Fantasy Football Week 1: Biggest Takeaways from Sunday

Rise, stand and look upon the magnificence and chaos that is fantasy football.

The NFL got its football groove going Sunday in a full slate of Week 1 action. With it came plenty of confirmation bias, surprise and general madness, both in the real and fantasy realms.

Here are some of the biggest fantasy football takeaways after Sunday's action. Whether an eye-opening performance or brewing trouble, there is plenty to talk about.

Pass Defense Optional in Philadelphia

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

The Jacksonville Jaguars went to Philadelphia and drop-kicked the Eagles like Antonio Brown on a punt return.

Quarterback Chad Henne connected with rookie Allen Hurns for two touchdown passes early as the Jaguars ran out to a 17-0 lead, dropping jaws all over the football world.

That lead would eventually melt to the tune of 34 unanswered points for the Eagles, but the start highlighted a familiar exploit for opposing offenses—the Philadelphia secondary.

Quarterbacks have had a relatively easy time going up against the Eagles defense in recent years, and Week 1 showed this year may be no different. Henne—a stopgap while the Jaguars wait for Blake Bortles to improve on the bench—torched the defense early before cooling off.

Hurns has been a surprise this year, but he's no Dez Bryant or Calvin Jonson. Just imagine what a quality quarterback-receiver combo might do to the Eagles defense.

Joe Flacco Is Bad for Your Fantasy Team

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Joe Flacco threw the ball 62 times Sunday. The Ravens scored 16 points.

As Aaron Nagler pointed out on Twitter, "Joe Flacco should never, ever throw 62 freaking passes."

Granted, he wound up with 345 yards and a nice, long touchdown to Steve Smith on blown coverage, but the opening week was rather alarming for anyone who drafted or picked up a Ravens offensive player.

Smith had 118 yards, but 80 of those came on the busted-coverage score.

If Week 1 was any indication, the Ravens skill players are going to frustrate their fantasy owners all season long. Flacco looked downright awful at times.

His receivers will be a volatile bunch in the fantasy realm. Proceed with caution.

Mike Wallace Is Going to Have a Huge Year

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You may have been advised by someone close to this article to bench Mike Wallace against Darrelle Revis and the New England Patriots defense. Consider this a mea culpa.

Miami's top receiver not only burned the Patriots for 81 yards and a touchdown, but he could have had a much bigger day were it not for his inability to drag his feet in the end zone on another touchdown, one fumble and a couple of drops.

Playing against one of the best cornerbacks in the league didn't faze him one bit, and he rewarded anyone who started him with a big fantasy game.

Ryan Tannehill still needs a little work on his deep ball, but his connection with Wallace seems to be improving. At the very least, the speedy wideout appears to have become a favorite target for the third-year quarterback.

Tannehill targeted his No. 1 receiver 11 times, and Wallace is starting to become more than a deep threat in Miami. If Week 1 was any indication, Wallace is going to have a big year.

The Falcons Backfield Is a Fantasy Nightmare

David Goldman/Associated Press

The Atlanta Falcons had a banner day on offense Sunday. Matt Ryan set a team record with 448 passing yards, and the running backs combined for 181 total yards and two touchdowns.

How can this inform you going forward, however?

The Falcons all but got whatever they wanted on offense against the New Orleans Saints. That won't be the case on the road or against stingier defenses. So who stands to benefit from similar workloads, and who is a fantasy disappointment waiting to happen?

Jacquizz Rodgers got just seven touches, scoring an unlikely 17-yard touchdown on a give up the middle. Antone Smith is a big-play machine, scoring on yet another long touchdown catch-and-run. But you can't count on that kind of production, not when he's getting a handful of touches.

Devonta Freeman was the most hyped running back in Atlanta, and he had the least impressive day, going for just 33 yards on four touches. He might see more time in the future, but it seems that he is stuck in a rotation behind starter Steven Jackson.

Speaking of the devil, Jackson had the most opportunity and the least upside, at times looking like a potato that grew legs. He averaged just 4.3 yards per carry, but he saw 13 touches, nearly as many as the rest of the backfield combined.

The Falcons aren't going to torch every defense, and that backfield is not going to be so fortunate with touchdowns every week.

Tampa Bay Players Are Not to Be Trusted

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the offseason with a great free-agent haul and a nice draft. A whole lot of good it did them in the season opener, however.

Losing to the Carolina Panthers and backup quarterback Derek Anderson was bad enough, but the putrid offensive showing was cause for serious concern.

New starting quarterback Josh McCown looked his age for much of the game. The 35-year-old career backup parlayed his fantastic role in relief from a year ago into a starting gig with his old coach, and that may have already started to prove a mistake.

McCown couldn't move the ball despite a bevy of weaponry.

Via Rick Brown at The Ledger, McCown said, "I made a couple bad decisions that hurt our team and put us in a bad situation. There are things that I can clean up and get better, so there's no need to focus on anybody else in those things."

