The Season begins and for sixteen teams, 8 of them will be disappointed by the time week 15 rolls around and they find themselves on the wrong end of the playoffs. For the other 8, they will wander into the post-season with a chance of victory, the Fantasy Bowl and immortality as the first victors. Without any further adeiu, let's run through what happened in the opening week of Fantasy Football as ESPN Intended!
Aberdeen Oilers @ Dundee Spinners
Aberdeen Line-up
QB: Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City, vs Arizona, LG) 22.7
RB1: Alvin Kamara (New Orleans, vs Atlanta, EG) 18.7
RB2: Darrell Henderson Jr. (LA Rams, vs Buffalo, TNF) 7.9
WR1: CeeDee Lamb (Dallas, vs Tampa Bay, SNF) 17.0
WR2: Darnell Mooney (Chicago, vs San Francisco, EG) 11.6
WR3: D.J. Chark (Detroit, vs Philadelphia, EG) 9.4
TE: T.J. Hockenson (Detroit, vs Philadelphia, EG) 10.4
FLEX: Kenny Golladay (NY Giants, vs Tennessee, LG) 9.3
D/ST: 49ers (San Francisco, vs Chicago, EG) 8.5
K: Dustin Hopkins (LA Chargers, vs Las Vegas, LG) 7.8
Bench: Dak Prescott 18.6
Allen Lazard 0.0
Buccaneers 4.9
Jerick McKinnon 5.9
Kenneth Gainwell 6.6
Jason Sanders 6.7
Kyle Rudolph 5.2
Dundee Line-up
QB: Derek Carr (Las Vegas, vs LA Chargers, LG) 16.0
RB1: Miles Sanders (Philadelphia, vs Detroit, EG) 12.8
RB2: Mark Ingram II (New Orleans, vs Atlanta, EG) 6.0
WR1: Justin Jefferson (Minnesota, vs Green Bay, LG) 17.9
WR2: Michael Pittman Jr. (Indianapolis, vs Houston, EG) 14.9
WR3: Jaylen Waddle (Miami, vs New England, EG) 13.5
TE: Irv Smith Jr. (Minnesota, vs Green Bay, LG) 9.0
FLEX: Drake London (Atlanta, vs New Orleans, EG) 11.7
D/ST: Chiefs (Kansas City, vs Arizona, LG) 4.0
K: Brandon McManus (Denver, vs Seattle, MNF) 8.1
Bench: Russell Gage 10.0
Kirk Cousins 15.7
Gerald Everett 8.1
Raiders 2.4
Cairo Santos 7.0
Samaje Perine 4.8
Matt Breida 3.2
Pre-Match Prediction: Aberdeen Oilers 123.2 - 113.9 Dundee Spinners (-9.3)
Thursday Night Football
With Dundee unable to score points until the Early Games, Aberdeen needed a good go for the beginning with Darrell Henderson Jr., the backup to Cam Akers. Fortunately for them, Sean McVay and Cam Akers were on a break, so Darrell got the nod as starter. To good use he was, putting 47 yards down on the rush was solid in a 31-10 blowout by the Bills while also being tied second on receptions in the passing game, catching 5 for 26, completely justifying their score. Overall a score of 12.3 was a good 40% better than projected, just short of an IBM boom but a great start for Aberdeen.
Aberdeen Oilers 12.3
Darrell Henderson Jr. 12.3
Dundee Spinners 0.0
The Early Games
With the early games kicking off, it would be five against five to get things going with a lot of points to be won. Both Aberdeen and Dundee had New Orleans running backs going and while the workload was to be expected, what wasn't was falling behind how they did so early. The run game would be abandoned early so a disappointing 7.6 points only for Kamara and an even worse 1.3 for Mark Ingram II. Drake London would also play in this game for Atlanta and had a solid debut, scoring 5 catches for 74 yards, putting up projected numbers with 12.4 points.
Aberdeen had a rain soaked Chicago to watch and got a decent haul from the 49ers defence. Under projection by two and a half yes, but most of that fell in the points against column which was a small concern. That was nothing compared to the output of Darnell Mooney who flopped huge in the opening week, getting just the one catch for a poultry 8 yards overall, massively denting Aberdeen's work. In comparison, Dundee would get their wide receivers rolling with Michael Pittman Jr. finding easy work against Houston although the game ended in a tie. 9 for 121 yards and a touchdown would set to get close to doubling his points haul with 27.1 scored and with a good score for Jaylen Waddle and Miami after blasting away the Patriots with 4 for 69 and a touchdown, the 17.7 points were starting to turn a score and a half loss in favour of the Dundee Spinners.
Philadelphia versus Detroit would be the last of the early games for both sides with Dundee playing Miles Sanders and the duo of T.J Hockenson and D.J. Chark going for Aberdeen. The game itself would be a barn burner but for Aberdeen, it would be a tale of contrasting fortunes. D.J. Chark would play great, getting 4 catches for 52 yards coupled with a touchdown to put 15.2 points down but there would be disappointment for Hockenson whose 4 catches of his own would only go for 38 yards and as such, fall short of projection to 7.8 points. You couldn't have asked for much better from Miles Sanders though as 96 yards rushing, 2 catches for 9 yards and a rushing touchdown ensured another great performance for Dundee, 18.5 valuable points that gave Dundee an early 27 point lead with an extra player still to play.
Aberdeen Oilers 50.7
D.J. Chark 15.2
Darrell Henderson Jr. 12.3
T.J. Hockenson 7.8
Alvin Kamara 7.6
49ers 6.0
Darnell Mooney 1.8
Dundee Spinners 77.0
Michael Pittman Jr. 27.1
Miles Sanders 18.5
Jaylen Waddle 17.7
Drake London 12.4
Mark Ingram II 1.3
The Late Games
Dundee were rolling and looked to make some excellent progress in the late games but there was still chance for catch up. The Kansas City Chiefs as a whole looked incredible and no more was that showcased than with Patrick Mahomes whose 5 touchdown game with 360 yards passing proved he was still going to be elite without Tyreek Hill. 34.9 points was more than enough to place Aberdeen back in the game. In response, Dundee were dismayed that late Arizona touchdowns dented the overall scoreline of what was shaping up to be a good defensive display. Just the 5 points it ended up being, still over projection by one.
Derek Carr would be needed to steady the ship but ultimately wouldn't have the best day in the world, marrying a couple of touchdowns to 3 picks, throwing a 295 yard passing game under projected to 13.8 points. On the other side of the match was Dustin Hopkins for Aberdeen who made one and missed one in the field goal department while putting through 3 extra points, falling just short of projection. Aberdeen would turn to Kenny Golladay and the Giants however would be stunned to see a running day rather than a passing day. 2 catches for 22 yards only was a disappointment, and one which left a lot in the air as Minnesota played Green Bay.
And then Justin Jefferson happened. 9 catches, 184 yards and 2 touchdowns later, Justin's 39.4 points was more than enough to be the highest points score of the week across all points. Dundee were more than home with one player each to play, not even concerned by the fact that Irv Smith Jr. saw no targets and as such saw no points overall. Dundee have a star, and a star that may single-handedly spear them towards a playoff push.
Aberdeen Oilers 95.8
Patrick Mahomes 34.9
D.J. Chark 15.2
Darrell Henderson Jr. 12.3
T.J. Hockenson 7.8
Alvin Kamara 7.6
49ers 6.0
Dustin Hopkins 6.0
Kenny Golladay 4.2
Darnell Mooney 1.8
Dundee Spinners 135.2
Justin Jefferson 39.4
Michael Pittman Jr. 27.1
Miles Sanders 18.5
Jaylen Waddle 17.7
Derek Carr 13.8
Drake London 12.4
Chiefs 5.0
Mark Ingram II 1.3
Irv Smith Jr. 0.0
Sunday Night Football
Nearly 40 points in the hole with one still to go for Dundee, it would take a legendary performance from CeeDee Lamb to bail out Aberdeen in the opening week. Newsflash, it didn't happen. Held to just 2 for 29 without a touchdown and with his quarterback going down hurt, the game was over for Aberdeen with a whimper. They lost and would have to watch how much the score would be run up on Monday Night.
Aberdeen Oilers 100.7
Patrick Mahomes 34.9
D.J. Chark 15.2
Darrell Henderson Jr. 12.3
T.J. Hockenson 7.8
Alvin Kamara 7.6
49ers 6.0
Dustin Hopkins 6.0
CeeDee Lamb 4.9
Kenny Golladay 4.2
Darnell Mooney 1.8
Dundee Spinners 135.2
Justin Jefferson 39.4
Michael Pittman Jr. 27.1
Miles Sanders 18.5
Jaylen Waddle 17.7
Derek Carr 13.8
Drake London 12.4
Chiefs 5.0
Mark Ingram II 1.3
Irv Smith Jr. 0.0
Monday Night Football
With Dundee already secure in victory, Brandon McManus could further increase the score and that he did. Three made field goals with one miss along with an extra point meant that 10 points would be scored and he would outscore his projection by 2. It couldn't have been a better start for the Spinners and their victory is secured week one.
