:

  • I want to come out and say it, it looks like I was wrong about Kelvin Benjamin. Cam targeted him 12 times this week, producing a 6-91-1 line on semi-limited snaps. I’m really not to overreact but, all of the “Funchess is going to be the #1 WR” talk can pretty much be thrown out the window.

  • J-stew will run the ball a good amount but won’t be used in the passing game and won’t score very many TD’s this year. This game was a perfect example of this as he ran for 64 yards on 15 carries.

  • Greg Olsen did Greg Olsen things posting a 7-73-0 line on 9 targets.

  • Cam is relatively matchup proof given his rushing floor and awesome playmaking ability

  • Siemian looked fairly competent which is good news for DT and Sanders.

  • Sanders had 8 targets while DT only had 6. Both could see more targets and yards in the future as Siemian develops and they look to throw it a bit further downfield.

  • Virgil Green is going to be utilized pretty heavily and will be a very viable streaming play against teams worse against the TE.

  • Note: DT to practice Wednesday.

  • The real story here was C.J. Anderson. As long as he is healthy he will be the workhorse, be utilized in the pass game and produce some big numbers. @ScottBarrettDFB is doing some great work defining “Bell-cow” backs and is posting who was one each week. Here is week 1:

Chicago Vs. Houston:

  • The Bears offense looked a lot better than I thought they would in the first half, but then sputtered in classic Bears fashion in the second.

  • Alshon Jeffrey looks healthy and was unstoppable on jump balls. His 6 targets should be a floor each game.

  • Langford was another “Bell-Cow” back in week 1. He is being utilized as such and is a good buy-low if you need a RB.

  • LAMAR MILLER HAS BEEN FREED. One of of my favorite RBs this year was 2nd in week one rushing yards with 108 on 28 carries while catching 4 balls out of the backfield. He was one of the few “bell-cows” this week.

  • Will Fuller was a pleasant surprise. He still has questionable hands at times but his playmaking ability was fully on display as he took a poorly thrown screen pass to the house.

  • Hopkins had a solid game (5-54-1 on 8 targets), and I would expect his target total to increase to around 10 per game. It is slightly concerning that Will Fuller out targeted him, but it is only week 1. It is definitely something to keep an eye on though for both of their values.

Green Bay Vs. Jacksonville

  • I will be honest, the Packers didn’t really excite me too much. Rodgers looked spry in the pocket per usual, but they lacked the “big play” similar to last year. They picked up a few big chunks but nothing huge.

  • Jordy didn’t quite look 100% but his chemistry with Rodgers was still there as he led the team in targets with 9. Once Jordy is healthy running the deep route and trying to beat the safety, then the Packers O will be back in form.

  • Cobb led the team in receiving yards with 57 on 6 catches. He had a mediocre game but had a nice 32 yard gain. Cobb will continue to be a WR2

  • Lacy dominated backfield touches but couldn’t really get a whole lot going. He had one catch on two targets for the game. He needs to pick it up or it could be a repeat of last year.

  • Aaron Rodgers had a nice fantasy game himself despite throwing for under 200 yards. His rushing TD as well as 2 passing helped contribute.

  • The Jags look like an all-around better team this year.

  • With Ivory out Yeldon is a plug and play workhorse back (21 carries, 4 catches). He didn’t produce as much as you would hope but he is a solid RB2 play if Ivory is to miss anymore time.

  • Allen Robinson was targeted an absurd 15 times, but only posted a 6-72 line. He was inches away from hauling in a big play or TD multiple times. Robinson should become a bit more efficient on a high target volume as the year goes on.

  • On the opposite side Hurns continued to be efficient and explosive posting a 4-75 line on only 5 targets.

  • Bortles threw an absolute dime to Julius Thomas on his TD catch. Thomas will finish the week as one of the highest scoring TE’s depending on your league format. He caught all 5 of his targets for 64 yards and a TD. He should be a Viable TE1 option moving forward.

  • Bortles is still learning as an NFL QB but his 300 yards and a TD isn’t an awful day from a fantasy standpoint.

