Week 1 of NFL fantasy football can often put team managers in a frenzy as they hurry to see if any unexpected players who shined are available to be picked up for Week 2.
After Week 1 of the 2023 season, Sports Illustrated’s Michael Fabiano highlighted 10 such players around the league, and four of them played their collegiate ball in Utah.
Atop Fabiano’s list was former BYU running back Tyler Allgeier of the Atlanta Falcons, and he was joined by former Utah State quarterback Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers, former BYU receiver Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams and former Weber State receiver Rashid Shaheed of the New Orleans Saints.
Of Allgeier, Fabiano wrote, “To the shock of everyone, Allgeier had more touches (18) and scored more fantasy points (24.4) than rookie standout Bijan Robinson (16 touches, 20.3 points).
“The Falcons are going to run the ball a ton this season, and this week showed there’s enough touches for both of these backs to make an impact.”
Of Love, Fabiano wrote, “Love had a huge fantasy game in his first post-Aaron Rodgers era start, throwing for 245 yards with three touchdowns in a win over the (Chicago) Bears.”
Of Nacua, Fabiano wrote, “The Rams might have found their new No. 1 (fantasy) wideout in the rookie Nacua, who dominated the targets and receiving totals in his first NFL start.
“He was targeted 15 times, catching 10 passes for 119 yards. More importantly, he seemed to gain the trust of his veteran quarterback, Matthew Stafford. For at least the next few weeks, Nacua could hold some statistical value for fantasy managers.”
And of Shaheed, Fabiano wrote, “Shaheed has secured his spot as the No. 3 wideout in New Orleans, and he showed his stuff in the opener with five catches (six targets), 89 yards, a touchdown and 19 fantasy points.
“This might very well be one of his best games of the season with Chris Olave and Michael Thomas in the mix, but Shaheed is certainly worth a look as a No. 5 wideout who could push for flex starter value this season.”