Result: Aberdeen Oilers 100.7 - 145.2 Dundee Spinners (+44.5, Five and a half Touchdowns.)
Aberdeen Oilers 100.7
Patrick Mahomes 34.9
D.J. Chark 15.2
Darrell Henderson Jr. 12.3
T.J. Hockenson 7.8
Alvin Kamara 7.6
49ers 6.0
Dustin Hopkins 6.0
CeeDee Lamb 4.9
Kenny Golladay 4.2
Darnell Mooney 1.8
Dundee Spinners 145.2
Justin Jefferson 39.4
Michael Pittman Jr. 27.1
Miles Sanders 18.5
Jaylen Waddle 17.7
Derek Carr 13.8
Drake London 12.4
Brandon McManus 10.0
Chiefs 5.0
Mark Ingram II 1.3
Irv Smith Jr. 0.0
Cardiff Dragons @ Barry Islanders
Cardiff Line-up
QB: Tom Brady (Tampa Bay, vs Dallas, SNF) 19.1
RB1: James Conner (Arizona, vs Kansas City, LG) 17.0
RB2: D'Andre Swift (Detroit, vs Philadelphia, EG) 16.0
WR1: Marquise "Hollywood" Brown (Arizona, vs Kansas City, LG) 14.5
WR2: Julio Jones (Tampa Bay, vs Dallas, SNF) 9.8
WR3: Jarvis Landry (New Orleans, vs Atlanta, EG) 8.9
TE: Hunter Henry (New England, vs Miami, EG) 9.1
FLEX: Travis Etienne Jr. (Jacksonville, vs Washington, EG) 13.6
D/ST: Saints (New Orleans, vs Atlanta, EG) 8.5
K: Chris Boswell (Pittsburgh, vs Cincinnati, EG) 7.2
Bench: Damien Harris 11.0
Colts 7.4
Tyler Higbee 8.8
Justin Fields 14.9
George Pickens 8.6
Eddy Pineiro 7.2
Wan'Dale Robinson 8.8
Barry Line-up
QB: Mitch Trubisky (Pittsburgh, vs Cincinnati, EG) 14.7
RB1: Christian McCaffrey (Carolina, vs Cleveland, EG) 21.0
RB2: James Robinson (Jacksonville, vs Washington, EG) 8.6
WR1: Allen Robinson II (LA Rams, vs Buffalo, TNF) 12.9
WR2: Chase Claypool (Pittsburgh, vs Cincinnati, EG) 11.7
WR3: Marvin Jones Jr. (Jacksonville, vs Washington, EG) 10.1
TE: Travis Kelce (Kansas City, vs Arizona, LG) 14.3
FLEX: Devin Singletary (Buffalo, vs LA Rams, TNF) 10.7
D/ST: Bengals (Cincinnati, vs Pittsburgh, EG) 7.0
K: Greg Joseph (Minnesota, vs Green Bay, LG) 8.0
Bench: J.K. Dobbins 0.0
Tyler Bass 7.5
Joshua Palmer 8.8
Deshaun Watson 0.0
Robert Tonyan 8.6
Seahawks 4.1
Garrett Wilson 8.4
Pre-Match Prediction: Cardiff Dragons 123.7 - 118.9 Barry Islanders (-4.8)
Thursday Night Football
Cardiff opted against using Tyler Higbee which meant Barry had to maximise their two players in Allen Robinson and Devin Singletary. Devin had a solid night but fell a little short of the 10.7 projected points. His 8 rushes resulted in 48 yards of offence while he was still able to get two catches out the back for 14 yards. 8.2 points for the trouble but that would be nothing compared to the disappointment that Allen Robinson would garner. Just the one pass all game for a gain of 12 yards was all he got as his lofty production took a huge nose dive, falling behind in the WR order compared to Ben Skowronek. A massive bust for Barry, and quite frankly a disaster on a Thursday night, considering too that Tyler Bass was good for 8 points.
Cardiff Dragons 0.0
Barry Islanders 10.4
Devin Singletary 8.2
Allen Robinson II 2.2
The Early Games
Six versus six in the early games, three went off in the same game for Barry while only Chris Boswell went for the Cardiff Dragons. A lack of yards for Trubisky proved to be the tough going, getting only 198 yards and just the one touchdown, leaving him just short on 12.66 points. Chase Claypool would also fall short, his four catches only going for 18 yards proof of Chase being able to move the chains, but again, just short of projection at 9.4 points. Going to overtime also didn't help the Bengals defence who lost more yardage late on. Just the one sack to their name, 4 points only fell well below expectations. For Cardiff, Chris Boswell provided a lot of fantasy value which only got helped by overtime. 2 extra points and a field goal of each distance scored, minus the doink, put 13 points on the table, nearly doubling his points tally.
With J.K. Dobbins out late, it meant James Robinson would have to jump into the side, meaning a battle of Jacksonville running backs. Robinson would be the primary weapon out the back instead of Etienne, leaving Cardiff with just 8.5 points compared to both a catching and rushing touchdown for 19.9 points. Marvin Jones Jr. would also play for Barry and would fall short with 4 catches for 38 yards leaving a score of 7.8 points. Jarvis Landry would play lights out in his first game for New Orleans, pulling 7 catches in for 114 yards overall and doubling projection for Cardiff. The Saints managed 2 fumble recoveries and a blocked field goal, but the points against would cost, meaning only 3 points would be scored.
Hunter Henry for Cardiff struggled for targets within New England's spluttering start against Miami, getting just 2 catches for 20 yards and 4 points only. The good news for Cardiff was the performance of D'Andre Swift, whose late rally against Philadelphia included 144 yards rushing, a rushing touchdown and 3 catches for 31 yards, scoring 26.5 points, steadying the ship beautifully. To counter for Barry, Christian McCaffrey would need to score at rookie season levels. 33 rushing yards, 4 catches for 24 yards and a rushing touchdown would be decent, but not what the doctor ordered, getting only 15.7 and falling below projected by a fair margin. It would put Barry ahead but by just 6 heading into the late games.
Cardiff Dragons 73.4
D'Andre Swift 26.5
Jarvis Landry 18.4
Chris Boswell 13.0
Travis Etienne Jr. 8.5
Hunter Henry 4.0
Saints 3.0
Barry Islanders 79.86
James Robinson 19.9
Christian McCaffrey 15.7
Mitch Trubisky 12.66
Chase Claypool 9.4
Devin Singletary 8.2
Marvin Jones Jr. 7.8
Bengals 4.0
Allen Robinson II 2.2
The Late Games
Greg Joseph put in a strong showcase of kicking, putting three field goals through and two extra points to score 13 points overall in Minnesota's dominant display over Green Bay. For Cardiff, they needed a good showing out of Arizona and while that wasn't the case, James Conner didn't get many rushing yards, just 26 but a rushing touchdown and five catches for 29 yards were more than enough to reach half a point under projection at 16.5 points. Hollywood Brown's target share was down at 4 catches for 43 yards but a receiving touchdown was also enough to be at projection, scoring 14.3 points.
That left Travis Kelce who got off to a lightning start and continued in that form, scoring an early touchdown that married up nicely with 8 catches for 121 yards overall. the 26.1 points scored would initiate a boom for Kelce and for Barry's last unit, hold some bastion of hope with 2 to go for Cardiff.
Cardiff Dragons 104.2
D'Andre Swift 26.5
Jarvis Landry 18.4
James Conner 16.5
Marquise "Hollywood" Brown 14.3
Chris Boswell 13.0
Travis Etienne Jr. 8.5
Hunter Henry 4.0
Saints 3.0
Barry Islanders 118.96
Travis Kelce 26.1
James Robinson 19.9
Christian McCaffrey 15.7
Greg Joseph 13.0
Mitch Trubisky 12.66
Chase Claypool 9.4
Devin Singletary 8.2
Marvin Jones Jr. 7.8
Bengals 4.0
Allen Robinson II 2.2
Sunday Night Football
So it fell to Tom Brady and Julio Jones to clutch out 14.76 points between them. Julio saw a lot more work once Chris Godwin exited the game through injury and picked up 3 passes for 69 yards along with 17 rushing yards to boot. That would be enough for 11.6 points, not quite enough to beat out the 14.76 but there was still a Tom Brady left. It wasn't a lot of points but it was what it needed to be. 212 yards thrown, one touchdown, one pick. 10.38 points and enough to secure the win overall for the Cardiff Dragons.
Monday Night Football
With no players left, Monday night was quiet and free for both sides.
