Welcome back, fantasy football! The NFL season kicked off this week with a showcase of how to play offense, courtesy of Peyton Manning and the Broncos.
Points based on standard scoring in NFL.com fantasy football leagues
5. Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings (33.10 fantasy points)
Peterson is no stranger to this list and in Week 1, he reminded everyone why he was the consensus No. 1 overall pick in most fantasy leagues, ripping off a 78-yard touchdown run on his first carry in a 34-24 loss to the Detroit Lions. While his rushing numbers for the rest of the day were fairly pedestrian (he finished with 93 yards), AD scored two more touchdowns (one receiving) and finished the day as the highest-scoring fantasy running back on NFL.com. Next up is another division rivalry game -- this time against the Chicago Bears.
4. Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants (33.10 fantasy points)
Things might have been ugly on the field for the Giants in their season-opening loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but fantasy life was beautiful for Cruz. New York's salsa-dancing slot receiver caught five passes for 118 yards and three touchdowns in the 36-31 defeat. Cruz should be plenty busy against the Broncos next week in what could be another high-scoring game.
3. A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (37.20 fantasy points)
With all of the talk about Calvin Johnson and Dez Bryant, it was Green who made the big splash amongst the top fantasy receivers in Week 1. The Bengals top pass-catcher had nine grabs for 162 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 24-21 loss to the Chicago Bears. Like Demaryius Thomas, this is the reason you spent a high draft pick on A.J. Green and like Thomas, Green delivered. He'll have another tough test next week when the Bengals host the Pittsburgh Steelers.
2. Anquan Boldin, WR, San Francisco 49ers (38.00 fantasy points)
So remember when we said on "NFL Fantasy LIVE" that Anquan Boldin is good on the field, but not in fantasy? Let us apologize since Boldin obviously took that personally. The veteran wideout caught 13 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers' 34-28 win over the Green Bay Packers. It's the second time in Boldin's career that he has crossed the 200-yard threshold -- the other time was in his first career game in 2003. Boldin will have his work cut out for him next week when the Niners visit the Seattle Seahawks.
1. Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos (46.28 fantasy points)
Was there ever a doubt who was going to be No. 1 on this list? Manning tied an NFL record with seven touchdowns on his way to being the #KABOOM player of the week. After a poor first quarter, Manning got going in the second stanza. By the time the dust cleared, the Broncos star had 462 passing yards to go along with his scores. Next week, he'll play in another edition of the Manning Bowl when he faces his brother Eli and the Giants.
Follow Marcas Grant on Twitter @MarcasG
