NFL Fantasy Football, Week 1 Review: Positional reviews and Chicago Bears updates

Hopefully, you are off to a good start and can enjoy the MNF doubleheader without anything riding on it. Your carefully planned and perfectly executed draft strategy either has you feeling smug or ready to tear up the team in a fire sale. Wherever you fall in that spectrum, in-season management starts now. Below include some thoughts I'm taking away from Week 1 broken out by position - please add your thoughts in the comments.

QUARTERBACKS: You probably aren't ready to bench your starting QB, but there were a few options that you may want to kick the tires on in case they prove to be legit. .

- Marcus Mariota was very efficient in his debut, throwing for 209 and 4 TD on only 16 attempts. The bad news is that he doesn't get to play the Bucs every week. Still, that's a promising start against a professional defense. It will be interesting to see if those numbers hold up under more volume and against better competition...

- Alex Smith threw 3 TD passes and 243 yards, chipping in an extra point with 15 rushing yards. You could do worse than Alex Smith as a bye week fill in as his weapons have greatly improved over last season with a healthy Travis Kelce and newly acquired Jeremy Maclin...

- I would probably have some concern if my QB was named Manning. While Peyton played a good defense in Baltimore, he didn't look impressive, and I expected a lot more from Eli.

RUNNING BACKS

- If you started Danny Woodhead this weekend, please take a victory lap in the comments section...

- Chris Ivory's performance against Cleveland was impressive with 2 TDs and 91 yards on 20 carries. He's not much of a threat in the passing game but he's a workhorse back that will pay the bills...

- I don't buy it with Bishop Sankey - let me see it against someone other than the Bucs...

- You get one more game of DeAngelo Williams in the lead role if you want it...

- I'm not interested in Benny Cunningham of the Rams but Dion Lewis from the Patriots does have some appeal. If Lewis can fill the Shane Vereen role, he will be valuable in PPR leagues and worthy of a roster spot in standard formats. Beware: owning Patriots running backs can be dangerous to your health...

- I'm curious about Lance Dunbar. He didn't have a carry but caught 8 of 8 targets for 70 yards, actually leading the team last night for the Cowboys. This may have just been something they were taking advantage of due to the Giants linebackers, but this kind of usage can be useful in PPR leagues and has the added bonus of getting some carries if (when?) McFadden gets hurt.

WIDE RECEIVERS - Targets and what receivers can do with those chances are what to look for in a WR.

- If you have DeAndre Hopkins, you have to be happy with 9 catches on 13 targets for 98 yards and 2 scores. He's almost certainly breaking into superstar status this year so if you don't have him, I'd advise trying to trade for him now...

- I'm not sure what to make of James Jones' resurrection from the dead to catch two TD passes. It's not usually sustainable production but he does fill a role vacated by Jordy Nelson so we may see a ridiculous TD per catch ratio for Jones...

- Keenan Allen had 15 catches on 17 targets for 166 yards and zero TDs. If you're in PPR, you're dancing in the streets with that output...

- Jermaine Kearse of the Seahawks nabbed 8 of 10 targets for 76 yards. If you're thin on WR, keep an eye on this Seahawks passing game. Kearse is only 2% owned and could prove to be a target monster.

TIGHT END -It's fun to have a TE that puts up huge numbers.

- If you started Gronk and Kelce, you were justifiably excited about an early return on your investment.

- If you started Tyler Eifert or Austin Seferian-Jenkins, you're making huge profit on your investment.  The Bengals won't get to play Oakland every week, but 9 catches on 12 targets is a great opener for Eifert, who we've all been waiting on to break out. I'd be less confident with Seferian-Jenkins but Winston may lock on to a security blanket during his rookie campaign...

- How are Jason Witten and Heath Miller still able to play at such a high level?

- I'm not willing to get fooled by Jared Cook again even if he has a new QB.

BEARS TRACKS - We take a look at how our guys are doing relative to the rest of the league from a fantasy perspective (Ranks are pre-Monday night games)

- Jay Cutler - 15 pts (225 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 31 yards rushing) #17 Ranked QB - Cutler started the year about where everyone expects him to be for the season as a QB2. I expect the variance to be all over the place for Jay so he'll be a gamble week to week.

- Matt Forte - 22 pts (141 yards, 1 TD, 5 rec for 25 yards) #1 ranked RB - Forte came out of the gates strong and left a lot of people wondering where the second back in this offense is hiding. With 5 receptions on 8 targets, he remains a top player in PPR and if he can get this kind of production out of the running game consistently, he'll battle for the top RB all season. Do not trade this man!

- Jeremy Langford - 0 pts (1 carry for 1 yard) - I only mention Langford because he is the preferred handcuff to Forte in my opinion and we'll want to keep an eye on his snaps in the early weeks. Jacquizz Rodgers does not fit the bill as a full-time back should Forte miss time.

- Alshon Jeffery - 7 pts (5 catches, 78 yards) #26 ranked WR - Better days are ahead for Alshon. The good news is that 11 targets is a good number thrown at a guy who has been battling injuries all camp. The bad news is failing to do more with those targets. He'll need to improve his efficiency going forward to justify draft day cost.

- Martellus Bennett - 11 pts (5 catches, 55 yards, 1 TD) #9 ranked TE - Marty was more effective with his targets and a trip to the end zone always helps pay the fantasy bills. With some TEs blowing up this weekend, Marty had a solid, if unspectacular, day.

- Bears Defense - If you started the Bears D against the Packers, I'm assuming you want to lose. No sacks, turnovers, and 31 points allowed puts the Bears in negative territory. There will be better days ahead, but starting off in the hole means they'll be on the FA heap for a long time.

How did your week 1 start off? Who are you targeting with your full stack of FAAB?