Team of the Week
QB: Josh Allen, BUF
We didn’t buy talk of Allen running less in 2024, and he immediately put on the Superman cape by rushing for two touchdowns to fuel the win over Arizona—including a highlight leap into the end zone. Overall, Allen completed 18-of-23 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns while also adding nine carries for 39 yards and two scores on the ground.
RB: Saquon Barkley, PHI
The only player to currently best Josh Allen heading into Monday Night Football is Barkley—who had a dominant team debut with 24 carries, 109 rushing yards, two receptions, 23 receiving yards, and three total touchdowns. Saquon was facing a Green Bay defense that still appears soft versus the run, but there is no denying his elite ability, and the former No. 2 overall pick will be featured in the best situation of his career.
RB: Joe Mixon, HOU
There is also no denying the talent of Mixon in his age-28 campaign, as he was a complete workhorse in his first game as a Texan with 30 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown on the ground (plus three receptions for 19 yards). Playing in a high-powered Houston offense, Mixon looks like a clear RB1 based on the Week 1 performance.
WR: Jayden Reed, GB
A new-look Philly secondary was no match for Reed on Friday Night, and the second quarter in particular saw him explode for scores of 33 and 70 yards on his way to 33.1 fantasy points. The entire passing attack will be hurt for as long as Jordan Love (ankle) is out, but Reed has the skillset with designed touches as a big-play threat to overcome it.
WR: Cooper Kupp, LAR
For anyone concerned about Kupp still being an elite weapon, he silenced any doubt with a monster performance in primetime—catching a career-high 14 passes (on 21 targets) for 110 yards and a touchdown. Kupp will remain even more of a focus if Puka Nacua (knee) misses time, and he’s back in the WR1 ranks ahead of Week 2.
TE: Isaiah Likely, BAL
Tight end production was down among the top options to begin the season, but Likely had a statement game in the opener with nine receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown as the focal-point of Baltimore’s offense. The talented 24-year-old will deservedly be the top add of the week in all formats based on his performance.
FLEX: Jameson Williams, DET
Williams was one of our favorite values of the offseason, and he immediately paid dividends for those who trusted him—roasting the Rams for a 5/121/1 line that included a highlight 52-yard touchdown on a double move. Amon-Ra St. Brown will surely be more of a factor in future weeks, but Jamo is positioned for a huge season.
D/ST: Chicago Bears
Things were not looking great for the Bears early as the offense struggled and they fell behind 17-0, but a blocked punt for a touchdown sparked things in the second half—which opened the floodgates with three takeaways and a pick-six to win the game for a total of 26.0 fantasy points.
K: Chris Boswell, PIT
The high among kickers this week was also 26.0 fantasy points, as Boswell did all the scoring for Pittsburgh by nailing all six of his field goal attempts, including three of them from 50+ yards.
Surprise of the Week: Alexander Mattison
Most of the surprises this week were negatives, but Mattison is worth highlighting as a positive with four receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown in more of a split than expected with Zamir White. The veteran was limited to just five carries for 19 yards, but he showed burst on the 31-yard touchdown catch and might earn more work as Las Vegas tries to get the offense on track.
Disappointment of the Week: Marvin Harrison Jr.
There were a ton of Week 1 disappointments, particularly with passing games around the league struggling to get going; and Harrison Jr. being held to just one reception (for four yards) isn’t a huge surprise because Buffalo is a tough matchup for outside wideouts. The main disappointment comes because the No. 4 overall pick was wide open for a potential game-winning touchdown that Kyler Murray didn’t see, which would have obviously slanted fantasy matchups if it hit.
Rookie of the Week: Jayden Daniels
All three of Caleb Williams, Daniels, and Bo Nix struggled to begin their career, but Daniels still putting up 28.16 fantasy points shows his pure upside from a fantasy perspective. The rookie passer rushed 16 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns, and Washington will have easier matchups as soon as Week 2 versus the Giants to make Daniels a more confident QB1 play.
Week 1 MVP: Saquon Barkley
Barkley went for 32.2 fantasy points in his Eagles debut, and everything that made him a top-tier prospect coming out of Penn State was on display with game-breaking explosiveness still clearly being there. Again, Barkley is in the best situation of his career, so a resurgence similar to Christian McCaffrey with the 49ers to become a weekly high-end RB1 is very possible if he stays healthy.