Evan’s Guide to All Things NFL – Recapping Week 1
Evan Dorian, Co-Editor-in-Chief
Week 1 has come and gone, and with it plenty of surprises and exciting moments. We now have a better idea of which teams will be at the top of these rankings on a regular basis, and which teams will find themselves slipping. Here, you’ll find my top ten teams each with a blurb to themselves, as well as a brief blurb for teams 11-32. You can also check out the final three boxes in the grid for fantasy football advice.
#1: Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings did just fine against the 49ers on Sunday. Kirk Cousins turned in a solid performance in his regular season debut, hitting Kyle Rudolph and Stefon Diggs for touchdown passes. Dalvin Cook’s lack of usage was concerning for fantasy owners who drafted him early, but from a game flow standpoint, Cook had a solid day. The Vikings rolled with the passing offense and relied on their excellent d...
#2: New England Patriots
The Patriots’ Week 1 game against the Texans wasn’t especially exciting, and was essentially “just another game,” if you will, for Tom Brady and company. Deshaun Watson had an off day, and that opened up opportunities for the Patriots’ defense to look better than it probably is. Obviously, nothing will slow Tom Brady down this season - not lack of depth at receiver, not too much playing ...
#3: Los Angeles Rams
Monday night’s game against the Raiders didn’t get off to the most glorious start, but the Rams quickly rebounded and both the offense and defense led them to a solid win. Jared Goff doesn’t look incredibly improved from last year after one performance, but he certainly hasn’t regressed at all. He’s solidly in the running for MVP as a result of being in the presumptive best offense in the...
#4: Green Bay Packers
As if it needs to be said, Aaron Rodgers put on a Hall-of-Fame performance on Sunday night. He returned from what looked to be a potentially serious injury and played through the pain to lead the Packers back from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter to take the win over the Bears in Green Bay’s home opener. Anytime Aaron Rodgers is absent from the Pack’s offense, it’s incredibly obvious how m...
#5: Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes is very, very good. Let me say that again. Patrick Mahomes is really, truly, incredibly, undeniably good. In only his second start of his career, Mahomes threw for 256 yards and four, count them, four touchdowns. For as long as many NFL fans can remembers, the Chiefs’ defense has been their defining characteristic, but now with Marcus Peters and other stars gone, the Chiefs’ offen...
#6: Baltimore Ravens
Normally, I wouldn’t jump a team with as little talent as the Ravens up so high, but they absolutely demolished the Bills on Sunday. Granted, it’s the Bills, but Joe Flacco looked really good. Perhaps the knowledge that if he falls behind, he’ll be replaced by Lamar Jackson has given him a new fire at age 33, but however it happened, Flacco looks very solid so far. The Ravens’ offense has ...
#7: Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars we saw in Week 1 looked almost exactly like the Jaguars we saw for most of last season. Strong defense, limited offense, mediocre quarterback play. Leonard Fournette’s hamstring injury is cause for concern, but don’t expect him to miss much time - and if he does, T.J. Yeldon is a serviceable substitute. What it all boils down to is that the Jaguars’ defense is all they really need...
#8: Philadelphia Eagles
The defending champs scraped by with a win in the season premiere on Thursday night, getting past a Falcons team that looked totally inept for most of the game. Nick Foles had a rough go of it for much of the game, and the receiving corps without Alshon Jeffery, Mack Hollins and Trey Burton might not be able to help Foles lead the offense. Soon, though, Carson Wentz will return to the field and sh...
#9: Carolina Panthers
Perhaps the Panthers have more to be worried about than to celebrate. Greg Olsen re-fractured his foot and is expected to miss extended time. Daryl Williams re-injured the knee he hurt in the preseason and will require surgery. That’s two important pieces of the Panthers’ offense down. On the bright side, Cam Newton looks just as dominant as ever, and Christian McCaffrey’s anticipated sophomore-season ju...
#10: New York Jets
I honestly didn’t expect myself to jump the Jets up this high in the rankings after what could have been a fluke performance, but I feel that it’s justified. The reason I ranked the Jets so low last week was that I really had no idea how they would start the season. Would Sam Darnold be horrifyingly bad as a rookie? Would the lack of depth at receiver be an issue for the offense? Would the lack...
#11-21
11. Saints - The loss to Tampa Bay was surprising for a team that looked great on paper coming into the season, but I expect them to bounce back and ultimately win the NFC South. 12. Redskins - Washington put on a clinic against Arizona, absolutely shutting down the Cardinals’ offense and running through their defense - expect the Redskins to vie for second place in the NFC East. 13. Bronc...
#22-32
22. Browns - I’m still feeling good about the Browns this year - they didn’t lose! They have plenty of talent and are sure to win a respectable number of games behind the leadership of Tyrod Taylor, Jarvis Landry and Carlos Hyde. 23. Giants - The Giants didn’t win, but they didn’t look terrible against Jacksonville, which is why I expect them to bounce back strong this year behind Odell B...
5 QBs to Add in Fantasy for Week 2
Tyrod Taylor, Browns Case Keenum, Broncos Joe Flacco, Ravens Sam Darnold, Jets Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buccaneers ...
5 FLEX Players to Add in Fantasy for Week 2
Geronimo Allison, WR, Packers Quincy Enunwa, WR, Jets Brandon Marshall, WR, Seahawks T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jaguars Austin Ekeler, RB, Chargers ...
5 Defenses to Stream in Fantasy for Week 2 (all of these are owned in 50% or less of Yahoo! leagues)
New York Jets (vs. MIA) Chicago Bears (vs. SEA) Washington Redskins (vs. IND) Miami Dolphins (vs. NYJ) Cincinnati Bengals (vs. BAL) ...
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