Fantasy football stats: The sleepers of Week 1

Chad Henne, JAX (266 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 8 rushing yards, 1 fumble lost, 16 fantasy points)

If Henne had spent his career with a better team around him, we might view him differently. As it is, he's just "the guy the Jaguars have until they have someone better." Meanwhile, he has put up a handful of good games when it is least expected. He can't be relied on in fantasy week to week, and no one is going to be starting him next week, even against a subpar Washington defense, but don't be surprised any time he offers fantasy scores in the high teens or 20s.

Derek Carr, OAK (151 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, -1 rushing yards, 14 fantasy points)

One of the problems with less production at the top end of fantasy is that it trickles down. Normally, a 14-point day is barely an afterthought in fantasy, but Carr's 14 on this particular Sunday stands out a bit. Despite trailing, the Raiders tried to limit Carr's exposure in the game, keeping him to short passes -- he averaged only 4.7 yards per pass attempt. Next week, against a Houston defense that is scary even without Jadeveon Clowney, Carr could fare much worse.

Darren Sproles, PHI (71 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 14 receiving yards, 14 fantasy points)

That wasn't supposed to be how Sproles was used in Philadelphia. When he switched teams, everyone figured he'd be there to catch a lot of short passes and run it once or twice a game. Chris Polk was supposed to be the second running back in Philly. But attitudes slowly changed through preseason, and Sproles got 11 carries against only four catches in Week 1. He looks like he could be a low-end flex play in good situations going forward.

Terrance West, CLE (100 rushing yards, 10 fantasy points)

Rookies and young running backs like Carlos Hyde, Christine Michael, Jeremy Hill and Devonta Freeman got a lot more publicity than West did in the preseason, because, all things being equal, those guys could be better backs. But all things aren't equal, and none of those other four are backing up a player with Ben Tate's injury history in Cleveland. Tate only made it six carries into Sunday's game before leaving with an injury, and West responded with 100 yards rushing. If Tate misses more time going forward, West can offer a lot to fantasy owners.

Steve Smith Sr., BAL (118 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 17 fantasy points)

Smith's best regular-season game in Carolina last year featured 69 receiving yards. After preseason talk of his rejuvenation in Baltimore, he showed it Sunday, with an 80-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter that briefly gave the Ravens the lead. He's got to show this more before he can be a week-to-week fantasy play, but this game took Smith from fantasy stay-away to fantasy last-guy-on-the-roster, at the least.

DeAndre Hopkins, HOU (89 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 14 fantasy points)

Hopkins started off hot as a rookie last year, with 117 yards and a touchdown in his second career game. He tapered off as the year went on, settling in as a 50-80-yard guy, but the flashes were there. Another year of development in, and it looks like Hopkins could be a good running mate for Andre Johnson in Houston. We'll learn more next week, when Houston travels to Oakland.

Levine Toilolo, ATL (19 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 7 fantasy points)

Toilolo will never be Tony Gonzalez, but then, no one will. He is, however, taking the Gonzalez role in an offense that definitely knows how to use its tight end. He caught only three balls Sunday, but one of them went for a touchdown. Toilolo isn't a fantasy starter, but he could be interesting during the bye weeks.