The NFL’s first regular season still has a pair of games remaining, leaving plenty of fantasy football matchups still in doubt on Monday morning. However, with 14 games down, we are finally able to develop a baseline for 2012 performances. We will have plenty of one-week wonders that disappear from the face of the earth. We will also have players whose struggles will end up being a blip on an otherwise stellar season.
Fantasy Football Week 1 Recap: Sunday’s Highs And Lows
We break down some of the best and worst of Week 1 of the NFL regular season at the top three fantasy positions, quarterback, running back and wide receiver.
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Although the NFL is becoming more and more of a passer's league, running backs still end up high on everybody's radar when Sunday arrives. We had our first truly unexpected rushing performance of the season as C.J. Spiller replaced an injured Fred Jackson and broke off a dominant day. Spiller rushed 14 times for 169 yards and a touchdown, a bright spot in an otherwise ugly Bills' performance.
The stinker of the day has to belong to DeAngelo Williams. After word got out that Jonathan Stewart would sit out the game, fantasy owners were quick to get Williams into their lineup. Williams rewarded those owners with six rushes for -1 yards. Whoops. But at least DeAngelo apologized.
I also want to apologize to the fans and fantasy owners because we didn't play well enough to win this game and Tampa did
— DeAngelo Williams (@DeAngeloRB) September 10, 2012
So, yea, about that RG3 character. Robert Griffin III arrived with a vengeance Sunday afternoon, putting together arguably the cleanest performance of the day by a fantasy quarterback. RG3 completed 19 of 26 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns, while notching 42 rushing yards in the Washington Redskins stunning upset of the New Orleans Saints. It is only one week, but it is safe to say Cam Newton rookie fantasy comparisons will go into overdrive.
On the other end of the rookie chart, the Russell Wilson bandwagon took a bit of a hit. The Seahawks' rookie QB was not awful in the team's loss to Arizona, but he showed us why we need to temper expectations from preseason performances. After a whirlwind preseason that had people asking SB Nation Fantasy whether they should be starting him in Week 1, Wilson was 18 of 34 for 153 yards with one touchdown, one interception and 20 rushing yards. It is a perfectly respectable performance, but again, fans need to temper expectations on Wilson for now.
A name player still worth noting is Matt Ryan. The Falcons QB was 23 of 31 for 299 yards and three touchdowns. In standard Yahoo! leagues, that ranks him third behind Tony Romo and Robert Griffin III this week. The Falcons' offense was dominant on Sunday, as it only had to punt once. Ryan will not be a guy who drops 400+ yards and four touchdowns with frequency, but I would argue he will be as steady as any quarterback in the league this year. The Falcons' offense is loaded with weapons, and Matt Ryan appears to be the perfect field general for this team.
Well, hello there, Reggie Wayne. The departure of Peyton Manning had many wondering if the Colts' veteran wide receiver would take a step back in fantasy relevance. A late deactivation of Austin Collie brought Wayne quickly back to fantasy relevance. The Colts' receiver is the leader heading into Monday Night Football, with nine receptions for 135 yards. Given that the Colts will likely be playing from behind quite a bit, Wayne could be a strong fantasy weapon in 2012.
Julio Jones took another step towards superstardom as he dropped 108 yards and two touchdowns on the Chiefs in the Falcons' win. Jones moved past Roddy White on draft boards this season and would appear to be ready to climb into the top five of receivers.
Sunday was not so good for Greg Jennings (34 yards) and Wes Welker (14 yards), as the two veteran receivers disappointed fantasy owners in a big way. Fantasy receivers can be a tough group to figure out early in the season. The big names will generally be fine, but there will be some stinkers.
That's really the big lesson to take away from Week 1. We have a baseline performance for players, but in reality, this "baseline" is about as arbitrary as it can get. Welker will likely end up with his usual big numbers by the end of the season. Kevin Ogletree could continue his huge pace, or he could disappear off the fantasy radar. It will take a few weeks to get a true grip on players that are emerging as stars and players that are emerging as busts. In the meantime, you simply have to stick with your gut to figure out your lineups.
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