Good Surprises, Bad Surprises from Fantasy Football Week 1

The first week of the NFL season has come and gone. With it, we were served up a hectic slate of matchups across the league that wreaked some havoc on the start of fantasy football seasons as well.

With a number of big names going head-to-head right away, there were some immediate tests for certain players. A number of them succeeded, but many failed as well.

It's important not to overreact too much, fantasy-wise, to Week 1 games. Things tend to get wacky after a long offseason with everyone shaking off the cobwebs. But there are certainly some big opportunities that can arise early in the season as well.

First, let's take a look at three good surprises from Week 1 and discuss their implications.

Allen Hurns, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

How about that for a debut? Hurns, a little-known draft prospect from Miami just a few months ago, suddenly burst onto the scene in the first quarter of his first NFL game with two touchdown catches.

Facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles, everyone expected Chad Henne and the Jags to get blown out. But they jumped out to a 17-0 lead, due largely to Hurns's playmaking abilities.

Jacksonville ended up blowing the game, but Hurns finished with four receptions for 110 yards and two scores to end up as one of the highest-scoring receivers of the week.

He will almost certainly not have another game like that again this season, but Hurns is certainly worth a waiver-wire pickup. 

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

Last year was not a good year for Ryan and the Falcons, but they certainly took a big step towards reversing things in the opener against New Orleans.

Ryan put up video game numbers, going 31-of-43 with 448 yards and three touchdowns on the day. He looked very impressive, spreading the ball around and throwing downfield with accuracy.

It's a heck of a game, especially against a team with a solid pass defense like New Orleans, which ranked second in the league last year behind Seattle. 

Knowshon Moreno, RB, Miami Dolphins

At the start of the Dolphins' game against New England, Lamar Miller was the starting running back. Right now? I'd guess Miami is reconsidering its backfield.

Maybe he was sick of everyone saying that he only succeeded because of Peyton Manning, but Moreno ran like a man possessed on Sunday afternoon.

He almost single-handedly led Miami to victory, rushing 24 times for 134 yards and a touchdown. Perhaps 2013 wasn't a one-time breakout season after all. Regardless, his big game in Week 1 was certainly a surprise.

There were plenty of good performances like these, but a few guys also had surprisingly bad games. It's definitely not time to panic yet, but these three players need to be re-evaluated, at least somewhat.

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

The Titans certainly don't have a poor defense, but they made Charles look downright mediocre in their surprising 26-10 victory over the Chiefs.

Alex Smith never seemed to get the offense going, and Charles had one of his worst games in recent memory, although he didn't get many touches.

Seven carries isn't good, and 19 rushing yards is even worse. Four catches for 15 yards is underwhelming, as well. If he doesn't bounce back next week and the offense sputters again, a lot of fantasy owners are going to be rightfully unhappy.

Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco 49ers

People had high hopes for Crabtree this year after he missed most of 2013 with an injury. With a juicy Week 1 matchup against the Cowboys, Crabtree's owners had to be feeling good.

But then the Niners jumped out to a huge lead early, and Crabtree looked limited by a lingering calf injury. He had just four targets on the day, and caught two of them.

Two catches for 25 yards isn't going to cut it, and things will likely be fine for him the rest of the season. But his progress is now worth monitoring closely for the next couple weeks. 

Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys

What a pitiful start for Romo and the Cowboys. He salvaged his performance somewhat in the second half, but Dallas was out of the game early on because of Romo.

He threw three picks in the game, including one really bad one in the end zone which Patrick Willis nabbed. His 281 passing yards weren't too shabby, but just one touchdown and three picks is brutal.

There had been a lot of questions about the Cowboys offense heading into this season, and this game certainly did nothing to quell them. Romo is now a borderline starter in standard 10- and 12-team formats.