Week 1 Roundup

A-Z FFB
Sep 15, 2020
7 min read

Updated: Dec 3, 2020

Hello, friends! It has been a busy time for me, personally. In the past couple months I got engaged (!!!), turned 27, went on a trip with the future in-laws, went camping & kayaking with one of my brothers & my dad... and finally, watched football for an entire Sunday. We have made it, the 2020 football season is HERE.

My goal with this article (and those that follow) is to provide a plethora of relevant information for you all in one place. I hope to consistently provide weekly roundups that will include (but are not limited to):

- News/Notes

- Injury list (focusing on Fantasy Football impact)

- What I learned

- Report Card

- Waiver Wire targets

Without further adieu, let's dive into my week 1 roundup!

News/Notes: Sadly, this week's focus on the news segment is injuries. Below is a list of some of the most fantasy relevant injuries that I noticed coming out of week 1. Disclaimer: This is NOT a complete list, there will be some that I don't catch. I would highly recommend following an injury expert on Twitter, here are a couple of my favs... @TheFantasyPT & @FBInjuryDoc

Marlon Mack (Achilles - IR)

Blake Jarwin (ACL- IR)

Michael Thomas (high ankle sprain)

George Kittle (Hyper-extended Knee)

Leveon Bell (Hamstring)

Miles Sanders (Hamstring)

Deebo Samuel (Foot - IR until week 3)

Phillip Lindsay (Turf Toe)

D'Andre Swift (Pride - dropped TD that would have put Lions ahead of the Bears late in the game)

Marlon Mack is the headliner in this list. His season is over, and rookie, Jonathan Taylor has already been named the starting RB. Not only is Taylor the starting RB, it is now a two way split rather than a 3-headed monster. Taylor officially enters top 10 RB territory for fantasy football. Pre-season, my projections had him as my RB 13.

Miles Sanders did not play week 1 despite participating in a few practices leading up to Sunday's game. Something to monitor, as we may not have gotten the full story on Sanders's injury a while back.

Deebo Samuel suffered a setback that landed him on the IR. The earliest he is eligible to return is week 3. With the George Kittle injury as well, the 49ers are hurting for pass catching weapons following a loss to Arizona.

What I learned from week 1: I know I can get wordy, but my hope with the 'What I learned' segment is to provide headings/subheadings of some of my biggest takeaways from the week. If you have any questions about what I am talking about, reach out! @AtoZffb OR my brand new personal Twitter account, @ZackFFB (working on a more creative name, open to suggestions).

- Patrick Mahomes & the Chiefs look excellent: CEH is the real deal; 25 carries for 138 yards in debut

- Following up CEH, Jonathan Taylor leads all rookies in receiving, posting a 6/6, 67 yd. receiving line, just like we thought

- The Jaguars aren't tanking? (Franchise) QB Minshew sets record in week 1 upset over the division rival, Colts

- Cam Newton & Josh Allen (my start of the week) lead their respective teams in rushing: a trend begins

- Aaron Rodgers is pissed, and the Packers are better for it. Rodgers tosses 4 TD's on opening day for the first time in his career. D. Adams posts a 14 / 156 / 2 receiving line.. My WR 1

- Mitchell Trubisky did something that was clutch, leading a 17 point comeback to beat the Lions on Sunday

- Tampa Bay has some work to do on offense, Brady throws 2 picks in loss to Saints. Can they bounce back against an exploitable Carolina defensive unit?

- Big Ben is back, Steelers defense neutralizes Saquon Barkley & the Giants O. #DiontaeSzn is real, folks. Johnson led the Steelers WR's with 10 targets (32.3% market share) & snaps played (55) despite some pretty sloppy mistakes early on in the contest.

Report Card: This segment is aimed at keeping myself accountable for both good & bad takes. Celebrate the wins, but accept and embrace the L's. Listen, we aren't going to get everything right, but the advise I give you is well thought out based on match-up & perceived opportunity. Sometimes things just don't go the way we saw it in our heads, and that is okay. Some of you who read this may think "you left a few out", but I'm trying to keep this short, so BACK OFF (Billy Madison reference anyone?).. just kidding, but seriously.

A's: These are some of my takes that aged well:

- Josh Allen was my start of the week, that was a good call. Josh Allen set career highs on Sunday vs. the Jets

- On @ZackFFB, I did arrive at the conclusion to start the Washington Football Team D/ST against Philly, they scored 22 points.

- Josh Jacobs, start of the week... Josh Jacobs ended the week as the RB 1

- Diontae Johnson is a thing, this makes me so happy.

