Week 1/2
We are back people! Week 1 is in the books and we are off and running. I figured that as a way to start the column, I would ask AI what it thinks of the The Commish based on past columns. This is what it came up with (thanks for the inspiration Billy):
I have to say, Faithful, Fair, Focused is like exactly how I bet each of you would describe me. I guess this whole AI age isn't that bad after all.
Apparently, Defense Was Optional In Week 1
I don't know what happened in Week 1 of the NFL season, but apparently somebody forgot to tell the defenses that the season had started.
NFL teams combined for 791 points in Week 1, tying the record for the most points ever scored in an opening week since the NFL-AFL merger. That's 49.44 points per game, which is apparently what happens when defensive coordinators spend the offseason working on their fantasy teams.
The Bears and Panthers decided to take things even further, combining for 96 points in Chicago's 59–37 victory. Ninety-six. That's not an NFL game. That's an NBA score with pads.
And it wasn't just one outlier. Buffalo and Houston combined for 67. Cincinnati and Tampa Bay put up 60. Detroit and New Orleans had 61. Minnesota and Green Bay somehow produced 61. Baltimore scored 41. Jacksonville scored 34 and apparently felt that was enough because Trevor Lawrence got to watch the fourth quarter from the sideline.
The really encouraging part for fantasy managers is that this wasn't just a bunch of 24–21 games. There were 14 players who scored multiple touchdowns, and ten teams scored at least 30 points. Will these trends continue in Week 2? I mean after the Josh Allen explosion it certainly seems like it.
Speaking of Josh Allen...
Look, I know we all like to act like draft night is a battle of sophisticated strategic minds, but let’s hand it to Brent Woodcox. The absolute mastermind manager of black is for sunday decided to ignore basic positional ADP, ignore every expert draft board in existence, and pull off the ultimate galaxy-brain move by selecting... the single highest-scoring player in fantasy football. Truly, visionary stuff. To take the guy who casually puts up 30 points a week in the first round takes the kind of brave, iconoclastic courage usually reserved for historical figures. Who could have possibly seen it coming that drafting a quarterback who acts as a human cheat code would work out well?
And wouldn't you know it, "The Hype Train" looks like a pure genius through two weeks. In Week 1, Allen dropped a cool 334 passing yards, two air scores, and two rushing touchdowns against Houston for 37 fantasy points. He then followed that up in Week 2's Thursday night shootout against Detroit by accounting for five total touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) and scoring 44 points. While the rest of us are sweating over our RB2s managing 8.4 points on 14 carries, Brent is casually banking 35+ points out of his quarterback slot before Sunday afternoon even rolls around. All praise to the maestro—turns out drafting the best player on the planet is actually a phenomenal strategy.
Other Phenomenal Strategies...
I am going to shift to a world where the Notes discuss not just the past, but also a preview of the upcoming/current week. Writing the column during the week gets harder every year with so many things going on so will try to shift the focus of the column to talk about the league and a mix of forward and past looking.
Things I Am Watching In Week 2
How good is Christian Watson? He has constantly been held back by injuries, but after his week 1 explosion is this finally the year that he ascends into a WR1?
Are the Chargers an explosive offense? There was alot of draft capital invested into LA Chargers this year. Will Hampton, McConkey, and Herbert live up to their draft capital?
What will Jeremiyah Love's usage be in Week 2? He scored a touchdown in week 1, but Alligier got 6 more touches than Love did in Week 1 and the coaching staff continues to say that both players will rotate. This is a head scratcher for me, they drafted Love 3rd overall!
Is The Bo Nix Experiement Over? KRABS has long been an admirer of Bo Nix, but in Week 2 Nix finds himself on the bench with Mahomes in the starting lineup. Will Mahomes seize the role and dial back the past or is this just a temporary motivational tactic by the "Groovy Pinchers". I asked AI to help me come up with a new nickname for the KRABS franchise and it suggested the "Groovy Pinchers". I am not going to lie, I like it.
Is Jalen Hurts the same Jalen Hurts? He scored 28 points in Week 1, but it was all due to his arm and not his legs. He had three passing touchdowns, but his completion % was still poor (56%) and he only had 203 passing yards. He had a number of big plays. Has Jalen Hurts developed as a passer or is he in trouble if he doesn't score a touchdown with his legs?!?!
Quick Note
The Executive Vice Commish has alot of commitments going on and he won't be able to be a regular columnist in the Notes this year. He will be around some, but won't be an every week writer.
Before we get to this week’s awards, check out this week’s episode of Gridiron Heights. Season 11, Episode 1
Season 11, Episode 2
Manager of the Weak
Week 1 didn't exactly go the way that the icon was planning. It went actually fairly poorly. Ja'Marr Chase has an odd trend in the first week of the NFL season the last 4 years, he hasn't scored more than 6 points in a Week 1 since 2022. Drake London and the Falcons downfield passing game looks sketchy at best. Judkins and the Browns got blown off the field. Will Achane be able to overcome the overall struggles of the Dolphins? Alot of great players on this roster, but there are multiple questions that are sure to be a topic in the icon HQ this week. Overbay is running his week 1 lineup back again in Week 2, can it rebound and beat This Is The Way?!?!
Move of the Week
Usually the Week 1 Waiver Wire is a hot market for players who broke out in Week 1 but weren't drafted. In 2026, not so much with very few impact waiver wire adds. IMO this is just a sign that the research of the draft makes it really hard to find sleepers or players that "sneak" up on us. A great example of that is Isaiah Likely. Umphlett took Likely in Round 9 of the draft and he was immediately rewarded with Likely scoring 19 fantasy points leading all Tight Ends in scoring in Week 1. Can he keep this up? It will be a massive storyline for this roster that is looking for playmakers after alpha stud Jahmyr Gibbs.
MVP
Zay Flowers, Ken Walker III, Jahmyr Gibbs, Ashton Jeanty, Lamar Jackson
Ken Walker III has always been a tantalizing talent. But between injuries and usage he never seemed to ascend in Seattle. In Week 1 in Kansas City, he became a force. With a dominating 30 fantasy points in the Sunday Night Football matchup, he helped lead the Chiefs and Woodcox to a come from behind victory against Dirty Mike leading to winning the Week 1 MVP!
Manager of the Week
Ugh. He scored the most points in Week 1. Despite the fact that he doesn't have nearly has amazing keepers that I do. DeAndre Swift did a Barry Sanders impersonation on his bench. Maybe Carson Wentz can actually get the ball to Jefferson (I am not holding my breath). And lets not forget that maybe Lamar Jackson is still good. But he does have what feels like a million injuries. But it certainly feels like after one week we have our work cut out for us to make sure that The Institute doesn't win again. He is your Week 1 Manager of the Week. We better shape up quickly people. Sigh. Until Week 2/3... - The Commish
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