The regular season is finally here and Week 1 kicked off with a… well, there is one.
With major free agency and draft moves, we expected immediate production from several teams and notable rookies. Unfortunately, we got some disappointing results. Let’s take a look at the major underperformers from Week 1, examine where they went wrong, and whether we should panic.
The Kirk Cousins Falcons Era Starts With a Flop
The Atlanta-Pittsburgh matchup was downright ugly for both offenses. While we expected Pittsburgh to struggle with Justin Fields’ late start, the Falcons’ lack of production was shocking. Cousins completed just 16 passes on 26 attempts for 155 yards and a touchdown. Drake London had just two receptions for 15 yards. Kyle Pitts had the lone touchdown, but had just three receptions for 26 yards. Bijan Robinson was the lone bright spot with 18 carries for 68 yards, catching all five of his targets for 43 yards.
Even that one bright spot didn’t yield RB1 numbers. Robinson was outperformed by the likes of Alexander Mattison and JK Dobbins. Overall, every Falcon outside of Ray-Ray McCloud underperformed relative to their ADP, and that’s a big problem when fantasy managers are making such significant investments in Robinson and London.
Pulse Measurement: Is It Time to Call Michael Penix?
This matchup was a poor draw to start the season and while I expected more from the Falcons, I didn’t expect a ceiling performance from either of them. When healthy, Pittsburgh’s defense can be one of the toughest matchups in the league. Atlanta has also made significant improvements to its defense, so it’s no surprise that this was a low-scoring, defensive matchup that saw both offenses struggle.
We also need to factor in the significant layoff for Cousins. Lack of use in pre-season means early games will take some time to get going as he continues to build rapport with team-mates.
The Bengals suffer a shocking defeat
The Patriots entered this game as huge underdogs and came away with the win. The entire Bengals offense failed to score, save for Zack Moss’ lone touchdown. Burrow had 21 completions for just 164 yards and no touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase was the Bengals’ leading receiver, catching all six of his targets for 62 yards. Sleeper running back Chase Brown had just three carries for 11 yards. Even Evan McPherson had just six fantasy points.
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The Bengals had a chaotic offseason and it’s quite possible that the chaos carried over into the season. The Bengals were without Tee Higgins who had an offseason contract drama and suffered a hamstring injury during practice this week. Ja’Marr Chase had a contract drama that went all the way to kickoff and still hasn’t been resolved. He also appeared on the injury report with an illness.
The Bengals moved on from Joe Mixon to a more budget-friendly backfield. While the majority of key offensive players return, a lack of preseason cohesion was on display in this game as the Bengals looked overwhelmed and out of sync.
Pulse Check: Are We Ready for a Repeat in 2023?
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Bengals struggle early in the season. Last year, we attributed it to Joe Burrow’s calf injury . Burrow’s best fantasy finish through his first four games of 2023 was QB21. Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury has fully healed, so the injury isn’t an excuse for the Bengals’ terrible start to the year. The Bengals are too talented to sustain this level of play all season, and it’s possible we’ve underestimated the enduring strength of New England’s defense. We shouldn’t panic about one game for the Bengals.
Chicago wins, but offense struggles
Chicago defeated Tennessee 24-17, a great start to the season for the team as a whole. However, the victory was carried by the defense. The offense was unproductive across the board. Caleb Williams completed just 14 of his 29 attempts for just 93 yards and 15 yards on the ground. DJ Moore was the leading receiver with five receptions for 36 yards, but Keenan Allen was the target hog with four receptions on 11 targets for 29 yards. Rome Odunze was the clear WR3 with just one reception. Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett each had one target. The running back room produced minimally, as D’Andre Swift had just 10 carries for 30 yards and Khalil Herbert had just two carries for four yards.
Expectations were high for Williams and the offense looked solid in short bursts during the preseason. However, preseason production doesn’t always carry over into the regular season and that was evident this week.
Wrist measurement: Can we trust? each Chicago beer?
Tennessee has done a great job upgrading its defense and should be a stronger opponent in 2024. However, we need to face reality here. Williams has incredible potential, but he still needs to develop.
Next week is a tough matchup against Houston. Moore and Allen are the clear top targets and are worthy of starting. Swift is the clear RB1, but could be dependent on the matchup, especially if Williams continues to avoid checking. However, we should probably take a moment to think about Odunze. You certainly shouldn’t discount him, but realize that Odunze is a rookie and, like Williams, needs to continue to develop and earn a bigger role in the offense. His time will come.
