Week 1 of the NFL season, like most weeks, brought plenty of surprises. We saw boom performances from unexpected players and bust performances from several so-called studs. Things always feel magnified after the opening week because that’s all we have to evaluate.
You should not overreact and try to trade away Joe Burrow or Ja’Marr Chase after one poor game. Still, plenty of fantasy football managers will swap them for slightly lesser stars at the first sign of trouble. Stay patient!
As a reminder, here’s how some notable players performed after Week 1 last season:
Chase Brown: 5.3 PPR points
Tyrone Tracy: 1.7
Drake London: 3.5
Terry McLaurin: 3.7
Mark Andrews: 3.4
Joe Burrow: 8.1
Nobody wants to see these types of games from star players. But if it happened in Week 6 after five strong weeks, no one would blink.
That said, here are some players worth buying or selling after the NFL’s opening weekend.
Fantasy football players to buy in Week 2
RB Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars
After an offseason where we had a million questions about the Jacksonville backfield, we have our answer.
Etienne had 16 carries to a combined eight by Tank Bigsby and Bhayshul Tuten. He also caught all three targets, while the other two saw none.
Don’t expect 143 yards rushing from Etienne each week, and he is not a slam dunk RB1. But you should still be able to get him cheap enough, even if he only ends up as a weekly RB2 or flex play.
RB Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
This week was a massive disappointment for Walker, with 24 total yards on 10 carries and three receptions.
Yes, the workload split with Zach Charbonnet was bigger than in years past, but remember Walker missed much of the preseason with an injury. That likely explains why he played just 57% of the early-down snaps.
If a manager in your league is panicking because Charbonnet had more carries, jump at the chance to buy low.
WR A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
The internet was buzzing after the Thursday night game where A.J. Brown didn’t see his first target until late in the fourth quarter and had a 0% win rate.
There are no easy answers as to why Brown performed so poorly. Perhaps it was the lingering hamstring issue, maybe the Cowboys defense is actually good. (OK, probably not that.) Maybe the run game was working too well. Who knows?
Either way, don’t panic. Brown is too talented a receiver to worry about one bad game, no matter how bad it was.
WR Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Collins was a first-round pick in most leagues and let a lot of people down in Week 1. Only three catches for 33 yards might have them looking elsewhere.
Good news: Nico is still elite.
Bad news: The Texans offensive line is still bad and C.J. Stroud struggled because of it.
Despite that, Stroud was able to make Collins a WR1 when healthy last season. Bank on that happening again.
RB TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots
There was a ton of hype this preaseason around Henderson being the Patriots running back to roster.
We knew, or at least we thought we knew, he would be the third-down back. Oddly enough, the rookie did not play much on third down over Rhamondre Stevenson or Antonio Gibson, but still caught all six targets, showing off his skills there.
It might take a few weeks, but the cream should rise to the top, and Henderson will be the more heavily used back very soon. Now is the time to get in while his price is at its lowest all season.
Detroit Lions offense
There is no denying this was a bad first game for the Lions following the departure of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
But if anyone in your league is panicking over bad games from Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs or David Montgomery, it’s time to go get them on the cheap.
This offense brought in John Morton, who worked with Johnson in the past, so they should be able to get back on track. It is also very possible that the Packers defense is legit now that they have Micah Parsons.
Fantasy football players to sell in Week 2
RB Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys
A total of 20.4 fantasy points looks pretty good. But let’s put it into perspective.
1. He rushed 15 times (good) for 54 yards, 3.6 yards per carry (bad).
2. He scored two touchdowns (good).
3. The Eagles lost Jalen Carter early in the game.
4. Jaydon Blue was inactive.
Williams is the Cowboys’ current RB1, but it will be difficult to reproduce a TD-heavy performance like this once rookie Blue gets up to speed.
RB James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
This one is simple.
We heard all offseason that this backfield would be close to a 50/50 split between Conner and Trey Benson. In Week 1, we didn’t see the even split, but Benson was more productive on a per-touch basis. It’s only a matter of time before this becomes the new reality.
WR Deebo Samuel, Washington Commanders
Samuel appears to be happy, healthy and productive with his new team.
That said, Week 1 could well be his best game of the season.
Terry McLaurin was clearly rusty, but will come around soon. Yes, Samuel scored on a run play, but the Commanders are not going to use him much in that role, so you can’t rely on that moving forward.
WR Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins were miserable against a Colts defense that was below average last season.
Hill and Jaylen Waddle both underwhelmed, and it didn’t help that Malik Washington saw five targets as well, the same as Waddle and one fewer than Hill.
The only player worth rostering from this offense going forward is De’Von Achane, and that doesn’t feel great either knowing he needed a garbage-time touchdown to save his day.
WR Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
Leaving Sunday as the No.1 WR for the week, it’s time to sell Flowers as fast as you can.
Is he talented? Yes. But, as the F6P podcast has noted repeatedly, he’s just not consistent enough.
This is mostly due to playing in an offense with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, who dominate touches. Also, the Ravens defense is elite so the offense usually doesn’t need to pass enough to keep Flowers involved.