Rob Gronkowski has certainly returned value so far
Real football is back! And with that comes the first test for your newly-minted fantasy squad. Week 1 is always interesting in that it can quickly confirm or deny your (hopefully) good feelings following your draft. So with the first official week of the NFL season coming to a close and the variety of surprising and disappointing performances around the league, here are five things we learned in Week 1.
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Rob Gronkowski back to being Gronk
While he was the consensus No. 1 tight end heading into the 2015 season, Gronk showed us all why he deserves to be named the top tight end in the league. On Thursday night, the New England tight end finished with five catches for 94 yards and three touchdowns, and he will likely finish the week as a top fantasy scorer. While the Steelers defense was having coverage issues all night, Gronk ran free through the Pittsburgh secondary multiple times and was left completely uncovered for his first touchdown. While this won’t happen every week, Gronkowski is definitely Brady’s No. 1 target in the red zone, which should lead to a ton more touchdowns in 2015. Following his first game, it’s likely that Gronk will have a similar (if not better) year to what he had in 2014 (where he finished as the highest scoring fantasy TE). All of this assumes he’s able to remain healthy. Even with a tough matchup with the Buffalo defense in Week 2, Gronk looks to be back at his best. If you were lucky enough to draft Gronk for your team, you’re feeling great following his Week 1 performance.
A big week for TEs
In addition to Gronk’s big game on Thursday, there were a number of impressive performances by tight ends on Sunday. Leading the way was Tampa Bay’s tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. The top receiver for the Buccaneers on Sunday, Seferian-Jenkins finished with five catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns. With receiver Mike Evans missing the game with an injury and the Buccaneers needing to catch up, Seferian-Jenkins was one of the top targets for rookie QB Jameis Winston. However, the tight end’s performance was the lone bright spot, as he scored the only two Buccaneer touchdowns in a blowout loss to the Titans.
Not to be outdone were Kansas City’s Travis Kelce and Cincinnati’s Tyler Eifert. Kelce was the main man for the Chiefs, finishing the game with six catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns, including a 42-yard score in the first quarter. Eifert was not far behind, finishing his game versus Oakland with nine catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Similar to Seferian-Jenkins, both tight ends were the top weapons for their teams on Sunday and helped carry the offensive load in big wins for both the Chiefs and Bengals. While Evans eventual return will steal some targets from Seferian-Jenkins, I believe all three of these tight ends are must starts heading into Week 2.
Matt Forte confirms his RB1 status
Going into the season, there were some predictions that Forte’s production would dip as he approached 30 this year and after the loss of head coach Marc Trestman. However, Forte showed everyone that that would not be the case in 2015. The Bears’ running back had a huge game versus Green Bay, finishing with 24 carries for 141 yards and one score while also adding five catches for 25 yards.
The Packers were unable to stop Forte, whether in the running or passing games, all afternoon long. Due to this, Forte will finish the week as one of the top scoring running backs, ahead of other big names like Jamaal Charles and Eddie Lacy. While the Bears other big weapon, Alshon Jeffery, looks to get 100% healthy, Forte will be the main target on the team’s offense. Even though Chicago has a tough matchup versus Arizona next week, look for Forte to build on his big Week 1 performance, as Arizona just gave up a total of 122 yards to Saints’ RB Mark Ingram on Sunday.
Mariota’s big debut
One of the most interesting games in Week 1 was the matchup of the top two picks from the 2015 NFL Draft, Marcus Mariota versus Jameis Winston. The matchup was over early, as the Titans flew out to a big lead, behind the hot hand of Mariota, and won the game 42 to 14. The Titans’ rookie QB had a huge day, going 13-of-16 for 209 yards and four touchdowns, leading his team to touchdowns on three of their first four drives.
Mariota outplayed Winston in a big way on Sunday and will look to build on his early success. The Titans have a winnable game at Cleveland next week, before a big game in Week 3 when they host the Colts. While this is only one game, if Mariota continues to build on his great Week 1 performance, his fantasy ownership will definitely increase. If you’re in need of some QB help, or are looking to grab an early bye week fill in, Mariota is a top name to follow over the next several weeks.
Injuries strike again Week 1
While injuries were a big subject this offseason, claiming top players like Arian Foster, Kelvin Benjamin and Jordy Nelson, they struck again in Week 1. The biggest name claimed was Ravens’ LB Terrell Suggs, who tore his Achilles’ and will miss the remainder of the season. Dez Bryant suffered a fractured foot and will miss four to six weeks. In Buffalo, T.Y. Hilton left the game early with an apparent knee injury. X-rays came back negative, but his status for Week 2 is unknown at this time. Arizona’s RB Andre Ellington also suffered a knee injury and was carted to the locker room. It’s likely he’ll miss their next game at Chicago. Other injuries included Redskins WR DeSean Jackson (hamstring), Raiders QB Derek Carr (hand) and Browns QB Josh McCown (concussion), and their statuses are also uncertain for Week 2.
While injuries are a part of every NFL season, it seems like they have struck early and often so far in 2015. These frequent injuries forces all fantasy owners to have backup plans on a weekly basis and make waiver wire pickups as important as ever. Although we are only in Week 1, it’s never too early to eye trades or waiver wire additions to add depth to your squad.
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Brad Behrens is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Brad, check out his archive or follow him @_BradBehrens.
