Detroit Lions
Calvin Johnson (Wide Receiver): Johnson deflated fantasy owners last week but hitting them with a dud of a game. Johnson is a solid second round pick in 2015 fantasy drafts but 2 catches on 4 targets for 39 yards is unacceptable. Johnson struggled this way last season and it just brought back some terrible old feelings for most owners. The Lions blamed this on the flow of the game however the problem is deeper than facing the San Diego Chargers. Johnson looked rusty and often out of position and if he is going to have a bigger impact this season he will need Matt Stafford to be more accurate as well.
Golden Tate (Wide Receiver): Tate was limited in practice Thursday and sat out Wednesdays. In week 1 Tate caught 4/8 of his targets for 24 yards. This is only week 1 but Tate's place in the offense is far from certain and with numbers like these he may be in for a down year.
Matthew Stafford (Quarterback): Stafford had an average fantasy game finishing 19/30 from the field for 246 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Stafford is a frustrating case of a quarterback; he only plays well at home and can often let the team's defense dictate his style of play. This leads to underwhelming games and an overall sense of mediocrity from him at the quarterback position. How do you not connect with Calvin Johnson over 4 quarters? Stafford is still worthy of a start but not this week, put him on your bench for a QB with a better matchup.
Eric Ebron (Tight End): Ebron carried the offensive load through the air as he finished the game catching 4/5 targets, with 53 yards, and a touchdown. Ebron was a nice surprise as he was the only person getting open against the Chargers secondary. Ebron is worthy of TE2 consideration.
Ameer Abdullah/Joique Bell/ Theo Riddick (Running back): Ameer Abdullah on his first NFL regular season carry scored a touchdown. That is pretty impressive considering he was not even the starter on the depth chart. Abdullah finished with 7 carries for 50 yards, a touchdown, and 4 receptions for 44 yards. Those are some pretty impressive stats for a rookie and he seemingly beat out Joique Bell and Theo Riddick in a single half. Abdullah finished with 11 touches to the starter Bell's 8, this bodes well for his starting potential and is a must start this week.
Minnesota Vikings
Charles Johnson/Mike Wallace (Wide Receivers): Johnson was disappointing beyond belief finishing with only 2 catches for 27 yards. He was so disappointing he does not deserve a spot on your bench. Mike Wallace however does, he finished catching 6/7 targets for 63 yards and is currently operating as Teddy Bridgewater's security blanket. He is a solid flex option this week.
Adrian Peterson (Running Back): Peterson had less of an impact than expected. He finished with only 10 carries for 31 yards and 3 catches for 21 yards. This is not what Peterson owners were expecting, a light workload with very little production. The Vikings blamed it on the games flow however losing to the 49ers and not scoring a touchdown definitely was not a part of the Vikings game plan. AP is a RB1 every week because he was probably the first pick for most fantasy drafts but he gets another tough defense this week in the Lions.
Teddy Bridgewater (Quarterback): Bridgewater finished the game with 23 completions on 31 attempts, 232 yards and an interception. He added 16 rushing yards however Bridgewater looked off all day. The Vikings had a terrible time protecting him. Bridgewater looked great in preseason but struggled mightily against what most people thought was a depleted 49ers team. He is playing a very tough Lion's defense that should give him just as much trouble if not more than the 49ers did.