NFL Week 1: Early game fantasy football leaders
NFL Week 1 is off to a strong start after seven games in the early window this Sunday afternoon. The start of the season means the return of fantasy football which gives owners plenty to watch every Sunday. Check out the fantasy football leaders below to see who went off for big games from the seven early games in week 1.
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The seven games definitely didn’t go according to script, and there were some big surprises in the early games including the Bills dismantling the Colts who were seen by some as a Super Bowl favorite. The Browns were forced to go to Johnny Manziel after an early injury to Josh McCown, and Manziel struggled in the Browns loss in New York. The Sehawks and Dolphins came back and won on the road while the Packers piled on their division rivals by beating the Bears in Chicago.
With all the drama and excitement, it would be easy to miss some key performances. In case you missed any of these performances Here are the fantasy football leaders from the early games with all points references to ESPN standard scoring.
DeAndre Hopkins-Houston Texans
The Texans fell behind Kansas City early, changed quarterbacks, and fell to 0-1 with a 27-20 loss at home. None of that slowed down DeAndre Hopkins, though, who caught nine passes for 98 yards and a pair of touchdowns, one from Brian Hoyer and one from Ryan Mallet. Hopkins also added a two-point conversion catch which moved him ahead of Travis Kelce for the top-scoring pass-catcher early on Sunday.
Alex Smith-QB-Kansas City Chiefs
In the Chiefs romp over the Texans, Alex Smith started out the new season with a boom throwing three touchdowns in the first half. Smith and the Chiefs cruised in the second half finishing with 243 yards passing to go with his three scores. Smith also added 16 yards on his eight carries.
Aaron Rodgers-QB-Green Bay Packers
While Smith did most of his work early, Aaron Rodgers came on late and matched Smith’s three touchdowns. Rodgers finished with 189 yards on 18/23 passing while adding 35 yards on the ground.
Matt Forte-RB-Chicago Bears
Even though the Bears couldn’t take down the Packers, Forte had a monster game against Green Bay to start his season. He ran for 141 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries and added 25 yards on five catches out of the backfield
Travis Kelce-TE-Kansas City Chiefs
Kelce had a big week 1 and looks ready to deliver on the breakout potential he flashed last season. Kelce caught two of Smith’s three touchdown passes and finished with 106 yards on six catches on his six targets.
Panthers D/ST
Contrary to some people’s opinion, the Jaguars still looked like the Jaguars in week one as they were smacked around by the Panthers 20-9. Carolina not only held the Jags to single-digits, they also scored a touchdown on a interception return which was one of their three forced turnovers. Carolina finished with five sacks as well.
Chris Ivory-RB-New York Jets
The only running back with multiple touchdowns in the early game was Chris Ivory of the Jets who helped New York dispatch the Browns 31-10. Ivory finished with 91 yards to go with his two scores on his 20 carries.
James Jones-WR-Green Bay Packers
Jones returned to the Packers passing attack with a strong performance against the Bears. Jones hauled in all four of his targets for 51 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Green Bay’s win in Chicago. Jones will definitely be a popular option on waiver wires this week.
Jamaal Charles-RB-Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs were a fantasy football factory and of course Jamaal Charles wasn’t going to be left out of the action. Charles only ended up with 57 yards on his 16 carries but added 46 more yards and a touchdown on his five catches. Even though his rushing totals weren’t eye-popping, he still finished over 100 all-purpose yards.