Buffalo Vs. Baltimore:

  • Shady Mccoy is another one of the few players who were “bell-cows” in week 1. Shadys involvement in the passing game (4 catches) should keep his floor relatively high even in games against good run Ds or where the offense is struggling.

  • Speaking of that Tyrod Taylor had a game to forget. 15/22 for 111 yards with no Tds and only 11 yards rushing isn’t what fantasy owners needed. The Buffalo O struggled in general, but if a few more games like this continue, Tygod may be a mortal after all.

  • Watkins injury is apparently continuing to nag him. This was evident during the game as he didn’t look like himself. Keep an eye on his status for the Thursday game.

  • Baltimore. Uhhh. Yeah. Lots of players touched the ball, with no one really doing anything especially well.

  • Mike Wallace caught a nice deep ball from Flacco and could be a WR3 moving forward.

  • Steve Smith was targeted 9 times but could only parlay that into 5 catches for 19 yards.

  • Aiken was an afterthought and Perriman had one catch for 35 yards receiving. Tough to make anything out of this.

  • Forsett and West split carries (10/12) while posting a (4.4/2.7 YPC). They play Cleveland next week so let’s hope there is a bit more clarity to this whole team.

  • Flacco had a respectable game with 258 yards and a TD.

Cleveland Vs Philly:

  • Duke Johnson stock is plummeting. He was outsnapped 23-30 by Crowell even in a game they were losing the entire time.

  • RG3 is now on IR (may not be a bad thing).

  • Pryor and Coleman both had two long catches but that’s about it.

  • Barnidge did literally nothing, which may change as he put up his career year with Mccown under center. Not much else to be said.

  • Ryan Mathews had a decent game from a fantasy standpoint, but there is some concern to be had. He only averaged 3.5 YPC against the poor Cleveland D. He also wasn’t targeted once in the passing game and was actually out-snapped by Darren Sproles. He did dominate the backfield touches with 22 carries, but still this would make him very TD dependent going forward.

  • Jordan Matthews killed it this week posting a 7-114 -1 line on 14 targets. I wasn’t expecting him to be targeted that heavily but is a WR1 if he can continue with that type of volume. In some games where they are playing from behind, Matthews could be targeted relentlessly, especially now that Ertz is banged up.

  • Ertz had a solid week turning 7 targets into 6 catches for 58 yards. His injury isn’t good news so stay updated for that.

Atlanta Vs. Tampa Bay

  • The dreaded RBBC is true. Freeman was a dicey high round pick after the coaches kept saying they want to get coleman more involved. Then right before Sundays game they said they would “go with the Hot hand”. Coleman had a great game racking up 95 receiving yards on 5 catches.

  • Julio had a fairly quiet game and apparently has a lingering ankle issue. That isn’t good news but no need to worry yet.

  • Sanu had a fantastic game for a late round fantasy pick, but news of him limping heavily is not good.

  • Matt Ryan had a solid day passing for 330 and 2 TDs.

  • Jameis Winston is developing into a stud. He threw for 4 TD’s and 280 yards with only one pick. He is clearly developing trust with his receivers and is developing as a player. Combine that with the fact that Koetter wants to go more no huddle when they are at home, Winston could be a great fantasy asset.

  • Evans had a good game, but getting only 7 targets isn’t great. He was much more efficient than last year, but its tough to keep a sustainable rate of that many fantasy points with that target load.

  • Vincent Jackson was also targeted 7 times but only had a 2-18 line.

  • Doug Martin’s usage in the passing game was a positive sign as he caught 5 balls. He had a mediocre day on the ground going 18-62.

  • Charles Sims was involved, but not as much as most people would have thought. He had a highlight reel catch and run for a TD but otherwise wasn’t utilized often.

  • If ASJ can get his act together he will be a monster, he had a great diving TD catch and has the physical attributes to be a great TE.

Minnesota Vs Tennessee

  • Adrian Peterson had a really rough day. (19-31)

  • Stefon Diggs had a great game (7-103 on 9 targets). I would say you should be excited, but with Sam Bradford likely to start within the next few weeks, the chemistry could be totally different.

