Week 1 is finally in the books and I am 1-0 (Thank you Minnesota D/SP and Dwayne Allen). Here is the roster I started and the round I drafted them
QB: Derek Carr (13th Round, 128 Overall) 21 pts
RB: Ezekiel Elliot (1st Round, 8th Overall) 11 pts
RB: LeSean McCoy (3rd Round, 28th Overall) 12 pts
WR: Randall Cobb (6th Round, 53 Overall) 6 pts
WR: Michael Crabtree (10th Round, 93rd Overall) 10 pts
TE: Dwayne Allen (Waivers) 13 pts
Flex: Carlos Hyde (4th Round, 33rd Overall) 20 pts
D/SP: Vikings (16th Round, 153 Overall) 21 pts
K: Roberto Aguayo (15th Round, 148 Overall) 8 pts
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Total: 122 pts (Most points in my league)
My draft strategy was thrown into free fall after a weird first round that cornered me into an Ezekiel Elliot pick that I didn’t want, but reaching for AJ Green seemed too risky, and there was a chance I would be able to snag Green with my 2nd round pick. Unfortunately Green was taken the pick before me so I was forced to reach on Lamar Miller, or grab Gronk, given my RB pick one I decided on Gronk who unfortunately sat out week 1. LeSean was an easy pickup in the 3rd and Hyde was similarly easy in the 4th despite using 3 of my first 4 picks on running backs. Next, I drafted Jarvis Landry accidentally due to an error in the fantasy football client. I rebounded however by getting Cobb in the 6th and by getting a wealth of young WRs who may develop into solid players later on in the year.
Waiting on my quarterback until round 13 was a strategy that I had decided on before the draft and I am glad I did. Derek Carr was available in the 13th round and I jumped at the chance to get him and he performed unbelievably well in week 1. The Vikings D/SP also came in huge for my team racking up a solid 21 pts to outscore my opponent 21-5 in terms of defenses. If I can figure out my WR woes I am poised to make a run at the playoffs and with a little luck maybe a deep run in the playoffs.
Let’s take a look at some of the top performing running backs of week 1 and who was projected to have big weeks.
Top 5 Scoring Running backs in Week 1 Top 5 Projected Running backs
- DeAngelo Williams- 28 pts 1) Todd Gurley- 4pts
- Spencer Ware- 25 pts 2) Adrian Peterson- 3pts
- J. Anderson- 25 pts 3) Lamar Miller- 11 pts
- Theo Riddick- 22 pts 4) DeAngelo Williams- 28 pts
- Carlos Hyde- 20 pts 5) LeSean McCoy- 12 pts
For having two running backs who seemed so much better than the other running backs in the league to flop was a major surprise for me. Both players had abysmal numbers that paired with an awful offensive performance from the team as a whole. The Rams failed to get anything going at all on offense and the Vikings offense with Shaun Hill at the helm as Sam Bradford gets caught up on the offense looked almost as lethargic. Both players had defenses aiming to shut them down from the first snap and it showed as both players failed to make an impact. Despite low week one numbers this isn’t time to sell on either player. Both of them should bounce back, especially Peterson when Bradford takes over. I also would expect Gurley to bounce back, I would be surprised if Gurley has another 4 point game in his career let alone this season.
Antonio Brown isn’t a good receiver, he is a great receiver and if you watched Sports Center Tuesday morning after Monday Night Football you know what I am talking about. Brown had 2 touchdowns that were top notch football plays. He and Roethlisberger were clearly on sync as the balls were placed in just a way where Brown could box out the Redskin’s secondary and come down with the ball. At first glance it looked as though Redskins Bashaud Breeland was failing to stand up to Brown in any way whatsoever but upon a second look at both touchdowns Breeland had about as good of coverage as he could have staying in Brown’s back pocket on both routes but great offense always beats good defense and in the end Breeland couldn’t compete with Brown’s truly great performance on Monday Night Football.
My players at each position to pick up if you need it:
QB: Jameis Winston- Available in almost 40% of leagues, Jameis had an explosive week one finishing 4th among quarterbacks for the week. With tons of adept players to toss the ball to, look for Jameis to end up just outside the top 10 for quarterbacks at the end of the year. Jameis has tons of upside and is a solid pick up if you are looking for a good backup qb or you are not happy with your current starting qb spot.
RB: Justin Forsett- The Baltimore running back had a rough week 1 and is available in roughly 37% of leagues. Forsett merits a look after his poor week one because of the volume that he saw. He had 10 rushes and 3 catches for a total of 13 touches. If he continues to be the number one running back for Baltimore and keeps getting a decent amount of touches I expect his point totals will rise as well. Forsett may become a possible flex start later on in the season.
WR: Davante Adams- Okay, okay, all of you who did fantasy last year know that this guy was a major let down in 2015. Adams was given the Packer’s offseason MVP award for showing the most growth between the 2014 and 2015 seasons and much was expected of him in the 2015 season especially after the loss of Jordy Nelson to a knee injury. Instead of taking that all important next step Davante regressed dropping balls and failing to cement himself as a top target for Aaron Rodgers. However in week 1 he played terrific making an excellent diving catch with a defensive back draped all over him. Davante looks to haul in passes and receive plenty of targets from Rodgers as the season progresses, just remember a couple years ago when James Jones led the NFL in touchdowns as the Packers third receiver, I wouldn’t be surprised if Adams has a big year in that same role. Another huge reason I think people should look into him is that he is available in 93% of leagues. Let’s just say, I have already put in my waiver claim on him in my league.
Any questions or comments? Send me an email at dm-dankert@wiu.edu or come visit me at 2414 in Building C.