The NFL season is officially underway, and as the dust settles after an action-packed Week 1, it’s clear that some teams and players have had big weeks, while others have stumbled out of the gate. Fantasy football is a fast-changing game and if you are not on your toes your league mates will pass you up. Here are some of the biggest winners and losers in fantasy football after week 1 of the NFL season.
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Winners
Ravens TE Isiah Likely
Likely had a monster game on Thursday night. He finished with 9 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown outperforming fellow TE Mark Andrews. Likely was always open on corner routes and earned his way onto the field with his blocking skills. He will have spike weeks and will be a hot waiver wire pick up this week.
Texans RB Joe Mixon
Joe Mixon is an RB1 for the rest of the 2024 season. Mixon had 33 touches for 168 yards and a touchdown to help the Texans beat their division rival the Indianapolis Colts. Backup RB Dameon Pierce only had 3 touches the whole game. Mixon has a chance of leading the league in touches if this volume continues.
Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson
The only reason the Patriots were moving the ball on Sunday, Stevenson had 120 rushing yards and a touchdown. Stevenson dominated the backfield in touches and seems to be the focal point of the offense. He is a high end RB2 with low-end RB1 upside.
Chiefs WR Rashee Rice
Rice is a WR1 who was drafted in the 7th round. Rice seems likely to finish out the season without a suspension meaning where he was drafted in drafts before the start of the season was way too low. Rice had 7 catches for 103 yards and his going to get great matchups every week with teams focusing on stopping TE Travis Kelce.
Rams WR Cooper Kupp
Kupp was Stafford’s go to target on Sunday night as he had 14 catches for 110 yards and 1 touchdown. Kupp and Stafford’s chemistry is special, they always seem to be on the same page. A healthy Cooper Kupp is a WR1 going forward even with a healthy Puka Nacua.
Lions WR Jameson Williams
Jameson Williams finally had his breakout game on Sunday Night. Williams had 5 catches for 121 yards and 1 touchdown with 13 rushing yards as well . He is the perfect complement to star WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. He will have massive weeks and some duds going forward but is a must add in all leagues.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels
Daniels had under 200 yards passing and 0 passing touchdowns while having a big week. He is the first rookie QB ever to have 80+ rushing yards and 2 touchdowns in their debut. Daniels is going to have a high floor due to his rushing upside and should develop more as a passer as the year goes on. QB1 the rest of the way.
Eagles RB Saquon Barkley
Who would have thought that Barkley outside of New York would be great? Basically everyone. Barkley dominated on Friday scoring 3 touchdowns and being the focal point of the Eagles offense. Another positive it seems like the Tush Push was nerfed without Jason Kelce and could lead to more touchdowns for Barkley.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offense
The Bucs offense had some questions without OC Dave Canales. On Sunday this group dominated the Commanders. Fantasy weapons Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rachaad White looked exactly like they did last year. Great sign of things going forward as all of these guys were values on draft day.
Losers
Falcons WR Drake London
The Falcons offense struggled all day due on offense. London had a hard time with Joey Porter Jr. shadowing him a majority of Sunday’s game. At his late 2nd round price tag in PPR leagues you would expect him to put up more than 2 catches for 15 yards. It is not time to panic yet, but London has a bad track record so trusting him is hard.
Broncos RB Javonte Williams
Williams is the 2nd running back in Denver. Williams had only 9 touches compared to Jaleel McLaughlin’s 15 touches. Neither running back was very effective in the loss but it seems McLaughlin has earned a sizable workload going forward.
Jaguars WR Christian Kirk
Kirk is an incredibly frustrating fantasy option. Some weeks he is a dominant PPR option and Trevor Lawrence’s go to WR. Other weeks he has 1 catch and gets injured. Kirk needs to stay healthy to start gaining trust from his fantasy managers.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews
Andrews is coming off a major ankle injury and a car crash that have limited him throughout the preseason. On Thursday, Lamar Jackson was not even looking his way. Andrews had only 2 catches and did not look as explosive when running routes. He did out snap and run more routes than fellow tight end Isiah Likely.
Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
Maybe the most disappointing rookie performance from the week, Harrison Jr. was held to 1 catch for 4 yards in his debut. Fellow WR Greg Dortch had 6 catches for 48 yards in the loss. Not worried about him long term but definitely a disappointing debut.
Chicago Bears Offense
I do not think anyone was expecting the Bears offense to only muster 177 yards against a Titans defense who struggled last season. Caleb Williams finished under 100 yards and looked overwhelmed in his 1st NFL game. Basically, every fantasy option on the Bears had a brutal week. On the bright side RB Deandre Swift dominated in touches and snaps played!