Top 5 Rushing Matchups
Atlanta vs Carolina
Bijan Robinson started the season about as well as fantasy managers could have hoped in Week 1. In a perceived difficult matchup against Pittsburgh, with Cooper Rush starting at quarterback, Robinson amassed 173 yards, 90 of which came through the air. Bijan was on the field for 77% of snaps, which is encouraging in this Kevin Stefanski offense, where Brian Robinson Jr. is firmly a backup here with just 23% of snaps. If Atlanta has a problem ahead of this premier matchup, it is that as of Wednesday, they are unclear who their quarterback will be this week. Michael Penix Jr. does not seem comfortable, as he has not returned to live action, although he's been cleared for practice. Tua Tagovailoa is still day-to-day with an oblique injury, and Cooper Rush is now getting treatment for a back injury. Rush seems like the most likely option, but if fans had a choice, it would be undrafted rookie Jack Strand from D2 Minnesota State-Moorhead, which seems like an inconceivably big jump for the rookie. Along Atlanta's offensive line, the concern is the tackles. 34-year-old Jake Matthews has been a franchise left tackle for the Falcons, but he did look a step slower in Week 1, while newly acquired Jawaan Taylor got off to a slow start as the right tackle looks to rebuild his career after struggling in his three seasons in Kansas City.
Carolina was absolutely dominated by the Bears' rushing offense last week, as both D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai ran for 100 yards. This is reminiscent of the 2024 Panthers team that allowed 148 rushing yards per game to opposing running backs, which was 28 more than the next closest team. The reality is that defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero's defenses, dating back to his first season in Carolina in 2023, have never been able to stop the run. They've been a bottom-10 defense in every season, and this looks to be no different. The Panthers brought in linebacker Bobby Okereke from the Giants, and if you've been tracking the Giants over the last few seasons, you'll know that the linebackers were a major problem. Okereke was abysmal last week, playing 88% of snaps and recording just six tackles. High-priced defensive-end/outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips was a disaster. Phillips was paid $120M, and while he is a good pass rusher, he's struggled against the run. Last year, when Phillips was on the Dolphins, they allowed 119 rushing yards per game to opposing running backs, the third-most in the NFL. Miami's run defense improved significantly after they traded him away last season, dropping to 94 yards per game. He moved from Philadelphia in the offseason. Carolina doesn't seem serious about stopping the run.
Jacksonville at Denver
While it is easy to dismiss Bhayshul Tuten's 49% snap count as a product of the Jaguars' easy 34-10 blowout of the Browns, there are some alarms you should pay attention to going forward. Tuten had 15 carries for 66 yards, but an alarming nine came in the second half after the Jaguars were already up 24-0 at halftime. Meanwhile, Chris Rodriguez Jr. saw 40% of the snaps for the Jaguars, and five of his six carries came in the first half, as they shut him down once the game got out of hand. So, in the first half, Tuten had six carries to Rodriguez' five, which may be nothing, but it also could be indicative that this is more of a committee than most thought heading into the season. In fact, aside from Tuten's second-half runs, the stats were almost identical: they ran the same number of routes; Rodriguez had one additional pass-blocking opportunity, and four more run-blocking opportunities. It is hard to take anything of value away from the victory against Cleveland, but it is something to monitor going forward, and Rodriguez is a player you could look at for future weeks.
Denver had a rough Week 1 on the road against the Chiefs. This defense was among the best in 2025, but it simply did not show up in Week 1, and this performance raises significant concerns. Last season, Denver allowed just 72 yards per game to opposing running backs, but in Week 1, they allowed a staggering 197 rushing yards. At linebacker, the Broncos had career seasons from both Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton, but their prior history before last season is less than inspiring. Justin Strnad, who got paid with a three-year, $18M extension this offseason, had historically been a liability against the run throughout his career, and the big question will be whether last season was just an improvement in a contract year, or if he can rebound and play like he did last year. The other question is: with no Dre Greenlaw, one of the best run-stopping linebackers in the NFL, who will be that consistent threat to stop the run? This unit could quickly turn into a funnel with how great their pass defense is; opponents are simply going to run the ball against them. Along the defensive line, the loss of John Franklin-Myers was felt, as Malcolm Roach and D.J. Jones both struggled mightily. This is an undersized unit; in their regular rotation, only Jones at 305 pounds is over 295, which is one of the lighter defensive lines in the NFL. The Broncos tried to bring backup Eyioma Uwazurike into the game and play more snaps, as he's 320 pounds, but he was completely overmatched against the Chiefs' line. They may try to move Uwazurike inside if Jones continues to struggle.
