The NFL season is underway, which means TMB is back for another year! Every Tuesday morning, we’ll recap the action that took place over the weekend. It’ll be concise. It’ll be opinionated. But, most of all, it will be fantasy-specific and as such, will hopefully serve as a springboard towards things to consider in the week to come to put the best fantasy team possible on the field. So, what happened in Week One? Let the Buzz fill you in…

Green Bay @ Seattle
Beast Mode is alive and well. There were plenty of concerns about Marshawn Lynch now being on the downside of his career heading into 2014, but the guy I saw running the ball on Thursday night (124 yards, 2 TDs) ran with passion and precision. Lynch could be on his way to 15-20 TDs this year based on what he did vs. the Packers. Seattle also looks intent on getting Percy Harvin involved in all sorts of ways. He could end up being a borderline WR1 if he can stay healthy. As far as the Packers are concerned, don’t panic about anything that took place last week. Seattle’s defense is going to make almost every offensive skill position player un-startable. Rodgers and company will bounce back big in the weeks to come.

Time to panic? The Patriots offensive line had a hard time keeping Tom Brady upright in Week 1.

New England @ Miami
As with Lynch, the stories of Knowshon Moreno’s demise were greatly exaggerated. Moreno was the only RB in the NFL to eclipse 120 yards on Sunday and he did so against a supposedly strong defense. It was shocking to see both he and Mike Wallace put up big games in the face of so much pre-season criticism. Meanwhile, time to get worried if you’re a Tom Brady owner. Brady threw a ridiculous 56 passes on Sunday and only managed 249 yards. That’s 4.47 yards an attempt. If New England can’t find anyone to be a downfield threat, Brady will remain a low-end starter at best. It was nice to see Rob Gronkowski find the end zone, though. Big props to Miami overall in this one as they ran the ball well for the first time in forever.

Oakland @ NY Jets
I know there are leagues out there in which Chris Ivory went undrafted. For those that used a late round pick on him, though, you were rewarded on Sunday. The Jets’ formula for winning this season is going to be simple: Run the ball. A lot. Ivory and Johnson were both effective on Sunday (193 yards combined) and their success allowed Geno Smith to be fantasy relevant as well throwing the ball. For Oakland, nothing was pretty and the duo of Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden never got on track. Barring an especially tasty matchup, all Raiders’ skill position players should be avoided in starting lineups until further notice.

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh
A recurring theme in these first few recaps is that some teams were able to establish the running game early and often. Both these teams did that, with Le’Veon Bell accounting for 197 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown, and the three-headed Cleveland juggernaut of Terrance West, Isaiah Crowell, and Ben Tate ripping off 173 rushing of their own. At wide receiver, Antonio Brown had his way with Cleveland’s above average secondary and Brown is on his way to a huge season by all indicators. Pittsburgh’s offensive line looks much improved this season and that could mean not only big numbers from Bell, but also for Roethlisberger as he will have time to throw deep. Injuries to Tate and Jordan Cameron are worrisome for fantasy GMs after this one.

Tennessee @ Kansas City
Talk about ugly. Jamaal Charles only got one more carry in this game than Alex Smith did. Seven carries total. Kansas City won’t win games that way. And, when your leading wide receiver is Donnie Avery, it’s a sign that your receiving corps is pretty thin. Tennessee, meanwhile, spread the wealth with respect to fantasy production as eight different players caught passes on Sunday. It’s hard to say if all the injuries to KC’s defense on Sunday made Jake Locker look good or if he’s truly turned a corner. Finally, for Bishop Sankey owners, it was a disappointing Sunday. Sankey’s touches are going to come slowly it would appear making him a pine rider for now.

Jacksonville @ Philadelphia
Raise your hand if someone/anyone drafted Allen Hurns in your league. It appeared at first as if Hurns was on his way to an epic performance. As is, it was still one of the top three by a WR in non-PPR leagues on Sunday. The Jags got off to a huge start in this one, which was bad for LeSean McCoy (less carries), but prompted lots of air power from Philadelphia. At the end of the day, Nick Foles went for 300+ yards and Jeremy Maclin and Zach Ertz posted double digit totals in most scoring formats. As for McCoy, he did catch six balls out of the backfield. He’s still the best RB in fantasy football heading into Week Two. You can take that to the bank.

Buffalo @ Chicago
If McCoy is the best running back in fantasy football, Matt Forte has to be at least nipping at his heels. Forte touched the ball 25 times on Sunday and racked up 169 yards in the process. Ka’Deem Carey touched the ball once. In a world of running back-by-committee everywhere you look, this situation is different. Forte is the bell cow in every sense of the word. Everyone knew Buffalo was going to run the ball a lot this past weekend, but the insertion of Anthony Dixon was a big surprise. All that’s left now is to throw in Bryce Brown and you’ve got a four-headed RB monster in Orchard Park. If the Bills can keep running the ball (193 yards rushing) well, it will allow the below-average EJ Manuel to find wide receivers facing single coverage downfield. As an aside, Martellus Bennett owners are no doubt stoked after a huge first game. We’ll see if he can keep that up.

New Orleans @ Atlanta
Not everything in fantasy football comes as a surprise. This game had shoot-out written all over it and it didn’t disappoint. Lots to be excited about in this one. First, is there a more underrated quarterback in fantasy football than Matt Ryan (448 passing yards/3 TDs)? Ryan outperformed Drew Brees, proving once again that when his weapons are healthy, he’s as good as anyone in terms of production. Roddy White looks poised to bounce back in 2014. Julio Jones looks healthy. Brandin Cooks looks terrific. Mark Ingram looks re-born. Speaking of re-birth, did Devin Hester really catch 5 passes for 99 yards? I told you there was a lot to be excited about in this game. Buckle up. Both of these offenses are going to come through for you all year long.