  • Rudolph had 8 targets, which was fairly surprising as he hasn’t had much of an impact on the receiving game the last few years.

  • Demarco Murray out-touched Derrick Henry 13-5 in carries and 5-2 in catches. Murray also looked good against a pretty stiff Run D and was a “Bell-Cow”

  • Henry seemed to be a non-factor and shouldn’t be in your starting lineup until that is proven otherwise.

  • Tajae Sharpe is the #1 WR for the Titans and is a viable WR3/flex play in PPR leagues. He had 11 targets and was Mariotas security blanket.

  • Mariota threw the ball 41 times, 2nd most of his entire career. He had an average day but had two pretty bad turnovers which cost the Titans the game. He only ran the ball 4 times for 19 yards. As a Mariota owner you would hope that increases significantly.

Cincinnatti Vs. New York (Jets)

  • As @JoeGoodberry study showed, this was an uncommon game for Dalton. This unbelievable trend of success continues for Dalton as he passed for 366 yards and a TD. His O-line was miserable on the day letting up 7 sacks against the Jets. If Dalton can get better protection the game could have been much higher scoring.

  • Hill and Gio were both utilized sparingly. Hill predictably had a rough game against the Jets tough run D posting 9-31-1 line. His TD run was very nice though.

  • Gio was extremely disappointing as he only had 2 catches and 5 carries.

  • A.J. Green is a monster. “When targeting A.J. Green against Darrelle Revis, Dalton was a perfect 10/10 and had a perfect passer rating.” – NFL Network. He dominated one of the best corners of the NFL racking up 13 targets total and parlaying that into a 12-180-1 line. Green has a legitimate shot to finish as the WR1 if he continues to see 10+ targets a game.

  • Lafell was the 2nd WR in this offense seeing only 4 targets but making the most of them for a 4-91-1 line. I wouldn’t bank on that every week as 4 targets isn’t usually enough to sustain fantasy relevance.

  • Tyler Boyd was pretty much an afterthought and wasn’t utilized as much as I’d hoped receiving only 3 targets.

  • Matt Forte was a machine this game. He dominated the touches and is making me look silly for doubting him this offseason. He was a “bell-cow”. I still expect powell to be more involved in upcoming weeks but if Forte is consistently being targeted 7 times with 20 + carries he will be a top 10 RB.

  • Marshall and Decker both were wildly inefficient. Decker had 7 targets with a TD saving his day as he posted a 2-37-1 line. Marshall wasn’t as fortunate only having 3-37 on 8 targets. They should bounce back in upcoming weeks as they regain form as one of the best WR tandems in the NFL.

  • Quincy Enunwa sounds like the name of a weird vegetable but surprisingly had a nice game. He turned 7 targets into 5-59. If he can continue with that target load he will be a viable WR3/4, but I am betting against it to be honest.

Oakland Vs. New Orleans

  • Drew Brees was awesome. 28/42 for 423 and 4 TDs. His fantasy status as a top 5 QB should continue all year.

  • Ingram was a huge disappointment. He only received 12 carries and was only targeted twice in the passing game. The alarms are going off in my head. If you can still sell high while you can do it, because if he isn’t being involved in the passing game he will struggle to meet value of where you drafted him.

  • Cadet however could be a sneaky pickup in PPR leagues as he received 6 targets.

  • Coby Fleener, what the hell man. Drew Brees and him are not on the same page and it was obvious. His 4 targets and 1 catch are concerning. If he can’t do work against the putrid NYG linebacking corp then owners should really start to worry.

  • Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead stole the show. Both had 9 targets with Snead ( 9-172-1) and Cooks (6-143-2) destroying Oaklands secondary. Sneads usage was especially impressive as many thought he would cede targets to Micheal Thomas. Snead is now climbing into WR2 status while Cooks is a WR1.

  • Micheal Thomas still had a solid game catching all of his 6 targets for 58 yards. He is still a rookie and can develop into a target hog if he develops more rapport with Brees.