Result: Cardiff Dragons 126.18 - 118.96 Barry Islanders (-7.22, One Touchdown)
Cardiff Dragons 126.18
D'Andre Swift 26.5
Jarvis Landry 18.4
James Conner 16.5
Marquise "Hollywood" Brown 14.3
Chris Boswell 13.0
Julio Jones 11.6
Tom Brady 10.38
Travis Etienne Jr. 8.5
Hunter Henry 4.0
Saints 3.0
Barry Islanders 118.96
Travis Kelce 26.1
James Robinson 19.9
Christian McCaffrey 15.7
Greg Joseph 13.0
Mitch Trubisky 12.66
Chase Claypool 9.4
Devin Singletary 8.2
Marvin Jones Jr. 7.8
Bengals 4.0
Allen Robinson II 2.2
Belfast Giants @ Cork City Rebels
Belfast Line-up
QB: Josh Allen (Buffalo, vs LA Rams, TNF) 22.6
RB1: Dalvin Cook (Minnesota, vs Green Bay, LG) 16.8
RB2: Rashaad Penny (Seattle, vs Denver, MNF) 13.2
WR1: Keenan Allen (LA Chargers, vs Las Vegas, LG) 14.0
WR2: Elijah Moore (NY Jets, vs Baltimore, EG) 12.8
WR3: Rashod Bateman (Baltimore, vs NY Jets, EG) 12.2
TE: Albert Okwuegbunam (Denver, vs Seattle, MNF) 8.2
FLEX: Curtis Samuel (Washington, vs Jacksonville, EG) 9.0
D/ST: Texans (Houston, vs Indianapolis, EG) 3.9
K: Justin Tucker (Baltimore, vs NY Jets, EG) 8.4
Bench: Justin Herbert 20.8
Nyheim Hines 8.3
Rex Burkhead 8.0
Vikings 3.7
Cedrick Wilson Jr. 7.9
Riley Patterson 7.4
Taysom Hill 4.8
Cork Line-up
QB: Lamar Jackson (Baltimore, vs NY Jets, EG) 21.2
RB1: Saquon Barkley (NY Giants, vs Tennessee, LG) 15.9
RB2: Elijah Mitchell (San Francisco, vs Chicago, EG) 15.2
WR1: Ja'Marr Chase (Cincinnati, vs Pittsburgh, EG) 17.0
WR2: Terry McLaurin (Washington, vs Jacksonville, EG) 14.2
WR3: Kadarius Toney (NY Giants, vs Tennessee, LG) 12.2
TE: Dallas Goedert (Philadelphia, vs Detroit, EG) 10.1
FLEX: Nico Collins (Houston, vs Indianapolis, EG) 9.5
D/ST: Chargers (LA Chargers, vs Las Vegas, LG) 5.7
K: Daniel Carlson (Las Vegas, vs LA Chargers, LG) 7.9
Bench: David Njoku 8.0
Trevor Lawrence 15.8
Jamaal Williams 7.8
Rachaad White 4.6
Jaguars 4.8
Austin Seibert 7.5
Braxton Berrios 8.1
Pre-Match Prediction: Belfast Giants 121.2 - 128.9 Cork City Rebels (+7.7)
Thursday Night Football
No players for Cork meant that Belfast had one player to get off the board to start with and boy howdy what a player in Josh Allen. The king quaterback of fantasy got off to a great opening drive, finding Gabriel Davis for the 7-0 touchdown but with two picks in the first half, there were troubles aplenty to deal with. The second half completely opened up though and the points came along with them. throws to Isaiah McKenzie and a 53 yard bomb to Stefon Diggs put a huge stamp on points along with a rushing touchdown along with, 31.48 points makes a solid boom to start the season for Belfast and their early quarterback selection paid off big time.
Belfast Giants 31.48
Josh Allen 31.48
Cork City Rebels 0.0
The Early Games
Cork's six went up against Belfast's five in the early game fixtures in what proved to be a good early start thanks to Josh Allen earlier on Thursday. The biggest fixture in terms of players was the Jets against the ravens which started off solidly for Lamar Jackson and Cork, not hitting projection but only falling a point short with 213 yards throwing, 3 touchdowns and a pick along with 17 rushing yards. Rashod Bateman for Belfast would only get a couple of catches but for 59 yards and a touchdown meaning lots of points for minimal work, 13.9 of them to be precise. Justin Tucker didn't find himself with much work, putting a small field goal and 3 extra points through for a distinctly average 6 points while Elijah Moore for the Jets looked good but fell below projection with his 5 catches for 49 yards.
Cork would bolster their scores with Ja'Marr Chase whose overtime heroics and for a portion, a lack of Tee Higgins meant 10 catches for 129 yards and a touchdown, putting 28.9 points down for the team. Elijah Mitchell would unfortunately get injured mid game against Chicago and as such the 49er would only get 41 yards and as such, 4.1 points. Dallas Goedert would be the last of the individual players for Cork and did decently for the City Rebels, getting 3 catches for 60 yards, putting a score together of 9 points, slightly under projection.
An interception, a fumble recovery and 2 sacks were not enough for the Texans defence to stop the yardage tumbling in their tie with Indianapolis and as such, scored a goose egg for Belfast while for Cork, Nico Collins wouldn't do much better in the flex, only putting together 2 catches for 26 yards, meaning 4.6 points only. Cork would try to rebound through Terry McLaurin and his 2 catches for 58 yards along with a touchdown. That would put him around projection at 13.8 points while the workhorse targets for Washington would go to Belfast and Curtis Samuel. His 8 for 55 and a touchdown would put 19.2 points on the table and help propel Belfast to be just behind Cork by a slender 0.14 points.
Belfast Giants 80.48
Josh Allen 31.48
Curtis Samuel 19.2
Rashod Bateman 13.9
Elijah Moore 9.9
Justin Tucker 6.0
Texans 0.0
Cork City Rebels 80.62
Ja'Marr Chase 28.9
Lamar Jackson 20.22
Terry McLaurin 13.8
Dallas Goedert 9.0
Nico Collins 4.6
Elijah Mitchell 4.1
The Late Games
With Cork having everyone going, they would have to pile on the points in the level state that it was. First up went their defence and kicker against Keenan Allen. The Chargers would play lights out football, getting 3 interceptions and 6 sacks while holding Las Vegas to just 19 points overall and score a very strong 6 points. Daniel Carlson's kicks for Las Vegas also proved valuable for Cork as the two field goals and the extra point scored would take his tally above projected to 9. A hamstring injury though would severely hamper Belfast, with the 4 for 66 yards only what could be managed before disaster. 10.6 points scored but what could have easily been a lot more.
To counter that, Belfast had to rely on Dalvin Cook to be an elite running back which he was, but lacked the all important touchdown. 90 yards rushing were coupled up with 3 catches for 18 yards and 13.8 points overall. Not ideal but salvageable come Monday Night Football. Cork still had their New York players and for Kadarius Toney, it was an evening to forget as his work only came on 23 yards of rushing rather than any catches for the wide receiver, leaving him stranded at 2.3 points. Saquon Barkley on the other hand became elite again. 164 yards and a rushing touchdown along with 6 catches for 30 yards put into perspective just how good he used to be and is now. 33.4 points here put a commanding position for Cork into reality.
Belfast Giants 104.88
Josh Allen 31.48
Curtis Samuel 19.2
Rashod Bateman 13.9
Dalvin Cook 13.8
Keenan Allen 10.6
Elijah Moore 9.9
Justin Tucker 6.0
Texans 0.0
Cork City Rebels 137.32
Saquon Barkley 33.4
Ja'Marr Chase 28.9
Lamar Jackson 20.22
Terry McLaurin 13.8
Chargers 12.0
Daniel Carlson 9.0
Dallas Goedert 9.0
Nico Collins 4.6
Elijah Mitchell 4.1
Kadarius Toney 2.3
Sunday Night Football
Neither player would hold a Dallas or Tampa Bay player meaning the conclusion of the match would take place on Monday Night Football.
Monday Night Football
32 and a half points to score with Albert Okwuegbunam and Rashaad Penny was asking for a lot of help from two players only expected to combine for 21 points but anything on a monday night is possible. Okwuegbunam would play exactly as expected, getting 5 passes for 33 yards, leaving him a score of 8.3 points, piling the pressure on the Seattle run game. Penny played well, getting 60 yards rushing as well as 2 catches for 7 yards but the lack of touchdowns would leave him stranded on 8.7 points and as such, strand Belfast with a loss to open out the season. A close game but a good game to kick off both campaigns.
