Sunday Aftermath: The Chargers' despair, the Bears' dominance, and much more

It’s a new season for everybody. Unless you are the Los Angeles San Diego Norv Turner Jim Harbaugh Chargers. For them, things seem cursed to remain eternally the same.

Or at least it is tempting to think so. For as big of a disaster as Sunday was against the Cardinals, even for the Chargers it only counts as one game. And for all the focus on it being the “same old Chargers,” maybe more attention should be devoted to the new-and-improved Cardinals. A talented offense, a refreshed defense and a new coaching staff had a plan. And boy did they execute it.

But that’s a story for another day, for now it’s another day for the Bolts. What are we working with following that fiasco? Not Ladd McConkey, it would appear. The under-sized wideout took a gruesome hit that can only be described as a “kidney shot.” In a best-case scenario, he is day to day but on the wrong side of questionable for Week 2. In a more realistic outcome, he is set to miss several games.

McConkey’s absence would leave… a lot less than you think. Quentin Johnston was obviously miscast as a No. 1 receiver when he was taken with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2023 Draft. He’s probably also miscast as a No. 2. He should be a role-playing No. 3 deep threat. That is not what he is going to be, however, with or without McConkey. That leaves Herbert with a field-stretcher as his No. 1 and then a whole lot of role players and tight ends. If McConkey is forced to miss time, Herbert could find himself outside the top 12 in fantasy.

At running back, it’s looking like a committee. Comeback game script did not help, but Omarion Hampton was on the field for fewer than 60 percent of the snaps against the Cardinals. That is not going to get it done for an RB1. Keaton Mitchell very much appears to be the third-down and two-minute drill back. This was not entirely unexpected, but it’s never a good development when your fantasy downside is confirmed before the upside. Hopefully we see the latter against another opponent where the Chargers will be heavily favored in Week 2, the Raiders. If they actually succeed in dictating the terms of engagement this time around, it should result in a much better outing for Hampton.

Five Week 1 Storylines

Bears get serious about their goal of setting the single-season scoring record. That’s a college box score. 59 points. 552 yards of offense. Four total touchdowns for the quarterback, including two on the ground. 9.3 yards per pass attempt. 291 yards rushing. That is what truly set this demolition apart. When you have 250-plus yards both on the ground and through the air, it means you are doing whatever you want. You don’t typically get to do whatever you want at the NFL level, even against the Carolina Panthers. Adjustments will be coming, including for fantasy managers. Colston Loveland’s zero is maybe the most random in NFL history. The same is true for Kalif Raymond’s 8/84. 59 points probably won’t happen again, but neither will those arbitrary box scores. What will happen is this rising juggernaut is going to print fantasy points for all the players we invested in.

Kyler Murray’s Vikings debut derailed by sickening concussion. If the Chargers left us concerned and the Bears left us awed, the Vikings left us somewhere in the middle. Murray’s injury was one of the most unfortunate of Week 1, but the way the Vikings rallied in his absence was one of the biggest surprises of the day. Not to pile on the young man J.J. McCarthy, but Sunday’s comeback was another reminder that as long as the Vikings have an even semi-viable quarterback, coach Kevin O’Connell is going to figure things out more weeks than not. That probably wouldn’t be true if Carson Wentz’s cameo again extended into a multi-month affair under center, but that won’t be the case following Murray’s concussion. He should be back after a week or two, and fantasy managers will be right to be encouraged by what they witnessed on Sunday even if it included very little of Murray.

Falcons’ offense non-functional without Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr. If the Vikings surprised us in a good way, there were no surprises with the Falcons. This is a five-alarm fire for however long Penix remains sidelined, and perhaps even Tua. Because however bad Tua might be, no one could be as bad as a back-spasmed Cooper Rush was against the Steelers. Manifestly incapable of pushing the ball down the field, Rush settled for checking it down to Bijan Robinson. Cool if you were automated the first or second pick in your fantasy draft. Less so if you made the calculated decision to draft Drake London or Kyle Pitts. Especially with London, you are pot committed. He’s in the lineup no matter what. You just have to pray the “no matter what” emergency state of affairs only lingers for another week or two.

