NFL Player News
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Justin Fields QB | KC
Bears' Justin Fields: Scores in debut
Fields completed two of two passes for 10 yards while adding a three-yard rushing touchdown in the Bears' 34-14 loss to the Rams on Sunday.
Fields only played on five snaps, but his opportunities came in the red zone. One of his two completions ended up a couple yards short of the goal line, and he later rolled out right on his way to an easy rushing score, resulting in one of the two times the Bears found the end zone against a tough Rams defense. It's unclear as to what his role will be in the short term, but his rushing ability provides him excellent fantasy upside whenever he gets into the starting lineup.
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Andy Dalton QB | PHI
Bears' Andy Dalton: Two turnovers in losing effort
Dalton completed 27 of 38 pass attempts for 206 yards, no touchdowns, an interception and a lost fumble in Sunday's 34-14 loss to the Rams.
Dalton struggled mightily against the Rams defense, averaging a paltry 5.4 yards per attempt. It was an incredibly tough matchup, so all the blame can't be placed on the veteran quarterback. Justin Fields did enter the game a few times (similar to how Trey Lance did for San Francisco in Week 1), and he managed to score the only touchdown a Chicago quarterback was credited with. Perhaps the Bears' offense would be more dynamic with the rookie under center, but the team may opt to give Dalton another shot against the Bengals, who are not as imposing defensively as the Rams, next Sunday.
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Daniel Jones QB | IND
Giants' Daniel Jones: Solid effort in Week 1 loss
Jones completed 22 of 37 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 27 yards and another TD on six carries in Sunday's 27-13 loss to the Broncos.
The third-year QB posted decent enough fantasy numbers, but Jones' red-zone fumble early in the third quarter when the game was still in reach was a back-breaker for the Giants. The offense as a whole should begin to look better once Saquon Barkley is ready to handle his usual workload, but until then Jones could be prone to more mistakes and turnovers as he tries to do too much. After being sacked twice Sunday, he'll face another dangerous pass rush in Week 2 on the road against Washington.
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Matthew Stafford QB | LAR
Rams' Matthew Stafford: Strong debut with Rams
Stafford completed 20 of 26 pass attempts for 321 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 34-14 win over the Bears.
Stafford did not look like he was playing in an entirely new offensive system in this one, carving up the Bears secondary with ease while finishing with a strong fantasy line. Cooper Kupp was clearly his favorite target, but the veteran quarterback spread the ball around well amongst both old and new Ram receivers. Joining up with a proven offensive mind in head coach Sean McVay could result in some of the best numbers we've seen from Stafford in his 12th season as a pro. The Rams will take on the Colts in Week 2.
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Mac Jones QB | SF
Patriots' Mac Jones: Looks comfortable in starting role
Jones completed 29 of his 39 pass attempts for 281 yards and one touchdown in Sunday's Week 1 loss to Miami.
Jones appeared comfortable in his first regular-season start as a professional and completed at least one pass to eight different players. He showed a particular connection with Nelson Agholor, as the pair produced gains of 25 and 21 yards as well as a seven-yard touchdown. Though Jones couldn't earn a victory, he led the Patriots to the red zone for a potential game-winning score late in the fourth quarter before Damien Harris lost a fumble to effectively end the contest. Jones will look to build on this performance in a Week 2 matchup against the Jets.
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Jordan Love QB | GB
Packers' Jordan Love: Makes regular-season debut
Love replaced Aaron Rodgers early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 38-3 loss to the Saints, completing five of seven passes for 68 yards.
The 2020 first-round pick saw the first regular-season action of his career under less-than-ideal circumstances, but Love acquitted himself credibly at the end of the blowout. There's no quarterback controversy in Green Bay despite Rodgers' stunningly bad performance Sunday, but if the veteran does continue to struggle, Love could creep onto the fantasy radar in deep 2QB leagues.
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Teddy Bridgewater QB | DET
Broncos' Teddy Bridgewater: Leads Denver to victory
Bridgewater completed 28 of his 36 pass attempts for 264 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's Week 1 victory over the Giants. He also added three rushes for 19 yards.
Bridgewater wasn't able to lead the Broncos to many points to begin the game, though he orchestrated back-to-back touchdown drives to end the second quarter and begin the third quarter. Both of those drives ended in close-range touchdown passes for Bridgewater, the first a two-yard toss to Tim Patrick and the second a four-yard throw to Albert Okwuegbunam. As has been the case throughout his career, Bridgewater largely completed passes near the line of scrimmage, as his longest completion of the day went for 25 yards, and he completed only two passes for gains of more than 10 yards. Bridgewater likely won't have to get more aggressive in a Week 2 matchup against the Jaguars.
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Aaron Rodgers QB | PIT
Packers' Aaron Rodgers: Awful Week 1 performance
Rodgers completed 15 of 28 passes for 133 yards with two interceptions in Sunday's 38-3 loss to the Saints.
Maybe all that time Rodgers missed while deciding whether he wanted to return to Green Bay for another season had an impact after all. The 37-year-old threw only five INTs all of last year and went the entire 2018 campaign getting picked off only twice, but Rodgers was intercepted on consecutive drives in the second half Sunday to squash any hope of a comeback. He hit the bench after that, with Jordan Love playing the final 11 minutes for the Packers. It's way too early to write off either Rodgers or Green Bay, but if this season does somehow go off the rails, Love could wind up seeing a lot more snaps than expected. Look for a more focused Rodgers to post far better numbers in Week 2 at home against the Lions.
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Tua Tagovailoa QB | ATL
Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa: Guides Miami to win
Tagovailoa completed 16 of his 27 pass attempts for 202 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Sunday's Week 1 victory over New England. He added four rushes for one yard and a touchdown.
Tagovailoa's stat line isn't all that impressive on the surface, though his ability to connect for big plays with his receivers was encouraging. For example, he completed passes of 30 or more yards to both Jaylen Waddle and DeVante Parker. Tagovailoa also effectively guided the Miami offense near the goal line, converting one attempt on his own with his legs and also tossing a short touchdown pass to Waddle. Moving forward, Tagovailoa's ability to push the ball down the field should only be enhanced by the return of Will Fuller (suspension). However, he'll face Buffalo -- another above-average defense -- in Week 2.
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Patrick Mahomes QB | KC
Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes: Produces four TDs in win
Mahomes completed 27 of 36 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns while adding 18 rushing yards and a TD on five carries in Sunday's 33-29 win over the Browns.
The 25-year-old superstar has never lost in September in his career, but that streak looked to be in jeopardy when Cleveland took a 22-10 lead into halftime. However, Mahomes quickly got to work on the comeback after intermission, and he hit Tyreek Hill for a 75-yard TD on a prototypical one-play drive midway through the fourth quarter. Mahomes will face another tough defense in Baltimore in Week 2, but he's proven he can put up big numbers against any opponent.