Result: Belfast Giants 121.88 - 137.32 Cork City Rebels (+15.44, 2 Touchdowns)
Belfast Giants 121.88
Josh Allen 31.48
Curtis Samuel 19.2
Rashod Bateman 13.9
Dalvin Cook 13.8
Keenan Allen 10.6
Elijah Moore 9.9
Rashaad Penny 8.7
Alfred Okwuegbunam 8.3
Justin Tucker 6.0
Texans 0.0
Cork City Rebels 137.32
Saquon Barkley 33.4
Ja'Marr Chase 28.9
Lamar Jackson 20.22
Terry McLaurin 13.8
Chargers 12.0
Daniel Carlson 9.0
Dallas Goedert 9.0
Nico Collins 4.6
Elijah Mitchell 4.1
Kadarius Toney 2.3
Birmingham Bulls @ Nottingham Sheriffs
Birmingham Line-up
QB: Marcus Mariota (Atlanta, vs New Orleans, EG) 14.9
RB1: Antonio Gibson (Washington, vs Jacksonville, EG) 15.5
RB2: J.D. McKissic (Washington, vs Jacksonville, EG) 10.1
WR1: Davante Adams (Las Vegas, vs LA Chargers, LG) 17.3
WR2: Tee Higgins (Cincinnati, vs Pittsburgh, EG) 14.6
WR3: Christian Kirk (Jacksonville, vs Washington, EG) 12.8
TE: Pat Freiermuth (Pittsburgh, vs Cincinnati, EG) 9.5
FLEX: DeVonta Smith (Philadelphia, vs Detroit, EG) 12.2
D/ST: Eagles (Philadelphia, vs Detroit, EG) 6.9
K: Evan McPherson (Cincinnati, vs Pittsburgh, EG) 9.0
Bench: Amari Cooper 11.6
Dawson Knox 9.4
Alexander Mattison 4.3
Jared Goff 14.2
Panthers 6.2
Greg Zuerlein 7.3
Ameer Abdullah 4.6
Nottingham Line-up
QB: Trey Lance (San Francisco, vs Chicago, EG) 17.5
RB1: Derrick Henry (Tennessee, vs NY Giants, LG) 18.0
RB2: David Montgomery (Chicago, vs San Francisco, EG) 14.5
WR1: Diontae Johnson (Pittsburgh, vs Cincinnati, EG) 14.7
WR2: Gabe Davis (Buffalo, vs LA Rams, TNF) 12.3
WR3: Isaiah McKenzie (Buffalo, vs LA Rams, TNF) 8.8
TE: Dalton Schultz (Dallas, vs Tampa Bay, SNF) 11.7
FLEX: Zach Ertz (Arizona, vs Kansas City, LG) 10.0
D/ST: Titans (Tennessee, vs NY Giants, LG) 6.6
K: Harrison Butker (Kansas City, vs Arizona, LG) 8.3
Bench: Treylon Burks 8.0
Tua Tagovailoa 17.3
Joey Slye 7.7
Lions 2.4
Noah Brown 8.8
Dontrell Hilliard 5.2
Ty Montgomery 3.3
Pre-Match Prediction: Birmingham Bulls 122.7 - 122.4 Nottingham Sheriffs (-0.3)
Thursday Night Football
Birmingham also had nobody to play on Thursday but Nottingham had two in Gabriel Davis and Isaiah McKenzie. Both profited in what was the first two scores of Buffalo's game with Gabe catching the first, leaving a statline of 4 for 88 yards and a touchdown while McKenzie's projection was filled exclusively by his touchdown, his being 2 for 19 and a touchdown. The night couldn't have gone much better for Nottingham who make great early progress with some bigger players to come later on in the week.
Birmingham Bulls 0.0
Nottingham Sheriffs 28.7
Gabriel Davis 18.8
Isaiah McKenzie 9.9
The Early Games
Almost unprecidented, 9 players would go in the early games for Birmingham while Nottingham would only field 3 to add to the 2 that went off on Thursday. Washington and Jacksonville proved to highlight some good points scoring early for Birmingham as Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic's running game proved vital. 58 yards rushing for Gibson with 7 catches for 72 yards saw Gibson become a 20 point dual threat while McKissic fell a little short of expectations, getting 8 yards rushing only along with 3 catches for 20 yards and 7.8 points. Christian Kirk would also go for Jacksonville and his monster tagline of 6 catches for 117 yards made sure to put 17.7 important points on the board for Birmingham.
For Nottingham, Trey Lance would struggle in the deluge at Soldier Field. 164 yards and an interception later, with 54 yards rushing meant Lance couldn't break into double digits, managing only 9.96, busting week one. David Montgomery wouldn't figure out much better, getting 26 rushing yards and 3 catches for 24 yards, managing just 8 points and also falling short. Not ideal for Nottingham but they would get a reprieve through DeVonta Smith and the Eagles as Smith would haul in none of his four targets, leaving him shockingly pointless. Despite giving up 35 points to the Lions, the eagles defence had an interception, a sack and a defensive touchdown to put five points on the board, not enough to reach projection but still decent in the circumstances. There would be smiles though at quarterback as Marcus Mariota would be solid as a dual threat, putting 215 yards passing, 72 yards rushing, a rushing touchdown but with one fumble to put 19.8 points on the table. For a quarterback not expected to do much, he did well.
Tee Higgins would go out of the Steelers/Bengals game early which would hurt Birmingham massively, managing just 4.7 points from 2 catches for 27 yards. McPherson would also struggle but through the injury of his long snapper, getting a missed extra point and field goal to fall under projection at 7 points. Diontae Johnson would be kept quiet relatively by Cincinnati but for Nottingham, 12.5 points would be okay as 7 catches for 55 yards would be good off of the 12 targets he got. Pat Freiermuth would make his 12.5 points for Birmingam a different way, making 5 catches for 75 yards overall, leaving a 35 point lead but with 4 players in hand for Nottingham.
Birmingham Bulls 94.5
Antonio Gibson 20.0
Marcus Mariota 19.8
Christian Kirk 17.7
Pat Freiermuth 12.5
J.D. McKissic 7.8
Evan McPherson 7.0
Eagles 5.0
Tee Higgins 4.7
DeVonta Smith 0.0
Nottingham Sheriffs 59.16
Gabriel Davis 18.8
Diontae Johnson 12.5
Trey Lance 9.96
Isaiah McKenzie 9.9
David Montgomery 8.0
The Late Games
Nottingham were in a good position however that became troublesome early when Harrison Butker would leave the game early with a rolled ankle. He would return and make projection by nailing a 50 plus yard field goal and four extra points for 9 points total. On the other side of the ball, Zach Ertz had a slow start which led to 2 catches for 14 yards but a touchdown would help Ertz on his way to 11.4 points. Derrick Henry's reign of terror began with good yardage but nothing else. 82 yards meant 8.2 points but nothing else was able to be added. The Titans defence would also do solidly, getting an interception, a fumble recovery and 5 sacks for 8 points overall. Solid and over the projected score.
That just left Davante Adams for Birmingham and on his first outing with Las Vegas, 10 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown would skyrocket the Bulls up with an extra 30.1 points, flying them forward to a strong lead of
Birmingham Bulls 124.6
Davante Adams 30.1
Antonio Gibson 20.0
Marcus Mariota 19.8
Christian Kirk 17.7
Pat Freiermuth 12.5
J.D. McKissic 7.8
Evan McPherson 7.0
Eagles 5.0
Tee Higgins 4.7
DeVonta Smith 0.0
Nottingham Sheriffs 95.76
Gabriel Davis 18.8
Diontae Johnson 12.5
Zach Ertz 11.4
Trey Lance 9.96
Isaiah McKenzie 9.9
Harrison Butker 9.0
Derrick Henry 8.2
David Montgomery 8.0
Titans 8.0
Sunday Night Football
Down to Dalton Schultz for Nottingham and needing a shade under 29 points, it would take a lot of work to get a victory. A 19-3 loss meant even tougher work without the touchdowns and while 7 catches for 62 yards were made, that was about as far as it would go. 13.2 points, a week without a player over 20 points and some solid play from Birmingham, Nottingham start with a loss and will have work to do week 2.
Monday Night Football
No players remain for Monday Night Football meaning both teams took the night off.
Result: Birmingham Bulls 124.6 - 108.96 Nottingham Sheriffs (-15.64, 2 Touchdowns.)
