Pick 1.18: WR, Treylon Burks – Tennesee Titans
Week 1 Grade: B+
Snap % – 37%
Targets – 5
Receptions – 3
Yards – 55
Treylon Burks looked great out there even though he wasn’t even the top-targeted rookie on the team. He got the valuable targets though with 18.5 yards per target. Burks was the top rookie in air yards coming out of the draft, so it’s no surprise that he led rookies in yards after the catch in week 1. Burks is a WR3 or a flex play going forward.
Pick 2.02: WR, Christian Watson – Green Bay Packers
Week 1 Grade: F
Snap % – 66%
Targets – 4
Receptions – 2
Yards – 34
Christian Watson fell flat on his face to start the game with a huge drop. The good part was he was wide open. The bad part is he dropped it and we know how difficult it is to earn trust from Rodgers. All other metrics were positive. Watson was targeted down the field with an ADOT of 14.8 yards. Watson averaged 17 yards per catch on Sunday.
Pick 2.04: RB, Breece Hall – New York Jets
Week 1 Grade: C+
Snap % – 45%
Rushing Attempts – 6
Rushing Yards – 23
Targets – 10
Receptions – 6
Yards – 38
There was not a single rookie Running Back that impressed this weekend, not even the top back. Breece Hall was the beneficiary of Joe Flacco’s check-downs, but he could only turn those 10 targets into 9.8 fantasy points in the receiving game. When the fantasy return is less than the targets, that is not good. Things were not much better on the ground either. Hall has not returned anything close to the 1.01 or 4th round capital spent to acquire him.
Pick 2.19: WR, Geroge Pickens – Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 1 Grade: F
Snap % – 71%
Targets – 3
Receptions – 1
Yards – 3
George Pickens went from being a mid-late 2nd round rookie pick to a top 5 rookie pick from May to August. The reports from camp and what we saw in the preseason looked a lot better than what we saw on Sunday. Let’s not bail though, this could be a buy-low opportunity. However, as far as this one performance, it was not good. Brighter days are ahead for Pickens, but until then he needs to stay on the taxi squad.
Pick 2.20: WR, Alec Pierce– Indianapolis Colts
Week 1 Grade: F
Snap % – 51%
Targets – 2
Receptions – 0
Yards – 0
Almost not worth grading. Alec Pierce’s 0 catches and 0 yards deserve an F. The hope was that he would fall into some targets with the Colts lack of depth at Wide Receiver. This was not the case and he needs to stay on your taxi squad until he shows signs of life.
Pick 2.21: WR, Skyy Moore – Kansas City Chiefs
Week 1 Grade: C
Snap % – 19%
Targets – 1
Receptions – 1
Yards – 30
Skyy Moore actually did a lot with the opportunities he received, but his lack of involvement is concerning. This offense was on fire and Patrick Mahomes threw 5 touchdowns. To have that type of performance and Skyy Moore to only be on the field for 19% of the snaps is concerning. Same as Pickens, brighter days are ahead. Nonetheless, until then we need to continue to wait and put him on the taxi squad.
Pick 2.31: RB, James Cook – Buffalo Bills
Week 1 Grade: F-
Snap % – 9%
Carries – 1
Yards – 2
Targets – 0
Receptions – 0
Yards – 0
James Cook is already in the dog house and is at best the 3rd Running Back on the depth chart. He had more fumbles (1) than fantasy points (-2.8). The calling card for James Cook was his receiving ability and he received 0 targets. The Buffalo Bills’ offense was doing whatever they wanted and both Running Backs looked promising ahead of Cook. Let’s not go and drop Cook, I still believe in the talent. However, he is far from making the starting lineup or even the bench at this point.
4.02: RB, Dameon Pierce – Houston Texans
Week 1 Grade: D+
Snap % – 72%
Carries – 11
Yards – 33
Targets – 1
Receptions – 1
Yards – 6
Dameon Pierce has been popular all off-season and the hype train crashed into the Indianapolis Colts defense on Sunday. This could be a great time to buy Pierce. Pierce should have been sitting week 1 due to the matchup and you can take advantage of someone tilting. I am still concerned about the usage of Rex Burkhead and am not encouraging you to spend up. The team is already talking about getting him more involved and when they turn to him, the price will go right back up.
4.20: WR, Kyle Philips – Tennessee Titans
Week 1 Grade: B-
Snap % – 46%
Targets – 9
Receptions – 6
Yards – 66
Kyle Phillips had 9 targets and that is exciting for any player. The problem with this is the yards per target (7.33). Phillips was able to average 11 yards per catch. Unless this was a full point per reception league his numbers were not exciting. His 9 targets equated to 9.6 fantasy points in your .5 per reception leagues. Someone you can start in your deeper leagues and hope for 8-10 points per week.
4.24: WR, Romeo Doubs – Green Bay Packers
Week 1 Grade: C+
Snap % – 57%
Targets – 5
Receptions – 4
Yards – 37 Yards
Romeo Doubs is another one of those players who saw his stock rise as the offseason progressed. We didn’t see any of those “wow-plays” that were discussed, but he was able to bring in 4 out of his 5 targets. The Packer’s offense has a lot of questions and Allen Lazard returning will only make things dimmer for Doubs. Doubs is a taxi squad player right now and isn’t someone you can consider starting right now.
Let me know if you want feedback on anyone else. There were a few more rookies that got some play on Sunday, but there were not many other notable performances. Isaiah Likely getting 4 targets is nice, but nothing to go crazy about. Rachaad White had minimal involvement and we had a lot of rookies inactive. The healthy scratches for Jaylen Tolbert and Tyrion Davis-Price were most notable. Jaylen Warren getting 100% of snaps after Najee Harris left was something to monitor as well. Wan’Dale Robinson and Kyren Williams both left early with injuries and some did not play at all due to injury.
