The Weekly Angle || Week 1

The first weekend of NFL football is in the books. It was an incredible week one of football. In fact, it was the highest scoring week one since before the NFL & AFL merger! Let’s get into some important takeaways from each game:

Main Takeaways from Every Game

Seahawks vs. Patriots WNF - 13-10 Seahawks Victory

• Drake Maye struggled mightily throwing the ball downfield against the elite defense of the Seahawks. AJ Brown also went down, and is slated to miss some time.
• Drew Lock was a reliable backup after the Sam Darnold injury. Darnold should return at some point this season and the Seahawks should continue to be a Super Bowl favorite in 2026.

49ers vs. Rams TNF - 27-7 49ers Victory

• The Rams looked atrocious. Stafford was bad and the elite defense everyone was projecting did not show up. With the injury and IR designation for Myles Garrett, I’m putting the Rams pretty high on the panic meter for 2026.
• Brock Purdy was efficient, completing 25/34 passes for 205 yards and 3 TDs. Mike Evans had a solid debut, hauling in 6 catches for 49 yards and a TD. Deebo Samuel had similar numbers, bringing in 6 catches for 48 yards and a TD.

Bears vs. Panthers - 59-37 Bears Victory

• The Bears offense was humming thanks to an electric running game led by D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. On the other side of the ball, the Bears defense allowed 37 points to a Panthers team that I am still pretty low on. Could the Bears be this year's Cowboys/Bengals from last year: a team featuring an elite offense on one side of the ball, and a porous defense on the other? Caleb Williams was electric, but the three main pass catchers that were all hyped up this offseason disappointed. It seems like we are going to be in a situation where only one or two are fantasy relevant on a weekly basis.
• Jalen Coker had a breakout performance, leading the way for the Panthers with 138 yards and 2 TDs. Chuba Hubbard led the RB room and saw more opportunities than Jonathon Brooks (13-6), while also scoring twice.

Bengals vs. Buccaneers - 33-27 Bengals Victory

• The Bengals defense seems to be massively improved from last year. They forced four turnovers, had four sacks, and scored a TD. 
• All the pass catchers in this game outside of Mike Gesicki were disappointing, but Bucky Irving and Chase Brown were highly valuable for fantasy. Bucky Irving has seemingly returned to his relevance and dominance from his outstanding 2024 season.

Lions vs. Saints - 31-30 Lions Victory

• All the studs in this game showed out. Jahmyr Gibbs immediately showed why he deserved the 1.01 pick in drafts 
• Tyler Shough put on an incredible second half display to get the Saints back into the game.

Bills vs. Texans - 36-31 Bills Victory

• A game that was supposed to be a defensive battle turned into a legacy game for Josh Allen. The Texans defense is still elite, but the Bills offense is shaping up to be one of the best in the league once again, especially with the addition of a true number one WR in DJ Moore. Also, the Dalton Kincaid breakout seems to finally be happening.
• David Montgomery showed out in his debut, finding the endzone three times and getting the bulk of the RB work. Nico led the way in the receiving room with 7 catches for 75 yards and a TD.

Ravens vs. Colts - 41-23 Ravens Victory

• Oh my goodness. This new Ravens offense is legit. Lamar Jackson looked MYP level, Zay Flowers was incredible (please be okay), and Derrick Henry was Derrick Henry.
• Jonathan Taylor showcased yet again that he is still one of the top backs in fantasy, scoring twice and racking up 98 yards.

Jaguars vs. Browns - 34-10 Jaguars Victory

• Parker Washington season is officially here. He’s the clear WR1 in the offense and should be a weekly start and potential league winner. Trevor Lawrence was incredible and highly efficient. 
• Deshaun Watson may be the worst starting QB in NFL history.

Steelers vs. Falcons - 20-13 Steelers Victory

• It doesn’t matter how bad the team or QB play is, Bijan Robinson is a threat to be the RB1 any given week. 
• The Steelers offense is still very gross, but the involvement of Jaylen Warren in the passing game gets me excited about his fantasy relevance season long.

