NFL Scores Week 1: Results and Top Fantasy Football Stars for Opening Games
After a riveting Thursday night season opener between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys that featured yet another legendary last-minute drive by Tom Brady, the NFL's Week 1 early Sunday slate didn't quite bring the same heat. Only three of the nine games were decided by fewer than seven points.
As a result, the eye-popping fantasy performances were few and far between, though a couple of players put up surprising numbers that are sure to make their fantasy managers happy.
The second window provided some drama, with Kansas City staging a second-half comeback to edge Cleveland 33-29 and Miami holding off Mac Jones and New England 17-16, but what was expected to be the best game of the afternoon turned out to be a dud—at least if you were looking for a competitive game. New Orleans, in its first game in the post-Drew Brees era, waxed Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay 38-3 in a game that was never close.
Despite the relative lack of excitement, though, there were a handful of dominant fantasy performances from the players you'd expect and some surprise stars alike.
Week 1 NFL Results
Seattle 28, Indianapolis 16
Philadelphia 32, Atlanta 6
Los Angeles Chargers 20, Washington Football Team 16
Carolina 19, New York Jets 14
Arizona 38, Tennessee 13
Pittsburgh 23, Buffalo 16
Cincinnati 27, Minnesota 24 (OT)
Houston 37, Jacksonville 21
San Francisco 41, Detroit 33
Kansas City 33, Cleveland 29
Miami 17, New England 16
Denver 27, New York Giants 13
New Orleans 38, Green Bay 3
Los Angeles Rams 34, Chicago 14
Jared Goff, QB, Detroit
In his first game as Detroit’s starting signal-caller, Jared Goff did everything he could to keep the Lions in it against a very hot San Francisco offense. He completed 38 of 57 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns, though he did throw a costly interception.
ESPN PPR fantasy points: 28.9
Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia
After being named the starter late last season in Philadelphia, a lot of questions swirled around Jalen Hurts and his ability to lead the Eagles’ offense. For one week at least, he answered those questions with a resounding yes. In addition to 264 passing yards and three touchdowns, Hurts added seven carries for 62 yards, highlighting his dual-threat ability that makes him so dangerous as a streaming option.
ESPN PPR fantasy points: 28.7
Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina
Arguably the most dynamic player in the league, McCaffrey was a sight for sore eyes in Carolina after missing nearly all of last season due to injuries. It’s safe to say he’s back to pre-injury form, though, as he did a little bit of everything in Carolina’s 19-14 win over the New York Jets. He carried the ball 21 times for 98 yards and added nine catches on nine targets for 89 more yards, yet he surprisingly didn’t get into the endzone despite 30 total touches. Still, he led all running backs in the early window with 27.7 points.
ESPN PPR fantasy points: 27.7
D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams, RBs, Detroit
Even in today's NFL where a single workhorse back has gone out of style, it's not that common to see two running backs on the same team produce what Williams and Swift did against the 49ers.
Williams, who played a backup role in Green Bay behind Aaron Jones last season, accounted for 110 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. And he was particularly good in points-per-reception leagues, as eight of those touches came in the passing game. Swift caught eight passes for 65 yards and added 39 yards on the ground.
Considering the 49ers were a top-five defense in yards allowed last season and Detroit hung 41 points and 430 yards on them, the duo of Williams and Swift, as well as Goff, could be interesting options on the waiver wire.
ESPN PPR fantasy points: Williams (25.0), Swift (24.4)
Jameis Winston, QB, New Orleans
Following a future first-ballot Hall of Famer like Brees is a gargantuan task, but Winston managed New Orleans offense perfectly, and he did it all without star wide receiver Michael Thomas.
His passing yardage numbers (148 yards) aren't anything to write home about, but he threw an astounding five touchdowns and also added a respectable 37 rushing yards. Four different Saints caught touchdowns from Winston, who has a chance to be a solid streaming option this season, especially once Thomas returns from offseason ankle surgery recovery.
ESPN PPR fantasy points: 29.6
Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City
There has been no better fantasy receiver to have on your team over the past couple of years than Tyreek Hill, and it doesn't seem that is changing anytime soon.
Despite getting a heavy dose of double and bracket coverage by the Browns, Hill managed to catch 11 of 15 targets for 197 yards and a touchdown, which went for 75 yards on a pass from Patrick Mahomes on the first play of the drive. As long as Mahomes is the Chiefs signal-caller and teams can't completely key on Hill because of Kansas City's other weapons, he's going to be a fantasy star.
ESPN PPR fantasy points: 37.1