NFL Fantasy Football: Studs and duds from Week 1 of the 2024 season
Fantasy football is officially back, and after Week 1, let's cover some fantasy football studs and duds as we now turn our attention to Week 2. Using the the NFL's own fantasy website, we have our fantasy football studs and duds for Week 1!
Week 2 begins tomorrow when the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins get us started. There were a ton of great fantasy performances in Week 1. Some helped you win your first matchup, and others just totally screwed you over.
Let's dive into some fantasy football studs and duds for Week 1.
NFL Fantasy Football: Studs and duds from Week 1 of the 2024 season
Stud: Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (33.2 points)
In his debut for the Philadelphia Eagles, Saquon Barkley had fantasy managers across the NFL rejoicing. Barkley had 33.2 points in Week 1, which was led by 109 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and another receiving touchdown.
Many have said that Barkley will perform a lot better in Philly than he did with the New York Giants, as the Giants offensive lines during his time in New York were consistently among the worst in football. If you started Barkley in Week 1, he was probably your winning piece.
Stud: Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (29.66 points)
Did anyone see this coming? Baker Mayfield has now thrown 32 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions in the regular season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He tossed four of them on Sunday against the rebuilding Washington Commanders, scoring 29.66 fantasy points, which was good for the QB2 spot in Week 1.
Mayfield isn't going to give you multiple touchdown passes each week, and he may not even be a weekly starter for you in fantasy football, but if you took a chance on the Bake Show, you were handsomely rewarded. If nothing else, Bucs WR Mike Evans is definitely a weekly starter in your league.
Dud: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers (4.8 points)
Brandon Aiyuk is now getting paid $30 million per season, and him missing much of the offseason probably should have prepared us for him laying an egg in Week 1. Brandon Aiyuk caught just two passes for 28 yards. There really isn't anything more to say here; Aiyuk was not great in Week 1, but it was probably because he's not quite in game shape yet.
I would feel very comfortable keeping Aiyuk in the starting lineup, as he is the team's best WR and is going to produce for you.