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After much anticipation for the start of a new NFL year, the 2023 season failed to come out of the gates hot. Rather, it got off to a slow crawl filled with some brutal offensive play, bad weather, and unfortunate injuries.
Luckily, there were a few entertaining matchups in the later slate that saved us from a completely awful opener. Even so, it would’ve been nice to have started the NFL season on a better foot.
The good part about these weird and sluggish games is that they usually breed numerous unexpected performances from lesser-known players. So, with Week 1 out of the way and a better Week 2 hopefully on the horizon, let’s get into some of the best of the unexpected boom performances from the first week of the 2023 NFL season.
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- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
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Surprise Fantasy Football Performances
Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders
In his first game with the Las Vegas Raiders, a former New England Patriot decided to have one of his best performances now that he’s been reunited with his former offensive coordinator. In Week 1, Jakobi Meyers had one of the best games of his career as he caught nine-of-10 targets for 81 yards and two touchdowns during the Raiders’ win over the Denver Broncos.
With 24.6 Half-PPR points, Meyers finished with the third-highest scoring output by a wide receiver this week.
10 ➡️ 16 for a 2nd time today!! #LVvsDEN | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/krB5oYO1KB
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 10, 2023
While the 26-year-old was impressive in his Las Vegas debut, these kinds of performances shouldn’t be seen as the norm.
The Raiders obviously still have their All-World receiver in Davante Adams, and you’d expect him to see some more touchdown opportunities as the season goes on. Also, Adams likely won’t be dealing with cornerbacks like Patrick Surtain II every week, so his coverage will probably allow him to receive some easier looks.
Meyers had a strong day, and he should be seen as a serviceable starter from here on out. But he also took a brutal hit to the head near the end of the win, so it would be wise to keep tabs on his situation.
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
If you were paying attention in the offseason, there were few reports that had anybody other than Cam Akers leading the Los Angeles Rams backfield. However, just like we saw during the season opener in 2022, it appears that might not be the case once again.
In the Rams’ 30-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks, Kyren Williams had much more work than what was expected. The second-year pro had 15 carries for 52 yards and two touchdowns. His performance led to 17.4 Half-PPR fantasy points, which ended up being the seventh-highest scoring output by a running back.
.@Kyrenwilliams23 to the house!
📺 @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/41XLDJjSOE
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 10, 2023
What’s even more interesting about this performance from the former Notre Dame standout is that he didn’t lead the backfield in carries. Cam Akers actually saw a significant number of carries with 22. The only problem is that led to only 29 yards.
If head coach Sean McVay wants to shake things up even further, he may be inclined to favor Williams over Akers in future matchups. Don’t consider that as set in stone, but Kyren Williams is certainly looking like a more interesting fantasy prospect than he was just a few days ago.
Most teams should put in a claim for him if he’s available on waivers heading into Week 2.
Dallas Cowboys D/ST
It’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys have a strong defensive unit. They’ve been one of the top teams in the league on that side of the ball for the last few years, and they should always be expected to impress on a weekly basis. Nevertheless, this opening week was different.
What seemed like a fairly competitive matchup heading into Sunday Night Football quickly fell apart before the eyes of dumfounded viewers moments after the New York Giants’ first field goal attempt was blocked and returned for a touchdown.
Our special teams >>>>
📺: NBC & NFL + ➡️https://t.co/yLMhJNTZjs pic.twitter.com/8iZluBUL20
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 11, 2023
After that moment, things seemed to just fall apart for the Giants as the Cowboys' defense finished the game with two touchdowns, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, seven sacks, and a blocked field goal. All of this occurred while not allowing a single point in a 40-0 demoralizing beatdown at MetLife Stadium.
This baffling performance by the Cowboys led to 35 fantasy points, good for the second-highest scorer in Week 1 behind only Tyreek Hill.
It’s rare that a fantasy defense makes this much of an impact in the scoring column, but here we are. Dallas’ defense shouldn’t be available on waivers, but for those who have them, it looks like you may have found one of the greatest luxuries in fantasy football. That being a lineup lock in the D/ST slot.
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
With Cooper Kupp being put on IR after aggravating his hamstring, things didn’t look great for the Los Angeles Rams’ wide receiver room. Instead of having their former triple-crown winner and Super Bowl MVP, they had the misfortune of trusting a patchwork group that quarterback Matthew Stafford barely knew by name, apparently.
However, even with the odds stacked against them, the pass catchers showed out against the Seattle Seahawks, most notably a fifth-round rookie from BYU named Puka Nacua. In his first NFL game, Nacua took over the role of Matthew Stafford's target hog. He finished the game catching 10-of-15 targets for 119 yards in the Rams’ win over Seattle.
PUKA ARE YOU KIDDING!
1️⃣7️⃣ @AsapPuka | 📺 @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/oAg7kvFpaR
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 10, 2023
In the end, his Week 1 efforts were good for a solid 16.9 Half-PPR fantasy points.
As long as Kupp is out, which could be a while, it’s looking like the former BYU standout could have a fruitful role in this offense. He is definitely worth a waiver claim and possibly a large amount of FAAB heading into Week 2.
Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots
After a 2022 season where the New England Patriots offense barely resembled a working group, they started off the 2023 season with a bit more liveliness in their play calling. This led to some better performances from skill players many fans thought were solid options just a couple of years ago. One of those players today was wide receiver Kendrick Bourne.
In a mysterious 2022 season, Bourne seemed to have fallen out of grace with the esteemed offensive mind, Matt Patricia. That bad relationship appears to be the consensus on what limited his playing time. But this season, he appears to have picked back up where he was during 2021.
Double the @BournePoly11.
📺: #PHIvsNE on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/MU9w1aQWxi
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 10, 2023
In the Patriots' opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Bourne caught six-of-11 targets for 64 yards and two touchdowns. While being Mac Jones’ most-targeted receiver, his usage appears to be a sign of good things to come.
His strong performance led to 21.4 Half-PPR fantasy points, good for the fourth-highest-scoring fantasy day from a wide receiver in Week 1.
New England’s offense isn’t seen as a goldmine for fantasy, but the veteran could be an interesting name to throw FAAB at heading into Week 2.
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