The beginning of the fantasy football season showed why that despite all the research and rhetoric, some players come in under the radar.
Here’s the top performers from Sunday who weren’t discussed at length in the offseason, but were top tier fantasy football producers in week 1.
Marcus Mariota, Tennessee, 24.96 points
With an average draft position of 161 overall and a 21.8 ADP among quarterbacks, Mariota wasn’t a hot commodity.
Most of the discussion surrounding the rookie quarterback centered on whether he could transition from a spread offense to a NFL offense.
It looks like he’s doing a good job of transitioning.
Mariota mustered 24.96 fantasy points with 209 yards passing and four touchdowns. He mixed that in with no interceptions. Among quarterbacks who played Sunday, Marioa was only outscored by one quarterback – Carson Palmer, another quarterback with little love in the offseason.
Mariota played against Tampa Bay, one of the worst defenses last season in the NFL. We’ll see how NFL defenses adjust to him. However, you can bet that if he was on the waiver wire entering week 1, he won’t be on it for week 2.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Cincinnati, 23 points
We kept our eye on Seferian-Jenkins as a steal in later rounds, but he was still available in the later rounds. For the most part, he was stuck on the waiver wire in fantasy football leagues.
His ADP of 224 ranked him as the 27th-best tight end available.
On Sunday, Seferian-Jenkins made those who either kept him on the waiver wire or didn’t start him, pay. He totaled 110 yards receiving with two touchdowns for 23 fantasy points. He outscored all tight ends who played Sunday (not quite Gronk yet), and the game occurred much like we had predicted for Jameis Winston and Seferian-Jenkins.
Winston didn’t fare well, but he used Seferian-Jenkins as a security blanket. That will likely continue for the season’s duration.
The Bucs found themselves down early and began airing out the ball, which was a good sign for Seferian-Jenkins. He’s worth a look in the fantasy football leagues based on him being a good target for Winston.
Danny Woodhead, San Diego, 18.2 points
There was just too much hype for Melvin Gordon in the offseason.
We were fearful of Gordon’s initial value based primarily on Woodhead needing touches. It’s a crowded backfield and Gordon’s ADP of 38 seemed high, especially considering there were others, like Jonathan Stewart, Ameer Abdullah, and other players who were behind him that could provide more of an impact with a less crowded backfield.
Woodhead will continue to see action, especially after Sunday’s win against the Lions. Woodhead tallied two touchdowns with 62 total yards for 18.2 fantasy points.
He even got a carry near the goalline for his second touchdown. This is a situation to keep an eye on with Gordon possibly not getting as many carries as previously believed.
Percy Harvin, Buffalo, 14.8 points
Buffalo was impressive in week 1. From the defense to the offense, the Bills dominated Indianapolis.
What also was impressive was the attention paid to Harvin’s ability to be a matchup nightmare on the offensive end.
Harvin finished with nine rush yards, 79 receiving yards and one touchown for 14.8 fantasy points.
Harvin had an ADP of 154 overall and was ranked 54th among wide receivers. He may be on more fantasy football rosters in the future, especially if head coach Rex Ryan uses him in a similar fashion as Sunday.
