Biggest fantasy football takeaways from Week 1: A new workhorse back in Philly?

From Tyreek Hill’s massive outing to Joe Burrow’s dud against Cleveland, the opening weekend of the 2023 NFL season provided plenty of excitement and surprises.

With just one game left to be played, here are the biggest takeaways from a fantasy football perspective for Week 1. 

Falcons HC Arthur Smith still doesn’t care about your fantasy team

Apparently, it doesn't matter how many exciting playmakers Atlanta drafts inside the top 10, Smith is fixated on winning real games and not our fantasy matchups. Perhaps we should've accepted this based on tight end Kyle Pitts' usage last season, but supplying Atlanta's receiving corps with targets isn't much of a priority.

Pitts, the supposed greatest tight end prospect of all time, only earned three targets in Sunday's 24-10 win over Carolina, all coming in the second half. And despite playing the most snaps of any skill position player for the Falcons, second-year wideout Drake London was targeted just once, finishing with fewer receptions (zero) than quarterback Desmond Ridder (one).

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Smith's approach was Atlanta's backfield distribution. Even though eighth overall pick Bijan Robinson delivered a stellar NFL debut, recording 20.3 PPR points, 2022 fifth-rounder Tyler Allgeier led the team in carries (15) and scored two goal-line touchdowns. It appears Allgeier will continue to be a major contributor on offense, so if he's available on waivers in your league, he's a must-add.

Rams QB Matthew Stafford finds his new Cooper Kupp? 

Los Angeles didn't skip a beat without Kupp in its 30-13 blowout victory against Seattle, and Stafford seems to have replaced his former breakfast buddy with rookie fifth-round pick Puka Nacua. The BYU product enjoyed a historic NFL debut, catching 10 passes for 119 yards, which made him the fourth player ever to record 10 receptions and over 100 receiving yards in their first career game.

Additionally, and probably the most significant stat for fantasy purposes is that Nacua earned 15 targets, the most for a rookie wideout in Week 1 since the stat was introduced, per Fantasy Points' Scott Barrett.

At times, yards and touchdowns can be fluky stats. 15 targets is far from a coincidence. With Kupp set to miss at least the next three games with his lingering hamstring injury, expect Stafford to continue leaning on Nacua, who could soon warrant a starting role in your lineup. 

Christian Kirk is the odd man out in the Jaguars' passing attack 

The offseason fears regarding Kirk's usage were seemingly validated in Jacksonville's impressive 31-21 win against Indianapolis. Last season's WR12 finished fourth among Jaguars pass-catchers in snaps (43) and routes run (24), hauling in one of his three targets for nine yards.

The 26-year-old was never going to repeat his 2022 production now that Calvin Ridley is quarterback Trevor Lawrence's top receiving option. However, since Zay Jones continues to play alongside the former Falcon in two wideout sets, Kirk will be limited to slot duties, thus capping his season-long ceiling. 

Although Kirk will still have his spike weeks, proceed with caution before putting him in your lineup, as he's no longer the reliable starter he once was. 

The Kenneth Gainwell RB1 hype might have been more than just smoke

Since the Philadelphia Eagles listed four co-starters at running back on their depth chart, it is safe to assume that each of D'Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny, Boston Scott and Gainwell would be involved in the season opener. While some might have guessed that the Eagles tailback to roster in fantasy would ultimately come down to Swift or Penny, two offseason additions, it was Gainwell who emerged as the lead back against New England. 

While the development was a bit surprising, it was reported throughout camp that Gainwell had been making a case to be the featured back in Philadelphia. However, many still would've expected the Eagles to use a committee approach, which wasn't the case.

Not only did Gainwell earn the overwhelming majority of the backfield snaps (41), but Penny was a healthy scratch, while Swift and Scott earned a combined four touches. 

Considering the overall talent in the Eagles' running back room, it's possible that Gainwell's workload could change regularly, though if he sees similar volume against Minnesota, he'll be a viable starting option going forward.