Week one is underway of the NFL season, and it did not disappoint. A lot of surprises and some injuries will send us running to the waiver wire. Some out of nowhere players picked up and had monster games. It pays to be aggressive early, but I just don’t see the need this week to do it. These guys can for sure fill holes, but I wouldn’t waste a top waiver claim, or big FAAB bucks here. A lot of question marks in roles, and a bevy of one-week wonder hits.
Running Backs
Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers, 1% rostered
Raheem Mostert suffered a knee injury early in the game, and Trey Sermon was a surprising inactive. Insert Elijah Mitchell, the sixth-round rookie. He rushed 19 times for 104 yards and a touchdown. JaMycal Hasty was the backup but did have one carry for three yards and a touchdown. Raheem Mostert is expected to miss up to eight weeks.
Depending on Sermon’s status, I would temper my expectations. If you need running back I would put the waiver in, but I wouldn’t waste a lot of FAAB here. Philadelphia is up next this coming week, and Mitchell may be the number one back on a team that loves to run the ball. Mitchell is expected to be the consensus top waiver claim this week.
Mark Ingram, Houston Texans, 11% rostered
The big question all week was who is going to lead the charge in Houston. The answer is Mark Ingram so far. He had 26!!! Carries for 85 yards and a touchdown. Between Phillip Lindsay, Rex Burkhead, and David Johnson, they totaled 15 touches to Ingram’s 26, although Ingram was only on the field for 45% of snaps.
It’s clear he is not the pass-catching back, and the Texans benefitted by playing the Jaguars, so this was likely a game-script result. How often do we expect the Texans to play from ahead with such a big lead this year? Not too many.
Cordarrelle Patterson, Atlanta Falcons, 3% rostered
All offseason we wondered who would be the backup to Mike Davis. Wayne Gallman was a healthy scratch. Insert Cordarelle Patterson. Patterson had 7 carries for 54 yards and 2 receptions for 13 yards. He will act as the change of pace back behind Mike Davis and is worth a flier in the event anything were to happen to Mike Davis.
James White, New England Patriots, 48% rostered
James White did what he usually does. He rushed four times for 12 yards but had six receptions on seven targets for 49 yards. White is a great PPR pass-catching option and showed that on Sunday. With a rookie quarterback, check downs could happen often. Both Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson lost fumbles, so we’ll see how Bill Belichick handles the workload from there. The Patriots play the Jets this coming Sunday who were just torched by McCaffrey.
Carlos Hyde, Jacksonville Jaguars, 15% rostered
James Robinson was a locked-in starter this week for a big week. Right? Thanks, Urban Myer. Insert Carlos Hyde who carried 9 times for 44 yards and added two receptions for 14 yards. He had a touchdown from the three-yard line taken away by a hold but looks like he could steal goal-line touches.
James Robinson had 5 carries for 25 yards. Hyde out-touched Robinson, and seemed to be the favorite back. Hyde is elite in pass protection, and helping a bad offensive line to keep their prized rookie quarterback safe may be more important than gaining yards.
Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles, 4% rostered
Kenneth Gainwell had a nice day for the Eagles. He had 9 carries for 37 yards and a touchdown. He added two catches for six yards. Boston Scott did not factor in, vaulting Gainwell to the backup role behind Sanders. A tough matchup against the 49ers is next, but Gainwell would be a top add if anything were to happen to Miles Sanders.
Tony Jones, New Orleans Saints, 15% rostered Tony Jones entered the season as the backup to Alvin Kamara after beating out Latavius Murray. Jones had 11 carries for 50 yards and added a reception for three yards. These numbers by no means are flashy, but double digits carries should stand out. Jones will fill the Latavius Murray/Mark Ingram role in this offense. Jones goes to Carolina this coming week, and is a desperate play if needed at running back, but has potential for season-long value.
Larry Rountree, Los Angeles Chargers, 1% rostered
All summer we tried figuring out who the backup to Austin Ekeler was. Ekeler was battling a hamstring injury but played Sunday. Insert Larry Rountree who saw 8 carries for 27 yards. Justin Jackson only had one carry for five yards. It seems Rountree may be the running back to roster to backup Ekeler.
Wide Receivers
Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos, 1% rostered
Jerry Jeudy suffered a high ankle sprain and is expected to miss four to six weeks. Tim Patrick had a decent season last year and stepped right up on Sunday. He caught all four of his targets for 39 yards and a touchdown. Expect him to be the starter outside Courtland Sutton until Jeudy comes back mid-season.
