The best and worst fantasy players from Week 1

by Vincent Frank

The first week of the NFL season is always the most unpredictable of the fantasy football campaign. Players that received ridiculous preseason hype find themselves struggling to make much of an impact when the regular season comes calling.

More than that, some of the biggest stars the league has to offer simply can't find a way to get it going early in the season. We saw that on Sunday when the likes of LeSean McCoy and Dez Bryant struggled making much of an impact.

On the other end of the spectrum, surprising performers make the fantasy football community re-think their preseason strategies. Marcus Mariota and Keenan Allen were prime examples of this.

In what will be a weekly feature, here is a look at the best and worst fantasy performance from Week 1 of the NFL season.

Note: We will use a point-per reception (PPR) format to rank each player. The scoring comes from eDraft.com.

Best QBs

Tom Brady, New England Patriots

What Brady did Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers was nothing short of amazing. Just a week after finding out that he would actually be suiting up in the Patriots season opener, Brady dominated what looked to be a struggling Pittsburgh defense throughout the night at Gillette Stadium.

The four-time Super Bowl champion completed 25-of-32 passes for 288 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. For Brady, it represented the 23rd time in his career that he has thrown for four-plus touchdowns in a single game. Three of those scores went to star tight end Rob Gronkowski, who will be featured a bit below.

For all the talk about Brady's fantasy value heading into the season, he proved that a 2014 campaign that saw him finish just over 14 points from not even being considered a QB1 option in 12-team leagues was nothing more than a fluke. By virtue of his virtuoso performance Thursday, Brady finished Week 1 as the top fantasy quarterback.

Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

This is more of an outlier than anything else. What Mariota did in his NFL debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers bordered on historical. Not only did he become the first rookie quarterback to throw four touchdowns in his debut since Fran Tarkenton in 1961, the reigning Heisman winner finished with a perfect quarterback rating.

Sample size is the issue here. No one should consider rolling Mariota out there on a consistent basis expecting similar results moving forward. The No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft completed 13-of-16 passes for 209 yards with those four scores and zero interceptions — numbers that were good enough for him to finish as the third-best fantasy quarterback.

Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals

Palmer is sort of a forgotten man on the fantasy landscape, but if Week 1 is any indication, Palmer will make for a serviceable backup and even spot starter in 2015. Don't expect 300+ yards and three touchdowns every week from the former Heisman winner, but you can certainly do worse each week as far as your starting QB goes. 

Worst QBs

Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

Like his entire Colts team, Luck put up a dud of a performance against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Entering the regular season as one of the few elite fantasy quarterbacks, Luck finished the week outside of the top 11 at this position. For those of you who exhausted a pick in the first three rounds on the quarterback, it's hard to feel bad for you considering all recommendations during the preseason seemed to indicate that it made sense to wait on a quarterback.

As it is, Luck completed 26-of-49 passes for 243 yards with two touchdowns and two picks. Unfortunately for the three-time Pro Bowler, a lack of a running game really hurt his chances against an elite Bills defense. Luck added 20 rushing yards on four attempts while his running backs put up a total of 44 yards on 13 attempts. That's just not going to get it done.

Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

Oh boy. There was A LOT of news, rumors and innuendo over the summer that Peyton Manning had lost his arm strength and wasn't looking anywhere near like the Peyton of old. Well, Week 1 is in the books and Manning did nothing to alleviate those fears. 175 yards, one interception and...wait for it...ZERO touchdowns. 

Now, if you're the type who sees the glass as full, perhaps you say that Manning was playing a tough Ravens defense in Week 1, and things will get better as the season goes on. And I salute you for that optimism, but I do not share that optimism with you. But, if nothing else, Peyton wasn't even the worst Manning on Sunday...

Eli Manning, New York Giants

There were many experts out there that concluded Manning might be a solid late-round fantasy option this season. After all, he is coming off a 2014 campaign that saw him finish as the 10th-best fantasy quarterback. After adding Shane Vereen to the mix and behind a revamped offensive line, it seemed that Manning was prepared to build off a career-best performance last season. Unfortunately for both the Giants and those relying on Manning in fake football, he struggled big time Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys.

The two-time Super Bowl champion completed just 20-of-36 passes for 193 yards without a touchdown or an interception in the last-second loss to the Cowboys. That wasn't even good enough to place him among the top-25 quarterbacks this week.

Best RBs

Matt Forte, Chicago Bears

Forte is quickly turning into one of the most consistent fantasy running backs. He finished as the third-best fantasy running back last season, going for over 1,000 rushing yards and 100 receptions. That's a rare feat for any running back, especially in the modern era.

