Some breakthrough fantasy performances were seen in week one of the NFL. Listed below are the top 10 performances for fantasy football players to be aware of from week one.
Steve Smith, WR, Carolina Panthers Steve Smith finally had a quarterback that could get him the ball again and responded with the best fantasy week of all players in week one. He had 8 receptions for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns in week one. If Cam Newton can continue to play as well as he did in week one, Smith will have a huge fantasy season.
Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers Newton had a fantastic first game throwing for 422 yards and three touchdowns and running for another touchdown. Newton looked fantastic but it will remain to be seen if he can put up similar numbers against better defenses than the Arizona Cardinals.
Mike Tolbert, RB, San Diego Chargers Tolbert accounted for 3 total touchdowns in the Chargers week one win. He had 35 yards on the ground to go with 58 yards receiving. Tolbert scored many of his fantasy points with the TD’s though and go most the goal line work over Ryan Matthews.
Kenny Britt, WR, Tennessee Titans Britt’s stats are skewed on a broken play that resulted in an 80 yard touchdown reception. Britt finished the day with 5 catches for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Buffalo Bills Fitzpatrick led the Bills to a stunning 41-7 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in week one. He put up 208 yards and 4 touchdowns and looked very good in the first game of the season.
Lesean McCoy, RB, Philadelphia Eagles McCoy was a first round pick in many fantasy draft but he lived up to it on Sunday in the first game. McCoy had a rushing and receiving touchdown and 115 yards on the ground in week one.
Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore Ravens Another common first round selection, Rice and the Ravens destroyed the Steelers on Sunday. Rice had 107 yards rushing, 42 yards receiving, and two touchdowns total.
Cedric Benson, RB, Cincinnati Bengals Benson secured a lot of his yards in garbage time for the Bengals but it all counts the same in fantasy football. Benson had 25 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown in week one against a respectable Cleveland defense.
Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Wayne makes the list because he proved that he can still be relevant with Kerry Collins at quarterback. Wayne had seven catches for 106 yards and a touchdown in the Colts blowout loss against the Texans.
49ers Defense/Special Teams
The 49ers defense makes the list with one of the highest week one fantasy points largely due to Ted Ginn Jr. and his two 4th quarter touchdowns in the return game. Ginn returned a punt and kickoff while the 49ers also played a strong game against the Seahawks for all four quarters.
Sources:
ESPN Fantasy Football Leaders