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The Jets are starting over with Justin Fields. The Steelers are starting over with Aaron Rodgers. And the betting markets didn’t have much faith in either offense for Sunday’s opener between these teams — the total was set at 38.5 points, the lowest on the slate.
So, of course, Fields and Rodgers lit up the scoreboard.
It was the Steelers who earned the last laugh, taking a 34-32 victory over the Jets in a wildly entertaining three hours of football. But Fields had the best of the fantasy numbers, putting up over 29 points in Yahoo default scoring. Rodgers wasn’t far behind with about 25 points.
Yahoo fantasy managers weren’t directly relying on Fields and Rodgers in this contest. Fields was started in about 20% of Yahoo leagues, while Rodgers checked in at just 1%. But it’s important to scout their play because we care about the ancillary players. For Garrett Wilson to be good, Fields has to play well. For DK Metcalf to pay off, Rodgers needs to show he’s not washed.
Fields’ play was shockingly good for most of the afternoon. He completed 16-of-22 passes for 218 yards, a juicy 9.9 YPA and accounted for three touchdowns. He didn’t turn the ball over and he took just one sack — mostly avoiding the bugaboo of his career, the bad pocket decision. His sharp passing pushed Wilson to a useful 7-95-1 afternoon, though ironically the game ended when Wilson dropped a late pass, in part because of a decisive hit by Pittsburgh DB Jalen Ramsey.
Breece Hall was a New York winner, too, making 145 total yards on his 21 touches. Of course, Hall didn’t get the goal-line work — Fields rushed for two scores (12 attempts, 48 yards) and Braelon Allen had a score along with six unimpressive runs (nine yards). But given the negative ADP trend to Hall most of the summer, he came out with a positive performance.
Metcalf managers weren’t thrilled to see Rodgers throw his four touchdowns elsewhere — Calvin Austin, Ben Skowronek, Jaylen Warren and Jonnu Smith were the recipients. But Metcalf at least had a credible 4-83-0 line on his team-high seven targets, and it’s encouraging to see Rodgers post an 8.1 YPA against zero interceptions. We need to be careful with Pittsburgh optimism — the Steelers only had 271 total yards and 5.0 yards per play (the Jets will look at this box score and want to throw up, because they won the stat battle). But Rodgers’s play was competent, at minimum.
Warren’s 59 total yards were a disappointment, though he at least had the touchdown catch and absorbed 13 touches. Kenneth Gainwell (10 touches, 23 yards) was used regularly but didn’t do much. Kaleb Johnson’s only carry went for minus-2 yards; he's miles away from rookie relevance.
The schedule doesn’t get easier for the Jets — Buffalo and Tampa Bay line up the next two weeks. Fields might have to play with his hair on fire all month, and we’ll take that for fantasy. The Steelers host Seattle next week, then head to New England.
Let’s check in on how the other new quarterbacks did in the early window.
— The hope was that Daniel Jones could bring some consistency and octane to the Indianapolis offense, and that was the story in a 33-8 blowout of Miami. The Colts scored on all seven of their possessions, racking up 418 yards and 27 first downs. Jones stole two of the touchdowns for himself with goal-line running, but nonetheless Jonathan Taylor (98 total yards), Michael Pittman Jr. (6-80-1) and rookie TE Tyler Warren (7-76-0) were productive. Whatever you made of this passing game two months ago, you surely feel better today.
— There are probably no right answers in the New Orleans quarterback room. Spencer Rattler only made 4.7 YPA on 46 attempts, and although he avoided negative plays, 13 points won’t get it done in the NFL. At least Rattler focused on his three best downfield options, throwing to Juwan Johnson (8-76-0, 11 targets), Chris Olave (7-54-0, 13 targets) and Rashid Shaheed (6-33-0, nine targets) with regularity. Johnson just missed a tying touchdown in the final minute. Alvin Kamara only had two catches, but he did bail out with a short touchdown run.
— Geno Smith had zero problems with Foxboro raindrops or the New England defense, throwing for 362 yards in a small upset win. Brock Bowers (5-103-0, eight targets) and Jakobi Meyers (8-97-0, 10 targets) were in heavy use, as expected. Ashton Jeanty (40 total yards) was bottled up but managed a short touchdown run. The Raiders could have a fun, and condensed, offense this fall.
— Russell Wilson looked overmatched against a Washington defense that no one generally fears, throwing for a paltry 168 yards on 4.5 YPA. Wilson’s 44 scrambling yards were helpful, though New York never got into the end zone. Jaxson Dart may or may not be ready for his starting opportunity, but this ugly Wilson opener surely started the clock on the Dart Watch. At least Malik Nabers drew the requisite 12 targets, turning in a 5-71-0 line.
— The new Joe Flacco era in Cleveland looked like the old Joe Flacco era. There were some downfield completions, some moments of competence. Jerry Jeudy didn’t score but a 5-66-0 day on eight targets is passable. Cedric Tillman checked in with a respectable 5-52-1 line. It was surprising to see David Njoku limited to 3-27-0 against a Cincinnati defense that couldn’t stop tight ends last year. The Browns should have beaten the sluggish Bengals, but two short missed kicks did Cleveland in. Flacco has enough left to keep this offense quasi-useful.
Dylan Sampson was a handy receiver (6-64-0) but didn’t go anywhere on the ground (12-29). Jerome Ford was even worse (seven touches, five total yards). It will be interesting to see when rookie Quinshon Judkins can get on the field. Cleveland has a nasty upcoming schedule, facing the Ravens, Packers, Lions and Vikings the next four weeks.