Remember: A week does not a season make
Looks like I picked the wrong week to face Brandin Cooks in both of my fantasy leagues. When I watched Drew Brees launch that pass from the end zone against the Raiders, catching Cooks perfectly in stride en route to a 98-yard touchdown, I knew it was going to be a long day.
At least my opponents didn’t double up with Brees in their lineups. Or Cooks’ counterpart, Willie Snead. Or A.J. Green, for that matter.
My charges also avoided the dreaded opening-week injury bug that befell those who invested a premium pick in Keenan Allen, who is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. And though Russell Wilson overcame an ankle problem to lead the Seahawks to a comeback win over Miami, the “significant” injury could force his owners to go to QB Plan B this weekend.
Meanwhile, for one week at least, David Johnson rewarded those of us who entrusted him with our first pick, and Zeke Elliott and Adrian Peterson made their owners wish they had gone the wide-receiver route.
There were other surprises. Such as seeing Melvin Gordon, who touched the ball more than 200 times in his rookie season without scoring, find paydirt twice on just 14 carries. And DeMarco Murray’s yards-percarry death spiral continued in Tennessee, yet he doubled his career scoring receptions total by taking two passes to the end zone against the Vikings.
And Trevor Siemian, Shaun Hill, Jimmy Garoppolo, Brock Osweiler and Carson Wentz all piloted their teams to victory in their first starts for their respective teams.
All that said, just remember that one week does not a trend make. Jameis Winston, QB, Buccaneers: If you’re in one of the four-out-of-10 leagues that left Winston undrafted, grab him immediately. He put to rest any concerns about a sophomore slump with his 281-yard, 4-TD performance. Will Fuller, WR, Texans: The rookie earned a starting job in the offseason, and he solidified it Sunday by leading the team with five receptions for 107 yards and a TD. He won’t outperform DeAndre Hopkins often, but he’ll surely continue to benefit from the double teams his All-Pro counterpart attracts. Victor Cruz, WR, Giants: It has been three years since Cruz was a fantasy standout, but after watching him salsa in the Cowboys’ end zone Sunday, it’s not out of the question that he could be dancing on a regular basis again. He has a well-established connection with Eli Manning and a superstar counterpart in Odell Beckham Jr. to take off the pressure.
Catch ’em while you can Don’t be fooled
Mike Wallace, WR, Ravens: You know Wallace, and you passed on him in your draft for a good reason. Don’t let his 66-yard scoring reception in his Baltimore debut fool you. He had only three receptions, and Joe Flacco completed passes to nine other receivers in the opener. Wallace is the definition of boom or bust. Mohamed Sanu, WR, Falcons: He has had a handful of stellar games throughout his career in Cincinnati; just not enough to make him a reliable fantasy receiver. His prospects dim further after injuring his ankle Sunday. Jack Doyle, TE, Colts: Sure, he caught two TD passes against the Lions — but there’s a reason you haven’t heard of him, even though this is his fourth year in Indy. Doyle is a spare cog in the Colts’ offense.