Week 1 was business as usual for LaPorta, who finished second on the team in catches and yards. After missing time in the offseason recovering from a season-ending back injury and later a minor hip issue, this goes down as a big win for the young tight end, even if fantasy managers aren’t thrilled with his score. LaPorta will project for TE1 numbers when the Lions take on the Ravens next week.
Three Bengals tight ends caught at least one pass, but All somehow was not one of them. That will probably change going forward, but this is confirmation that it’s going to be a while if All is to develop back-end streamer relevance this season.
Raymond, who ran a route on 23 of 40 Caleb Williams drop backs, led the Bears in targets, catches, and receiving yards, while Colston Loveland went catchless and Luther Burden was an afterthought. Raymond’s route participation suggests he’ll be a rotational player in the run-first Chicago offense. That should make him a risky option in any sort of fantasy league. Even so, it’s clear Raymond has taken something similar to the D.J. Moore role and could be useful in fantasy this year.
The Raiders’ first punt occurred with just over 14 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Cousins was only asked to manage this game, and he did so moderately effectively. Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty scored two of Cousins’ passing touchdowns on catch-and-run plays via routes out of the backfield. Cousins deserves credit for hitting WR Jack Bech in stride on a 15-yard score, but he also deserves blame for both interceptions. One was an overthrow; the other was late. Cousins is a QB2 next week against the Chargers.
Brissett outperformed Justin Herbert in every statistical category in what proved to be an easy victory for the underdog Cardinals. Brissett continued attacking downfield in this one, connecting with Marvin Harrison, Jr. for a 33-yard gain and Trey McBride for a 28-yarder. Brissett narrowly missed Michael Wilson on a couple first half deep shots. Arizona took its foot off the gas in the fourth quarter with the Chargers offense clearly out of answers and unable to move the ball with Ladd McConkey (chest) sidelined. Brissett’s aggressive style and his highly talented group of pass catchers should make him viable as a streaming option in Week 2 against the Seahawks.
Pelissero also reported that Cooper will undergo an MRI to further assess the injury on Monday, confirming NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport’s report from earlier this evening. Cooper could be looking at a multi-week absence, but only time will tell. Hopefully, it is just a mild injury.
Hurst’s first NFL reception was a sure-handed grab against tight coverage as he went to the ground. Pro Football Focus charted Hurst as playing 43-of-57 snaps. That’s an extremely strong mark for a rookie third-rounder, though it will only last as long as Jalen McMillan is on the shelf with his knee injury. The Bucs declined to formally rule McMillan out until this morning, so there is a chance he is back for Week 2 against the Browns. For now, Hurst remains waiver wire fodder in 12-team leagues.
With Kyler Murray exiting this game early, the Packers appeared to be coasting to an easy win until the fourth quarter. Minnesota, however, slowly mounted a comeback that coincided with Love melting down. It started with a fumble that Minnesota took back to the one-yard line. Love got the ball back after a Jordan Mason touchdown and was immediately intercepted on his own side of the field, extinguishing any hope of a rebuttal from the Packers. Some garbage time production turned this into a strong fantasy outing from Love, but he will need to clear things up ahead of Week 2. Love will be in the QB2 mix versus the Jets.
Hampton got away with it thanks to a first half touchdown plunge before the LA offense imploded following Ladd McConkey’s chest injury. Hampton was not targeted on 17 pass routes while Keaton Mitchell saw one target on 13 routes. Mitchell had four rushes on the day. Mike McDaniel’s offense collapsed immediately after the Bolts marches downfield on their first drive of the game, making it hard to tell exactly how Hampton (and Mitchell) will be used in neutral game script. That the Chargers were dominated by the Cardinals could be a bad sign for everyone in the Chargers offense, including Hampton. He’ll be a top-20 option next week against the Raiders.
Any lingering concerns over Jeanty’s ankle injury can be put to rest. The second-year running back served as the Raiders’ offensive focal point from start to finish, regularly shaking defenders and plowing through contact. Jeanty scored two touchdowns on routes run out of the backfield, beating Dolphins rookie CB Chris Johnson with a cut on the first and barreling through a would-be tackler as he entered the end zone on the second. His six catches tie for a team-high. Jeanty is a locked-in RB1 against the Chargers next week.
This is about a standard Otton statline, though this one came on a day where Baker Mayfield attempted fewer than 30 passes. With Jalen McMillan sidelined, Otton probably would have exceeded five catches had the Bucs not kept killing drives with sacks and turnovers, alas. Otton is always good for a few PPR points on the back end of the TE2 ranks, but that appears to be his ceiling heading in to his age-27 campaign.
Kyler Murray left in the first quarter with a head injury, but even Carson Wentz is good enough to keep the fantasy points flowing for Jefferson. Wentz found his star receiver on a deep end zone shot late in the second quarter and put the final nail in the coffin with a nine-yard strike to Jettas late in the fourth. Jefferson has now matched his 2025 touchdown total. Even with Wentz likely under center for Week 2, Jefferson will remain near the top of the WR1 conversation versus the Bears.