Jalen Coker lives up to the summer best ball hype. I never “got” the Coker mania. It certainly got me. It might have helped had I retained any memory of Coker’s Wild Card eruption. Coker went into the offseason on a high note and stayed healthy after an injury-interrupted 2025. Sunday was the result, with Coker announcing he’s a genuine No. 2 to Tetairoa McMillan’s No. 1, and changing the face of the Panthers’ offense in the process. Carolina might have a legit inside-out duo where both wideouts can make plays all over the field. These are two big-bodied wideouts who also happen to be comfortable in the slot. Maybe Sunday will go down as Coker’s best game of the year — the Panthers were chasing a team that scored 59 points, after all — but Coker is every bit a WR3 for Week 2 against the Falcons.

New-look Jets show signs of life in Tennessee. First things first: It was the Titans, but … it was also the Jets. These teams were each other’s soft matchup to begin the year. Only one side got the memo. With his blocking indeed worlds better than he experienced in Las Vegas, Geno Smith had a rare sack-free afternoon. He responded by playing pitch-and-catch with his talented wideouts, albeit on only 24 attempts as the Jets played ball-control offense on the ground. There is still a hard ceiling to this offense, but it’s comforting to think the floor might no longer be through the basement for Smith. Garrett Wilson can again flirt with WR1 value, Adonai Mitchell can be treated as in intriguing WR4, and Kenyon Sadiq can be rostered as a bench stash you just might eventually want to play.

Don’t forget, for the latest on everything NFL, check out Rotoworld’s Player News, or follow @Rotoworld_FB or @RotoPat on Twitter/Bluesky.

Five More 1 Storylines

Zay Flowers lives up to the hype, pours cold water on it with hamstring injury. Flowers’ departure coupled with rookie Ja’Kobi Lane’s wrist injury dampened an otherwise gangbusters debut for the Ravens’ Jesse Minter-led coaching staff. It if is tempting to immediately lapse back into “Lamar Jackson will never have a functional receiver corps” line of thinking, but the good news is that Flowers’ issue is supposedly minor, and that he would have returned were it the playoffs. But it was not the playoffs. It was a blowout. There could immediately be another one in Week 2 against the Saints, and maybe even Week 3 against the Cowboys. As is the case with the Chargers and Bears, one game is still only one game for the Ravens. But whereas Chicago and Los Angeles are trying to get to the top to the NFL and stay there, the Ravens have already been there. Maybe their offseason changes are what finally gets them over the championship hump.

Dolphins’ offensive environment as bad as advertised, but Caleb Douglas offers a ray of hope. I bet on De’Von Achane’s talent. Uhh, where did the dealer go? I was feeling penniless in Vegas on Sunday. I knew the Dolphins would be bad, but sometimes you just have to see it. Malik Willis is a front-running quarterback, Playing from behind Sunday, he stood admirably in the pocket, but … he stood in the pocket. He took a billion sacks. Drives were short-circuited. The Dolphins barely reached 50 snaps. That’s a huge problem for Achane. There was at least one ray of Dolphins light in the form of third-rounder Douglas. 5/94 in your NFL debut as the quarterback completes just 15 passes is serious stuff. The Dolphins figure to keep working on their rotations, with some players featuring more than others in any given week, but Douglas’ opening salvo is very much worth a 12-team league FAAB bid.

The Parker Washington takeover continues apace. 5/83/1 on six targets isn’t the most overwhelming receiver line anyone has ever seen, but it’s pretty damn impressive when the quarterback attempts only 23 passes in a game you led 24-0 midway through the second quarter. Washington dominated every “share” you could think of, and confirmed the talent always eventually finds its way to the top in the NFL. The No. 2 overall pick, another first-round pick, and a mid-season trade acquisition. That’s who Washington had to blow by on the depth chart last season. The Jags had an offseason to think about it and decided it was real. Fantasy managers might not only have the Jags’ No. 1 wideout on their hands, but a legitimate WR2 on the digital gridiron.

