ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Who impressed you most in Week 1?
KEN HOLIZNA
I have to shout out Jets safety Jordan Whitehead who had the 2nd-most receptions for the Jets with three interceptions. He literally stole a game from the Bills with a team led by Zach Wilson. But the fantasy player I was most impressed with was Tyreek Hill. For most people this is low-lying fruit. I really struggled all offseason on where to rank him. When draft season came even though I had him ranked 3rd and at the top of my second tier of wide receivers I found myself drafting 5 other players ahead of him for what I thought was more QB stability or upside. I could not make him my Hill to die on; I got cold feet. At a ripe age of 29 he has made me a believer again for this year.
Holizna is a 29-year fantasy football enthusiast and founder of Faith-Family-Fantasy Football in 2019, a family-friendly, faith-based, G-rated fantasy football platform. Rankings contributor to the 2023 Fantasy Index magazine. Find him on Twitter @holihandicapper
DAVID DOREY
For me, it would have to be Anthony Richardson. Granted the Colts lost 21-31 to the Jaguars, but the rookie faced a good defense and looked much sharper as a passer than expected. He really started in just one year at Florida and was mostly a runner there. But he passed 24-of-37 for 223 yards and a touchdown. And left Michael Pittman with a stat line of 8-97-1 in his first start. The Colts have a better chance with a passer who can run, than a runner who might pass. Oh, and Richardson still ran 10 times for 40 yards and a touchdown.
Dorey co-founded The Huddle.com in 1997. He's ranked every player and projected every game for the last 23 years and is the author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. David has appeared on numerous radio, television, newspaper and magazines over the last two decades.
JASON WOOD
In a world where workhorse running backs have gone the way of the Dodo bird, it’s hard not to marvel at Christian McCaffrey’s massive Week 1. But for a deeper cut, I’ll nominate Zay Flowers. He was easily the most impressive receiver on the Ravens and looks like he could be an every week alpha if Baltimore’s passing game rounds into form.
Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.
IAN ALLAN
I was sure impressed by the burst and acceleration of Breece Hall. Has anyone else ever had 3 gains of 20-plus yards in their first game back from an ACL surgery? Hall was making a bunch of big plays last October, at the time of his injury, and it looks like he’s going to be back to being that kind of running back in short order. A difference maker. I expect he’ll share time with Dalvin Cook for now, but Hall to me looks like he might be the most explosive back in the league in the second half of the season.
Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index magazine. He is a member of the FSGA’s Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame. He is an avid runner, swimmer and cyclist.
LUKE WILSON
Matthew Stafford. The Rams sure look like they went back to the drawing board in the off-season and copied off the K.C./Lions homework a little bit, to extremely encouraging effect (so far): Stafford piled up 334 yards on 24 completions; Russell Wilson needed 27 completions to get to 177. The Rams pass attack may be back, and I'm sending any cranky Cooper Kupp owners I'm in a league with a trade offer now while the market is still suppressed.
Wilson is a Fantasy Index contributor who hosts the Fantasy Index Podcast.
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
Sometimes it looks like Tyreek Hill is on a motorcycle, just faster than everyone else. Mike McDaniel knows how to scheme him open, too. If Tua Tagovailoa can stay healthy, this passing game is going to the moon.
Pianowski has been with Yahoo Sports since 2008, covering a variety of sports. On the rare occasions when the computer is turned off, he enjoys word games, poker, music, film, game theory, and a variety of condiments. He lives in suburban Detroit. Pianowski was inducted into the FSWA Hall of Fame in 2021.
SCOTT SACHS
The 2 non-QB top point scorers, Christian McCaffrey and Tyreek Hill, were absolutely sensational. No superlative is too strong. No garbage time, both played on the road, plus their teams won. As far as surprises, Jordan Love smashed it, leading Green Bay to a convincing road victory, with no Watson and a banged-up Doubs.
With 2 perfect seasons and multiple league championships to his credit, Scott Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, featuring LIVE Talk & Text Advice. He is a 3-time Winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Auction League, as well as a previous Winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Poll.
COLT WILLIAMS
I’ve got to continue to pound the table for my 2023 Fantasy MVP, Zay Flowers. Flowers had a 45% target share, which is otherworldly. Sunday won’t be the norm, especially once Mark Andrews gets back, but it’s nice to reassure our priors that Flowers is very good at football. It’s worth noting that Flowers played 84% of snaps, second only to Odell Beckham Jr. (92%). Rashod Bateman was 39%. It seems this flower might be blooming sooner than expected.
Williams is working towards a degree in economics and statistics at Sonoma State. A United States Air Force veteran, he’s been playing fantasy football since 2012. Follow him on Twitter @_ColtWilliams.
SAM HENDRICKS
Anthony Richardson. The rookie showed me a lot in week 1. Was he perfect? No, far from it. In fact his interception in the waning minutes of the 4th quarter led to their 10-point defeat. But his mobility was definitely showcased (10 rushes 40 yards 1 Rush TD) as the offensive line was overwhelmed by the Jaguars defense. Bottom line he looked more pro-ready than I expected. His accuracy was off (lots of poor throws) but that can improve with patience and timing. His mobility helped Indy stay in the game and he is starter-worthy right now which is impressive.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 30-year fantasy football veteran who participated in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013 and 2018.
ANDY RICHARDSON
I can't believe I let Tua Tagovailoa slide so far to somebody else in every draft. I'm sitting here with Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow, and Tagovailoa is going to be putting up the kind of numbers they should be more often than not. Yes, there's an injury risk, but everyone can get hurt. Tagovailoa made some Wow plays for the Dolphins -- sure he's getting help from the fantastic Tyreek Hill, but Tagovailoa isn't just along for the ride in that offense.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.