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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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Starts, Sits, Sleepers: Week 1

Player Notes
Curtis Samuel Sep 7 6:20pm CT
Curtis Samuel

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
Keaton Mitchell

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.

From RotoBaller

Evan Engram Sep 7 6:20pm CT
Evan Engram

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.

From RotoBaller

Jauan Jennings Sep 7 6:00pm CT
Jauan Jennings

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
Emeka Egbuka

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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Bijan Robinson Sep 7 5:40pm CT
Bijan Robinson

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
Michael Penix Jr.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw for nearly 300 yards during the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He got the game started off quickly with a 50-yard passing touchdown to Bijan Robinson on the opening drive. The Bucs basically completely stopped the Falcons running game, but Penix was able to keep his team in the game with his arm. He completed 27-of-42 passing attempts for 298 yards and a touchdown. Penix also added 21 yards on the ground on six rushing attempts with an additional touchdown on the ground. The young quarterback was able to hold his own especially without Darnell Mooney (shoulder) and Drake London towards the end of the game. It was a nice season opener for Penix, but he'll have a tough challenge ahead of him against the Minnesota Vikings defense in Week 2.

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Aaron Rodgers Sep 7 5:30pm CT
Aaron Rodgers

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was surprisingly efficient during Sunday's season opener against the New York Jets. Coming into the season, fantasy managers weren't sure exactly what they were going to get from the 42-year-old quarterback. Clearly, Rodgers still has something left in the tank as he was sharp on Sunday. Rodgers completed 22-of-30 passing attempts for 244 yards and four touchdowns without any interceptions in the win. This was a close game until the end, but Rodgers was able to lead his team to a 34-32 victory. Maybe this was lightning in a bottle or a change of scenery gave Rodgers new life. Rodgers might be worth a look as a streaming option against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2.

From RotoBaller

Justin Fields Sep 7 5:20pm CT
Justin Fields

New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields came out ready to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1. He got the fun started off early with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson in the first quarter. Fields was held in check until he rushed for a two-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He wasn't done yet as Fields rushed into the end zone one more time to give his team the lead late in the fourth quarter. He finished this game 16-of-22 on passing attempts for 218 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also rushed the ball 12 times for 48 yards and an additional two scores. It was an awesome first game for Fields, but we'll see if he can keep the good times rolling against the tough Buffalo Bills defense in Week 2.

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Dylan Sampson Sep 7 5:10pm CT
Dylan Sampson

Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson rushed for 29 yards on 12 carries during Sunday's Week 1 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He was much more productive and efficient through the air, catching all eight of his targets for 64 receiving yards. He finished with 16.9 points in PPR leagues, and he was still solid in half-PPR or standard formats thanks to his 93 total yards against the Bengals. Cleveland experimented with three different running backs on Sunday, but Sampson was far more efficient than Jerome Ford and Raheim Sanders. As a result, the rookie likely enters Week 2 as the Browns' No. 1 running back. However, he will face added competition next week when Quinshon Judkins makes his NFL debut. Judkins will likely be phased into the offense so that he has time to get acclimated, which means that he's not a major threat to Sampson's role right away. However, as the season goes on, expect the two rookies to provide each other with healthy competition on a weekly basis.

From RotoBaller

Tyler Warren Sep 7 5:09pm CT
Tyler Warren

Dynasty | Colts tight end Tyler Warren had seven catches for 76 yards in his NFL debut. Dynasty Analysis: Warren was as advertised and Daniel Jones looked his way a team-leading nine times on the day. It was about as good as you could have hoped for in his NFL debut as Warren looked the part of a long-term bona-fide TE1. The Colts were sharp today and it could be a mirage but the former Penn State star certainly justified the first round rookie pick managers spent on his services in week one.

Michael Pittman Jr. Sep 7 5:09pm CT
Michael Pittman Jr.

