If you read this piece prior to Week 1, you knew to trust Davante Adams, who led the Packers with eight targets and 59 receiving yards against Chicago, although James Jones dominated the headlines by turning two of his four grabs into touchdowns. You knew Tevin Coleman would dominate the Falcons’ backfield share, and you knew to trust Joseph Randle over Darren McFadden. On the flip side, Chip Kelly giving 16 total carries to the NFL’s third-highest-paid backfield was not foreseen, nor was Ryan Tannehill finishing outside the top-20 fantasy quarterbacks.
I don’t promise perfection, but hopefully you’ll use this piece each Thursday throughout the season to help make some of your not-so-clear roster decisions. Now, on to Week 2:
1) Is Marcus Mariota for real?
Marcus Mariota’s pro debut at quarterback was the fourth-best in NFL history in terms of fantasy points (25), as he completed 13-of-16 passes for 209 yards and four touchdowns (joining Robert Griffin III as the only rookies ever to have more touchdown passes than incompletions in a game). He did all of that in only three quarters and, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, is the only quarterback ever to toss four touchdowns in a half in his debut. What’s more, because it was a 35-7 game by halftime, Mariota needed only 16 throws and two rushes to finish third among fantasy quarterbacks in Week 1 and post a perfect 158.3 QB rating.
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