As expected, Golden ran the bulk of the routes from an outside alignment and was much more involved compared to his rookie season. Christian Watson stole the show with 147 yards and two scores, but Golden comfortably led the team in targets. Four of his targets came on the Packers’ final drive while they were down by 17 points, but even his numbers before that were impressive. As the training capm reports indicated, Golden made massive strides during the offseason. Golden might not be the team’s target-leader every week, but he’s in the WR3 mix for the Packers’ Week 2 date with the Jets.
Omarion Hampton led the LA backfield with ten carries. Hampton scored a short rushing touchdown and lost a fumble in the first half. Mitchell logged 13 pass routes and one target against the Cardinals while Hampton ran 17 routes and was not targeted. Mitchell’s Week 1 involvement could lead to some fantasy usefulness at some point this season. For now he’ll remain a big-play reliant flex play in deeper formats.
Wicks came up with the biggest play of the day for either team when he hauled in a 64-yard pass in the first quarter from Jalen Hurts. Wicks came down with a pass that traveled over 40 yards in the air after Commanders CB Mike Sainristil lost track of it, and ran for another 20-plus yards before being brought down on the Commanders’ six-yard line, eventually setting up a touchdown by Dallas Goedert. In the second quarter, Wicks would again break free from Sainristil, this time in the end zone to secure a nine-yard touchdown. Wicks ran as the Eagles’ WR2 in this one, with his 48 snaps and 31 routes run ranking second only to DeVonta Smith. That said, his low target total leaves plenty to be desired, making him hard to trust in Week 2’s game against the Titans.
Per usual, Reed was relegated to three-receiver sets. He ran 27 routes out of 11-personnel and saw three routes from all other looks combined. What wasn’t usual was Matthew Golden’s involvement. Golden struggled to get on the field as a rookie and wasn’t awfully effective when he was out there. In Week 1, Golden led the team in routes (40) and targets (12). Christian Watson also exploded with 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns. If both players are in line for breakout seasons, Reed may be stuck in a low-value role for fantasy managers. He profiles as a WR4 for his Week 2 game against the Jets.
Nailor picked up eight yards on QB Kirk Cousins’ first pass of the day, but Nailor quieted down after that. His next catch came with just two minutes left in the first half. Nailor’s role is too unreliable for serious FLEX consideration in Week 2 against the Chargers.
It was a typically dominant McBride performance against a Chargers coverage unit that had no idea how to stop the speedy, big-bodied receiving threat. McBride’s big day included a 27-yard reception and a touchdown in the corner of the end zone that all but put away the ballgame. McBride led the Cardinals with a 33 percent air yards share. His Week 2 matchup against the Seahawks will be much tougher, but McBride remains the best tight end in fantasy. Last year he had 16 receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown in two games against Seattle.
Kraft, who tore his ACL in Week 9 last year, told reporters he would not be on a snap count in Week 1. He was. Kraft ran 20 routes to Jonnu Smith’s 18. The good news is that Kraft looked as explosive as ever, racking up gains of 30, 23, and 12 yards. Even with the weak route rate, this goes down as a win for a player whose game is built around big plays. His route rate should climb in the coming weeks, keeping him in the TE1 mix versus the Jets next Sunday.
Herbert shredded the Arizona secondary in the Bolts’ first drive of the game. From there he struggled to complete even routine passes and got nothing going downfield. Ladd McConkey’s exit from the ballgame in the third quarter all but ended Herbert’s production for the day. Herbert, to his credit, tried to push the ball downfield, averaging 10.8 intended air yards per attempt, the fourth highest mark of Week 1. The Cards’ time of possession domination limited play volume for LA, however, torpedoing fantasy prospects across the board. Hopefully for Herbert, the Chargers will have McConkey back for Week 2 against the Raiders. Herbert will be a borderline top-12 option.
Goedert found himself on the receiving end of two touchdown passes from Jalen Hurts, with the first coming on a 17-yard strike in the end zone on a third-and-goal from the Commanders’ 17-yard line. In the fourth quarter, Hurts and Goedert took advantage of some defensive miscommunications by the Commanders, which resulted in a 43-yard touchdown after a long catch-and-run by Goedert, who totaled 29 yards after the catch on his way to the end zone. Goedert continues to be a reliable red zone threat and is coming off a season in which he totaled a career-high 11 touchdowns. He’s off to a strong start to this season and will be a boom/bust option in next week’s game against the Titans.
Njoku logged a pass route on 19 of the team’s 31 drop backs and was third on the Chargers in targets. Oronde Gadsden, meanwhile, ran a grand total of seven routes and caught both of his targets for 32 yards. Charlie Kolar, listed as the team’s No. 1 tight end in August, was not targeted on 13 routes against Arizona. Njoku should have some deep league value as the team’s TE1 in Week 2 against the Raiders.
Kolar, listed as the Chargers’ No. 1 tight end in August, ran 13 routes, the second most among LA tight ends behind David Njoku. Kolar’s role as a blocker should limit his pass catching role in the Mike McDaniels offense. He should remain on waiver wires ahead of Week 2.
Carson Wentz took over for an injured Kyler Murray early in this game and did what any good backup does: He peppered his top wideout with targets. Justin Jefferson saw nine looks, T.J. Hockenson was targeted twice, and no other Viking earned more than two targets. Addison should rebound in Week 2 against a Bears defense that just gave up 37 points to Carolina. He will be in the WR4 mix no matter who lines up under center for Minnesota.
