1. Ezekiel Elliott

Anyone who has Zeke Elliott this year should refrain from panicking about his Week 1 performance. He managed to have 11 carries for only 33 yards along with 2 receptions for 6 yards. That all adds up to a measly 4.9 half PPR points for an expected top running back in fantasy football. This should be looked at as a very disappointing day but if you pay attention to the defensive side of the ball at all, you should know that the Bucs are not to be messed with on their defensive line. Tampa Bay led the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game in 2020 and they seem to be picking up right where they left off with all of their heavy hitters returning in 2021. Elliott should continue to be looked at as an elite fantasy option and we should leave this game as a result of the Buccaneers’ stellar run-stopping ability. 

Panic Level: 1/10

2. Derrick Henry

Derrick Henry had a pretty disappointing day in the Titans matchup against the Cardinals. He managed to put up 17 carries for 58 yards along with 3 receptions for 19 yards. That adds up to 9.2 half PPR points which is a mediocre day for a running back drafted in the top 4 in most leagues. This result may have not been all on the part of Henry since the game script quickly changed from getting the run game going to the Titans quickly being down 17-0 in the first quarter. The Titans’ offense also needs to gel together a little more as the addition of Julio Jones has seemed to have scrambled their run-heavy identity from last season. I wouldn’t panic too much but if this type of game script continues into next week against the Seahawks, you should start to be a little uncomfortable. 

Panic Level: 2/10

3. Austin Ekeler

Austin Ekeler had a decent fantasy output against Washington with 15 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown but there were some red flags. Fantasy owners drafted Ekeler because of his usual massive target share out of the backfield, but in this game, he didn’t see a single target come his way. Maybe there is a changing of offensive mentality here with the departure of Anthony Lynn as we saw D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams take the Ekeler-like receiving role in Lynn’s new offense with the Lions. Joe Lombardi might have different plans for this offense but I wouldn’t panic too much with Ekeler’s first week. He is still the lead back in this high-powered offense and they faced a tough Washington defense that may have changed up the game plan. Ekeler should still be valuable throughout this season but his week-one usage is somewhat concerning.

Panic Level: 2/10

4. Robert Woods

Robert Woods luckily caught a touchdown to save his fantasy day against the Chicago Bears but other than that, it was pretty disappointing when looking at the success of his fellow receivers. Aside from the touchdown, Woods had one carry for 7 yards and 3 catches for 27 yards. That is not what you want to see from a supposed steady receiver in a high-powered offense. Van Jefferson caught a 67-yard touchdown and Cooper Kupp caught a 56-yard touchdown so that may have hurt Woods’ value a bit. I could still see him having a large role in this offense throughout the season as he did play in 77% of the Rams’ snaps. This game was most likely just a matter of circumstance as the big plays to Jefferson and Kupp capped his value. Expect him to have a larger role in the coming weeks. 

Panic Level: 3/10

5. Julio Jones

The Titan’s offense had a rough day altogether. Julio Jones, in particular, struggled with only 3 receptions for 29 yards that brought him to a total of 4.4 half PPR fantasy points. This entire day seems like a lost week for the Titans who were dominated on offense and defense by the Cardinals. I would look at this disappointing day for Jones as more of a growing pains experience. The Titans’ offense wants to change their offensive mentality by becoming more balanced between the run and the pass and they might’ve been getting used to that in full game speed. Jones should be seeing better days as a member of this offense and he should be gelling more effectively in the coming weeks.

Panic Level: 3/10

6. The Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers looked nothing short of awful on their Sunday afternoon game against the Saints. 2020 League MVP, Aaron Rodgers, finished with an uncharacteristic stat line of 15/28 for 133 yards and 2 interceptions. Fellow Aaron, Aaron Jones, finished with a forgettable 5 carries for 9 yards. Davante Adams looked like his usual self, getting open and ready to make plays, but the poor quarterback play forced him into a mediocre stat line of 5 receptions for 56 yards. I don’t know what to attribute this disaster of an afternoon to other than the offseason distractions that were caused by Aaron Rodgers and the ineptitude of the Packers front office. Maybe there was a lack of preparation, maybe the wind just wasn’t blowing the Packers way, I don’t know. The Packers were missing their All-Pro left tackle, David Bakhtiari, so that may have had something to do with the Packers’ lack of success on the field. Aaron Rodgers was getting pressured more than usual from the left side but you’d like to think he would be able to adjust. I think this game is a major wake-up call for the Packers if they really want to win this season. I believe in Aaron Rodgers to make it happen and I think this team will see better days throughout the 2021 season. As of now though, things are not looking great for the Packers or the fantasy managers that spent high picks on their talented playmakers. 

