Who was the Fantasy Player of the Week? Vote on the top performers and decide who was the most valuable player!
Arian Foster, RB, Texans: Talk about making an immediate impact. Foster rushed 33 times for a career-best 231 yards and scored three touchdowns as the Texans beat up on Peyton Manning and the Colts, 34-24. Foster was ultra-impressive, scoring on runs of 1, 25 and 8 yards while racking up an amazing 41.80 fantasy points on NFL.com. He was also the clear featured back for coach Gary Kubiak, as Steve Slaton saw a mere three carries. After this performance, Foster has to be considered a must-start in all formats.
Matt Forte, RB, Bears: Forte had owned the Lions in his previous four career starts, but he'd never had such a monstrous stat line as the one he produced this week. He rushed for just 50 yards, but Forte led the Bears with seven receptions, 151 yards and two touchdowns. As is the case with most runners in Mike Martz's offense, Forte was a beast in the pass attack and led countless fantasy leaguers to a win. He finished with an impressive 30.10 fantasy points on NFL.com and was even better in those PPR leagues.
Peyton Manning, QB, Colts: It might not have been a very good afternoon for the Colts, but owners who started Manning likely smiled all the way to the fantasy bank. The veteran quarterback threw for an amazing 433 yards and three scores in a loss to the Texans. His touchdowns came on a 14-yard pass to Reggie Wayne, a 10-yard pass to Dallas Clark and a 73-yard bomb to Austin Collie. In all, Manning put up 29.32 fantasy points on NFL.com. He'll remain a must start next week against his brother Eli and the Giants.
Chris Johnson, RB, Titans: Heeeee's back! Johnson, the consensus top pick in most fantasy drafts, ripped the Raiders for 142 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-13 win. His first score came on a 76-yard run, which made fantasy owners in bonus leagues smile. Johnson's second score was from four yards out. After one game, CJ2K is on pace to rush for 2,272 yards. (OK so it's a little premature, but this is fantasy!) Johnson, who scored 27 fantasy points on NFL.com, goes up against the Steelers in Week 2.
Hakeem Nicks, WR, Giants: Nicks, a popular fantasy sleeper heading into this season, went far beyond expectations in Week 1 with 75 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-18 rout of the Panthers. The playmaking wideout from North Carolina connected with Eli Manning on scoring strikes of 26, 19 and 5 yards. While it's hard to expect those sort of numbers on a regular basis, Nicks is clearly on his way to become a more reliable fantasy option this season. He should be active next week against the Colts.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com. Have a burning question for Michael on anything fantasy football related? Leave it in our comments section or send it to **AskFabiano@nfl.com**!
