Roundtable Week 2: Week 1 Surprises

Photo: Imagn Images

Welcome to Week 2 of the 2023 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.

This week's roundtable features these four topics:

• Navigating Utilization Data
• The Jets Offense, Now What?
• Questionable Quarterback Waiver Decisions
• Week 1 Surprises (See below)

Let's roll.

Week 1 Surprises

Matt Waldman: What was the most surprising Week 1 development? What course of action do you recommend for fantasy GMs?

Joseph Haggan: One of the biggest surprises to me was Kendrick Bourne leading the team in targets and tied for the lead in yards and receptions while adding two touchdowns. Bourne's 11 targets were 4 more than any other player on the team.

Bourne's chemistry has always been solid with Mac Jones. Over the past two seasons with the Patriots, he has 1,234 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. He is worth a waiver wire add and bench stash to see if this is a trend that continues.

Jason Wood: The biggest surprise of Week 1 was the Los Angeles Rams' complete dismantling of division-rival Seattle. The Rams had 44 rookies on their 90-man roster this summer, including 29 undrafted free agents. This was a team everyone saw as on a short list for worst in the league, and that was before Cooper Kupp went on injured reserve.

Yet, instead, the Rams looked reinvigorated on both sides of the ball. Matthew Stafford threw for 334 yards, wasn't sacked, and peppered two young receivers -- Tutu Atwell and rookie Puka Nacua -- with a combined 23 targets, 16 receptions, and 238 yards.

Fantasy GMs need to re-assess whether the Rams' defense can be streamed against and, more importantly, whether the offense will be a target-rich environment. One-week anomalies happen, but Nacua's 15-target debut bodes well historically. Nacua should be a major FAAB target in all league sizes, and Atwell and Williams should also be targeted, albeit with lower ceilings of expectation.