  • Derek Carr predictably lit up the poor New Orleans secondary.

  • Latavius only received 14 carries and 2 targets in the game. A TD saved his fantasy day as well.

  • Backup Jalen Richard will most likely be his handcuff after his 75 yard TD run and showing out.

  • Amari Cooper will be a WR1 if he gets as many targets as he did this week (11). He still struggled with inefficiency but posted a 6-137 line.

  • Crabtree turned 9 targets into 7-87. He pretty much looked like his usual self and interestingly enough was their go –to guy on the game winning 2 point conversion.

  • Clive Walford had 5 targets but only turned that into 3-25. He remains a TE2.

Kansas City Vs. San Diego

  • SELL MELVIN GORDON HIGH. He only played 32% of the snaps but scored 2 TDs. This is the reason I am writing this article. To the average fantasy player, Melvin Gordon looks like a stud bounce-back candidate after posting 17 fantasy points. But if you dig deeper and see that he only had 14 carries, wasn’t targeted in the passing game and only played 32% of the snaps, you know that you need to sell high. With Allen out, Woodhead may be in even more often going forward.

  • Danny Woodhead is going to return value again and be a high end RB2 with upside. He received 16 carries and had 7 targets putting up a 5-31-1 line. He is the RB to own in this backfield. Especially with Keenan Allen out for the rest of the year, he should be targeted a ridiculous amount moving forward.

  • Travis Benjamin saw 8 targets and should be a WR3 with Allens injury.

  • Tyrell Williams will be a popular waiver wire pickup and could be relevant if he builds off his 2-71,5 target performance.

  • Rivers may be droppable coming up as his splits with and without Keenan are brutal.

  • Gates hasn’t played well against the Chiefs the last few times so this wasn’t a big surprise. He should rebound next week.

  • Spencer Ware only receiver 11 carries, but turned that into 11-70-1. He also had 8 targets, turning that into 7-129. Until JC is back Ware is a monster. Also on a side note, target RBs playing against SD.

  • Kelce had a pretty standard day drawing 7 targets and a 6-74 line.

  • The Chiefs late comeback saved Maclins day as he also had 7 targets against the tough matchup in Verret. His TD came on a perfectly thrown pass by Alex Smith where he wasn’t even open. Maclin has bigger games in store.

  • Alex Smith stepped out of his “game-manager” bubble and turned up, throwing for 363 yards 2 passing TDs and a rushing TD. Fun Fact: Alex Smith threw 48 times this week. He has only exceeded that once in his entire career, and that was in last years playoff loss to New England.

Miami Vs. Seattle

  • Foster was the lead back and I expect that to continue. In better matchups he should be a viable RB2. His utilization in the passing game is key as he received 5 targets and caught 3 of them for 62 yards. He had a nice 50 yard reception to open the game. He was a “bell-cow” this week.

  • Landry had 10 targets and a respectable PPR day with a 7-59 line.

  • Stills could have had a big day but dropped a 70 yard TD.

  • Tannehill was relatively worthless besides his rushing TD.

  • Russell Wilson got injured and didn’t look good before it. His health is of vital importance to his fantasy value. The rushing yards he adds are what makes him a top tier QB, so keep an eye on that. He struggled against a relatively mediocre D with only 258 yards passing and a TD.

  • This backfield is a mess. Michael out-snapped Rawls 52-22 but only had 3 more carries. I think Rawls will continue to be more involved, further muddling this situation.

  • Baldwin picked up where he left off last year (9-92-1) on 11 targets.

  • Continuing the preseason trend Kearse played more than Lockett and out-produced him (5-57, 7 targets).

  • Lockett is a risky WR3 moving forward, but was actually targeted 8 times. He should have some good games coming up if he can be efficient like last year.

Detroit Vs. Indianapolis

  • This was a shootout, and Stafford lit up the Colts secondary. Jim Bob Cooter (the OC) continues to be his best friend as he helps limit Staffords mistakes and simplifies the game. 31/39 for 340 yards and 3 TDs is quite impressive.

