The fantasy football season got off to a fast start for players like Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson, but not everyone got in on the fun, including names like Mike Wallace, Stevan Ridley, Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger, Trent Richardson, Zach Sudfeld and James Jones.
Wallace likely is looked at by fantasy owners as the biggest bust after making just one catch for 15 yards in Miami's 23-10 victory and it is also likely that his coaches will not be happy with how he handled it. Wallace took his feelings public after the victory, saying that he didn't feel like talking to reporters and that the media should ask "coach" about the game plan. Wallace was targeted five times after being the prized free agent signing in the offseason, inking a $60 million deal to join the franchise.
Wallace is a speedy receiver and his counterpart Brian Hartline, who re-signed with the team in the offseason, benefitted from the heavy coverage on Wallace, making nine catches for 114 yards and one touchdown. Even past Wallace another offseason addition in Brandon Gibson made seven catches for 77 yards and while Tannehill said the Bengals secondary did a good job of locking up Wallace, the receiver obviously had different thoughts on what happened in the game. Wallace signed a five-year deal and his teammates may not be too happy about him sulking after what turned out to be a nice opening victory over the Browns.
Speaking of the Browns, some fantasy owners might be troubled by the 47 yards from Trent Richardson, but that have been more to do with the way the game played out rather than his ability on Sunday. Richardson should rebound next week, but some fantasy owners may feel that starting off with under 50 yards rushing isn't the best way to win a fantasy matchup. He was shutout in the third quarter and now some teams may want to check out Miami's defense as a spot option later in the season.
The New England Patriots ended up with a 23-21 victory despite a fumble from Stevan Ridley in the second quarter and that play earned him a spot on the bench. Another player that was a big bust after many thought he would be a sleeper was rookie Zach Sudfeld, who had zero catches on the day after he took over for Rob Gronkowski, who is out with an injury.
Ridley has had fumbling issues in the past and it's troubling for fantasy owners who took him as their number one back this season. Vereen had 14 carries and while that may not last through the season, it is troubling early for fantasy owners, same for David Wilson, who had an awful game against the Cowboys, coughing up the ball twice after also fumbling last season. With Andre Brown out with an injury, Da'Rel Scott took over for the rest of the game and now Wilson could be back in the dog house. James Jones also had zero catches on the day for the Packers.