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Steely Aaron Rodgers scores revenge over Jets in Pittsburgh debut

Sun Sep 7 7:37pm ET
Field Level Media

For the first time in the past three seasons, Aaron Rodgers thoroughly enjoyed a New York Jets' loss on Sunday.

In his first game with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rodgers passed for 244 yards and four touchdowns, helping put Chris Boswell in position for a career-long 60-yard field goal in the 34-32 win on the Jets' home field.

"It was nice to win, especially after hearing some of the catcalls," Rodgers said. "I'm not sensitive about that. I expected that. There were people in the (Jets) organization that didn't think I could play anymore, so it was nice to remind those people that I still can."

Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, one of the veterans who embraced Rodgers on the field hours before the game began, sacked Rodgers on his first offensive snap with the Steelers.

But there would be plenty of counterpunches thrown the next four quarters.

"I thought he was game all day," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "But again, you guys asked me last week, ‘Why was I confident?' That's why I was confident."

Rodgers wasted no time getting points on the board, a relatively novel concept to the Steelers. Pittsburgh didn't score on an opening drive in a game last season.

Rodgers whistled his first TD pass with his third NFL team to Ben Skowronek.

The 41-year-old signed with the Steelers as a free agent months after what he considered an unceremonious exit from the Jets. Following two seasons in New York, Rodgers met with new Jets head coach Aaron Glenn in March and was informed he'd be released. Rodgers said of the February meeting he felt Glenn didn't act with respect.

"I was happy to beat everybody associated with the Jets," Rodgers said. "I gave as much as I could to the team. I didn't have any hard feelings about it not working out. I didn't maybe appreciate the way it went down in the end, but that's in the past. And we're 1-0."

The four-time NFL MVP now has 507 career TD passes, with a chance to tie or surpass his Packers predecessor Brett Favre (508) next week against the Seattle Seahawks.

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Jake Moody Sep 7 7:00pm CT
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Deebo Samuel Sep 7 6:50pm CT
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Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. caught seven of his 10 targets for 77 yards during Sunday's Week 1 win over the New York Giants. He also added a 19-yard rushing touchdown. On a team with several weapons on the offensive side of the ball, it was intriguing to see Samuel emerge as the top contributor. He had 14 more scrimmage yards than Jacory Croskey-Merritt, five more receptions than Terry McLaurin, and twice as many targets as Zach Ertz. Given his prominent role, Samuel should be trusted as a low-end WR2 heading into Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers.

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Baker Mayfield Sep 7 6:50pm CT
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 17 of his 32 pass attempts for 167 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions during Sunday's Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons. He also led the team with 39 rushing yards. Although Mayfield posted an abnormally low yardage total and low completion percentage, he excelled otherwise, playing turnover-free football and taking just one sack. All in all, it was a very rewarding day for his fantasy managers, and it even culminated in a three-point Buccaneers victory. Mayfield should continue to rank as a mid-range QB1 heading into next week's contest against the Houston Texans.

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Mike Evans Sep 7 6:23pm CT
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Mike Evans finished with five receptions for 51 yards on eight targets in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Fantasy Spin: Evans was outshined by rookie Emeka Egbuka, who ended up scoring a pair of touchdowns. Still, Evans is a bona fide WR1 in most fantasy leagues, and he can be trusted as such heading into Week 2 in Houston on Monday night.

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Sterling Shepard Sep 7 6:23pm CT
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Sterling Shepard totaled three catches for 39 yards on six targets in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons.

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Curtis Samuel Sep 7 6:20pm CT
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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel (coach's decision) is a healthy scratch for Sunday's Week 1 contest against the Baltimore Ravens. Samuel is coming off a subpar season in which he caught just 31 passes for 253 yards and one touchdown. He continued to slide down the depth chart this offseason and was seemingly below Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, and Joshua Palmer, among others. He can be left on waivers in all fantasy leagues.

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Keaton Mitchell Sep 7 6:20pm CT
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Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell (coach's decision) is a healthy scratch for Sunday's Week 1 contest against the Buffalo Bills. Rasheen Ali and Justice Hill will operate as the Ravens' depth running backs behind Derrick Henry. According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, Ali was chosen to be active over Mitchell because of his special teams impact. Meanwhile, Zay Flowers can fill Mitchell's role on jet sweeps and screens behind the line of scrimmage. He's still worth stashing in deeper dynasty leagues because he's shown flashes of potential before, but time is running out for him to make an impact at the NFL level.