Birmingham Bulls 124.6
Davante Adams 30.1
Antonio Gibson 20.0
Marcus Mariota 19.8
Christian Kirk 17.7
Pat Freiermuth 12.5
J.D. McKissic 7.8
Evan McPherson 7.0
Eagles 5.0
Tee Higgins 4.7
DeVonta Smith 0.0
Nottingham Sheriffs 108.96
Gabriel Davis 18.8
Dalton Schultz 13.2
Diontae Johnson 12.5
Zach Ertz 11.4
Trey Lance 9.96
Isaiah McKenzie 9.9
Harrison Butker 9.0
Derrick Henry 8.2
David Montgomery 8.0
Titans 8.0
Bristol Buccaneers @ London Steelers
Bristol Line-up
QB: Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay, vs Minnesota, LG) 19.7
RB1: Javonte Williams (Denver, vs Seattle, MNF) 15.3
RB2: Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Kansas City, vs Arizona, LG) 11.6
WR1: Tyreek Hill (Miami, vs New England, EG) 15.9
WR2: Brandin Cooks (Houston, vs Indianapolis, EG) 13.7
WR3: Robert Woods (Tennessee, vs NY Giants, LG) 11.5
TE: Mo Alie-Cox (Indianapolis, vs Houston, EG) 6.8
FLEX: Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay, vs Dallas, SNF) 10.4
D/ST: Bills (Buffalo, vs LA Rams, TNF) 5.1
K: Robbie Gould (San Francisco, vs Chicago, EG) 7.6
Bench: James Cook 6.3
Cowboys 3.7
Daniel Jones 16.7
Tommy Tremble 5.6
Jason Myers 7.4
Zamir White 3.8
Romeo Doubs 9.8
London Line-up
QB: Matthew Stafford (LA Rams, vs Buffalo, TNF) 16.9
RB1: Austin Ekeler (LA Chargers, vs Las Vegas, LG) 19.6
RB2: Josh Jacobs (Las Vegas, vs LA Chargers, LG) 12.9
WR1: Adam Thielen (Minnesota, vs Green Bay, LG) 12.9
WR2: Chris Olave (New Orleans, vs Atlanta, EG) 9.6
WR3: KJ Hamler (Denver, vs Seattle, MNF) 7.7
TE: Mark Andrews (Baltimore, vs NY Jets, EG) 14.4
FLEX: Cordarrelle Patterson (Atlanta, vs New Orleans, EG) 11.1
D/ST: Browns (Cleveland, vs Carolina, EG) 7.3
K: Nick Folk (New England, vs Miami, EG) 8.3
Bench: Cole Kmet 7.9
Khalil Herbert 6.2
Randy Bullock 7.7
Falcons 5.2
Jacoby Brissett 14.2
Sterling Shepard 6.9
K.J. Osborn 6.8
Pre-Match Prediction: Bristol Buccaneers 117.4 - 120.6 London Steelers (+3.2)
Thursday Night Football
A game of defence versus quarterback made Thursday Night Football a real game in the Bristol London fixture. Bristol, housing the Bills and London housing Matthew Stafford, on paper it seemed like a small victory for the quarterback, but my how mistaken that thought was. 240 yards throwing for a touchdown and 3 picks (with a 2 yard run for good measure) hardly sounds like a statline for the ages as Stafford had beer goggles seemingly for only Cooper Kupp. Meanwhile those three picks for Buffalo, along with 7 sacks and allowing just the ten points overall meant 18 points scored for Bristol off of a 5.2 prediction. A major boone for Bristol and a Major blow for London.
Bristol Buccaneers 18.0
Bills 18.0
London Steelers 7.8
Matthew Stafford 7.8
The Early Games
After a strong early showing from Bristol, it would be 4 versus 5 in the early games. Tyreek Hill would get off to a strong start in Miami, making 8 catches for 94 yards and a 6 yard rush for 18 points exactly for Bristol. That against Nick Folk for London was great as Folk would be mired to just an extra point, getting just the one point overall. Bristol would continue on some solid form with Brandin Cooks finding projection in Houston's tie with 15.2 points scored through 7 catches for 82 yards. Mo Alie-Cox on the other hand wasn't projected for much but still fell short, getting 2 grabs for 26 yards putting up a misely 4.6 points.
Meanwhile for London, Chris Olave's debut went about as expected for New Orleans, making 3 catches and getting 41 yards for the trouble and making the endzone on a two point conversion, scoring 9.1 points overall. Soaring forward though was Cordarrelle Patterson who again, nobody could figure out. 120 yards rushing, a rushing touchdown and 3 catches out the back for 16 yards ensured the veteran would start the same way he did last season, with a boatload of London points, 22.6 of them.
The Browns defence would perform solidly, sacking their former quarterback Baker Mayfield 4 times as well as picking up an interception to score 8 points overall for London while in the kicking department for Bristol, Robbie Gould wouldn't be able to get much going, getting just a field goal and an extra point to make 4 points. That would just leave Mark Andrews for London who would have an okay game by his standards. 5 catches for 52 yards later and 10.2 points on the board is decent, but it left London 1.1 points back having played an extra player.
Bristol Buccaneers 59.8
Tyreek Hill 18.0
Bills 18.0
Brandin Cooks 15.2
Mo Alie-Cox 4.6
Robbie Gould 4.0
London Steelers 58.7
Cordarrelle Patterson 22.6
Mark Andrews 10.2
Chris Olave 9.1
Browns 8.0
Matthew Stafford 7.8
Nick Folk 1.0
The Late Games
The big hitters would start to go in the late games as the game hung in the balance. Rushing would be a problem for London with Austin Ekeler managing 36 yards rushing along with 36 yards receiving from 4 catches, putting 11.2 points on the board. Josh Jacobs had to deal in part with a running back committee and his 57 yards rushing were met with one catch for 16 yards and as such, could only manage 8.3 points from his fixture.
This would get covered by Clyde Edwards-Helaire for Bristol as his 42 yards rushing was bolstered by 3 catches for 32 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns. The 22.4 points scored was a major boom and sent a seismic shockwave over to the London Steelers. Unfortunately Robert Woods couldn't capitalise on the scenario presented, putting just one catch for 13 yards down in his first outing for Tennessee, leaving the court wide open for London to strike back.
There would be a struggle to gather back those points however as Adam Thielen played second fiddle to Justin Jefferson and London could only salvage 6.6 points out of him. 3 catches for 36 yards was a good average gain however as Bristol couldn't pounce much away with Aaron Rodgers. His 195 yards throwing, a rush for the loss of a yard, an interception and a fumble meant just 3.7 points to write home about. Bristol had squeaked out a 3.4 point lead and crucially build some gap going into Sunday Night Football.
Bristol Buccaneers 88.2
Clyde Edwards-Helaire 22.4
Tyreek Hill 18.0
Bills 18.0
Brandin Cooks 15.2
Mo Alie-Cox 4.6
Robbie Gould 4.0
Aaron Rodgers 3.7
Robert Woods 2.3
London Steelers 84.8
Cordarrelle Patterson 22.6
Austin Ekeler 11.2
Mark Andrews 10.2
Chris Olave 9.1
Josh Jacobs 8.3
Browns 8.0
Matthew Stafford 7.8
Adam Thielen 6.6
Nick Folk 1.0
Sunday Night Football
With Chris Godwin's value for Bristol dropping through the week, there were fears about production moving in and those fears would be realised in the form of a hamstring injury. His 3 catches for 35 yards was a solid foundation were it not for the injuries he had and worst of all for Bristol, it only left a margin of just under 10 points heading into Monday Night Football. A bump in the road but not an outright disaster.
Bristol Buccaneers 94.7
Clyde Edwards-Helaire 22.4
Tyreek Hill 18.0
Bills 18.0
Brandin Cooks 15.2
Chris Godwin 6.5
Mo Alie-Cox 4.6
Robbie Gould 4.0
Aaron Rodgers 3.7
Robert Woods 2.3
London Steelers 84.8
Cordarrelle Patterson 22.6
Austin Ekeler 11.2
Mark Andrews 10.2
Chris Olave 9.1
Josh Jacobs 8.3
Browns 8.0
Matthew Stafford 7.8
Adam Thielen 6.6
Nick Folk 1.0
Monday Night Football
Javonte Williams versus KJ Hamler on Monday Night Football. Javonte Williams for Bristol would have a great day with the rock, while only rushing for 43 yards, the 11 catches for 65 proved vital in terms of the points outlay ending up at 19.8 points and a score that was about as good as you could do without scoring a touchdown. KJ Hamler on the other hand saw one target and failed to bring it in, scoring no points. A dour end for London as Bristol takes their first victory of the season.
Result: Bristol Buccaneers 114.5 - 84.8 London Steelers (-29.7, 3 and a half touchdowns.)