The run game didn't look much better, as running back Doug Martin carried the ball nine times for just nine yards before being knocked out of the game with injury.

If the Buccaneers offense doesn't fix things quickly, it's going to be a frustrating, roller-coaster season for those who own fantasy shares of receivers Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans, tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins or Martin.

The Hottest Waiver-Wire Pickup of the Week Will Be...

Don Wright/Associated Press

When running back Ben Tate left Sunday's game with a knee injury, few expected what would ensue.

That was Isaiah Crowell laying down napalm on the Pittsburgh Steelers defense—alongside fellow rookie Terrance West, who rushed for 100 yards himself—scoring on his first NFL carry and starting an improbable comeback that the Browns nearly completed.

So which one is going to be the hottest waiver-wire addition?

In truth, both should be at the top of your list. West wound up with over three times as many carries as Crowell, however, which tips the scales in his direction. While the latter did score twice, he did it in just five carries.

That shows he has great upside, but that kind of touchdown rate is only sustainable in a video game. West was clearly the lead back in a committee after Tate went out.

If Tate is ruled out for a significant amount of time, West figures to get the majority of touches. Crowell isn't a bad target either given his upside.

Rise of the Rookies

David Goldman/Associated Press

Several rookies went out and made a name for themselves this week.

We've already talked about Isaiah Crowell and Allen Hurns, both of whom should be top waiver-wire targets this week. The undrafted free agents made the biggest rookie splashes in Week 1, but they were far from the only greenhorn contributors.

Wide receiver Brandin Cooks was a pass-catching machine for the New Orleans Saints, grabbing seven catches for 77 yards and a touchdown, quickly ingratiating himself with quarterback Drew Brees.

Fellow rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin had a nice debut with the Carolina Panthers, nabbing a fantastic touchdown catch that wound up being the game-winning score.

Carlos Hyde looked like a bona fide heir to Frank Gore's throne, running hard and scoring a touchdown in Dallas.

Some of the more heralded rookies had inaugural duds—Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans and Bishop Sankey, to be precise—but they should join the party soon given all the chances they will have.

Don't go crazy chasing rookies, though. Week 1 may have been a big one for first-year players, but mind their usage. Stick to the veterans you're used to—when it makes sense, anyway.

Mark Ingram May Be the Real Deal After All

David Goldman/Associated Press

False hype churns throughout the preseason, dying swiftly for most when the season begins.

For Mark Ingram, there was nothing false about that hype.

The fourth-year New Orleans Saints running back had a torrid preseason, leading some to believe this would be his breakout season. Those who had been burned in the past were skeptical, and rightfully so—not only had Ingram not delivered on his first-round promise to date, but he shares a backfield in a pass-first offense.

The skeptics seemed vindicated early when Khiry Robinson got New Orleans into the end zone on a goal-line run, something that was supposed to be Ingram's job. Ingram got his chance later on, though, and he made the Falcons pay.

He wound up averaging 4.6 yards per carry and scoring a pair of touchdowns, helping the Saints keep pace with their division foes on the road and rewarding fantasy owners who trusted him enough to put him in the starting lineup

It might be hit or miss whether Ingram gets enough meaningful touches on a weekly basis to have consistent fantasy relevance, but he is running hard and impressing when he gets the ball. Perhaps the fact he is in a contract year has something to do with it.

The Cowboys Are a Fantasy Panacea

A stench pervaded the San Francisco 49ers offense during the preseason. It was enough to cause legitimate concern among 49ers fans and fantasy owners alike.

Good thing the 49ers got to go to Dallas to start the season.

The Cowboys are a mess on both sides of the ball, but the defense has been horrifically terrible since the preseason began. They couldn't get out of their own way on either side of the ball, allowing the 49ers to have their way on offense.

Not that San Francisco needed a massive offensive output with the Cowboys turning the ball over left and right and all but giving away the game before halftime.

Dallas was at home, and there is little hope for a big turnaround on that awful defense. If your starters are facing the Cowboys, you can count on a nice fantasy output.

Kansas City's Offensive Line Is a Problem

USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City's offensive line was a concern for Jamaal Charles fantasy owners heading into the regular season. Week 1 confirmed those fears.

The Tennessee Titans stifled Charles at home. He gained just 34 yards on 11 touches in an awful performance for last year's top fantasy running back.

Not all of that was on the offensive line, but the unit is a shell of its 2013 self after losing four key contributors. The Chiefs weren't able to get anything going offensively, beginning and ending with their dynamic back.

Of course, the first couple of weeks is too early to panic—you wouldn't want to give Charles away for pennies on the dollar, after all. The Chiefs were without their top receiver, Dwayne Bowe, who should help alleviate the defensive attention paid to Charles upon his Week 2 return.

Capitalizing on his big name isn't the worst idea in the world if you get an offer you can't refuse, however. Just keep an open mind.

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