Travis Etienne has deeply bizarre Saints debut. No one had worse Week 1 usage. We were concerned when it seemed like franchise icon Alvin Kamara (knee) might actually play against the Lions. Who knows how many high-value touches he might have stolen. When he was ruled out, there was every reason to expect Etienne to play at least 75 percent of the snaps. Instead we got less than 60 as blast from the past Kendre Miller somehow forced a committee. It was all the more bizarre since Miller’s early-down skill-set wasn’t exactly what the doctor ordered for a shootout where the Saints were stuck in comeback game script. That’s supposed to be Etienne’s bread and butter. Hopefully the Saints’ coaching staff comes to their senses after watching the tape. If not, Etienne might be more of a dead-zone FLEX option than legit RB2.

Christian Watson’s campaign for breakout season starts with a bang. Everything the Packers did over the offseason signaled the utmost faith in their should-be No. 1 wideout. It was the one thing that went according to plan for the Pack in Minnesota. Watson is bigger and faster than everybody else on the field, and now he’s finally as healthy, too. He’s also actually on the field. No more maddening rotations. If you drafted Watson thinking he felt a little bit like a league-winner, it would be difficult to come to a different conclusion the morning after Week 1.

Early Waivers Look (Players rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)

QB: Tyler Shough (@BAL), Bryce Young (@ATL), Jacoby Brissett (vs. SEA), Geno Smith (vs. GB), Malik Willis (@SF)
RB: Woody Marks, Kaelon Black, Jonah Coleman, Chris Brooks, Tyjae Spears
WR: Deebo Samuel, Khalil Shakir, Caleb Douglas, Antonio Williams, Devaughn Vele, Denzel Boston, Adonai Mitchell, Dontayvion Wicks, Kalif Raymond, Malik Washington, Pat Bryant, Jalen Nailor
TE: Michael Mayer, Dalton Schultz, Kenyon Sadiq, Pat Freieemuth
DEF: 49ers (vs. MIA), Bucs (vs. CLE), Panthers (@ATL), Chiefs (vs. IND), Packers (@NYJ), Bears (vs. MIN)

Stats of the Week

Bears Part I, from NFL Researcher: “Games with 250-plus rush yards since the start of 2025: Chicago Bears, three. Rest of NFL combined, four.”

Bears Part II, from Sheil Kapadia: “The Bears had eight offensive touchdowns Sunday, tied for most by any team in the last three years. In the last two years, there have been three 550-plus yard games in the NFL. Two are by the Bears, including Sunday (552).”

Bucky Irving’s seven receptions tied a career high, This, as Kenneth Gainwell shockingly caught just one pass. Haywire game script undoubtedly played a part, but perhaps Iriving’s 2026 floor is not as low as feared.

In case you were wondering how Steelers/Falcons went: “The Falcons/Steelers game combined for the 1,069th ranked Total EPA out of 1,097 games currently in the @SumerSports data set. A combined 3rd percentile overall offensive performance on the day.”

29. Ashton Jeanty’s number of touches. So, uhh, yes… healthy.

Awards Section

Week 1 Fantasy All-Pro Team: QB Caleb Williams, RB Derrick Henry, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, WR Justin Jefferson, WR Christian Watson, WR Jalen Coker, TE Isaiah Likely

Week 1 All Bank Examiner Squad: QB Matthew Stafford, RB MarShawn Lloyd, RB Jonathon Brooks, WR Ja’Marr Chase, WR Drake London, WR Terry McLaurin, TE Colston Loveland

Most Predictive Offseason Data Point Award: The head coach saying he wants to set the single-season scoring record.

The Purest Distillation Of Fantasy Football Anyone Has Ever Seen Award: Colston Loveland zero-balling amidst the Bears’ 59-point outburst.

The I Could Have Sworn That Would Work Award: The Packers swearing to God things would be different this season.

The, OK Yeah, I Was Actually Pretty Sure That Was Not Going To Work Award: Hyping the Chargers.

The Besides Literally Everything, What Evidence Was There That Derrick Henry Would Still Be Good? Award: Derrick Henry.

The Have Some Self Respect Award: The Titans wearing the Oilers’ uniforms as their own.

New Jerry Rice 2.0 Title: Parker Washington, who has taken it from Michael Wilson.