Bristol Buccaneers 114.5
Clyde Edwards-Helaire 22.4
Javonte Williams 19.8
Tyreek Hill 18.0
Bills 18.0
Brandin Cooks 15.2
Chris Godwin 6.5
Mo Alie-Cox 4.6
Robbie Gould 4.0
Aaron Rodgers 3.7
Robert Woods 2.3
London Steelers 84.8
Cordarrelle Patterson 22.6
Austin Ekeler 11.2
Mark Andrews 10.2
Chris Olave 9.1
Josh Jacobs 8.3
Browns 8.0
Matthew Stafford 7.8
Adam Thielen 6.6
Nick Folk 1.0
KJ Hamler 0.0
Galway Tribesmen @ Dublin Brewers
Galway Line-up
QB: Carson Wentz (Washington, vs Jacksonville, EG) 16.6
RB1: Nick Chubb (Cleveland, vs Carolina, EG) 13.9
RB2: Michael Carter (NY Jets, vs Baltimore, EG) 11.5
WR1: Cooper Kupp (LA Rams, vs Buffalo, TNF) 19.7
WR2: A.J. Brown (Philadelphia, vs Detroit, EG) 14.4
WR3: Hunter Renfrow (Las Vegas, vs LA Chargers, LG) 12.6
TE: Darren Waller (Las Vegas, vs LA Chargers, LG) 11.9
FLEX: Dameon Pierce (Houston, vs Indianapolis, EG) 10.9
D/ST: Bears (Chicago, vs San Francisco, EG) 4.0
K: Matt Prater (Arizona, vs Kansas City, LG) 8.1
Bench: AJ Dillon 10.1
Marquez Valdez-Scantling 10.3
Jake Elliott 7.6
Brevin Jordan 6.9
Cardinals 2.8
Corey Davis 8.6
Geno Smith 14.8
Dublin Line-up
QB: Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia, vs Detroit, EG) 23.0
RB1: Joe Mixon (Cincinnati, vs Pittsburgh, EG) 17.3
RB2: Leonard Fournette (Tampa Bay, vs Dallas, SNF) 17.2
WR1: Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit, vs Philadelphia, EG) 13.1
WR2: Jakobi Meyers (New England, vs Miami, EG) 10.6
WR3: A.J. Green (Arizona, vs Kansas City, LG) 9.6
TE: Kyle Pitts (Atlanta, vs New Orleans, EG) 11.9
FLEX: Alec Pierce (Indianapolis, vs Houston, EG) 8.5
D/ST: Ravens (Baltimore, vs NY Jets, EG) 6.0
K: Mason Crosby (Green Bay, vs Minnesota, LG) 7.1
Bench: Kyler Murray 20.5
Tyler Boyd 8.4
Packers 5.5
Damien Williams 7.7
Ka'imi Fairbairn 7.1
Mike Davis 7.6
Tyler Conklin 5.8
Pre-Match Prediction: Galway Tribesmen 125.4 - 124.6 Dublin Brewers (-0.8)
Thursday Night Football
Dublin didn't have anyone to play for this game but Galway had their ace to use early: Cooper Kupp. The undeniable star from last season proved his worth and then some for the Tribesmen, getting nearly 40% of the throws, with an incredible statline of 13 catches for 128 yards and the LA Rams' only touchdown of the game. Safe to say, the connection between Kupp and Stafford was the only holdover between last season and this one and meant that to get off the line, a whopping 31.8 points have been flying into the advantage pile of the Galway Tribesmen.
Galway Tribesmen 31.8
Cooper Kupp 31.8
Dublin Brewers 0.0
The Early Games
By the end of the early games, it would be 3 versus 3 to play to sort out the tie. Jalen Hurts would lead Dublin and the Eagles forward, putting 243 yards up in the air but would also find 90 yards of rushing along with a rushing touchdown. 24.72 points would be as expected for the strongest rated quarterback going into week 1. Most of his throwing yards though would end up on the other side of the matchup as A.J. Brown would mark his Philadelphia debut with 10 catches for 155 yards, blitzing forward to 25.5 points for Galway. On the other side of the Eagles, Dublin would also score well through another Brown, this time Amon-Ra. The Detroit starlet would put 8 catches home for 64 yards and a touchdown, scoring 20.4 important points.
Michael Carter would push forward at the running back position for the Jets, rushing for 60 yards and furthermore, 7 catches for 40 yards, giving Galway 17 more points and consistently scoring the big points. That up against the Raven's defence for Dublin which made an interception, a fumble recovery and 3 sacks, scoring 9 points for the 9 points conceded in their match against the Jets. The Bears on the other hand would also score 9 points but with one less sack, keeping San Francisco nicely in check to garner the points required for Galway.
Both teams would have a Pierce to play with and both underperformed. Galway had Dameon Pierce from Houston and he could only manage 33 yards plus a catch for 6 yards. Alec Pierce, the Indianapolis wide receiver for Dublin could not pull in either of his 2 targets, scoring no points. Carson Wentz would surprise for Galway in week one, putting forward 313 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 picks and 12 yards of rushing to score a palindromic 27.72 points. This would be matched by Joe Mixon whose overtime work put 21.5 points down through 82 yards of rushing and 7 catches for 63 yards. Nick Chubb would be the final player for Galway and put an immense amount of yards without a score, throwing 141 yards rushing along with a catch for 2 yards overall, scoring 15.3 points. That left 2 for Dublin, as Jakobi Meyers and his 4 catches for 55 yards along with a 7 yard rush to meet projections at 10.2 points while Kyle Pitts would disappoint, only gathering 2 catches for 19 yards, getting 3.9 points. Galway held a commanding lead, with Dublin needing some help to bring the points back.
Galway Tribesmen 131.22
Cooper Kupp 31.8
Carson Wentz 27.72
A.J. Brown 25.5
Michael Carter 17.0
Nick Chubb 15.3
Bears 9.0
Dameon Pierce 4.9
Dublin Brewers 89.72
Jalen Hurts 24.72
Joe Mixon 21.5
Amon-Ra St. Brown 20.4
Jakobi Meyers 10.2
Ravens 9.0
Kyle Pitts 3.9
Alec Pierce 0.0
The Late Games
Galway would play the rest of their team in the Late Games, with Dublin holding Leonard Fournette for Sunday Night Football. Darren Waller would exactly reach potential. 11.9 points scored through high yardage; 4 catches for 79 yards. It would hamper Hunter Renfrow who after a breakout year would feel the Davante Adams crunch, getting 3 catches for 21 yards meaning 5.1 points only. Mason Crosby would be stymied by an ineffective Green Bay attack and as such, be stranded on an extra point for the solitary 1. Matt Prater would befall the same way for Galway as he too would only manage an extra point to score 1 point overall while A.J. Green would be frozen out through Hollywood Brown and Greg Dortch, hauling in 2 catches for 13 yards, scoring 3.3 points.
Dublin were behind by a lot and the question would be by how much would they lose by with one left to play?
Galway Tribesmen 149.22
Cooper Kupp 31.8
Carson Wentz 27.72
A.J. Brown 25.5
Michael Carter 17.0
Nick Chubb 15.3
Darren Waller 11.9
Bears 9.0
Hunter Renfrow 5.1
Dameon Pierce 4.9
Matt Prater 1.0
Dublin Brewers 94.02
Jalen Hurts 24.72
Joe Mixon 21.5
Amon-Ra St. Brown 20.4
Jakobi Meyers 10.2
Ravens 9.0
Kyle Pitts 3.9
A.J. Green 3.3
Mason Crosby 1.0
Alec Pierce 0.0
Sunday Night Football
Being behind by 55 points was a small inconvenience for Dublin however with just Leonard Fournette left, there was not much more to be done. A solid display of 127 yards rushing along with 2 catches for 10 yards were enough to score 15.7 points without a touchdown. Decent despite being under projection, Leonard Fournette's work was too little, too late.
Monday Night Football
Nobody had a Denver or Seattle player so nothing to report about Monday Night Football.
Result: Galway Tribesmen 149.22 - 109.72 Dublin Brewers (-39.5, 5 Touchdowns.)
