James caught five of six targets for 59 yards and rushed once for two yards in a Week 1 win over Tennessee on Sunday. He added 62 yards on five punt returns.
James was expected to work near the back of New York's wide-receiver depth chart in the opener, but he ended up leading the team's wideouts in receptions and targets, finishing second on the squad overall in both categories behind running back Saquon Barkley. James also finished second on the team in receiving yards behind Sterling Shepard, who notched 65 of his 71 yards on a single touchdown catch. Some of James' opportunity came as a result of the second-quarter exit of rookie Wan'Dale Robinson due to a knee injury, but the former notably saw much more playing time than projected No. 2 wideout Kadarius Toney. It's uncertain whether James' role will be this large on a week-to-week basis, but it's not out of the question given that new head coach Brian Daboll is bringing in a new offense and already has shown a willingness to make bold decisions in pursuit of team success.