It’s possible things could’ve gone worse for Lemon in his debut, but not much worse. The rookie first-rounder saw two of his four targets come at/behind the line of scrimmage, with his longest target coming eight yards downfield. Lemon’s 28 routes run were good for third-most among Eagles receivers in this one, but we would expect him to see a little more work downfield going forward. Lemon remains a bench stash heading into Week 2’s game against the Titans.
Love started strong, running over LA defenders and scoring a first quarter touchdown while running almost all the routes out of the backfield. He ended up splitting route running duties with Tyler Allgeier, who also had two looks from Jacoby Brissett and led the Arizona backfield with 17 carries. Love checked some key metrics boxes in this one: He ranked sixth among all running backs in rush yards over expected per attempt in Week 1. Perhaps the team wants to ease Love into a workhorse role as the season wears on. He’ll be a risky flex play in Week 2 against a stellar Seahawks defense.
Things went off the rails in the first quarter when Kyler Murray left with a concussion, but one target is a bad omen no matter who is under center. Jennings was also a distant third on the team in routes behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. He is not on the fantasy radar headed into Week 2.
Harris saw a boost in playing time with Ladd McConkey sidelined with a chest injury. Most of Harris’ looks from Justin Herbert were of the short-area variety; he averaged 7.5 air yards per target and averaged 2.9 yards after contact per reception. Harris could have some draw in deeper leagues if McConkey misses time. The Chargers have a favorable matchup in Week 2 against the Raiders.
Harrison was an afterthought in the Arizona offense as Jacoby Brissett threw for 277 yards and a score in the victory. MHJ was targeted on 11 percent of his routes. His lone grab came on a well-thrown sideline ball that was reeled in over tight coverage. Michael Wilson continued working as Brissett’s preferred downfield option and Trey McBride was a target magnet in the short areas. Harrison will be viable in deep leagues next week against a stingy Seattle coverage unit.
Benson’s day would have looked a lot different if QB Kirk Cousins had not overthrown him on a post route downfield on the Raiders’ second drive. The speedy rookie had gotten behind a Dolphins cornerback and was a step ahead of the safety. Benson is still buried on the depth chart, but he clearly possesses traits that can make him a contributor as a rookie. Benson also returned two punts for 35 yards. He should not be in fantasy lineups next week against the Chargers, but his usage should be monitored in the coming weeks.
Though he wasn’t particularly efficient, Allgeier led the Arizona backfield with a heavy workload in the second half. Jeremiyah Love started the game strong and ended with 11 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown. It was Allgeier who took over with the Cards taking a big lead in the fourth quarter though. Allgeier’s role won’t be great for fantasy by any means. He will limit Love’s usage for now, however.
Washington briefly subbed in on the first drive, but did not touch the ball until the second. Raiders coach Klint Kubiak got him heavily involved early on the third drive, dialing up three consecutive runs, which Washington efficiently turned into 32 yards, but things cooled off after that. The rookie looks just as powerful and explosive as he did in the preseason, and he remains an elite bench stash, but Washington’s standalone FLEX viability is shaky. He does not need to be in fantasy lineups against the Chargers next week.
Barkley was a non-factor through the air and was almost as inefficient on the ground. His 83 rushing yards were boosted by an impressive 42-yard run he ripped off in the second quarter when he broke a tackle and made his way upfield for the big gain, evading two other defenders before eventually being brought down. The Eagles ran only one play at/inside the Commanders’ 10-yard line, which limited Barkley’s scoring chances. He should be positioned for a nice bounce-back week in next week’s game against the Titans, where he can be viewed as an RB1 for fantasy purposes.
Watson got on the board early with an 81-yard bomb for a touchdown in the first quarter. He continued to gash the Vikings for big plays throughout the contest and even got in the end zone a second time on a short toss from Jordan Love just before halftime. Watson slowed down in the second half, but the damage was already done, at least for fantasy purposes. He won’t hit a career-long score every week, but the well-paid wideout certainly looked like a focal point of the Packers’ passing attack today. He will be in the WR2 mix when the Packers take on the Jets.
Florio adds that Flowers is currently considered questionable to play in Week 2 against the Saints. The Ravens’ No. 1 wide receiver “tweaked” the same hamstring that he spent the last two weeks rehabbing. He caught 5-of-6 targets for 150 yards and one touchdown before exiting today, thriving in OC Declan Doyle’s new scheme. Hopefully, Flowers can make a quick, successful recovery and return to form before long.
Diggs’ nine targets led all Commanders players, while his 55 receiving yards were second to rookie Antonio Williams. He had two crucial drops earlier in the game, but Diggs (somewhat) made up for them when he hauled in a 10-yard receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter as the Commanders were attempting to draw even with the Eagles. Unfortunately, a careless unsportsmanlike penalty by Diggs after the touchdown moved the Commanders out of position to consider going for a two-point conversion while trailing 17-15, instead forcing them to go for a long 47-yard PAT. Diggs’ nine targets were an encouraging sign for him in his Commanders debut, but it’s worth noting that Terry McLaurin saw only four targets after being bottled up for most of the day. That said, Diggs has commanded targets wherever he plays, and could have some value as a WR3 in next week’s game against the Titans.
Colston Loveland, meanwhile, caught exactly zero passes as the Bears put up 59 points against a nonexistent Carolina defense. Kmet ran a route on 19 of Caleb Williams’ 39 drop backs against the Panthers and came down with one of Williams’ two touchdown tosses on the day. Kmet will have some fantasy value going forward as long as he has some route running involvement in the potent Chicago offense. He can be added in deeper leagues ahead of Week 2.