Fantasy Stat Pack: Week One

Ryan McDowell Posted On September 11, 2019

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably noticed a series of tweets I share on a weekly basis regarding player and team defensive performances, all from a fantasy lens. I’m going to be sharing some of that same information with you here.

I use this each week as I am making my own lineup and waiver wire decisions and thought you might find this valuable as well.

Note: The scoring system used for this data is always PPR with four points for passing touchdowns.

All year to date fantasy ranks are based on total points.

This article will become even more valuable as trends are established over the course of the season. Until then, we’ll focus more on the individual player performances instead of the limited data we have.

Quarterbacks

Week One QB1s (Top-12 Scorers)

QB1 Lamar Jackson, BAL
QB2 Dak Prescott, DAL
QB3 Deshaun Watson, HOU
QB4 Matthew Stafford, DET
QB5 Patrick Mahomes, KC
QB6 Case Keenum, WAS
QB7 Tom Brady, NE
QB8 Carson Wentz, PHI
QB9 Marcus Mariota, TEN
QB10 Philip Rivers, LAC
QB11 Kyler Murray, ARI
QB12 Drew Brees, NO

After an impressive end to his rookie season, many fantasy players had high hopes for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson but no one expected this.

Jackson tossed five touchdowns in a dominating victory over the Dolphins and finished as the overall QB1 for the first time. Another athletic signal caller, rookie Kyler Murray, also cracked the top-12. Murray and the Cardinals offense started slowly before making a huge comeback and settling for a tie.

A pair of veterans also made surprising appearances in the QB1 list. Matthew Stafford’s QB4 finish is already better than any performance from 2018, while Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota finished as the QB9 despite Tennessee’s commitment to becoming a run-heavy offense.

Most QB1 Games Allowed

1 MIA, NYG, NO, ARI, JAX, PHI, PIT, WAS, CLE, IND, DET, HOU

Obviously, this data gives us a 12-way tie among the teams surrendering QB1 games in the season-opener, but let’s dive a little deeper. The teams are listed in order of fantasy points allowed to the starting quarterbacks and it is no surprise that the tanking Dolphins were the worst of the worst. They face the Patriots and future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady next. I expect each week we’ll be targeting the Phins foes in hopes of taking advantage of what looks like a historically bad all-around team.

After trucking Miami for a QB1 finish, Jackson will face off with the rookie Murray and the Cardinals, who allowed the overall QB4 game in the opener.

Running Backs

Week One RB1s (Top-12 Scorers)

RB1 Christian McCaffrey, CAR
RB2 Austin Ekeler, LAC
RB3 Derrick Henry, TEN
RB4 Dalvin Cook, MIN
RB5 David Johnson, ARI
RB6 Marlon Mack, IND
RB7 Josh Jacobs, OAK
RB8 Chris Carson, SEA
RB9 Alvin Kamara, NO
RB10 Le’Veon Bell, NYJ
RB11 Mark Ingram, BAL
RB12 Damien Williams, KC

If you’ve got Melvin Gordon holding down a roster spot on your dynasty team, I hope you at least nabbed his backup Austin Ekeler, who finished as the RB2 on the week, scoring a trio of touchdowns. Ekeler is no fluke or just a fill in; he also finished as the overall RB25 last season and can continue to produce if and when Gordon ends his holdout. In fact, Ekeler’s impressive play might factor into Gordon waving the white flag.

Josh Jacobs was the top running back drafted in the NFL Draft and he showed why, scoring twice and serving as the focal point of the Raiders offense. Considering he was also involved in the passing game, Jacobs looks like a plug-and-play fantasy option from the jump.

A pair of high-profile backs changed teams over the off-season and both cracked the top-12. New Jets back Le’Veon Bell sat out last season and carried the load week one. He’ll clearly be the center of that Jets offense this season. Mark Ingram left the fantasy feast of the Saints to become the Ravens’ starting back, finding the end zone twice and giving him an RB11 finish for the week.

