Week 1 of the NFL season hardly ever disappoints, with enough solid performances, tough breaks, and even some fun surprises to remind us this is a game played with an oblong ball.

Few positions have the intrigue of quarterbacks, and there were several  who gave glimpses of greatness — and others who have some work to do to earn their way into fantasy lineups. However, it's pretty clear for the first week of the fantasy season that plenty of eyes will be on the guys taking snaps from center.

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Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

Few players had more anticipation and intrigue than Anthony Richardson this preseason. We heard enough about what he did in only four games in 2023. What would he do this season after coming off shoulder surgery? Well, less than 10 minutes into the Colts’ 29-27 loss to the Houston Texans, Richardson delivered the answer.

Dropping back to pass, Richardson had his plant foot slip with a Texans pass rush bearing down on him. He got up and almost instantaneously fired a missile that traveled 65.3 yards in the air, the third-longest pass measured in the Next Gen Stats era. The ball landed in the hands of a streaking Alec Pierce for a 60-yard touchdown that announced Richardson’s grand return.

All told, Richardson racked up 268 total yards, 3 TDs, and barely missed on two other long bombs. If we’re talking about many happy returns, it leads with AR-5 and the joy he brought fantasy managers who took a chance on him as the QB5 in drafts. 

Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

One of the late offseason narratives surrounded Darnold and whether he could elevate beyond caretaker and be the Vikings’ starter for an entire season after J.J. McCarthy was ruled out for the season. For the 2024 debut, it helped that the forgiving New York Giants secondary was ripe for picking apart.

After an early deep shot to all-world WR Justin Jefferson, Darnold was on point on his first 10 passes on the way to completing 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT. Could this be a sign of good things for a player who finally has a top playcaller in Kevin O’Connell, a solid O-line, and a receiving corps led by Jefferson? SKOL country and fantasy managers in SuperFlex leagues who took a chance on Darnold have to be feeling some relief and excitement. After he gets some gas in Kendall Valenzuela’s upcoming waiver wire column, look for Darnold’s rostership number to jump from its 10% in Yahoo leagues.

The Rookies: Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix

Caleb Williams became the first No. 1 overall pick to win his NFL debut since David Carr in 2002. Williams was almost 10 months old when that happened. The Bears’ QB had both the Chicago fanbase and fantasy managers salivating at the prospects of this playmaker taking his game to the next level. 

Jayden Daniels had fantasy managers happy to wait to draft a QB excited for his rushing ability. How does “88 yards and 2 TDs” sound? Check. The passing was uneven, with 184 yards, but the rushing output vaulted Daniels past Richardson for QB3 on the week going into Sunday Night Football. 

Though a big reason the Commanders lost, 37-20, was Baker Mayfield putting up a QB2 performance with 289 yards and 4 TDs. Still, with that rushing floor, when the big passing days come it could lead to some special weeks for Daniels and his patient fantasy managers.

Bo Nix learned some lessons on the way to passing for 138 yards and 2 interceptions against a revived Seattle defense under new HC Mike Macdonald. 

Nix didn’t get blanked in the scoring column — he ran for 35 yards on five carries, and scampered in for a 4-yard score with 2:17 left in the game.

Hard to expect Nix to have been starting on anything but deep SuperFlex leagues going into Seattle with the 12s at their high-decibel best to make it a rocky debut for the rookie. It’s going to be equally difficult to fit Nix into a lineup in his next 3 games, a home date with the Steelers then road trips to play the Buccaneers and Jets. That rushing upside, though, keep an eye out for him in home matchups against lesser defenses. 

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