- Personal win, the Packers looked amazing vs. the Vikings, huge divisional win to start the season

F's: The moment you have all been waiting for. I swung, and I missed:

- Start Bryan Edwards... My biggest miss of the week, by far. Edwards went 1/1 for 9 yds against a terrible Carolina defense. You can drop Edwards for a more favorable waiver wire add, but please note that I am still IN on Edwards being a stud.

- Jonathan Taylor will have 100+ scrimmage yards & 2 TD's in week 1. *Obviously* I meant week 2.

- Chris Godwin was my start of the week at WR, finished as WR 29 (0.5 PPR). This falls on the Bucs's offensive struggle, I felt right on this call, would make it again.

- Hayden Hurst was my start of the week at TE (and My Guy at the position). In a shootout, comeback attempt, Hurst only caught 3 of 5 targets for 60 yards. I am still VERY in on Hurst, I think this boils down to familiarity with other WR's over Hurst

Waiver Wire Adds: Every year there is are a few diamonds in the rough. Some players that went un-drafted (on purpose even) that prove to be players that can provide weekly value to your fantasy team(s). This segment will highlight some of those names.

Quarterback:

Gardner Minshew - QB, Jaguars - 26% Rostered (Yahoo)

Minshew set a NFL record in week 1, completing 95%+ of his passes (19/20) and throwing 3 TD's. Minshew also rushed the ball 5 times for 19 yards. I already have Minshew rostered in a couple of leagues, I even started him in one, but folks are still sleeping on Minshew, who has a legit case to be considered a weekly starter at the QB position.

Running Back:

- James Robinson - RB, Jaguars - 56% Rostered (Yahoo)

Robinson is the only player in the NFL who handled all of his respective teams rushing attempts on Sunday. The Colts defense is stout, but Robinson showed great ability to find holes, and burst to get to the second level. Robinson is a starting RB for a NFL team and he truly appears to have a 3-down skill set. As bad as the Jags project to be, there is definitely value there, and Robinson should be on rosters. If he is still on waivers, Robinson is my highest priority waiver add this week.

-Benny Snell - RB, Steelers - 18% Rostered (Yahoo)

Benny Snell served as an excellent replacement for James Conner. Conner sprained his ankle in the first quarter of Monday night's game vs. the Giants and did not return. Conner has dealt with injuries often throughout his career, so even if he does return to action in a week or two, we could see a healthy dose of Snell moving forward. If he has the backfield to himself, Snell has top 20 upside each week. He is my second highest priority waiver add this week, and will be a great start until Conner returns.

- Nyheim Hines - RB, Colts - 21% Rostered (Yahoo)

Hines was maybe the biggest surprise of week 1, scoring 2 TD's. With Phillip Rivers looking like hot garbage as the game progressed, he still targeted the RB position 17 times on Sunday. I expect the Colts to lean heavily into the RB's. I see Hines as a RB 3/FLEX play due to his standalone value as a receiver.

- Joshua Kelley - RB, Chargers - 13% Rostered (Yahoo)

Kelley has secured the RB 2 role for the Chargers. While un-involved in the passing game, Kelley ran the ball 12 times for 60 yds. and a TD. Early on I predicted that Kelley would lead the team in rushing TD's, I am off to a good start.

Wide Receiver:

- Laviska Shenault Jr. - WR, Jaguars - 12% Rostered (Yahoo)

Shenault showed his versatility on Sunday. He caught 3 passes for 37 yds and a TD, but also added 2 rushing attempts, including one from QB in a wild-cat formation. Shenault is another FLEX guy at the moment, but the Jags are already getting creative with this rookie which is great to see.

- Corey Davis - WR, Titans - 5% Rostered (Yahoo)

Corey Davis had an impressive season debut vs. Denver. Davis hauled in 7 out of 8 targets for 101 yards vs. a stingy Broncos defense. Davis is attempting to be the next DeVante Parker by breaking out much later in his career than we expected. Many have left Davis for dead (as indicated by him being rostered in only 5% of leagues), but Davis might be worth a bench stash as the season progresses.

Tight End:

- Jordan Akins - TE, Texans - 1% Rostered (Yahoo)

Jordan Akins could have made me a lot of money if I would have played him in the Draft Kings Thursday night showdown. Akins caught both of his targets for 39 yards and 1 TD. Not overly involved, but the impressive part of Akins's performance is that he was on the field for 81% of the Texans's offensive snaps. If you are a TE streamer, what you really value is a TE you know will be on the field. 81% of the snaps is pretty darn good. Akins is a very deep option, but still worth mentioning.

Feels good to be back in the writer's chair. Thanks for checking this article out! Catch Al & I on Twitter and Instagram, @AtoZffb. For my personal content and takes, follow @ZackFFB.

I hope to be back with you next week, same bat time, same bat channel.