Russell Wilson flat in opener; Giants noncommittal for Week 2
Sun Sep 7 6:52pm ET
Field Level Media
Russell Wilson might not make a second start for the New York Giants.
Wilson, who started his 200th career game on Sunday at Washington, completed 17 of 37 passes (45.9 percent) for 168 yards in a 21-6 loss to the Commanders and led the team in rushing with 44 yards.
Given multiple opportunities to declare Wilson would get his 201st career start next week in Dallas, Giants head coach Brian Daboll never found the words.
"We're gonna get home, look at our game. Collectively we've all got to do better," Daboll said, dancing around multiple questions about his commitment to Wilson as the Giants' starter. "We're just right here, after the game, I've got confidence in Russell. We've got to better around overall, players, coaches, around everybody. We'll get focused and ready to go on Dallas. ... We're talking about after every game. I've got confidence in Russ. So we're gonna go back, we'll evaluate the tape."
Rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart was the No. 2 quarterback on Sunday. In an offense designed to find downfield opportunities, Dart was decisive in the preseason and averaged 7.9 yards per pass attempt with three touchdown passes. Wilson's average Sunday was 4.5 yards.
Generating six points and 231 total yards has a way of turning coaches on the hot seat to introspection. Sunday's loss might be viewed as an improvement over the Giants' 40-0 defeat at the hands of the Cowboys in Week 1 of the 2023 season and the 28-6 loss to the Vikings in last year's opener.
No matter how the defeat is scored in the public eye, losses are piling up for the Giants. It was Daboll's 26th since the 2023 season began.
With 2:36 left in the game, Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers was captured seated on the bench by FOX television cameras with his face entirely covered by a towel. Daboll spent part of one break appearing to tamp Nabers' emotions on the field near the sideline.
"I thought we competed our butts off today," Wilson said. "That was a physical game. We left it all on the field, we gave it our all physically."
Wilson recovered his own fumble, an interception was negated by a roughing-the-passer call on linebacker Bobby Wagner, and the Giants converted only four times on 16 third-down attempts.
New York played without left tackle Andrew Thomas, who is not fully recovered from a 2024 season-ending foot injury. TruMedia advanced metrics from the Week 1 game put the Commanders' pressure rate at 42.6 percent despite rushing more than four on only 26 percent of defensive snaps.
"This game isn't on Russell Wilson. It's not on Russell Wilson. I want to make that clear," Daboll said. "I have confidence in Russ, we've got to do a better job all the way around."
The Giants never reached the end zone and mustered only two field goals. They punted six times on nine possessions.
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The Paur Report
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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
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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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