  • Abdullah was utilized pretty heavily playing 62 % of the snaps. He looked explosive on his 12 carries turning that into 63 yards. He also turned his 5 targets into 5 catches for 57 yards and a TD. Him and Riddick are an impressive 1-2 punch in the backfield.

  • Riddick was also very efficient and has stand-alone value in PPR leagues. He looks to be a lock for about 5 targets a game and 5+ carries.

  • Marvin Jones was the #1 reciever, he just didn’t play well. He had a few long catches (4-85) but you expect more out of 10 targets.

  • Golden Tate had 7 targets, catching all of them and racking up PPR points. He should be a reliable player in PPR leagues but seems to be firmly the 1B behind Marvin Jones.

  • Eric Ebron caught a nice TD and all of his 5 targets for 46 yards.

  • Andrew Luck was a Fantasy MVP this week with 385 and 4 TD. He looks to be back and enjoying his weapons.

  • Gore’s 14-59-0 wasn’t great but his usage in the passing game with 4 catches on 6 targets may provide a nice floor for him going forward.

  • Hilton had 12 targets but struggled to do much with them (6-79-0). The target load is encouraging and I expect him to do better than this in upcoming weeks.

  • Moncrief had 7 targets and made the most of it with 6-64-1. His offseason hype seems to be justified.

  • Dorsett started producing finally, leading the team in yards (4-94 on 6 targets). He looked explosive and could become a fantasy starter if he can consistently make those big plays.

  • Dwayne Allen can be a low-end TE 1 this year and that was shown this weekend (4-53-1 on 6 targets)

New York (Giants) Vs. Dallas

  • Eli had a pretty good game throwing for 207 yards and 3 TD. In a faster paced game Eli will do more.

  • Jennings was the lead back getting 18 carries turning that into 75 yards. This was a respectable 4.2 YPC but Vereen takes away his RB2 appeal. Jennings only had 2 targets and 1 catch.

  • Vereen had 3 catches on 5 targets and also received 6 carries. He isn’t a viable starter at the moment.

  • Odell had a down week but got his usual floor target load of 8. He needs to continue his previous efficiency otherwise games like this may be more common than you would hope. This game was slower paced and Eli wasn’t forced to air it out too much, only throwing it 28 times. Odell will definitely improve on this statline.

  • Neither Donnell or Tye are starting material at the moment.

  • Dak Prescott was a checkdown machine. He averaged 5 YPA and targeted his two underneath options (Witten and Beasley) 14 and 12 times. He will need to start taking more shots to Dez if he is to be considered a fantasy starter.

  • Zeke had a pretty poor day in terms of efficiency as well as only one catch in the passing game. The workload was there with 20 carries but 51 yards isn’t going to cut it. He had a nice TD run that saved his day fantasy-wise.

  • Witten took advantage of a great matchup and his QB’s unwillingness to throw it downfield. I am not ready to declare Witten a solid TE1 yet but if Dak continues being timid then he will.

  • Cole Beasley (8-65 on 12 targets) was another checkdown favorite for dak. He could be a PPR WR3 until Romo is back or Dak finds rythym.

  • Dez owners should be a little concerned. 5 targets is bad, then throw in he only produced 1 catch and 8 yards off that makes it horrible. He did have a TD called back, but still. Dak and Dez need to get on the same page. Dez should definitely have better games in the future but the target load wasn’t a bright note.

New England Vs. Arizona

  • Belichick is a genius. He game planned perfectly to fit Garappolo’s strengths and the cardinals weaknesses. He got the ball out quickly and effectively. I still don’t think Jimmy is a great streaming option, but week 1 was absolutely encouraging for other Patriots players values.

  • Edelman was his main guy with 7 targets and a 7-66 line. He was killing the cardinals in the early parts of the game with his sharp, short routes.

  • James White will be a RB3 with some upside due to his target load. If the Pats have to throw more he could have some bigger games.

  • Blount was used way more than I thought he would as he had 22 carries and a TD.

