Fantasy Recap: Gronkowski, Brady Go Off
In tonights win by the Patriots, multiple players stood out on opening night. Tom Brady made his highly anticipated return, Dion Lewis got his first carry in two years, and Rob Gronkowski did what Rob Gronkowski does. Here are some of the fantasy stats that we saw come out of tonight’s game. We’ll also highlight what happened in our NFL Mocks Staff fantasy football league.
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Fantasy Star of the Night – Rob Gronkowski
With three touchdowns and nearly 100 receiving yards, tight end Rob Gronkowski light up the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary. He was often found completely uncovered and got a some back of the end zone touchdowns to go with that. Gronk finished with 27 fantasy points, tying Tom Brady for most in the game. Our writer Geoff Zlobinsky benefited from Gronk’s night, taking a 22 point lead over Lance Poirrier. Expect more from Gronk throughout the season
Fantasy Dud of the Night – Markus Wheaton
With Martavis Bryant out with a suspension, everyone expected Markus Wheaton to take full advantage. While he did rack up some points in garbage time for Pittsburgh, he only received a modest seven points. Many thought Antonio Brown would draw the double coverages, thus leaving Wheaton open. The young Wheaton dropped a couple of balls tonight and couldn’t get separation multiple times. Not a great night overall for him. His fantasy owner, our editor Sayre Bedinger, was not happy with Wheaton’s performance all night. Thankfully for him, Wheaton was on the bench.
Also, Josh Scobee, the Steelers third kicker of the year already, missed two of his four field goals tonight. He finished with six fantasy points tonight, but was only started in 9.5% of ESPN fantasy leagues.
Fantasy Surprise of the Night – Dion Lewis
Remember this guy? It seems like the Patriots always find these kinds of running backs who haven’t done anything and all the sudden break out. Lewis had 15 carries for 69 yards on the ground and an additional 51 receiving yards. While he wasn’t on anyone’s fantasy team this week (shocker), Lewis got 11 fantasy points. Oh, and before tonight, Lewis was owned in .2% of fantasy leagues. He has seen a 16.6% increase in claims tonight. Knowing the Patriots and their running backs, he’ll be cut when Blount comes back.