September 6th, 2025
Saturday Afternoon Edition
THE TAKEAWAY: THURSDAY & FRIDAY NIGHT
A couple of exciting games in the books for week one already, and plenty to talk about through the fantasy lens. These are my headlines and takes from the Thursday and Friday night games just played.
Cowboys at the Eagles
Eagles are a running team
Despite the talent out wide, the Eagles offense starts and finishes with the ground game. It’s apparent they lean heavily on the legs of quarterback Jalen Hurts (14 carries) and running back Saquon Barkley (18 carries).
Fly-Eagles-Fly, sometimes…
With so much emphasis and success with the run game, the Eagles pass game will be sporadic at times. In their week 1 win, Hurts attempted just 23 passes, while the offense totaled 38 carries.
Dak is Back
He may not be the old Dak (Prescott), but he looked like a pretty good carbon copy. Prescott was dropping dimes, but unfortunately so was his best receiver. Prescott was 21 of 34 for 188 yards, but his numbers could have been much better. Too soon to roll out, but he could enter the QB1 conversation by mid-season.
CeeDee will dominate in 25
The Cowboys wide receiver (CeeDee Lamb) looked unstoppable at times, but fortunately for the Eagles defense, Lamb was his best defender with a couple of critical drops. By the end of the night Lamb turned in 7 catches for 110 yards receiving, on 13 targets, but his night could have and should have been huge.
Cowboys run game a mirage?
The Cowboys got some decent production on the ground from running backs Javonte Williams (54 yards rushing, two touchdowns) and Miles Sanders (53 yards rushing), but you have to wonder how different it might have been had Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter not been ejected. The jury is still out on the Cowboys backfield and ground game.
Chiefs at the Chargers
Herbert cool as ice cream sherbert
The Chargers signal caller was not a name tossed around much in the preseason fantasy conversation, but after his week 1 performance, especially with his legs, he has to be part of the QB1 conversation now; 318 yards passing (three touchdown passes) and 32 yards rushing.
Hampton looks solid in debut
The Chargers rookie running back Omarion Hampton didn’t post week 1 numbers that jump off the page, but if you watched the game, he had some very nice runs inside. His totals were skewed with several no gains and loss of yards down the stretch as the Chargers tried to shorten the game with the lead. He looks the part of a solid fantasy RB2.
The Old man finds the fountain again
Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen may be back, but Friday night he looked as if he never left. The savvy veteran receiver found ways to get open, on his way to a 7 catch, for 68 yards receiving with a score night.
Quentin is in, the fun shall begin
The Chargers passing game highlighted the teams success on offense and Quentin Johnson Jr led the way, snagging 5 balls, for 79 yards receiving, and two scores on 7 targets. He was kind of the forgotten man clearing concussion protocol this week, but I’m sure every fantasy manager will remember his name on Waiver wire day ahead of week 2.
McConkey part of the Three Amigos
You could say, Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey is the gringo amigo in the trio of Johnson, Allen, and McConkey. This may be a bit of an over-reaction, but all Three Amigos appear to be fantasy relevant after Friday night’s performance. McConkey was second on the team with 9 targets, one behind Allen (10), and two ahead of Johnson (7). With this share size (26%), McConkey is locked in as a solid fantasy WR2 in PPR.
Hollywood Shines in Brazil
With the absence of Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice and 2nd year wideout Xavier Worthy exiting early in the Friday night contest, the door was wide open for Marquise Brown to walk through, which is what he did. With 10 receptions, for 99 yards receiving on 16 targets, Brown led all Chiefs pass catchers in both categories; JuJu Smith-Schuster was next with 5 targets. Brown’s stock is on a mad rise and for the time being should continue, but only time will tell when Rice and Worthy return. For the moment, Brown appears locked in as the Chiefs number one.
Kelce remains a TE1
This should have been a quiet game for Kelce, but a 4th quarter 37-yard touchdown reception preserved his night. As long as his quarterback is Patrick Mahomes, Kelce always has a chance to score and should be considered a low-end TE1.
JuJu shows up for Chiefs
We haven’t really heard his name much since he joined the Chiefs, but a trip to Brazil may be just what JuJu Smith-Schuster needed to remind everyone who he is. The Chiefs receiver contributed a decent effort posting 5 catches for 55 yards receiving. If Xavier Worthy (shoulder) misses any extended time, Smith-Schuster could return to fantasy relevance in the short term.
Mr.Mahomes shows his legs in week 1
The Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 258 yards and a score in Friday night’s loss to the Chargers. It’s the 7th game in his last 8 starts that he has not reached 300 yards in the air, but his use of his legs (57 yards rushing with a touchdown) adds another dimension to his arsenal that will keep him in the fantasy QB1 tier.
That’s My Take
~David G. Ortega