So it shouldn't be considered too much of a surprise that Forte dominated the fantasy world Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. The veteran running back put up 141 yards and one score on 24 rush attempts while adding five receptions. In PPR leagues, Forte is among the best season-long options you can find. Sunday's performance was a prime example of this.

Chris Ivory, New York Jets

A little bit of honesty here. Despite numerous recommendations to pick up Ivory as a top-end RB2 option, I did not roster him in any of my nine fantasy leagues this season. The idea of relying on any Jets offensive player just seemed ridiculous. Shame on me.

Clearly the Jets top dog in the backfield, Ivory touched the ball 21 times against a stout Cleveland Browns defense. He responded by putting up 100 total yards and two rushing touchdowns. That was good enough for the veteran to finish Sunday's action as the second-best fantasy running back.

With a preseason ADP all the way down in the sixth round, Ivory represents RB1 upside moving forward this season. This will only be magnified if the Jets can continue to get decent quarterback play, disabling the opposing team's ability to focus solely on the running game.

Bishop Sankey, Tennessee Titans

Sankey is in the early lead for former disappointing sleeper who finally puts it together a year or two after the hype. Clearly, too early to declare that Sankey is for real, but if Mariota is for real, then his rising tide will cause all the of the Titans fantasy ships to rise along with him. 

Don't expect Sankey to get into the end zone every week, let alone twice, but he did average over six yards per carry, so he might be for real. Or the Bucs are just really awful. Don't rule that out either. 

Worst RBs

LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills

We could pretty much see this a mile away. After missing the final three preseason games with a hamstring injury, McCoy was set for a let down in his regular season Bills debut. His performance in an otherwise strong outing for the team will likely raise some questions moving forward, but it has to be seen as more of an outlier than anything else.

With a preseason average draft position (ADP) at the end of the second round in standard 12-team leagues, people were still expecting big things from McCoy out of the gate. He responded by putting up 11.70 fantasy points, good enough for the 23rd-best performance from the running back position. Overall, McCoy put up 41 yards on 17 attempts against a Colts defense that yielded 110-plus rushing yards in six of its final seven games last season. While McCoy did add 46 yards on three receptions, his 41 rushing yards were his lowest since early October of last season.

Lamar Miller, Miami Dolphins

Those preseason projections that had Miller as a top-10 running back this season. After one week, they seem absolutely absurd. Going up against a Washington Redskins defense that yielded the third-fewest fantasy points to running backs last season, Miller struggled a great deal.

Mainly due to a lack of touches, Miller gained 53 yards on just 13 attempts. That right there is the problem with relying on the Dolphins starting running back on a consistent basis. For reasons unknown to mankind, the team simply forgets about him throughout specific games. Despite putting up an average of 5.1 yards per rush last season, Miller did not attempt 20 rushes in a single game. Sadly, Miami's offensive scheme led to Miller finishing as the 32nd-ranked fantasy running back this week.

C.J. Anderson, Denver Broncos

Anderson was the best fantasy player, Peyton included, for the Broncos down the stretch last season and the hype followed Anderson into 2015 where he was selected in the first round in many, many drafts. Which means that there are many, many severely disappointed Anderson owners out there. 12 carries for 29 yards along with another 19 yards through the air is what you expect from a backup tailback, not your #1 running back. Don't abandon ship just yet, but pray it was just a minor bump in the road in an otherwise productive campaign. 

Best WRs

DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans

With Andre Johnson now on Indianapolis, Hopkins takes over as the Texans top wide receiver. One of the most-talented pass catchers in the NFL, this third-year receiver stepped up to the plate against the Kansas City Chiefs and proved why he's going to be a near-elite fantasy option.

Targets, targets and more targets. That's going to be the key to Hopkins' fantasy success. On Sunday alone, the third-year receiver was targeted a whopping 13 times, tallying nine receptions for 98 yards and two scores. That was good enough for him to finish as the top fantasy receiver for Week 1.

Considering Hopkins was targeted a whopping 127 times with Johnson on the roster last season, the expectation here has to be that his fantasy potential will be through the roof moving forward this season. If Sunday was any indication, we could be looking at a top-10 fantasy receiver.

Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

Julio Jones might be in line to have a historic season in 2015. There was a lot of hype and expectation in the preseason regarding what Jones could do with Kyle Shanahan calling plays in Atlanta. On Monday night the two delivered.

Jones caught nine balls for 141 yards to go along with two scores. And he made it look easy. If Jones is able to stay on the field all season, he may break a receiving record or two before it's all said and done.  

