NFL Notebook, Week 1: Fantasy Football stock up, stock down

Whose fantasy football stock is rising and whose is falling after NFL Week 1?

Week 1 in the NFL is almost in the books to kick off the 2020 season and you’re now at the point where you’re either celebrating a win or lamenting a loss in the season-opener of your fantasy football league.

As refreshing as it was to finally have a live fantasy football team to worry about, there were some interesting developments in Sunday’s main slate of games and not all of them necessarily were good things.

While it’s important not to jump to conclusions based on one day of football, these are some guys who are worth monitoring in the coming weeks.

Fantasy Football Stock Up after NFL Week 1

J.K. Dobbins, RB, BAL

After rushing for 1,018 years last season, Mark Ingram saw 21 carries in the Ravens’ blowout victory over the Browns. Second-round rookie JK Dobbins saw 23. That’s massive for anyone who spent a 7th- or 8th-round pick on Dobbins. On top of that, Dobbins capitalized on his red zone opportunities by scoring twice.

As I said in my last-minute fantasy football advice last week, Dobbins can be a top-10 fantasy running back if given the opportunity. Keep an eye on how Baltimore continues to use Dobbins.

Josh Jacobs, RB, LV

Josh Jacobs’ one knock in fantasy drafts was his lack of usage in the Raiders’ passing game. Four receptions on five targets aren’t great but it’s a vast improvement from last season. Besides, as long as he matches his performance from this week — 25 carries, 93 yards, three touchdowns — he should be a top fantasy running back.

Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND

The injury to Marlon Mack certainly helps rookie Jonathan Taylor’s fantasy potential, but I’m more interested in Taylor’s usage overall. Yes, Nyheim Hines’ two touchdowns were devastating for Taylor’s fantasy owners. However, no one expected Taylor to get a full workload right away.

That could be coming, though, thanks to six receptions on six targets. That was a bit surprising, especially with Hines on the roster. Like with Dobbins, fantasy owners should be drooling over Taylor’s upside.

Fantasy Football Stock Down after NFL Week 1

Austin Ekeler, RB, LAC

This one isn’t as alarming as some of the other players on here, but Austin Ekeler thrived off of receptions in 2019. He had one reception in his first game in 2020. To add insult to injury, he had one touchdown off of 12 carries. Ekeler had 19 carries, so his job is definitely safe for now. But it is concerning how Ekeler was used in such a close game. Keep an eye on this moving forward.

Nick Chubb, RB, CLE

The concern I expressed in last week was Nick Chubb’s lack of involvement in the passing game. That came to fruition against Baltimore when Kareem Hunt got more carries and more targets. Hunt more than doubled Chubb’s fantasy points, too.

One game doesn’t define a team or its players, though it was eye-opening how much Cleveland favored Hunt — who they recently extended — over Chubb.

Leonard Fournette, RB, TB

Getting cut from what was viewed as the worst team in football was already enough to bump Fournette’s stock. Of course, expectations were low for Fournette’s first game with his new team. After all, he had one week to pick up an entirely new playbook. However, it looks like it will take a bit longer for Fournette to make an impact in Tampa Bay.

His Buccaneers debut saw him get five yards on five carries, and his lone reception went for 14 yards. Ronald Jones is clearly the back to own in this offense, which renders Fournette fantasy irrelevant for the time being.