Jets vs. Titans - 23-10 Jets Victory

• Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson both were the primary means of offense for the Jets and rookie Kenyon Sadiq showed some promise for a path to fantasy relevance this season. 
• The Titans are horrible and have no one who should be a locked in weekly fantasy starter.

Vikings vs. Packers - 39-22 Vikings Victory

• The Vikings won this game while allowing Jordan Love to pass for 387 yards and two TDs. It was very close until the final 5 minutes when the Vikings defense just absolutely ran away with it. Justin Jefferson looked like his old self, scoring twice on 8 reception. Kyler Murray also left with a concussion early on, and was replaced by Carson Wentz for essentially the whole game.
• The rumors of the Packers being more pass heavy with no Josh Jacobs were completely true. Christian Watson was incredible and second year WR Matthew Golden led the team in targets with 12. Justin Jefferson was dominant.

Raiders vs. Dolphins - 27-13 Raiders Victory

• Didn’t Ashton Jeanty have an ankle injury? Apparently Jeanty missed this news because he DOMINATED the Dolphins, racking up 147 yards and 2 TDs on 29 touches. We could be in for an insane season from Jeanty. TE Michael Mayer saw the most targets on the team, but all were incredibly low quality and short yardage. 
• The Dolphins only scored one touchdown against a bad Raiders defense (a 14 yard rush by Malik Willis). It may be time to start worrying about Devon Achane’s season-long outlook.

Eagles vs. Commanders - 24-22 Eagles Victory

• While this was a hard game to watch with two very lethargic offenses, it still provided plenty of respectable fantasy performances. Most of the fantasy success for the Commanders came in the fourth quarter as they clawed back to make it a competitive game. 
• Dallas Goedert put on a notable fantasy performance, hauling in 4 catches for 77 yards and 2 TDs, showcase that he is still a viable tight end option, and a solid number two receiving option for the Eagles.

Cardinals vs. Chargers - 26-14 Cardinals Victory

• The biggest upset of week one. The Cardinals were 9.5 point underdogs entering the game and they showed that their offense is going to look almost identical to last year. Also worth noting: Rookie Jeremiyah Love found the endzone for his first career TD. He had a solid debut, though he was out-touched by Tyler Allgeier.
• The Chargers were flat out bad. Justin Herbert and the entire offense other than Ladd McConkey fell flat. I’m not willing to sound the panic alarm on the Chargers just yet, but I’ve got my eye on them.

Giants vs. Cowboys - 28-20 Giants Victory

• All hopes of the Cowboys defense being an improved unit l were crushed immediately. I would argue that they actually looked worse. Offensively, Javonte Williams found the endzone twice, once on the ground and another through the air.  He will once again be another solid option at RB.
• The Giants put on a clinical offensive display that led to good fantasy performances from Dart, Skattebo, Nabers, and an incredible performance from new TE Isaiah Likely. I’m not willing to change my tune on the Giants as a whole just yet though, as I think the game was more of an indictment on the poor Dallas defense than the success of the Giants offense.

Chiefs vs Broncos - 31-10 Chiefs Victory

• The Chiefs showed why they paid Kenneth Walker III in the offseason and wasted no time getting him involved, feeding him 23 carries in his first game as a Chief.  He turned this into 173 yards and 1 TD. His usage will be worth monitoring as the season progresses
• The Broncos were pretty abysmal on offense, with Evan Engram being the only player to find the end zone.  Pat Bryant led the way in targets, and offseason acquisition Jaylen Waddle was held in check, catching one singular pass.  The passing attack will look to get going next week at home against the Jaguars.  

Biggest Storylines to Monitor This Week

• Brock Bowers’ Health
• Zay Flowers’ Health
• Ladd McConkey’s Health
• Bengals’ Passing Game News
• Kyler Murray’s Health

Final Thoughts

We have to remember to not take victory laps and overreact after week one. In 2025, the Patriots lost to the Raiders in week one, Keon Coleman had an incredible week one performance, and JJ McCarthy won NFC offensive player of the week. One week is not a large enough sample size to form season-long conclusions. Once we have three or four games of data, it becomes much easier to have an idea of the full picture.

Make sure you’re following me on Twitter/X @SamFFB for my thoughts on waivers and reactions to injury news!