Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

NFL Scores Week 1: Results and Top Fantasy Football Stars for Opening Games

Joe Tansey

Some of Week 1's top fantasy football performers took advantage of poor defenses in Florida.

Lamar Jackson's Baltimore Ravens racked up 42 first-half points versus Miami on their way to a 59-10 victory at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Kansas City Chiefs tore up Jacksonville's defense to shreds at TIAA Bank Field, with Sammy Watkins the top beneficiary of Patrick Mahomes' success in the pocket.

DeSean Jackson also provided fantasy owners with an early boost as he marked his return to Philadelphia with a pair of trips to the end zone.

During the late-afternoon slate, another NFC East star took center stage, as Dak Prescott secured a Dallas franchise record versus a divisional foe.

                                               

NFL Week 1 Results

Baltimore 59, Miami 10 (Top Fantasy Star: Lamar Jackson: 17-of-20, 324 YDS, 5 TDs)

Kansas City 40, Jacksonville 26 (Sammy Watkins: 9 REC, 198 YDS, 3 TDs)

Minnesota 28, Atlanta 12 (Dalvin Cook: 21 CAR, 111 YDS, 2 TDs)

Buffalo 17, New York Jets 16 (John Brown: 7 REC, 123 YDS, TD)

Tennessee 43, Cleveland 13 (Derrick Henry: 19 CAR, 84 YDS, TD; 1 REC, 75 YDS, TD)

Philadelphia 32, Washington 27 (DeSean Jackson: 8 REC, 154 YDS, 2 TD)

Los Angeles Rams 30, Carolina 27 (Christian McCaffrey: 19 CAR, 128 YDS, 2 TD; 10 REC, 81 YDS)

Los Angeles Chargers 30, Indianapolis 24 (Final/OT) (Austin Ekeler: 12 CAR, 58 YDS, TD; 6 REC, 96 YDS, 2 TD)

Seattle 21, Cincinnati 20 (John Ross III: 7 REC, 158 YDS, 2 TD)

Dallas 35, New York Giants 17 (Dak Prescott: 25-of-32, 405 YDS, 4 TD)

San Francisco 31, Tampa Bay 17 (San Francisco defense: 3 INT, 2 TD)

Detroit 27, Arizona 27 (Final/OT) (Matthew Stafford: 27-of-45, 385 YDS, 3 TD)

New England 33, Pittsburgh 3 (Phillip Dorsett: 4 REC, 95 YDS, 2 TD)

                     

Top Fantasy Stars

Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore

Lamar Jackson unleashed four first-half touchdowns on the Miami defense.

The second-year man out of Louisville opened his 2019 account with a pair of scoring throws to rookie Marquise "Hollywood" Brown for 47 and 83 yards.

In the second quarter, he hit Willie Snead and Miles Boykin to open up a 42-10 halftime advantage.

Jackson continued his aerial dominance in the second half by picking out Patrick Ricard from a yard out.

As Bleacher Report pointed out, the Baltimore signal-caller moved within one of his 2018 passing touchdown total on that last toss:

Before Sunday, Jackson had a single performance in his career with multiple passing touchdowns.

The five-score showing is a positive development for fantasy teams with the 22-year-old on their roster after he impressed with his rushing ability at the back end of last season.

               

Sammy Watkins, WR, Kansas City

Sammy Watkins scored the same number of receiving touchdowns in Week 1 as he did last season.

According to Kansas City's public relations department, Watkins set a single-game personal best for trips to the end zone.

Before the first half ended, the 26-year-old shattered his career high for receiving yards in a contest, as CBS Sports HQ pointed out:

In fact, Watkins is almost halfway to the yardage total he posted with his first season in Kansas City.

If the former Buffalo Bill can replicate his triple-digit showing, he could turn in the second 1,000-yard campaign of his career.

While that is the long-term goal, the short-term one should be a smaller span between breakout performances, as his two 100-yard outings were separated by a month-and-a-half in 2018.