Sadiq’s rushing score came on a first quarter end-around. This was a strong debut for the No. 16 overall pick, especially since Geno Smith attempted only 24 passes in an easy road victory. Awesome stuff, though Pro Football Focus did chart Sadiq as being easily out-snapped by Mason Taylor. It’s obviously promising that getting Sadiq the ball was a point of emphasis when he was on the field, but his No. 2 status in his own position group is going to make him a no-go in the top 12 for the time being.
Concepcion was utilized like the Browns’ top offensive weapon on the day, seeing three carries and five targets. He was used in motion and targeted underneath frequently. Concepcion’s fumble occurred on a screen pass where he attempted to evade multiple defenders downfield in the second quarter. His usage is certainly encouraging for fantasy managers as he led all Browns wide receivers in targets and receptions. In an offense that will likely find itself trailing frequently this season, Concepcion will see heavy usage, though getting high leverage opportunities may be difficult if the Browns continue to face the same offensive issues they did in Week 1. Concepcion is a fantasy WR4 for Week 2 against the Buccaneers.
Tate tied for the team lead in receiving yards, but as you can see, that amounted to 38 in this dismal Titans attack. He also tied for the team lead in targets, though Wan’Dale Robinson edged him 5-4 in receptions. Today was an extremely ominous Cam Ward performance against a far-from-stellar Jets defense, but there is nothing to quibble with in Tate’s usage. He was out there for 44-of-50 snaps and had healthy “shares” of everything from targets to air yards. Now we just need to see if Ward can get his career on track in Year 2 before we commit to Tate as a WR3. The Eagles are a rough Week 2 matchup.
Boston saw a few deep targets from Deshaun Watson against the Jaguars, ultimately capitalizing with a 46-yard score in the fourth quarter. It came with the game out of reach but we got a taste of how Todd Monken would like to utilize the 22-year-old rookie. He started on the outside for Cleveland and led all wide receivers in snaps, though that may have been inflated with much of the offensive volume coming with the Browns down four scores in the second half. Boston looks to be a boom-or-bust WR5 play for Week 2 against the Buccaneers.
Jeudy felt like an afterthought behind the two rookie wideouts in the Browns’ passing game. He tied for second in targets and was a distant third in yards behind Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion. The veteran is still involved as a starter on the outside, but Todd Monken made it a point to make Boston the deep target and Concepcion the primary offensive weapon. In a fantasy-unfriendly offense, Jeudy is best left off the fantasy radar.
Fannin only saw three targets on the day, catching his first pass towards the end of the third quarter. It was a bafflingly low level of usage for the 22-year-old tight end, who was heavily involved last year. Some of it may have to do with Deshaun Watson helming the offense; the Browns struggled to move the ball for much of the day. Fannin is still the primary receiving tight end, but he will have to fight KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston for what little high-leverage targets this offense can muster. We cannot discount his TE1-level rookie season just yet, Fannin is a low-end TE1 for Week 2 against the Buccaneers.
It’s a standard-issue Robinson statline for his Titans debut. Ominous, since this should have been an 8-9 reception Robinson outing with the Titans spending the entire game in comeback mode. Cam Ward and company simply could not sustain drives. In theory, Robinson could form a compelling inside-out duo with Carnell Tate, but Ward did not look like a player ready to break out on Sunday. Things could get worse before they get better with the Titans forced to take on the Eagles’ tough defense in Week 2.
Johnson didn’t catch his first pass of the game until the final minute, when Tyler Shough found him in the end zone for a game-tying score. He then racked up another 45 yards on a catch at the end of the fourth quarter and another in overtime. Johnson only finished fourth on the team in targets, which could be an issue when the team’s passing volume inevitably dips. He will be a mid-range TE2 for another potential shootout with the Ravens next week.
Picking up where he left off for the Jets last season, only this time with hopefully better quarterback and line play, Mitchell caught a 40-yard pass in the third quarter to set the Jets up in the red zone. His receiving slash wasn’t bad considering the fact Geno Smith dropped back only 24 times in a game the Jets controlled start to finish. They didn’t need to open the offense up, and they very much did not. That should change for Week 2 against the Packers, where Mitchell can be fired up as a boom/bust WR4.
Both of Downs’ catches came on the Colts’ opening drive. The fourth-year receiver looked explosive on his first reception when he turned a short catch into a 25-yard gain to move his team into Ravens territory, and he picked up another 12 yards through the air two plays later. Three of Downs’ four targets came on that drive, as he managed just one target the rest of the way. Downs’ drop-off after the opening possession largely stemmed from the Colts’ inability to move the ball. They averaged just 4.2 yards per play after that first drive and totaled only 107 passing yards over that span. The early targets were encouraging. Hopefully Downs will be in line for a better outing in Week 2 against the Chiefs. He shouldn’t be treated as anything more than a WR3 in next week’s game.
In his first regular season action, Brooks played well behind lead back Chuba Hubbard, who finished the day with ten carries and three receptions. The highlight of Brooks’ day came on a sideline throw from Bryce Young that went for 48 yards. Brooks, coming off multiple major knee injuries, showed impressive burst and speed on the catch and run. That Hubbard was the team’s primary option inside the ten yard line is bad news for Brooks’ touchdown upside in the Carolina offense. For now he profiles as a bench stash in case Hubbard misses time this season.