Don't overreact to one week.
That may be the best fantasy football advice you hear all year. One week does not a season make (love that phrasing).
Last year, Carlos Hyde was the top fantasy scorer after Week 1, when he scored two touchdowns and had 168 rushing yards. He only played in six other games in 2015 and in those, tallied just 302 rushing yards and one score.
Granted, Hyde was hurt essentially the entire season, but the point remains.
Some of the other top fantasy scorers in Week 1 last year included Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Bishop Sankey and Jeremy Hill, all of whom disappointed any owners down the stretch.
So don't overreact to the first week. Just like anybody believing the Arizona Cardinals are out of the ... MLB playoffs:
As for waivers, we won't talk about Tajae Sharpe as an add. He should be owned in every league - he's the Titans' clear No. 1 receiver, everybody who's seen him has raved about him and he has upside in all league formats.
It's a crime Sharpe is owned in only 42 percent of ESPN leagues.
NFL
That's dumber than Tom Brady's graphic designer's math (h/t For The Win):
Place a claim
Victor Cruz, WR, Giants
Why not? That's the attitude fantasy owners need to adopt sometimes. There are so many guys out there who are not worth rostering - plus no team should ever own two defenses or two kickers - and few have the upside of a guy like Cruz. Yes, his career has been completely derailed by injury, but he showed no ill effects in Week 1, even scoring in his return to the gridiron. The last time Cruz was actually healthy, he was a top flight receiver. He'll be 30 in November and don't expect WR1 production from him, but he can coexist with Odell Beckham Jr. and be fantasy relevant moving forward. Oh yeah, and he's owned in less than 20 percent of ESPN leagues. - Tony Andracki
Clive Walford, TE, Raiders
We've been talking Walford up all preseason and while he didn't blow up in Week 1 (3 rec, 25 yds), it still proved he's clearly the Raiders' No. 1 tight end. He was the only Oakland TE to record a target and he had five, behind only Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper. The Raiders are going to throw a lot this year and eventually Walford will be a benefactor of that. He needs to be owned in all formats. - Andracki
Pierre Garcon, WR, Redskins
For those Keenan Allen owners (or, to a lesser degree, Sammy Watkins owners), Garcon could be a nice option on the waiver wire to help your WR corps. He's like old reliable - at least 68 catches, 100+ targets and 750+ yds the last three years. Garcon doesn't score much, but he tallied another six targets (and caught all six) in Week 1 and is a clear factor for a team that will have to throw, throw, throw, You could do worse at WR, especially in PPR leagues. - Andracki
Eric Ebron, TE, Lions
The former first-round pick was a popular sleeper pick at tight end before the season and he made good on that promise in Week 1 with a touchdown on five catches (on five targets) for 46 yards. He has the potential to emerge as a clear TE1 and is available in more than half the leagues out there. Go out and get him. - Andracki
Chris Thompson, RB, Redskins
Thompson showed off his skillset as a receiver last season and is the clear No. 2 back in Washington right now. Thompson should already be on your radar in PPR leagues, but now he also may be making his case overall with a rushing touchdown and 5.8 yards per carry on four carries in Week 1. Matt Jones (3.4 ypc) didn't impress and it's hard to say he has a firm hold on that job. Thompson could wind up as a sneaky-good fantasy performer from the RB position. - Andracki
Proceed with caution
Jack Doyle, TE, Colts
Doyle is in his fourth season in the NFL and notched only 309 yards and three TDs in three years prior to going "off" for 35 yards and two tuddies in Week 1. Yes, Coby Fleener is gone. But Doyle is still behind Dwayne Allen on the depth chart and everything about his two-score game screams fluke. He also has some wicked farmer's tan:
There are plenty of other tight ends out there to go pick up. Don't worry about Doyle. - Andracki
Jalen Richard, RB, Raiders
Everybody thought DeAndre Washington would be rookie RB to own on the Raiders and yet here comes Richard with 95 total yards and a touchdown in Week 1. But essentially all of his production came on one 75-yard TD run in the fourth quarter and Richard was only on the field for 10 snaps. Washington only saw eight snaps, however, so it's clear this Raiders backfield is muddy, at best. - Andracki
Tyrell Williams
Williams is likely going to be the hot name that everybody rushes to snag on the waiver-wire this week, but he's somebody I'm staying far away from. I don't trust anybody on San Diego's offense, outside of Philip Rivers and Danny Woodhead. I can't see Williams production being high enough to warrant a priority waiver claim this week. — Krinch