Most RB1 Games Allowed

1 LAR, IND, CLE, ATL, DET, LAC, DEN, CIN, HOU, BUF, MIA, JAX

While the Rams gave up the overall RB1 game, that might have more to do with Christian McCaffrey than their own defense. The Rams have another difficult matchup week two, facing Alvin Kamara and the Saints. Derrick Henry posted an overall RB3 game against the Browns and now faces the Colts, who allowed the RB2 game to Austin Ekeler. Meanwhile, the Browns must find a way to stop Le’Veon Bell on Monday Night Football.

While they don’t show up on this list, the Cowboys and Steelers both gave up multiple top-24 running back performances. This week, Dallas visits Washington, who will be without Derrius Guice, while the Steelers look to bounce back against Seattle. This could be another big game for Chris Carson.

Wide Receivers

Week One WR1s (Top-12 Scorers)

WR1 Sammy Watkins, KC
WR2 DeSean Jackson, PHI
WR3 John Ross, CIN
WR4 DeAndre Hopkins, HOU
WR5 Marquise Brown, BAL
WR6 TY Hilton, IND
WR7 Keenan Allen, LAC
WR7 Phillip Dorsett, NE
WR9 Larry Fitzgerald, ARI
WR10 John Brown, BUF
WR11 DJ Chark, JAX
WR12 Jamison Crowder, NYJ

Week One always brings surprising performances but this is a whole new level. Sammy Watkins took advantage of the injury to teammate Tyreek Hill, and he should continue to do so over the next several weeks, assuming he can stay healthy himself. Veteran DeSean Jackson is back with the Eagles and looked as fast as ever in a revenge game against the Redskins. We’ve been waiting over two years for a John Ross breakout and it finally happened last week. Now, dynasty players have to decide if this is a sign of things to come.

You might notice a pattern here. The majority of these top-12 wideouts are known as small, speedy receivers. Along with Watkins, Jackson and Ross, rookie Marquise Brown, TY Hilton, John Brown and DJ Chark all have games based on speed. Coincidence or a sign of things to come? This is one trend I’ll be watching closely.

Most WR1 Games Allowed

1 JAX, WAS, SEA, NO, MIA, LAC, IND, PIT, DET, NYJ, KC, BUF

Five teams gave up a pair of top-24 wide receiver performances last week. Those included Houston, Kansas City, New York Giants, Oakland and Washington. The Jaguars face AFC South foe Houston, while the Chiefs and Raiders match up against each other. The Giants host the Bills and Washington will have their hands full with Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and the Cowboys.

Tight Ends

Week One TE1s (Top-12 Scorers)

TE1 Evan Engram, NYG
TE2 TJ Hockenson, DET
TE3 Mark Andrews, BAL
TE4 Delanie Walker, TEN
TE5 Austin Hooper, ATL
TE6 Vernon Davis, WAS
TE7 Darren Waller, OAK
TE8 David Njoku, CLE
TE9 George Kittle, SF
TE10 Blake Jarwin, DAL
TE11 Tyler Higbee, LAR
TE12 Jimmy Graham, GB

With wide receiver Odell Beckham gone, many expected tight end Evan Engram to emerge as the Giants top option. That’s just what happened last week as Engram caught eleven passes on his way to a TE1 performance. Rookie tight ends are traditionally slow starters but Lions TJ Hockenson might be the exception. Nearly everyone was projecting a breakout season for Ravens second-year man Mark Andrews and he started that strongly with a TE3 week. It is also notable that Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz did not make this list.

Most TE1 Games Allowed

1 DAL, ARI, MIA, CLE, MIN, PHI, DEN, TEN, TB, NYG, CAR, CHI

Engram stung the Cowboys and this week Dallas faces the Redskins. It is undecided if we’ll see Jordan Reed or veteran Vernon Davis. The Cardinals and Browns struggle every season when facing tight ends and they both show up high on this list. Andrews will match up against Arizona this week, while Cleveland might be able to relax a bit against the Chris Herndon-less Jets.

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Ryan McDowell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

In addition to his senior leadership role here at DLF, Ryan is also a husband, father of three and PE teacher. Ryan is the commissioner of multiple dynasty leagues, most notably the Kitchen Sink Dynasty Leagues. Here at DLF, Ryan’s focus is on identifying, monitoring and analyzing player value.