Galway Tribesmen 149.22
Cooper Kupp 31.8
Carson Wentz 27.72
A.J. Brown 25.5
Michael Carter 17.0
Nick Chubb 15.3
Darren Waller 11.9
Bears 9.0
Hunter Renfrow 5.1
Dameon Pierce 4.9
Matt Prater 1.0
Dublin Brewers 109.72
Jalen Hurts 24.72
Joe Mixon 21.5
Amon-Ra St. Brown 20.4
Leonard Fournette 15.7
Jakobi Meyers 10.2
Ravens 9.0
Kyle Pitts 3.9
A.J. Green 3.3
Mason Crosby 1.0
Alec Pierce 0.0
Glasgow Pipers @ Edinburgh Knights
Glasgow Line-up
QB: Russell Wilson (Denver, vs Seattle, MNF) 19.1
RB1: Cam Akers (LA Rams, vs Buffalo, TNF) 12.4
RB2: Rhamondre Stevenson (New England, vs Miami, EG) 11.3
WR1: Stefon Diggs (Buffalo, vs LA Rams, TNF) 16.7
WR2: Mike Williams (LA Chargers, vs Las Vegas, LG) 13.9
WR3: Courtland Sutton (Denver, vs Seattle, MNF) 12.8
TE: Austin Hooper (Tennessee, vs NY Giants, LG) 8.3
FLEX: Randall Cobb (Green Bay, vs Minnesota, LG) 9.7
D/ST: Steelers (Pittsburgh, vs Cincinnati, EG) 5.2
K: Younghoe Koo (Atlanta, vs New Orleans, EG) 7.2
Bench: Kenneth Walker III 0.0
Jalen Tolbert 4.6
Patriots 5.0
Mac Jones 14.6
Rodrigo Blankenship 7.1
John Bates 2.2
Raheem Mostert 8.5
Edinburgh Line-up
QB: Matt Ryan (Indianapolis, vs Houston, EG) 16.0
RB1: Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis, vs Houston, EG) 21.8
RB2: Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas, vs Tampa Bay, SNF) 13.3
WR1: DJ Moore (Carolina, vs Cleveland, EG) 14.5
WR2: Michael Thomas (New Orleans, vs Atlanta, EG) 13.1
WR3: Mecole Hardman (Kansas City, vs Arizona, LG) 9.8
TE: Hayden Hurst (Cincinnati, vs Pittsburgh, EG) 7.9
FLEX: Tony Pollard (Dallas, vs Tampa Bay, SNF) 10.6
D/ST: Jets (NY Jets, vs Baltimore, EG) 4.8
K: Graham Gano (NY Giants, vs Tennessee, LG) 7.7
Bench: Chase Edmonds 10.6
Jahan Dotson 9.4
DeVante Parker 9.5
Cade York 7.3
George Kittle 0.0
Rams 4.0
Joe Flacco 15.2
Pre-Match Prediction: Glasgow Pipers 116.4 - 119.5 Edinburgh Knights (+3.1)
Thursday Night Football
Edinburgh elected to use the Jets defence instead of the Rams meaning they had nobody to play on Thursday. Glasgow has two in Cam Akers and Stefon Diggs and Stefon's back must be hurting for how much he had to carry Cam's points haul. Cam Akers had 3 rushes for no yards. That's it. Let that sink in. It says hello, don't start Cam Akers. Stefon Diggs on the other hand had a huge day of his own, of 8 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown, leading to an overall score of 26.2 points. Simply put, it is exactly where Glasgow should be but it's come at the expense of both a feast and a famine.
Glasgow Pipers 26.2
Stefon Diggs 26.2
Cam Akers 0
Edinburgh Knights 0.0
The Early Games
A weird imbalance with the early games, Glasgow would have half as many people playing as Edinburgh did. This started off through Matt Ryan and Jonathan Taylor in Indianapolis where both performed decently in their tie. Ryan's new team helped him put 352 yards of passing with a touchdown, an interception and a fumble but helped a little further for 12 yards rushing, meaning 15.28 points would be scored. Johnathan Taylor would calmly put 161 yards of rushing down with a rushing touchdown and 4 catches out of the back for 14 yards, putting a strong 27.5 points on the board.
Younghoe Koo was forced to kick out of his mind, making 4 of 5 field goals and score 2 extra points to put 18 huge pooints on the board for Glasgow while to counter it, Michael Thomas for New Orleans would put his 22.7 points all up in the second half. 5 catches for 57 yards with 2 touchdowns, it would be a huge bounce back for Edinburgh. It would continue with Hayden Hurst for them as his 5 catches for 46 yards would help them further with 9.6 points overall. The Steelers on the other hand for Glasgow would play lights out, getting a defensive touchdown, 4 interceptions, a fumble recovery and 7 sacks, putting 22 points down for a defence.
DJ Moore would underperform for Edinburgh and Carolina, only getting 3 catches for 43 yards while getting a carry for 7 yards, making just 8 points. Rhamondre Stevenson on the other hand would struggle at running back, getting just 25 yards and 2 catches for 2 yards, posting a score of 4.7 points for Glasgow. That left the Jets defence and they did better than expected, getting an interception and 2 sacks to score 6 points overall. Edinburgh had the lead but 18 points with one extra player played was by no means a guarantee.
Glasgow Pipers 70.9
Stefon Diggs 26.2
Steelers 22.0
Younghoe Koo 18.0
Rhamondre Stevenson 4.7
Cam Akers 0.0
Edinburgh Knights 89.08
Jonathan Taylor 27.5
Michael Thomas 22.7
Matt Ryan 15.28
Hayden Hurst 9.6
DJ Moore 8.0
Jets 6.0
The Late Games
Mike Williams would get off to a terrible start for Glasgow, rendering the advantage useless as his mere 2 catches for 10 yards would only muster up 3 points. Things would not get better through Austin Hooper and Randall Cobb who respectively for Tennessee and Green Bay would only manage 1 catch for 6 yards and 2 catches for 14 yards leaving with scores of 1.6 and 3.4.
Door left wide open then for Edinburgh. Mecole Hardman would put a decent showing 3 catches for 16 yards along with a touchdown for a score of 10.6 which furthered the lead but Graham Gano for the Giants would be unable to add much, just getting an extra point as he was at the whims of two point conversions. Edinburgh now had a commanding 22 point lead however Sunday and Monday could still turn the tide.
Glasgow Pipers 78.9
Stefon Diggs 26.2
Steelers 22.0
Younghoe Koo 18.0
Rhamondre Stevenson 4.7
Randall Cobb 3.4
Mike Williams 3.0
Austin Hooper 1.6
Cam Akers 0.0
Edinburgh Knights 100.68
Jonathan Taylor 27.5
Michael Thomas 22.7
Matt Ryan 15.28
Mecole Hardman 10.6
Hayden Hurst 9.6
DJ Moore 8.0
Jets 6.0
Graham Gano 1.0
Sunday Night Football
Edinburgh was the only team with players going, and both were Dallas running backs. Tony Pollard as the back up is viewed in many eyes as the better choice but 8 yards rushing mixed with 2 catches for 14 yards was only good enough for 4.2 points. Ezekiel Elliott didn't fare much better, making 52 yards and a catch for a loss of 3, leaving him with only 5.9 points. It wouldn't be impossible for Glasgow to catch up, so it all depended on Denver.
Glasgow Pipers 78.9
Stefon Diggs 26.2
Steelers 22.0
Younghoe Koo 18.0
Rhamondre Stevenson 4.7
Randall Cobb 3.4
Mike Williams 3.0
Austin Hooper 1.6
Cam Akers 0.0
Edinburgh Knights 110.78
Jonathan Taylor 27.5
Michael Thomas 22.7
Matt Ryan 15.28
Mecole Hardman 10.6
Hayden Hurst 9.6
DJ Moore 8.0
Jets 6.0
Ezekiel Elliott 5.9
Tony Pollard 4.2
Graham Gano 1.0
Monday Night Football
If there were any two players going in Monday Night Football to bail out Glasgow, you'd want Russell Wilson and Courtland Sutton. 31 points to find and Courtland was able to get 11.2 of them on the board. 4 catches for 72 yards was a great starting point but it all depended on Chef Russ on his debut in Denver. 340 yards, a touchdown and a carry for 2 yards was all enough to make 17.8 points, and unfortunately just fall short of Edinburgh's total. A great game and a sweat avoided thanks to some horrible play calling inside the final 4 minutes of the game.
Result: Glasgow Pipers 107.9 - 110.78 Edinburgh Knights (+2.88, 1 Field Goal.)
