CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 4: Dez Bryant #88 of the Dallas Cowboys points to the fans during the third quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 4, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The Cowboys defeated the Bears 41-28. (Photo by Brian D. Kersey/Getty Images)
Let's take a look at five of the biggest fantasy football takeaways from Week 1 of the NFL season.
Dez, DeSean and Ellington out
The big news from Week 1, as per usual, are the injuries that are going to shake up your league
Let's start with Cowboys WR Dez Bryant, who injured his foot and reportedly has a Jones fracture, according to the Dallas Morning News. We'll have more information on Bryant's injury later in the week, but 4-to-6 weeks is probably overly optimistic for that type of injury.
Bryant is worth holding on to in hopes he can help you down the stretch run, of course, but owners everywhere are going to be scrambling to pick up his replacements in the Cowboys' offense. Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley will be top waiver wire pickups, and Jason Witten's stock just jumped right back up with Tony Romo needing receivers he can trust.
Joseph Randle, who received 16 carries to Darren McFadden's 6, receives a nice bump as the Cowboys are going to lean on the run and get their backs more involved in the passing game, as evidenced by third-string back Lance Dunbar's eight receptions, most of which came with Bryant out of the game.
Redskins WR DeSean Jackson was probably going to be the biggest beneficiary of Kirk Cousins getting the starting nod, but that's on hold with Jackson sidelined 3-4 weeks with a hamstring injury. Pierre Garcon now becomes a rock solid WR2, and if Jordan Reed is available in your league, run to grab him immediately. Andre Roberts should step into DeSean Jackson's role, but is only a deep league flier.
Cardinals RB Andre Ellington is out 2-3 weeks with a PCL sprain, and Bruce Arians told the Arizona Republic that he feels confident if Chris Johnson is the lead dog.
It's hard to get too excited about Chris Johnson at this point, but it sounds like the opportunity is his. Rookie back David Johnson should also mix in, as he took is only touch to the house with a 55-yard touchdown against the Saints. David Johnson is almost certainly the superior runner at this point, but Chris Johnson will get the first crack at the job. With Ellington projected back soon, CJ is the free agent to target if you're in need of help at running back. Just set your expectations relatively low.
Clarified committees
We already discussed Randle functioning as the lead back for Dallas, but what about the other committees around the league?
In San Diego, Melvin Gordon (14 carries) received more handoffs than Danny Woodhead (12), but Woodhead got the majority of red zone work and scored twice. There's room for Gordon and Woodhead to both be valuable fantasy contributors, just as Ryan Mathews and Woodhead were in the 2012-13 season. Now is a good time to buy low on Gordon.
In Detroit, Ameer Abdullah (7) toted it one more time than Joique Bell, and looked absolutely electric doing it. He scored a touchdown on the first carry of his career, freezing Eric Weddle with an ankle-breaking juke on the way to the endzone. Abdullah was also heavily involved in the passing game (4-44) and had a nice kick return, as well. His talent jumps off the screen, and it seems like the Lions know what they're working with. Bell is trending down, Abdullah is trending way up.
In Tennessee, Bishop Sankey (12) worked as the lightning to Terrance West's thunder (13), with West stealing a goalline attempt from Sankey. It's worth noting the Titans gave Sankey another goalline chance which he converted later in the game, so this one is going to be a little tougher to predict. West is worth a pickup in standard leagues in hopes he gets more cracks at goalline work. Sankey is still a fine Flex option.
Jeremy Hill (19) is the lead back for the Bengals, but Giovanni Bernard still has value in PPR leagues (8) thanks to his receiving ability (6 receptions). Hill may disappoint a bit in PPR leagues given his early second-round draft spot. Bernard is getting all the designed passing plays and third down work.
Denver's running back situation may be more of a committee than originally anticipated. C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman both received 12 carries a piece, and Hillman outplayed Anderson, who was a little nicked up with a toe injury. If Hillman is available in your league, go get him. I've never been high on Anderson, but wait until a good game to sell, if you're so inclined.
A new generation of tight ends
The tight end position looked like a bit of a mess after Rob Gronkowski went off draft boards this year, but Week 1 was certainly promising for the future.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce was a monster (6-106-2), Tyler Eifert lived up to his preseason hype (9-104-2) and Redskins TE Jordan Reed had a nice outing (7-63-1) as well. With Austin Sefarian-Jenkins catching two touchdowns and Dolphins TE Jordan Cameron earning Ryan Tannehill's trust, the tight end position may actually be in pretty good shape after all.
New game in Denver
Peyton Manning looked awful in Week 1, as he routinely missed open receivers and was short on an alarming number of throws. 24-for-40 with 175 yards and an INT isn't what we're used to seeing from Manning, and it's clear that Denver is going to have to lean on their defense and run game much more than in the past.
Manning deserves the benefit of the doubt, but he was similarly bad to end last year as well. Some of the upside for Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders could be capped by Manning this season, but they'll still get theirs, whether it be through WR screens or short routes over the middle. The caution flag is firmly raised here, though.
Hot waiver wire
My top waiver wire additions, in order, by position:
QB: Tyrod Taylor, Marcus Mariota, Alex Smith
RB: Chris Johnson, Dion Lewis, David Johnson, Karlos Williams, Buck Allen, Terrance West
WR: Terrance Williams, James Jones, Cole Beasley, Tyler Lockett
TE: Eric Ebron, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins
D/ST: CAR D, TEN D
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