Cedric Wilson, Dallas Cowboys, 0% rostered
Michael Gallup is expected to miss three to five weeks with an injured calf. Therefore Cedric Wilson elevates to the field in three-wide sets for Dallas. Dak Prescott looked very good against a formidable Tampa Bay defense. Wilson had only 3 catches for 24 yards but is expected to take on a larger role with Gallup out. Wilson is a nice dart throw who could pop off with Ceedee Lamb and Amari Cooper getting attention on the outside. Gallup saw seven targets on Thursday night, which doesn’t rule out Wilson even seeing double-digit targets.
Zach Pascal, Indianapolis Colts, 2% rostered
Zach Pascal had a nice game against Seattle. With Michael Pittman and Parris Campbell getting the attention as the top two wideouts, Pascal is the one that shined. He brought in 4 catches for 43 yards and 2 touchdowns. With TY Hilton on IR, Pascal has a chance to take the spot and run with it. He could be worth a look if he keeps this up in deeper leagues, but a disappearing act next week is just as likely.
Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams, 2% rostered
Van Jefferson seems to be in good favor with quarterback Matthew Stafford. He brought in two catches on three targets for 80 yards and a touchdown. With Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp being the top two options, Van Jefferson is battling for the WR3 role against Desean Jackson, and he did a lot to claim it. Jefferson was targeted earlier in the game. I don’t see him as a viable weekly starter, but he is someone to keep an eye on if he develops more chemistry with Stafford.
Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals, 4% rostered
The Arizona Cardinals lead the league in four receiver sets. They got Christian Kirk involved on Sunday. He brought in five catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Arizona had a big win fueled by Kirk’s play. I don’t expect this from Kirk every week, but it’s something to monitor as a breakout could finally be real. He is by trade a natural slot receiver, and with Larry Fitzgerald on the sidelines watching, perhaps it is his time.
Terrace Marshall, Carolina Panthers, 21% rostered
Terrace Marshall did not have a great game on the box score hauling in three catches on six targets for only 26 yards, but he was out on the field a lot. Marshall has the potential to have some breakout games. He can probably be had for cheap and is a nice addition as the talent is there.
Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals, 20% rostered
Another Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, Rondale Moore brought in four catches on five targets for 68 yards on Sunday. We’ve been talking Moore up all summer, and he came out and had a decent game. As mentioned with Kirk, the Arizona Cardinals lead the league in four-receiver sets, which means Moore and Kirk should both see the field often. Moore has the breakout potential to pop off on any given occasion.
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants, 25% rostered
Sterling Shepard had a monster game for the Giants. He caught seven of nine targets for 113 yards and a touchdown. He led the Giants in receptions and targets on Sunday. With Kenny Golladay, Darius Slayton, and the rookie Kadarius Toney in line, the major question is, can he keep this production up?
K.J. Osborn, Minnesota Vikings, 0% Rostered
Who KJ Osborn has cemented himself as the WR3 in Minnesota outside Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen with an impressive week one performance. He caught seven of nine targets for 76 yards. Osborn isn’t someone I’d start in a shallow league, but he’s someone to keep an eye on for deeper leagues if he can maintain this pace. The second-year player impressed on Sunday and with Chris Herndon receiving no catches on two targets, Osborn may now be the third or fourth target in Minnesota.
Danny Amendola, Houston Texans, 0% rostered
The Houston Texans had a great week this Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Texans going forward are expected to be down a lot in games and will be passing a lot. Danny Amendola brought in all five targets for 34 yards and a touchdown. He was the slot receiver for the Texans on Sunday. Anthony Miller was inactive due to a shoulder injury, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can maintain that role.
KJ Hamler, Denver Broncos, 2% rostered
The stat line doesn’t show it, but KJ Hamler could have had a bigger game. He caught three of his four targets for 41 yards but dropped a wide-open touchdown, which could have made this a massive game. With Jerry Jeudy out four to six weeks, Hamler has a chance to carve a role for the first half of the season.
Nelson Agholor, New England Patriots, 30% rostered
Nelson Agholor brought in five catches on seven targets for 72 yards and a touchdown on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. He showed good chemistry with rookie Mac Jones and was tied for second on the Patriots with those seven targets. Jones looked his way often, and Agholor showed he can make an impact.