  • Martellus Bennet was a huge disappointment. He only ran 26 pass routes the entire game. This was due to the O-line being banged up and he should see that increase. As of now I won’t be starting him in any leagues.

  • Palmer did nothing for the majority of the game until their late surge but still had a solid fantasy day. He is still a locked in QB1 and will have better games.

  • David Johnson is an animal. He was “Bell-cow” back and had a highlight reel run week 1. He had 16 carries for 89 yards and a TD on the ground. He had 4-43 in the air on 6 targets. He will be a RB1 this year and is relatively matchup proof because of his receiving floor.

  • Fitz was the man for Palmer this week as the Cardinals worked to get back in the game. He led the team in targets with 10. He should be a weekly WR2 with TD upside.

  • Michael Floyd was pretty inefficient but played in more snaps over John Brown which is good news. He still has big play upside and had a 3-61 line. His 7 targets was second on the team and is encouraging for his value.

  • John Brown is working his way back from some headache and concussion issues. His week 1 (1-8, on 4 targets) is something that will surely improve.

Pittsburgh Vs. Washington

  • Big Ben had a very good game after the first quarter. 300 yards 3 Td is one of his better statlines. Without three of his projected best weapons he definitely outperformed his expectations.

  • Deangelo was a superstar this week as well as a “bell-cow”. He is a top 5 RB for the next two weeks. 26 carries for 143 yards and 2 TDs on the ground while racking up 6 catches for 28 yards on 9 targets through the air. Whew.

  • Antonio Brown only had 8 catches. I say only because that is less than his full season pace from the last two years. This was one of his harder CB matchups and from here on out he should actually have more catches. Crazy to think about after he popped off 8-126-2 last night.

  • Eli Rogers should be a picked up in all deeper leagues. He was targeted 7 times and ended up with a 6-59-1 line. His TD was ridiculously lucky but I mean, it counts. He also looked really good. He has potential to make a year-long impact on your fantasy roster.

  • Jesse James played on 100% of snaps and received 7 targets. He could be a viable TE streamer this year.

  • Kirk Cousins looked pretty terrible despite throwing for 330 yards. He had no Tds though and 2 picks.

  • Matt Jones looked bad and performed slowly. With only 7-24 on the ground and 1-9 through the air Matt Jones doesn’t look to be much more than a bad RB3 in fantasy.

  • Desean Jackson (6-102 on 10 targets) will be more than a deep threat this season. Him and cousins have a good connection. He should be considered a low-end WR2 with upside.

  • Jordan Reed (7-64 on 11 targets) had a good game but could have done more if he wasn’t blanketed by Shazier.

  • Jamison Crowder (6-58 on 10 targets) racked up some catches from the slot. He doesn’t have much upside but should have a weekly floor of around 8-9 points.

  • Chris Thompson scored a Td and was the more efficient of the two RBs. He also was used on more passing downs despite only having 2 catches. He is a sneaky pickup/hold in PPR leagues if Kirk decides to check it down a bit more often.

Los Angeles Vs. San Francisco

  • This game was miserable. Case Keenum, sit down buddy.

  • Gurley couldn’t get anything going averaging 2.8 a carry. He had one catch on 3 targets, for -5 yards. Yuck. I think Gurley will rebound but this game was definitely a showing of his floor, and it wasn’t pretty.

  • Tavon Austin was targeted 12 times, and only turned that into 4 catches for 13 yards. Brutal.

  • Blaine Gabbert didn’t have a bad day since he ran for 43 yards. His 170 yards passing and 1 Td though doesn’t make him a viable starter.

  • Carlos Hyde was the real story of this game. He had 88 yards, 2 TDs and was targeted 4 times in the passing game but only caught 2. He looked good making people miss. If Hyde is consistently used in the passing game he should easily be a RB2. This offense surprisingly looked decent and if that continues Hyde should at least return the value of where he was being drafted.

  • Jeremy Kerley has a shot to be a WR3 in PPR leagues and you need to pick him up. He was targeted 11 times and turned that into 7-61. If you figure the 49ers will have some games where they have to throw to get back into it, he could see even more targets.

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