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Our group of NFL Nation reporters answers fantasy football questions every Tuesday during the NFL season. Here’s what they had to say following an entertaining and surprising Week 1.
Are you more encouraged by the production or discouraged by the underwhelming target share (16%) for Gabe Davis?
Don’t put too much stock into Davis having only four receptions vs. the Rams. He is going to continue to be a valuable member of the Bills’ offense and will thus receive plenty of targets. But that doesn’t mean he will see quite the number that Stefon Diggs does over the course of the season. Going with many of the other Bills playmakers can be a bit of a roll of the dice on a weekly basis as the ball is likely to be spread around as it was against the Rams, but Davis will get his opportunities. — Alaina Getzenberg
David Montgomery held a significant snap edge, but did Kahlil Herbert earn more of a split?
Week 1 showed how different the Bears’ rushing attack can operate with Luke Getsy calling plays. Montgomery is undoubtedly Chicago’s lead rusher (team-high 17 carries vs. San Francisco), but Herbert showed he can supply the offense with a good dose of variety, rushing nine times for 45 yards (5.0 yards per attempt) and a 3-yard touchdown. This split should carry over on a more consistent basis week to week than it did last year when Herbert’s workload skyrocketed when Montgomery was sidelined by a knee injury (Week 5-8) but dwindled the rest of the season (22 total attempts Week 9-17). — Courtney Cronin
Should anything be read into the 11 targets Donovan Peoples-Jones saw (the only Browns player with 25-plus receiving yards)?
The Browns’ passing attack is not worth the fantasy investment at the moment, outside maybe wideout Amari Cooper, who remains the clear No. 1 target for QB Jacoby Brissett despite Sunday’s numbers (Cooper had only three catches for 17 yards but forced a pass interference in the end zone that led to a TD). Even with 11 targets, Peoples-Jones finished with only six receptions for 60 yards. He did have a terrific game, highlighted by multiple diving and difficult grabs. But given how limited Cleveland’s passing attack appears to be without QB Deshaun Watson, nobody outside Cooper can be counted on to deliver consistent fantasy production. — Jake Trotter
Does the Dak Prescott injury potential vault Tony Pollard into the weekly flex conversation (run heavy, more checkdowns, Ezekiel Elliott can only handle so much)?
It’s a good thought that the Cowboys would lean more into the run with Dak Prescott out, but I don’t know how much it impacts Pollard that much. It could impact Elliott more. An argument can be made that he should have gotten more work vs. Tampa Bay than he did. Until Pollard improves as a pass protector, then the Cowboys will always be concerned about giving him an even larger role. Now, with the state of the receiver corps and the willingness to use Elliott and Pollard on the field together more, there’s always a chance Pollard will break a long run or catch. — Todd Archer
Did you see enough from James Robinson to label him the lead of a potential committee?
Absolutely. I wasn’t expecting much out of Robinson after he spent nearly all of camp and the preseason doing only individual work because of his conditioning. What kind of shape would he be in? Turns out he was fine: He scored twice on 12 touches and averaged 6.0 yards per carry. Travis Etienne had four carries and two catches, and while I expect him to get more work, Robinson is going to be the lead back. — Michael DiRocco
The Davante Adams/Derek Carr narrative seems to be accurate. Do you think Hunter Renfrow continues to be the odd man out?
In a word, yes. Renfrow might be coming off a sublime 103-catch season, but the proof was in the target distribution in the season opener, when Adams’ 17 targets were 48.6% of the targets available from QB Derek Carr. And sure, Renfrow and TE Darren Waller had six targets apiece, but Waller went for 79 yards while Renfrow was not targeted until late in the third quarter and had just 21 yards. Carr, no doubt, has a preternatural trust with Renfrow, especially on third down (they did have a clean fourth-down conversion against the Chargers). But such a connection is stronger with Adams … for now. — Paul Gutierrez
How much should fantasy managers read into dud performances by Cam Akers and Allen Robinson on Thursday Night?
It’s hard not to be concerned about Akers’ performance, when Rams coach Sean McVay says he wants to see “an increased level of urgency” from the running back. But in that same news conference, McVay said he’s “confident” Akers will “be that guy that we’ve all seen at the right moments,” so don’t write him off just yet. Complicating the Rams’ running back situation is that rookie Kyren Williams left the season opener because of a high ankle sprain and will be out for six to eight weeks, so Los Angeles doesn’t have many options behind Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr. McVay also said he wants to get Robinson “more opportunities” going forward. I’d be less concerned about his role, especially because most of the Rams’ offense struggled against an excellent Bills defense on Thursday night. — Sarah Barshop
Tyreek Hill dominated the target share: Is it a one-week aberration or something we should expect to sustain?
Mike McDaniel said after the game that he would have expected Jaylen Waddle to be more involved in the passing game beyond his four catches on five targets. That being said, Hill’s usage completely aligns with what we’ve seen from Miami’s offense all summer — a willingness to funnel things through Hill. There might be times where one dominates the target share over the other, but this offense is predicated on creating space after the catch, meaning even on a handful of targets, these dynamic receivers could still be impactful. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
Is Taysom Hill going to be a thing on a weekly basis? Five touches isn’t a ton, but enough to be a viable fantasy TE!
Hill was able to accomplish a ton in just 17 snaps, and while that was third among the TEs, he essentially put the offense on his back in the first quarter. Hill showed he was something special several years ago in his “do-everything” role, so it would be surprising if the Saints don’t continue to go to him repeatedly as he evolves as a tight end. — Katherine Terrell
It’s just one game, but can we count on “elite” Saquon Barkley being back?
If Barkley is healthy — and every indication from watching Week 1 says he’s just that — he is elite. When he is on the field with the type of explosion, speed and confidence we saw while compiling 194 total yards in Tennessee, you want him on your fantasy team, no matter the matchup. He’s a top-five fantasy running back with his talent and an incredible workload. Barkley played 83% of the Giants’ offensive snaps and was their leading receiver with six catches and seven targets. Just pray he stays healthy. — Jordan Raanan
Do you think the creative usage of Chase Claypool is here to stay?
Yes. Creative usage is a hallmark of Matt Canada’s offense and with rookie Calvin Austin III starting out the year on IR, Claypool is the best fit to run end arounds and jet sweeps. The Steelers’ offense struggled to sustain drives and move the ball, but it was most successful when Claypool had the ball in his hands. It might not happen at that volume every week, but the those concepts are classic Canada, and he’ll continue to use them — and Claypool. — Brooke Pryor
Antonio Gibson led the Commanders in rushing and receiving yards. He almost lost his job this summer: Should we feel good about him hanging on to this role or potentially look to move him after the strong season debut?
There’s no doubt Gibson will continue to have a key role with this offense, though the carries likely will diminish when Brian Robinson returns. However, even after it became clear Robinson had taken over as the primary ball carrier, the Commanders still planned to showcase Gibson in the passing game out of the backfield. They love getting him the ball in space. The hard part with this offense will be knowing who from week to week will have big games as Washington features more playmakers than in the past. But Gibson will continue to get touches. — John Keim
Source: www.espn.com