Minnesota @ St. Louis
Once upon a time, the Rams’ starting quarterback got injured in the pre-season and a little known backup came in and led them to the Super Bowl title. This isn’t that team. Aside from a solid opening act from wide receiver Brian Quick (7 rec. 99 yards), there isn’t much to get excited about fantasy-wise in St. Louis and that includes Zac Stacy. In Minnesota, there’s plenty to be excited about and the buzz is mostly centered on Cordarrelle Patterson. The Vikings are going to keep finding ways to get him the ball in space and I doubt that’s the last touchdown run of 50 yards or more that we witness this season. Adrian Peterson will be fine. This offense could make some noise moving forward.

Cincinnati @ Baltimore
A.J. Green owners have seen it happen time and time again. You never give up on your guy. Green can post pedestrian numbers for three quarters, but he’s got a penchant for fourth quarter drama and that was the case again Sunday. Green’s long touchdown in the fourth not only nixed the Ravens, it also won a lot of games for GMs who spent an early pick on him. Hope you didn’t spend a mid-round pick conversely on Bernard Pierce… or Jeremy Hill. Justin Forsett looks like a better fit in Baltimore’s offense moving forward and Giovani Bernard is the man in Cincinnati. But, who’s the Smith to own in Baltimore? Steve bested Torrey on Sunday (118 yards and a TD to 50 yards, no TDs) raising questions about distribution moving forward. Stay tuned.

Washington @ Houston
It may be time for Robert Griffin III owners to wake up and smell reality. He hasn’t been the same player since getting hurt his rookie season and Sunday was more confirmation of that. He’s got above average skill position players in every direction and it still wasn’t enough to muster more than six points. Elsewhere, did you notice that the Texans gave Arian Foster 29 touches? Makes me wonder how long he’ll hold up this season. Still, it was good to see him healthy and running with authority again. Washington would do well to follow the Texans’ lead and give Alfred Morris similar carries next week. Morris averaged nearly seven yards a carry vs. a stern Houston front.

San Francisco @ Dallas
Just like many people want to write off Steve Smith as no longer being fantasy relevant, they’re trying to write off Anquan Boldin, too. Don’t. Boldin was drafted by most at bargain prices and he showed on Sunday (8 rec 99 yards) that he can still produce big-time vs. defenses that are soft over the middle. And, did you get a look at Carlos Hyde? If Frank Gore were to miss some time this season, I think Hyde could be a RB1. Go get him in a trade this week if you can. Speaking of teams that can run the ball, Dallas can - most definitely. The team results were disappointing, but that offensive line plus DeMarco Murray have huge upside. Jason Witten’s lack of production conversely was alarming for Dallas.

Carolina @ Tampa Bay
So, here’s my question: If Kelvin Benjamin can net 92 yards and a touchdown with Derek Anderson throwing him the ball, how good can he be with Cam Newton tossing the pill? I mean…we’re talking Derek Anderson here. Carolina also proved once again that they’re an elite defense limiting Tampa Bay’s two best fantasy producers (Doug Martin and Vincent Jackson) to table scraps. Don’t panic on Martin or Jackson assuming both stay healthy. There are better matchups ahead (after all, they play the Saints and Falcons a combined four times). In addition to Benjamin’s big day, Greg Olsen appears on the verge of a breakout year as well.

Indianapolis @ Denver
I know they were playing catch-up all game long, but you’ve got to love what Andrew Luck did from a fantasy perspective on Sunday night. Luck looks fully capable of throwing the ball downfield and he’s got targets galore with Dwayne Allen (64 yards, TD) and Hakeem Nicks (36 yards, TD) now healthy again. At running back, Ahmad Bradshaw looks like a better fit for the Indy offense moving forward if he can stay healthy. Pick him up this week if he’s still available. Elsewhere, it was a tale of two games for the “Thomas Brothers” as Julius went nuts and Demaryius stayed quiet. It’s impossible to know from week-to-week which Thomas will blow up, but start them both - all the time. Denver didn’t appear to miss a beat without Welker. That’s good news for Manning owners to be sure.

NY Giants @ Detroit
I wrote an article in the preseason entitled “Is Calvin Still King?” After watching Johnson consistently torch the Giants defense last night, the answer for now is “yes”. Absolutely yes. Johnson had the best game of any wide receiver in Week One and the Lions offense appeared to be humming on all cylinders for most of the night. Matthew Stafford continues to be one of best fantasy quarterbacks in football when playing at home. And, Eli Manning continues to be one of the worst- at least since the beginning of the 2013 season. At least Rashad Jennings (96 total yards and a TD) and Larry Donnell (56 rec. yards, TD) were fantasy relevant. Eli and the king of drops (Victor Cruz) were not.

San Diego @ Arizona
Disappointment in the desert for owners of Larry Fitzgerald and Keenan Allen, whose opening games of the season fell short of expectations. Carson Palmer (304 yards passing, 2 TDs) does continue to resurrect his career as Michael Floyd’s emergence becomes more prominent. The Cardinals’ offense looks built for passing yardage with Ellington (foot) being a lead back who is better in space than running between the tackles. About the only thing interesting in this game as far as San Diego is concerned was Philip Rivers going to Antonio Gates early and often. Ladarius Green may emerge as the better fantasy tight end as the season wears on, but for now, Rivers to Gates remains en vogue.

That’s all the Buzz for this week…who knows what Week Two has in store? So, good morning and God Bless!