Glasgow Pipers 107.9
Stefon Diggs 26.2
Steelers 22.0
Younghoe Koo 18.0
Russell Wilson 17.8
Courtland Sutton 11.2
Rhamondre Stevenson 4.7
Randall Cobb 3.4
Mike Williams 3.0
Austin Hooper 1.6
Cam Akers 0.0
Edinburgh Knights 110.78
Jonathan Taylor 27.5
Michael Thomas 22.7
Matt Ryan 15.28
Mecole Hardman 10.6
Hayden Hurst 9.6
DJ Moore 8.0
Jets 6.0
Ezekiel Elliott 5.9
Tony Pollard 4.2
Graham Gano 1.0
Swansea Smelters @ Newport Coal Miners
Swansea Line-up
QB: Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee, vs NY Giants, LG) 16.3
RB1: Najee Harris (Pittsburgh, vs Cincinnati, EG) 16.4
RB2: Breece Hall (NY Jets, vs Baltimore, EG) 10.3
WR1: Mike Evans (Tampa Bay, vs Dallas, SNF) 14.8
WR2: JuJu Smith-Schuster (Kansas City, vs Arizona, LG) 12.4
WR3: Tyler Lockett (Seattle, vs Denver, MNF) 12.2
TE: Noah Fant (Seattle, vs Denver, MNF) 8.8
FLEX: Robbie Anderson (Carolina, vs Cleveland, EG) 9.4
D/ST: Dolphins (Miami, vs New England, EG) 6.4
K: Matt Gay (LA Rams, vs Buffalo, TNF) 8.9
Bench: DeAndre Hopkins 0.0
Mike Gesicki 8.6
Giants 5.7
Will Lutz 7.3
Davis Mills 13.8
Boston Scott 4.1
Tyler Allgeier 0.0
Newport Line-up
QB: Joe Burrow (Cincinnati, vs Pittsburgh, EG) 18.1
RB1: Aaron Jones (Green Bay, vs Minnesota, LG) 15.7
RB2: Kareem Hunt (Cleveland, vs Carolina, EG) 12.0
WR1: Deebo Samuel (San Francisco, vs Chicago, EG) 16.5
WR2: Jerry Jeudy (Denver, vs Seattle, MNF) 13.5
WR3: DK Metcalf (Seattle, vs Denver, MNF) 13.1
TE: Evan Engram (Jacksonville, vs Washington, EG) 8.2
FLEX: Brandon Aiyuk (San Francisco, vs Chicago, EG) 10.7
D/ST: Commanders (Washington, vs Jacksonville, EG) 6.5
K: Brett Maher (Dallas, vs Tampa Bay, SNF) 7.8
Bench: Rondale Moore 0.0
Melvin Gordon III 9.0
Jameis Winston 16.9
Broncos 6.4
Ryan Succop 7.5
Joshua Kelley 4.0
Isaiah Likely 4.9
Pre-Match Prediction: Swansea Smelters 115.9 - 122.1 Newport Coal Miners (+6.2)
Thursday Night Football
Nobody for Newport in the final fixture of the week meant that Swansea had a way forward but only on the thursday with the LA Rams kicker Matt Gay. The issues with kickers are that they are beholden to the whole team's performance and with the Rams struggling to make anything happen in the second half, the 57 yarder for five and the one point conversion was all that could be mustered up by Matt Gay. Not a bust but below average, it's a small hit in the context of a close game on prediction.
Swansea Smelters 6.0
Matt Gay 6.0
Newport Coal Miners 0.0
The Early Games
A case of Newport getting early momentum with their 6 against the 4 of Swansea in the early games. It started okay but not spectacular for the Coal Miners as Evan Engram in his first Jacksonville start would manage 4 catches for 28 yards, making 6.8 points while Washington would manage an interception and 2 sacks, but come out with yardage and points with just 3 to underdeliver. Miami's defence for Swansea was a lot better though, scoring a defensive touchdown along with an interception, 2 sacs and 2 fumble recoveries to blast 19 points down the Newport gullet.
Newport would respond thanks to Kareem Hunt who made both a catching and rushing touchdown, putting 46 yards rushing and also 4 catches for 24 yards. The 23 points scored was proof of how he was the best backup running back in the league. Breece Hall wouldn't be as dynamic but in his first NFL game, his 23 yards rushing were met with 6 catches for 38 yards, propelling him to a score of 10.1 points, as expected. On the other side of the Cleveland game was Robbie Anderson whose statline was one of the more impressive. 5 catches for 102 yards and a touchdown was enough to put the flex option forward with 21.2 points and fire Swansea in front.
Newport would try to fight back through Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk with Deebo's Wide Run-ceiver position evident. 2 catches for 14 yards were met with 52 yards of rushing and a rushing touchdown, meaning 12.6 points in total. Aiyuk would get 2 catches for 40 yards and also carry a rush for 7 of his own, putting a slightly disappointing 6.7 points down on the board. That just left Joe Burrow versus Najee Harris and Harris had an okay but not massive game. 23 yards rushing only was partly saved by 2 catches for 3 yards which included a touchdown. 10.6 points weren't ideal especially with injury worries. Joe Burrow got off to an abysmal start, with 4 interceptions and a fumble to his name. However, 338 yards throwing, two touchdowns and 47 yards of scrambling later, 18.22 points was about par for the Bengal. A three point lead for the Coal Miners but an extra player played.
Swansea Smelters 66.9
Robbie Anderson 21.2
Dolphins 19.0
Najee Harris 10.6
Breece Hall 10.1
Matt Gay 6.0
Newport Coal Miners 70.32
Kareem Hunt 23.0
Joe Burrow 18.22
Deebo Samuel 12.6
Evan Engram 6.8
Brandon Aiyuk 6.7
Commanders 3.0
The Late Games
The late games would be oddly quiet with just three players across the teams playing. Ryan Tannehill would do a solid job marshalling the ball around, putting 266 yards down with 2 touchdowns and 7 yards worth of rushing for 19.34 points. That would be bolstered thanks to JuJu Smith-Schuster, who while deciding against doing Tik-Tok dances, he put up 6 catches for 79 yards but did fumble the football once meaning only 11.9 points.
This left a gap for Aaron Jones but limited running proved problematic. 5 carries went for 49 yards while 3 catches would be caught for 27 yards. An awkward situation sharing running duties with AJ Dillon but the 10.6 points scored was still great value for action in Newport's case.
Swansea Smelters 98.14
Robbie Anderson 21.2
Ryan Tannehill 19.34
Dolphins 19.0
JuJu Smith-Schuster 11.9
Najee Harris 10.6
Breece Hall 10.1
Matt Gay 6.0
Newport Coal Miners 80.92
Kareem Hunt 23.0
Joe Burrow 18.22
Deebo Samuel 12.6
Aaron Jones 10.6
Evan Engram 6.8
Brandon Aiyuk 6.7
Commanders 3.0
Sunday Night Football
Mike Evans versus Brett Maher on Sunday Night Football as both teams still had 2 players left in reserve. Evans would have a great game, hauling in 5 for 71 along with a touchdown to score 18.1 points and set the lead strongly for Swansea. Brett Maher did okay at kicker seeing as Dallas was restricted to just 3 points. Nailing his kick from over 50 yards out, Maher put 5 points on the board and maximised his output for the week.
Swansea Smelters 116.24
Robbie Anderson 21.2
Ryan Tannehill 19.34
Dolphins 19.0
Mike Evans 18.1
JuJu Smith-Schuster 11.9
Najee Harris 10.6
Breece Hall 10.1
Matt Gay 6.0
Newport Coal Miners 85.92
Kareem Hunt 23.0
Joe Burrow 18.22
Deebo Samuel 12.6
Aaron Jones 10.6
Evan Engram 6.8
Brandon Aiyuk 6.7
Brett Maher 5.0
Commanders 3.0
Monday Night Football
It was going to be a tall order for Newport but they had both DK Metcalf and Jerry Jeudy going against Tyler Lockett and Noah Fant. Swansea had a 30 point lead but could only increase it by 10.4 points, Lockett stuck on 3 catches for 28 yards and 5.8 points while Noah Fant could only manage 3 catches for a poultry 16 yards scoring 4.6 points. The margin was accessable, especially so when Jerry Jeudy put 4 catches away for 102 yards and a touchdown, getting halfway with a score of 20.2 points. DK Metcalf however couldn't match such lofty heights, hauling in 7 catches for 36 yards and fumbling once to only manage 8.6 points overall. Newport would fall short but not by much in an admirable defeat.
Result: Swansea Smelters 126.64 - 114.72 Newport Coal Miners (-11.92, 2 Touchdowns)
Swansea Smelters 126.64
Robbie Anderson 21.2
Ryan Tannehill 19.34
Dolphins 19.0
Mike Evans 18.1
JuJu Smith-Schuster 11.9
Najee Harris 10.6
Breece Hall 10.1
Matt Gay 6.0
Tyler Lockett 5.8
Noah Fant 4.6
Newport Coal Miners 114.72
Kareem Hunt 23.0
Jerry Jeudy 20.2
Joe Burrow 18.22
Deebo Samuel 12.6
Aaron Jones 10.6
DK Metcalf 8.6
Evan Engram 6.8
Brandon Aiyuk 6.7
Brett Maher 5.0
Commanders 3.0
With all the matches completed, this is how the divisions look after the opening week.
Scotland Division
1) Dundee Spinners 1-0
2) Edinburgh Knights 1-0
3) Glasgow Pipers 0-1
4) Aberdeen Oilers 0-1
Ireland Division
1) Galway Tribesmen 1-0
2) Cork City Rebels 1-0
3) Belfast Giants 0-1
4) Dublin Brewers 0-1
Wales Division
1) Swansea Smelters 1-0
2) Cardiff Dragons 1-0
3) Barry Islanders 0-1
4) Newport Coal Miners 0-1
England Division
1) Birmingham Bulls 1-0
2) Bristol Buccaneers 1-0
3) Nottingham Sheriffs 0-1
4) London Steelers 0-1
All artwork was created by Althea Charlie. Week 2 should be updated and released around Friday. Galway have the one seed but there's still 5 weeks of divisional matches yet, all could change in a moment!