Panic Level: 4/10

7. Mike Evans

Mike Evans has been the model of consistency throughout his first seven years in the NFL with seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. His performance last Thursday against the Cowboys doesn’t bode well for his eighth season though. Evans finished the exciting game with only 3 receptions for 24 yards which brought him to a total of 3.9 half PPR fantasy points. As we all know, this is an incredibly crowded offense with talent everywhere. We should expect some games where certain players are lacking and others are succeeding. In this game, Evans just pulled the short straw while Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown excelled. He was also being covered by up-and-coming corner, Trevon Diggs, for the entire game. That may have been a factor in his unfortunate output. This season though, it looks like AB will be factoring more into the offense than he was last year, which may take a deeper cut into Mike Evans’ value. When having Mike Evans on your roster, just know that there may be great highs for him throughout the season, but there may also be some deep lows. 

Panic Level: 5/10

8. Saquon Barkley

Anybody who had to start Saquon this week knew that it would more likely than not end up the way that it did. Saquon is an all-world talent but reports out of the Giants camp suggested that they would ease him into the workload since he is coming off of a tough injury last season. That shouldn’t have looked great for fantasy owners but what are you going to do, bench your first-round pick? Expectedly, Saquon finished with a pitiful stat line of 10 carries for 26 yards with 1 reception for 1 yard resulting in 3.2 half PPR fantasy points. The Giants went up against a tough Denver Broncos defense so that should be taken into account but this performance can mostly be attributed to the Giants being careful with Barkley’s early workload. I wouldn’t panic much from this performance but if his workload doesn’t increase in the coming weeks, there may be trouble.

Panic Level: 5/10

9. Brandon Aiyuk

Well, this was incredibly confusing. Kyle Shanahan seems to be taking plays out of the Matt Nagy playbook in throwing the entire world for a curve with his coaching decisions. Coming into the season, Brandon Aiyuk was widely regarded as the number one wide receiver in this 49ers offense by beat reporters and trusted football insiders. Then on Sunday, we see the Niners put on an offensive show against the Lions with 41 points. Brandon Aiyuk however, is nowhere to be found and the only stat he accumulates during the entire game is a 7-yard punt return. A report came out during the game saying that Aiyuk had lost his position in the offense because he was lagging behind in the last few weeks of camp and preseason. After the game, Kyle Shanahan provided a different stance on his decision to leave Aiyuk out of the game and he referenced that Aiyuk was still working over that hamstring injury that he sustained earlier in the offseason. That seems a little hard to believe though since Aiyuk was fielding punt returns. If one of your premier playmakers was still hurting from an injury, why would you still use him on special teams? Whatever side you think Shanahan’s decision to not use Aiyuk stems from, I’d suggest keeping an eye on this situation and refraining from making any swift decisions on rostering him.

Panic Level: 6/10

10. James Robinson 

I don’t like to toot my own horn, but I saw this situation coming right around the Travis Etienne injury when everyone and their mother was gunning for the revival of James Robinson’s fantasy value. The Jaguars drafted Etienne for a reason and they made it very clear during their opening week loss to the Texans, Urban Meyer doesn’t fully believe in James Robinson. As visible as James Robinson’s talent was last season, apparently, Urban Meyer has other plans for this backfield. James Robinson only received 5 carries for 25 yards and 3 receptions for 29 yards which brings him to a disappointing 6.9 half PPR fantasy points on the week. Meanwhile, Carlos Hyde received 9 carries for 44 yards and 2 receptions for 14 yards. There may have been a game script issue here as the Texans were demolishing the Jaguars in the first half but Carlos Hyde getting most of the carries should be very concerning for James Robinson fantasy owners.

Panic Level: 8/10