BOOM!

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Lamar Jackson torched the Dolphins defense for 324 passing yards and 5 TDs in just three quarters. If you factor in that Jackson didn't even look to run the football much, which is an area where he excels and can pick up extra points, his perfect QBR of 158.3 is overly impressive. We'll be tracking his progress closely as this could he could turn into this year’s Carson Wentz, Deshaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes. Those three Quarterbacks we're dominant at the position in each of the last three consecutive years. Patrick Mahomes wasted no time in showing fantasy owners and analysts why he was well worth a first or second round draft pick. Playing on the road in the first game of the season against one of the best defenses in the league, Mahomes cooked the Jaguars for 313 yards and 2 TDs in the first half, on his way to 375 yards and 3 TDs on the day. Tom Brady is just getting started and that's a bad sign for opposing defenses considering his big opening day came without the services of newly acquired All Pro Wide Receiver Antonio Brown. Once he's fully in the mix, Brady could easily become a 3+ TD per game passer. The addition of Brown along with current targets Josh Gordon, Julian Edelman and James White push Brady back into elite Top 10 fantasy status at his position. Carson Wentz got off to a slow start but once he found his groove and most importantly re-connected with Wide Receiver DeSean Jackson on the deep ball, Wentz was back in business and resembled the Quarterback who led the NFL in TD passes back in 2017 and the one who was ranked in my Top 5 Fantasy Quarterback Rankings this year for Live Drafts. Deshaun Watson was very impressive this week, throwing 4 TD passes in a hostile environment and against a tough Saints defense. If his Wide Receivers can remain healthy, Watson could revert back to his dazzling debut season, when he lit up the league with 19 TD passes in just 7 games.  Dak Prescott looked calm, cool and in control as he dissected the Giants defense for 405 yards and 4 TD passes. Dallas added a new Wide Receiver and offensive coordinator to help Prescott with more diverse options and in Week 1, it worked out perfectly. Andy Dalton had a surprising start to the season, tabbing in as the only other Quarterback, besides Prescott in Week 1 with over 400 passing yards. It was even more impressive because he did it on the road without his biggest threat in Wide Receiver A.J. Green. Traditionally Dalton has been Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to who shows up on Sundays, so let's see if a new Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator can help him be more consistent. Marcus Mariota got off to a nice start with 248 passing yards and 3 TD flips. One cane on a 75 yard screen pass, which gave his numbers back major boost. The Titans dominated time of possession, so we'll keep an eye out to see how his numbers look in a more competitive game. Mr. Rivers was at again, with another 300 yard game and 2 TD passes. He could be without his #2 WR Mike Williams for a few games but he's got Tight End Hunter Henry back in the fold along with pass catching Running Back Aaron Ekeler to pick up the slack. Case Keenum got off to a very surprising start with 380 passing yards and 2 TDs. Out of all the Quarterbacks listed in this part of the article, he's the one most likely here by default. With it being the first week of the season, anything is possible but it doesn't appear that Keenum has the weapons or skill level to sustain this type of play far into the season. Drew Brees continues to be money in the bank when he's playing at home in the Super Dome, as he got the better of the Texans defense for. With elite Wide Receiver Michael Thomas, elite Running Back Alvin Kamara and a good supporting cast of skill players around him, Brees is expected to handle business all season long. Matthew Stafford looked like the Top 10 (ish) Fantasy Quarterback that we've been accustomed to seeing him be over the years, stacking up 385 passing yards and 3 TD passes at Arizona. Rookie Kyler Murray played in this game as well and after a slow start, got rolling in the 2nd half and finished with 313 passing yards and 2 TD passes. Both Quarterbacks have value as starters, with Stafford being the experienced and more proven product but both definitely deserve a spot on your roster.

 

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BUST​!

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Jared Goff continues to struggle on the road and that's the reality of the situation. Yes, it was the first game of the season but he's got a proven track record that clearly shows his numbers take a mean nose dive when he doesn't play in L.A. Jimmy Garrapollo made fantasy owners even more cautious by his lousy season debut in which he struggled against a traditionally bad Bucs secondary, including a pick six. With no elite play makers on the outside, Garrapollo could continue to struggle until he's able to use his legs more and make plays outside the pocket. We'll excuse Kirk Cousins just this one time this year, as he would have been in single digits of it weren't for a goal line rushing TD. His team got up 21-0 at home and the running game was effective, which led Cousins to only throwing 10 times for 98 yards. Aaron Rodgers will also get a pass this week for his eye rolling 1 TD pass as well, as he faced the League’s best defense on the road and simply doesn't have the weapons on offense to match up.  Mitchell Tribusky will not get a pass this week for his poor performance. His weapons in the passing aren't great either and some of the blame can go on the bad play calling but overall he shouldn’t struggle at home against a Packers defense that isn't returning any Pro Bowl players Cam Newton is another Quarterback who was a turn off this week. I'm not really surprised by his poor numbers because I had him ranked much lower than most fantasy media personal but not throwing a TD pass at home is always unacceptable!  Matt Ryan is another Quarterback who continues to struggle on the road and plays poorly all together against good defenses. He was able to rack up a bunch of meaningless yards and throw a pair of TDs to put mascara on his numbers when the game was well out of reach, otherwise his day was very disappointing. What else can you say about Jameis Winston? The guy is addicted to turning the football over and is so inconsistent. You would think the 49ers on the road would be a prime match up but instead it was disaster for a Quarterback who could be on the verge of losing confidence. Baker Mayfield has a huge target on his back and teams are going out of their way to make sure he knows it. It was just one game, so no need to panic but the second year Quarterback has the attention of defenses across the league and units like the Titans have the personal to shut him down. Ben Roethlisberger is another Quarterback whose developed a bad habit of barely being serviceable on the road. His numbers in Pittsburgh and away from Heinz Field are like night and day, making him a real risky play. There is also no doubting that he'll have to adjust without All Pro Wide Receiver Antonio Brown at his disposal. I didn't have too much expectations for Jacksonville Quarterback Nick Foles anyways but he's likely done for the year after suffering a broken clavicle in Week 1. 

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WEEK 1 TOP WAIVER WIRE PICK UPS

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Lamar Jackson, BAL

Marcus Mariota, TEN

Andy Dalton, CIN

Kyler Murray, ARI

Matthew Stafford, DET

Jacoby Brissett, IND

Derek Carr, OAK

Joe Flacco, DEN

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2019 Preseason Quarterback Rankings

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