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Evan Engram Sep 7 6:20pm CT
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Denver Broncos tight end Evan Engram (calf) exited during the second half of Sunday's Week 1 contest against the Tennessee Titans. He is officially listed as questionable to return. At the time of his departure, Engram had caught three passes for 21 yards in his Broncos debut. This is a significant loss for Denver as Engram is the first alpha tight end they've had in quite some time. As a result, Engram's injury has a negative effect on the fantasy value of Bo Nix, though it could lead to more targets for someone like Courtland Sutton. Expect Adam Trautman to operate as the Broncos' No. 1 tight end until Engram can return to action.

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Baker Mayfield Sep 7 6:13pm CT
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield completed 17-of-32 passes for 167 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, and he ran five times for a team-high 39 yards.

Fantasy Spin: Mayfield really jelled nicely with rookie Emeka Egbuka, who essentially took over the role of Chris Godwin, who is sidelined due to injury. Mayfield and Egbuka hooked up for two of three scores, while Bucky Irving had the other touchdown. Mayfield remains solid low-end QB1 in fantasy leagues of 12 or more teams. Mayfield and the Bucs travel to Houston for Monday Night Football in Week 2.

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Tre'Davious White Sep 7 6:03pm CT
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The Buffalo Bills have declared DE Landon Jackson, OT Chase Lundt, CB Jordan Hancock, CB Tre'Davious White, WR Curtis Samuel and OG Sedrick Van Pran-Granger inactive for Week 1.

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Matt Prater Sep 7 6:03pm CT
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Fantasy Spin: Prater could have some fantasy appeal for at least the first four games while Bass is out. The Bills have a high-octane offense, so there is plenty of opportunity for the veteran to get off to a good start.

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Jauan Jennings Sep 7 6:00pm CT
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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (shoulder) is uncertain to return to the field for Sunday's season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Jennings was forced to exit the game with a shoulder injury in the second half. His absence is certainly a blow with George Kittle (hamstring) also banged up. If Jennings doesn't return, he'll end his day with two receptions on five targets for 16 yards. The 49ers don't have a ton of depth at wideout right now. Ricky Pearsall, Skyy Moore, and Russell Gage would all likely see increased roles if Jennings misses time.

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Emeka Egbuka Sep 7 5:50pm CT
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka had a ton of hype surrounding him coming into the regular season. Due to injuries, Egbuka moved into the No. 2 wideout role for the Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. The rookie wideout didn't disappoint as he got heavily involved in the win. Egbuka scored his first career touchdown on a 30-yard reception in the second quarter. He would find the end zone again in what would turn out to be the game-winning 25-yard score. Egbuka finished his debut with four receptions on six targets for 67 yards and two touchdowns in the win. The rookie wideout should remain a viable option against the Houston Texans in Week 2.

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Russell Wilson Sep 7 5:43pm CT
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New York Giants QB Russell Wilson finished 17-of-37 for 168 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in Week 1 versus the Washington Commanders. Wilson also ran for a team-high 44 yards on eight carries.

Fantasy Spin: While there is no question that Washington improved its defense in the offseason, this is exactly the kind of game that will get fans clamoring for first-round draft pick Jaxson Dart before the end of September. On the plus side, Wilson did not turn the ball over. The 36-year-old is nothing more than a weak QB2 option in superflex/two-quarterback leagues heading into Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys.

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Harrison Smith Sep 7 5:43pm CT
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Minnesota Vikings S Harrison Smith (illness) has been ruled out of the Week 1 game.

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Bijan Robinson Sep 7 5:40pm CT
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Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson was stuffed on the ground, but still had a strong performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Robinson got off to a great start with a 50-yard receiving touchdown on the opening drive. The Falcons continued to throw the ball his way as Robinson couldn't get anything going on the ground. He rushed 12 times for 24 yards in the Week 1 loss. However, Robinson salvaged his fantasy value by hauling in six of his seven targets for 100 yards through the air with one touchdown. He'll hope to have more success on the ground during the Week 2 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

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Michael Penix Jr. Sep 7 5:40pm CT
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Josh Reynolds Sep 7 5:33pm CT
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Aaron Rodgers Sep 7 5:30pm CT
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