The regular season has finally begun and Week 1 has… well, begun.

With free agency and draft transfers rife, we expected immediate performance from several teams and standout rookies. Unfortunately, we were met with some disappointing results. Let’s take a look at the key underperformers from Week 1, examine where they went wrong, and whether we should panic.

Kirk Cousins’ Falcons era begins with a flop

The Atlanta-Pittsburgh matchup was absolutely ugly for both offenses. We expected Pittsburgh to struggle with the last-minute start of Justin Fields, but the Falcons’ lack of performance was shocking. Cousins ​​completed just 16 of 26 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown. Drake London had just two pass catches for 15 yards. Kyle Pitts scored the only touchdown but had just three pass catches for 26 yards. Bijan Robinson was the only bright spot with 18 carries for 68 yards and caught all five of his passes for 43 yards.

Even that single bright spot didn’t produce RB1 numbers. Robinson was outperformed by players like Alexander Mattison and JK Dobbins. Overall, all of the Falcons except Ray-Ray McCloud underperformed relative to their ADP, and that’s a big problem when fantasy managers invested so heavily in Robinson and London.

Pulse check: Is it time to call Michael Penix?

This matchup was a slow start to the season and while I expected more from the Falcons, I didn’t expect top-notch performance from either of them. When Pittsburgh’s defense is strong, it can be one of the toughest opponents in the league. Atlanta has also improved its defense significantly, so it’s not surprising that this was a low-scoring defensive matchup with both offenses struggling.

We also have to take into account the significant break for Cousins. Since he didn’t play in preseason, he might need some time to warm up in the first few games as he still needs to build a good rapport with his teammates.

The Bengals suffer a shocking defeat

The Patriots went into this game as huge underdogs and came away with the win. The Bengals’ entire offense failed to accomplish anything, aside from Zack Moss’s lone touchdown. Burrow had 21 successful passes for just 164 yards and not a single touchdown. Ja’Marr Chase was the Bengals’ best receiver, catching all six passes aimed at him for 62 yards. Sleeper running back Chase Brown had just three carries for 11 yards. Even Evan McPherson had just six fantasy points.

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The Bengals’ offseason was pretty chaotic, and it’s quite possible that chaos continued into the season. The Bengals were without Tee Higgins, who struggled with contract drama during the offseason and suffered a hamstring injury during practice this week. Ja’Marr Chase struggled with contract drama leading up to kickoff that hasn’t been resolved yet. He also appeared on the injured list due to an illness.

The Bengals parted ways with Joe Mixon and built a more cost-effective backfield. Although most of the key offensive players returned, a lack of cohesion from the previous season was evident in this game, as the Bengals looked overwhelmed and out of sync.

Pulse check: Are we facing a repeat in 2023?

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Bengals struggle early in the season. Last year, we attributed it to Joe Burrow’s calf strain. Burrow’s best fantasy finish through his first four games of 2023 was QB21. Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury is fully healed, so the injury is no excuse for the terrible start this year. The Bengals are too talented to maintain this level of play all season, and it’s possible we underestimated the continued strength of New England’s defense. We shouldn’t panic over one Bengals game.

Chicago wins, but the offense is weak

Chicago pulled out a 24-17 win over Tennessee, a great start to the season for the entire team. However, the win went to the defense. The offense was unproductive across the board. Caleb Williams completed just 14 of his 29 attempts for just 93 yards and 15 yards on the ground. DJ Moore was the leading receiver with five caught passes for 36 yards, but Keenan Allen was the target eater with four caught passes on 11 targets for 29 yards. Rome Odunze was the clear WR3 with just one caught pass. Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett each had one target. The running backs produced minimal results, as D’Andre Swift had just 10 carries for 30 yards and Khalil Herbert had just two carries for four yards.

Expectations were high for Williams and the offense looked solid in brief stretches during the preseason. However, preseason performance doesn’t always translate to the regular season and that was evident this week.

Pulse check: Can we trust any Chicago Bear?

Tennessee has made great improvements to its defense and should be a stronger opponent overall in 2024. However, we need to do a little reality check here. Williams has incredible potential, but still needs to develop.

Next week we have a difficult matchup against Houston. Moore and Allen are the clear top targets and eligible to start. Swift is the clear RB1, but it may depend on the matchup, especially if Williams continues to avoid checkdowns. We may need to give Odunze a break, though. They definitely shouldn’t drop him, but keep in mind that Odunze is a rookie and, like Williams, needs to develop and earn a bigger role on offense. His time will come.