The first fantasy football week of the season still has plenty to go with the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and Houston Texans playing on Monday Night Football and with the Sunday games all done a number of players established themselves as fantasy stars, including Tom Brady, Shane Vereen, Drew Brees, AJ Green, Adrian Peterson and Anquan Boldin.
The Patriots and the Bills played one of the most entertaining games of the week at 1 pm with New England coming out on top 23-21 after a last-minute field goal that was set up by Tom Brady. The Patriots had some tough moments in the game, but Brady hung in tough at the end and after it was all said and done, he finished with 288 yards passing and two touchdowns and his favorite target was the one that the team signed to replace his previous one Wes Welker, as Danny Amendola had 10 catches for over 100 yards.
One of the most interesting parts of the game was the benching of Stevan Ridley after he fumbled in the second quarter, giving Shane Vereen the chance to get the bulk of the carries. Many fantasy owners see Vereen as a big sleeper this season with Danny Woodhead gone and after rushing for over 100 yards and looking impressive in the passing game, he could end up getting more touches along with Ridley, who will likely slip back into his normal role despite fumbling. The Patriots were very balanced on offense last season and they will try to do the same again and it must have been a welcome sign for fantasy owners to see Danny Amendola return after he left the game with a groin injury.
The Bills lost the game, but rookie EJ Manuel handled things very well and threw two touchdowns, including a fantastic throw to Robert Woods and Stevie Johnson finished with four catches for 41 yards in the contest. One player that was a huge bust in Week 1 was Mike Wallace despite the fact that the Dolphins won, as he finished with one catch for 15 yards after being a big signing for the team in the offseason. Ryan Tannehill had a solid game with 272 yards passing and touchdown, while Lamar Miller did not do much and Brian Hartline led the team with nine catches for 114 yards and one touchdown.
The Browns didn't score much, but the team had a fantasy standout in Jordan Cameron, who is also looked at a sleeper and he came through with nine receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown and anyone lacking in tight ends should try and pick him up if he is still available. The Chicago Bears and Bengals played another tight game in Week 1 with a 24-21 win in the first game for Marc Trestman as head coach and Jay Cutler was very solid, 242 yards passing and two touchdowns and to no surprise, Brandon Marshall led the team with eight catches for 104 yards and one touchdown.
Adrian Peterson picked up exactly where he left off last season and rushed for a touchdown on his first carry and even though the Vikings lost to the Lions, he finished with 93 yards and two touchdowns to go along with a receiving touchdown. Jerome Simpson had a nice day for the Vikes with seven catches for 140 yards and the Lions did an excellent job in the passing game, with Reggie Bush putting up huge numbers. Matthew Stafford finished with 357 passing yards and two touchdowns, one of which went to Bush.
Many see Bush as a PPR machine and a fantasy sleeper and after Week 1 he appears to be in that mold, finishing the 34-24 win with 90 yards on the ground to go along with four catches for 101 yards and one touchdown. The Lions took control in the third and fourth quarters and outscored the Vikings 21-10, including 7-0 in the final quarter. The Patriots also shut out the Bills in the fourth quarter to seal their win and now they have an edge in the AFC East.