Dynasty | Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman had six catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in a blowout win over Miami. Dynasty Analysis: Pittman had eight targets on the game and trailed only Tyler Warren (9) for the team lead on the day. Daniel Jones was solid and Pittman looks like a player who could have a bounce-back season. There could be some bumps along the road, but Pittman's ADP and ranking simply look a touch low at the moment.

Trey Benson Sep 7 5:09pm CT
Trey Benson

Dynasty | Cardinals running back Trey Benson had 69 rushing yards, one catch and six receiving yards in a win against the Saints. Dynasty Analysis: Most of his damage came on a 52-yard gain. Still, James Conner didn't exactly look explosive and Benson (9 touches) competed with Conner (16) for meaningful time. There's a long way to go in the season but the idea that this could be a "1A and 1B" situation looks relatively valid. Benson is nowhere near lineups at the moment but he looks poised to get much more work this year.

Jonnu Smith Sep 7 5:03pm CT
Jonnu Smith

Pittsburgh Steelers TE Jonnu Smith caught five passes for 15 yards and one touchdown against the New York Jets in Week 1. He was targeted six times during the game.

Fantasy Spin: Smith was a popular target for Aaron Rodgers in the opener but had all short yardage catches during the game. He will continue to share playing time with Pat Freiermuth and can be a No. 2 tight end in fantasy leagues most weeks.

From TheHuddle

Daniel Jones Sep 7 5:00pm CT
Daniel Jones

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones completed 22 of his 29 pass attempts for 272 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions during Sunday's Week 1 victory over the Miami Dolphins. He also added 26 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. The former first-round pick played clean, turnover-free football and took just one sack in his Colts debut. Some of his productivity may have been aided by a matchup against Miami's poor defense, but it's also possible that Jones is embarking on a career resurgence in Indianapolis. He'll get a much tougher test next week when he faces the Denver Broncos. Heading into Week 2, Jones ranks as a mid-to-low QB2 option in fantasy football.

From RotoBaller

Stefon Diggs Sep 7 4:53pm CT
Stefon Diggs

New England Patriots WR Stefon Diggs posted six receptions for 57 yards on seven targets in Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders in his team debut.

Fantasy Spin: Diggs was well on his way to a giant season in 2024 with the Houston Texans before a season-ending injury in late October. Diggs still has the potential to be a high-volume pass catcher and a fantasy stud, even at 31 years old. Treat him as a WR4 or flex fantasy option in PPR leagues heading into Week 2 at Miami.

From TheHuddle

Mack Hollins Sep 7 4:53pm CT
Mack Hollins

New England Patriots WR Mack Hollins, TE Austin Hooper and WR Kyle Williams each recorded one catch apiece in Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Hollins had a 3-yard grab with two targets, Hooper had a 10-yard catch on his lone target and Williams had a 12-yard snare on his only target.

From TheHuddle

Budda Baker Sep 7 4:43pm CT
Budda Baker

Arizona Cardinals S Budda Baker tallied 10 tackles - five solo - and broke up a pass play in Week 1 versus the New Orleans Saints.

From TheHuddle

Hunter Henry Sep 7 4:43pm CT
Hunter Henry

New England Patriots TE Hunter Henry posted four receptions for 66 yards on eight targets in Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Fantasy Spin: Henry has some low-end TE1 ability in fantasy leagues of 12 or more teams. He and Drake Maye seem to have a nice rapport, and it's unlikely Austin Hooper will push him for a larger role. The Patriots travel to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 2, and they allowed seven grabs and 76 yards to Indianapolis Colts TE Tyler Warren in Week 1.

From TheHuddle

Puka Nacua Sep 7 4:40pm CT
Puka Nacua

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (head) returned to Sunday's game after being evaluated for a concussion. Nacua was on the receiving end of a head-to-head hit that left him bleeding, but he cleared the mandatory concussion check and was able to get back into the game. His return puts the Rams' offense at full strength. He and Davante Adams will continue to form one of the NFL's best wide receiver tandems, providing significant passing game support to Matthew Stafford in Week 1 and beyond. Nacua and Adams both have top-15 upside at the wide receiver position in fantasy football.

From RotoBaller