Quarterbacks
Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos, 5% rostered
Teddy Bridgewater had a great day against the New York Giants. He was 28/36 for 264 yards and two touchdowns. He also had three carries for nineteen yards. Jerry Jeudy has a high ankle sprain and will miss six to eight weeks. Tim Patrick was one of his top targets. Teddy Two Gloves gets the Jaguars and Jets the next two weeks. He could be a great streamer.
Taylor Heinicke, Washington Football Team, 0% rostered
Taylor Heinicke filled in for the injured Ryan Fitzpatrick. He was 11/15 for 122 yards and a touchdown. He also had three rushes for seventeen yards. He isn’t a flashy name, but filled in well in last season’s playoffs, and has a home matchup with the Giants next. Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered a hip injury, with the possibility of IR. Cam Newton is always an option for Washington, but I’m sticking with Heinicke here.
Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers, 6% rostered
Sam Darnold got the win Sunday against his former team, my New York Jets. He heavily relied on Christian McCaffrey on check-downs all day, which was out of character for what we have seen from him in the past. His stat line is a lot better than he played with 24/35 for 279 yards and a touchdown. CMC had 9 catches for 89 yards, and it seems Darnold checked his way quite often. With McCaffrey back to his old self, expect Darnold to have some inflated stat lines, which bodes well for fantasy. They play the Saints at home this week.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers, 1% rostered
This is just something to monitor if you have the space. Aaron Rodgers looked absolutely terrible today and went to the bench for Love when the game was well out of hand. He went 5/7 for 68 yards in this time. Rodgers will be fine, but after the offseason he had, who knows what might go on.
Tight End
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints, 1% rostered
We at Stack Attack discussed all offseason about how Jameis Winston loves to target his tight ends. In Tampa Bay, Jameis threw forty touchdowns to Cameron Brate and OJ Howard over five seasons. Johnson had a nice red zone day catching all three of his targets for 21 yards, with two touchdowns to go with it. Jameis targeted tight ends nine times out of his twenty passes, nearly half of his attempts. Saints tight ends are a good streaming option each week it seems.
Adam Trautman, New Orleans Saints, 5% rostered
As I mentioned with Johnson, Adam Trautman is a tight end for the Saints that Jameis likes. Trautman was the most targeted Saints player this Sunday. He caught three of his six targets for 18 yards. The stat line isn’t great but the target share was. Jameis proved in Tampa he can play with two tight-end sets, and it seems that is what he is doing here.
Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers, 23% rostered
Jared Cook has been on my sleeper articles all summer. Sunday showed why. He caught five of his eight targets for 56 yards. He was targeted often by Justin Herbert and is a nice flier at tight ends if you didn’t grab one of the elite tight ends at the top of all draft boards. Cook fills the Hunter Henry role, and the Chargers historically love to use their tight ends.
Pharaoh Brown, Houston Texans, 0% rostered
A deep-league target here. Pharaoh Brown seems to have beaten Brevin Jordan for the starting tight end nod in Houston and caught four of his five targets for 67 yards on Sunday. I wouldn’t add him unless it’s a deep league, but Brown showed he has the ability to get targets and yards. He put up double-digit points in a full-point PPR league.
James O’Shaughnessy, Jacksonville Jaguars, 0% rostered
James O’Shaughnessy stepped right up Sunday and put up double-digit points in a full-point PPR league. He caught six of eight targets for 48 yards from rookie Trevor Lawrence. Rookie quarterbacks tend to favor their tight ends, so this may be a nice flier in deep leagues.
Tyler Kroft, New York Jets, 1% rostered
The New York Jets traded Herndon to the Minnesota Vikings, basically giving Tyler Kroft the starting tight end job. The Jets did not add anyone, and Kroft acted as the starter on Sunday. Rookie Zach Wilson found him three times on five targets for 26 yards.
Not a great stat line, but he was out there for 66% of the Jets' offensive snaps. Wilson got better as the game went on, and I can see Kroft being a red zone target for this offense. Ryan Griffin added three catches for 22 yards and is another name to monitor in this offense.
For more options, or questions about these, you can reach me on Twitter @NMimi. Otherwise, check me out on Tuesday night on the Stack Attack Fantasy Podcast, live on our YouTube and Facebook channel at 9pm.