                    

DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia

Jackson experienced a terrific homecoming at Lincoln Financial Field.

The 32-year-old, who spent last season with Tampa Bay after spending his first six seasons with Philly, recorded Philadelphia's lone touchdown of the first half, a 51-yard hookup with Carson Wentz.

In the third quarter, the wideout helped the Eagles moved within one point of the Redskins on a 53-yard touchdown reception.

Jackson became the first Eagle to record a pair of 50-yard receiving scores in a single game since 1967, and he was the first in the NFL to do so since 2016, per NBC Sports Philadelphia's Reuben Frank:

The pair of six-pointers highlighted his showing, but he also benefited squads in points-per-reception leagues with eight catches.

                        

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina

Christian McCaffrey produced one of the best all-around individual showings in Carolina's defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.

The follow-up to the 23-year-old's 1,965 total yards last season was a 209-yard outing on the ground and as Cam Newton's top receiver.

The Stanford product scampered into the end zone on two occasions in the second half, and for as well as he played, he could have had more.

Instead of handing the ball off to McCaffrey, the Panthers used Alex Armah on a fullback dive for their final score.

As a receiver, the third-year star hauled in 10 receptions on 11 targets, both of which were team highs. The only thing missing from his season opener was a touchdown through the air.

                

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas

Prescott broke the Dallas Cowboys record for most passing yards in a season opener, beating out Troy Aikman, who was in attendance at AT&T Stadium as part of the Fox broadcast.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Prescott eclipsed the previous mark of 362 yards set by Aikman in 1999.

The 26-year-old torched the New York Giants defense for 405 yards and four touchdowns, which earned him a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3.

In the first half, Prescott racked up 256 yards, which marked the first time he recorded over 200 in a single half, per Fox Sports NFL:

The 25 completions were handed out to seven different receivers, with Michael Gallup and Amari Cooper both hitting triple digits in yards.

A second consecutive NFC East foe awaits Prescott in Week 2, and he should be champing at the bit to face Washington since it conceded 436 total yards to Philadelphia.

                       

Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

For at least one week, Austin Ekeler made the Los Angeles Chargers forget about Melvin Gordon.

Ekeler became the first player in franchise history to record 150 yards from scrimmage and three scores in the first contest of the season, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The 24-year-old picked up more yards through the air on six catches than he did on the ground on 12 carries.

Fewer than 20 touches is not ideal for a first-string running back, but Ekeler was effective when he got his hands on the ball.

The performance allows the Chargers to have a bit more leverage when dealing with Gordon's contract situation, as Ekeler proved they are not in dire need for a productive tailback.

Of course, having Gordon back on the field would be the best-case scenario, but for now, the third-year back is a reliable option.

                         

John Ross III, WR, Cincinnati

Zac Taylor's new offense in Cincinnati unlocked John Ross III's potential, at least for one week.

The 2017 first-round pick recorded 210 yards on 21 receptions in 16 games over his first two seasons.

On Sunday, the Washington product finished with seven catches for 158 yards in the Bengals' one-point loss to Seattle. Ross had the most targets from Andy Dalton, who racked up 418 yards in the defeat.

If Ross benefits from the first-year head coach's system, he could turn into a viable fantasy choice.

If anything, the 23-year-old will be one of the most-coveted waiver-wire additions going into Week 2.

                                  

Phillip Dorsett, WR, New England

One day after the Patriots added Antonio Brown to their receiving corps, Philip Dorsett flashed his big-play potential.

The 26-year-old finished as New England's top pass-catcher with four receptions for 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Dorsett bested his previous single-game best by one yard, and that also occurred in a Week 1 contest in 2016.

With Brown in the fold and Dorsett producing at a high level Sunday, the Patriots have four wideouts who could strike fear in opponents, as CBS Sports' Will Brinson pointed out:

In the long run, he might not be a go-to guy in fantasy because of New England's depth, but he is worth watching in spots, especially if he records a high total in Week 2 at Miami.

                              

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.

   

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