Barkley was a non-factor through the air and was almost as inefficient on the ground. His 83 rushing yards were boosted by an impressive 42-yard run he ripped off in the second quarter when he broke a tackle and made his way upfield for the big gain, evading two other defenders before eventually being brought down. The Eagles ran only one play at/inside the Commanders’ 10-yard line, which limited Barkley’s scoring chances. He should be positioned for a nice bounce-back week in next week’s game against the Titans, where he can be viewed as an RB1 for fantasy purposes.
Watson got on the board early with an 81-yard bomb for a touchdown in the first quarter. He continued to gash the Vikings for big plays throughout the contest and even got in the end zone a second time on a short toss from Jordan Love just before halftime. Watson slowed down in the second half, but the damage was already done, at least for fantasy purposes. He won’t hit a career-long score every week, but the well-paid wideout certainly looked like a focal point of the Packers’ passing attack today. He will be in the WR2 mix when the Packers take on the Jets.
Florio adds that Flowers is currently considered questionable to play in Week 2 against the Saints. The Ravens’ No. 1 wide receiver “tweaked” the same hamstring that he spent the last two weeks rehabbing. He caught 5-of-6 targets for 150 yards and one touchdown before exiting today, thriving in OC Declan Doyle’s new scheme. Hopefully, Flowers can make a quick, successful recovery and return to form before long.
Diggs’ nine targets led all Commanders players, while his 55 receiving yards were second to rookie Antonio Williams. He had two crucial drops earlier in the game, but Diggs (somewhat) made up for them when he hauled in a 10-yard receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter as the Commanders were attempting to draw even with the Eagles. Unfortunately, a careless unsportsmanlike penalty by Diggs after the touchdown moved the Commanders out of position to consider going for a two-point conversion while trailing 17-15, instead forcing them to go for a long 47-yard PAT. Diggs’ nine targets were an encouraging sign for him in his Commanders debut, but it’s worth noting that Terry McLaurin saw only four targets after being bottled up for most of the day. That said, Diggs has commanded targets wherever he plays, and could have some value as a WR3 in next week’s game against the Titans.
Colston Loveland, meanwhile, caught exactly zero passes as the Bears put up 59 points against a nonexistent Carolina defense. Kmet ran a route on 19 of Caleb Williams’ 39 drop backs against the Panthers and came down with one of Williams’ two touchdown tosses on the day. Kmet will have some fantasy value going forward as long as he has some route running involvement in the potent Chicago offense. He can be added in deeper leagues ahead of Week 2.
Bech scored a 15-yard touchdown, running a post route from the slot, on the Raiders’ first drive, bouncing off contact before running into the end zone. Bech’s day was largely quiet outside of that, although QB Kirk Cousins overthrew him on another post route, and the ball was picked off by a Dolphins safety. Bech remains a touchdown-dependent FLEX against the Chargers next week.
Williams’ 64 receiving yards were enough to lead all Commanders players in Sunday’s loss. The rookie third-rounder made his first catch late in the second quarter, picking up 16 yards to put the Commanders down on Philly’s one-yard line, which set up a rushing touchdown by Jacory Croskey-Merritt on the following play. He again came up big with a 33-yard reception in the fourth quarter to convert a third-and-14 that helped set up another Commanders touchdown, and on the team’s final drive of the game, Williams displayed good hands on a one-yard touchdown when he maintained control of a low, poorly thrown ball for the score. While Williams’ strong performance certainly warrants more opportunities, he shouldn’t be viewed as any more than the third receiver in Washington’s passing game. He’s an intriguing stash in deeper leagues, but there’s no reason to chase the points in next week’s game against the Cowboys.
Wilson nearly came down with a couple deep shots from Jacoby Brissett. He was clearly favored — as he was last season — over Marvin Harrison, Jr., who ended the game with just one grab for 33 yards. Wilson, who signed a huge contract extension with the Cards before the season opener, has a good shot of operating as Arizona’s No. 1 wideout this season. Brissett’s willingness to go downfield even against tight coverage will give Wilson weekly chances to emerge as a matchup-tilting wideout in fantasy football. Wilson will be a WR3 play in Week 2 against a tough Seattle secondary.
“Bill” handled 59.3 percent of RB carries for the Commanders in this one. He saw two of his carries go for 10-plus yards on the day, but in large, Croskey-Merritt was held in check by the Eagles, as 11 of his attempts went for three yards or less. Croskey-Merritt found the end zone on a one-yard plunge late in the second quarter, but also nearly lost a fumble in the fourth quarter when the Commanders were attempting to tie the game. Fantasy managers hoping for an increased role in the passing game can find some hope in the fact that JCM’s 14 routes run were only one fewer than Rachaad White (15), per TruMedia, but White was the preferred option on third/fourth down by a wide margin. Croskey-Merritt will have plenty of RB3/FLEX appeal in next week’s game against the Cowboys.
Goff struggled to get much going early on this game, putting up seven points in the first half. The Lions quickly dropped 14 in the third quarter but took their foot off the gas with the Saints struggling to do much of anything. That nearly came back to bite them as Tyler Shough led a frantic comeback while the Lions amassed three points in the final frame. An overtime touchdown to Amon-Ra St. Brown proved to be just enough to come home with the win, though it required a failed two-point conversion from the Saints. Despite the slow start, Goff should return to the QB1 ranks when he squares off with the Ravens next week.
TeSlaa did his usual wind sprinting in this game and failed to bring in his only target on the day. With stars at nearly every skill position in Detroit, there simply isn’t any room for a meaningful TeSlaa role. He is not on the fantasy radar heading into Week 2.
Running a pass route on 28 of the team’s 42 drop backs, Legette saw two looks from Bryce Young but failed to secure either. Meanwhile, Jalen Coker went off for 138 yards and two scores and Tetairoa McMillan finished with 75 yards. Legette should remain on waiver wires ahead of Week 2.
Gesicki led the Bengals in catches, targets and yards and was the only pass catcher to score on an afternoon where the Bucs’ defense was funneling Joe Burrow to the middle of the field. Gesicki’s score was a two-yarder where he rolled in to the end zone in the first quarter. Gesicki’s yardage total would have been his second highest of 2025. He’s a valuable real-life contributor, but he is going to have trouble cracking the top 18 tight ends on a regular basis with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Chase Brown all usage monsters for the Bengals.
Cooper got hurt at the end of a 30-yard catch-and-run against the Titans, when another player rolled up on his right ankle. Cooper helped bring his offense to the Titans’ four-yard line. It was his only time touching the football. For now, we wait and see what the diagnosis is, but the fact that he needs more imaging is a little discouraging.
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.