Keenan Allen, San Diego Chargers

Rarely do we find a receiver that failed to score a touchdown find himself among the best fantasy performers in a given week. Even more rare is the fact that Allen caught a ridiculous 15 passes against a good Detroit Lions team on Sunday. In a one-point PPR league that we are using as a baseline here, that's a solid fantasy performance in and of itself.

With such a large volume of receptions, one figures Allen was catching bubble screens and short passes. Interestingly, he averaged 11.1 yards per reception and 9.8 yards per target. These numbers were good enough for Allen to finish as the second-best fantasy receiver. With tight end Antonio Gates slated to miss the next three games due to a suspension, Allen's targets will likely remain sky-high heading into October. That makes him a decent WR1 option over the short term.

Worst WRs

Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys

Considering Bryant broke a bone in his foot Sunday night against the Giants, I thought about giving him a pass. Then, I realized that he actually didn't exit the field with said injury until halfway through the fourth quarter. Up until that point, the newly-extended receiver struggled big time against a Giants defense that many perceived to be among the worst in the NFL.

When on the field, Bryant didn't do too much at all. He was targeted seven times, bringing down five passes for just 48 yards without a score. That was good enough for Bryant to finish with the 35th-most fantasy points among receivers.

Now that Tony Romo's favorite target is out four-to-six weeks, the likes of Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley become solid waiver-wire adds. If there's any silver lining here, that's it.

Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills

Watkins did not catch a single pass against Colts corner Vontae Davis. Not a single pass. Really, think about that for a second before reading the rest of the article.

Needless to say, the second-year receiver didn't come close to living up to expectations here. In fact, he was not targeted a single time throughout the game. With an ADP that made him the 24th receiver off the board in preseason drafts, that's just not acceptable.

With all the good that Tyrod Taylor is doing under center in Buffalo, there is a good chance that his presence will impact Watkins' fantasy performance moving forward. Until the two build a viable on-field relationship, this will continue to be a problem.

Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, Detroit Lions

The Lions came out strong in San Diego on Sunday getting up on the Chargers 21-3 before eventually giving up 30 straight points on the way to a disappointing loss. But even when things were going well for Detroit early on, their two star wideouts were nowhere to be found. The two players combined tallied just six catches for 63 yards. A Saints player few, if any, have heard of named Willie Snead out up as many yards on one catch. Suffice to say, fantasy owners are hoping Johnson and Tate can outpace Snead from here on out. If not, they and the Lions are in big trouble. 

Best TEs

Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

The offseason of Gronk quickly transitioned to the regular season of Gronk Thursday night. This beast of a tight end put up just five receptions against the Pittsburgh Steelers, three of which went for touchdowns.

There's not a single NFL team that can successfully scheme to stop Gronkowski. At this point, it's all about making sure that he doesn't single-handedly destroy you in the passing game. Interestingly enough, Gronkowski was targeted just eight times Thursday night. That's a number that promises to increase moving forward.

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Kelce was the cool 'it' pick in fantasy drafts this year, the guy to grab once Gronk and Jimmy Graham were off the board and the Chiefs tight end lived up to that hype and then some on Sunday.

Kelce hauled in six catches for 106 yards and was able to find the end zone twice. The only negative thing you could say about Kelce was that he did give his owners a scare when he left the game in the second quarter with an injury that later turned out to be him just getting his wind knocked out. 

Austin Sefarian-Jenkins, Tampa Bay Buccaners

Hard to find a lot of positive things to say early on about the Jameis Winston era in Tampa, but if nothing else, Winston does seem to already have a rapport with his second-year tight end. Bucs star wideout Mike Evans did not play in this game, and he will eat into that production once he returns, but Sefarian-Jenkins looks like he could be headed for a breakout season. 

Worst TEs

Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers 

How in the world did Olsen receive just three targets against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday? With Kelvin Benjamin lost for the season and no real consistent receiver to throw to, we had to figure that Cam Newton would look for Olsen on a consistent basis. Sadly for fantasy owners, that didn't happen.

With a preseason ADP that had him as the third tight end off the board, Olsen's lack of production against a bad Jaguars defense has to be alarming. In addition to seeing three targets, the Pro Bowler caught just one pass for 11 yards, totals that made him the 35th-best fantasy receiver.

Owen Daniels, Denver Broncos

Smart owners grabbed Daniels in hopes that he would be the next Julius Thomas, but as Manning struggles, so does his teammates. If Peyton doesn't turn things around soon, then Daniels won't roster worthy much longer.  

Larry Donnell, New York Giants

And just as when Peyton struggles, his team suffers, the same could be said for his little brother. That said, there's probably more optimism here that Eli and the Giants can turn things around, but Donnell might not be much more than a TE2 in 2015. 

Check out Vincent's other work on eDraft.com and follow him on Twitter @VincentFrankNFL