Okay. Week 1 of the NFL is in the books. I think we can start to understand how the fantasy season will play out from this point on. Of course things will continue to change. Injuries will happen. Guys will surprise. Surprise guys will fall from grace.
But aside from that, here's how I see the rest of the season going for fantasy football's sake. Let's keep this thread going for the whole season, to document guys to watch, and guys to avoid going forward. Maybe we can help some people out.
Aside from the producing already elite guys, here are the guys I would target/be very excited about/possibly trade for, and guys I would avoid/drop/be nervous about/consider trading, by position:
RBs:
Gems --- Carlos Hyde. This guy is legit. Whether you play in standard or PPR, my guess is this guy is top 10, with top 5 upside.
Other guys to be excited about are Chris Ivory, Bishop Sankey, Danny Woodhead, Alfred Morris, and to a lesser extent Darren Sproles, just because he might be hit and miss. All of those guys look like they will perform much better than projections originally indicated, and figure to be a huge part of their offenses all season long.
Duds--- Adrian Peterson, first and foremost. This one is tricky. Taken #1 in most leagues overall, I am worried about this guy. Not because of his talent. But because of his usage. Bridgewater not under center, simply handing off the ball of AP? What? This offense looks confused on how to use this talent. If they don't revert back to a more simple offensive scheme, look for AP to suffer more weeks than not.
Other of note to be fearful of: Melvin Gordon, CJ Anderson, Andre Ellington, Frank Gore and Rashad Jennings. There are more, but those stuck out to me the most after week 1. Whether it be through nagging injuries, age, or whatever, these guys were all drafted very high (minus Jennings), and I think could possibly hurt your team for the year.
WRs:
Gems -- Brandon Marshall, Keenan Allen, DeAndre Hopkins, Jordan Matthews, and to a lesser extent James Jones. These are the non-elite WRs that could make that push into the top 10 by year's end. (minus Jones, but he could be very interesting in the touchdown department though. Plus if Adams or Cobb gets hurt, he will be even better going forward)
Also keep an eye on Kendall Wright, Stevie Johnson, Donte Montcrief, John Brown and Brandon Coleman.
Duds -- Watch out for supposed elite #1s like Odell Beckham and Calvin Johnson. They might not be so elite this year. They will certainly have their huge games. But you could be in store for quite a roller coaster season with these 2.
Others: Sammy Watkins. No catches for week 1, on only 3 targets? Not good. Also Andre Johnson. He looks old and slow.
QBs:
Gems --- Andy Dalton, Carson Palmer, Phillip Rivers, Alex Smith, and maybe even Marcus Mariotta. The first 3 could very easily end up in the top 10 by year's end. And Mariotta and Smith had a great opener. I don't see them in the top 10. But top 15 with weekly matchup upside, definitely.
Duds -- Eli Manning and Peyton Manning are basically the 2 that worries me the most. Peyton was drafted very high, but after watching game 1, I see him finishing at the bottom of the top 10. Maybe worse, and that makes him a dud. For his brother in the Metal lands, he will once again have a rollercoaster year. Relying on him week in week out will be a mistake, at least until Cruz comes back and is 100%.