San Francisco vs Miami
There may be more questions than answers coming out of the 49ers' dominant Week 1 performance as they went to Australia and defeated the Rams 27-7. The biggest question is the backfield split, as Christian McCaffrey had 10 carries, while Kaelon Black led the team with 14. It's not panic time in San Francisco for McCaffrey just yet. Australia was a weird game overall; at times, both teams seemed content to minimize the season-long impact travel could have on their team. What does seem clear, however, is that McCaffrey, at 30 years old, may be closer to a 300-touch player than the career-high 413 he had last year. This is an offense that should only get better throughout the season, as George Kittle looked less than 100% as he recovers from his Achilles injury. Once he returns to 100%, he should be one of the game's top blockers again. With San Francisco likely comfortably ahead against Miami at home this week, it may once again be a split between McCaffrey and Black as they look to keep McCaffrey for the most difficult tests of their season.
Has Miami already quit after Week 1? We mentioned it last week, but fielding a team with more dead cap space than it spends on its roster is a massive problem. In a league that has moved more toward two-linebacker defenses, the Dolphins played three linebackers for 60% of their snaps. The problem is that Willie Gay Jr, who saw 60% of the snaps, had just one tackle last week. The Dolphins relied heavily on rookie Jacob Rodriguez, who had 14 tackles, though only five were solo. Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr. dominated this defense, running for a combined 143 yards on 30 carries. This defense has major concerns at safety as they roll out fifth-round rookie Michael Taaffe along with Zayne Anderson, who has never played meaningful snaps in the NFL at 29 years old. This team is content to tank toward the 2027 draft and develop some of these inexperienced players. Depth is a major concern, and they're likely to be a defense that gets targeted heavily all season.
Tampa Bay vs Cleveland
In Week 1, Tampa Bay had to abandon their run early after falling behind to the Bengals 21-3 early in the second quarter. However, something stood out about their 33-27 loss that is a great sign for Bucky Irving moving forward. Going into the season, the expectation was that Kenny Gainwell would be the third-down back and pass catcher for the Buccaneers, which was a similar role that saw him catch 73 passes last season. While it was only one week, Gainwell had just one target, while Irving saw the receiving upside with seven targets, catching all seven for 48 yards. This is still a fluid situation: Gainwell was on the field for 46% of snaps compared to Irving's 61%, which could suggest Gainwell still has a role, but there's plenty to be excited about in Irving's outlook this season. On the offensive line, the Buccaneers have good news: right guard Cody Mauch is set to return after missing most of the 2025 season with a torn meniscus. Mauch's return has pushed Tampa Bay's offensive line to third overall in Matt Bitonti's offensive line rankings, which should only boost Irving's upside this week.
Cleveland has a lot of concerns. With the losses of Myles Garrett and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, the defense looked abysmal in Week 1. Jacksonville ran for 121 yards on 25 carries, averaging nearly 5.0 yards per carry. What made Cleveland special last season was the promising rookies Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger, along with an aging veteran in Maliek Collins, having a career season. Collins looked abysmal in Week 1, which the Browns should have expected, since it was always unlikely the journeyman defensive lineman would have a back-to-back career season after being average to below-average for most of his career. The Browns brought in linebacker Quincy Williams this offseason to replace Devin Bush, and through one week it was a massive downgrade. Williams simply looked lost at times, including a play in which he stood still for nearly three seconds as if he were a statue. If you haven't seen the clip, you should go seek it out, as it is something that you've likely never seen in the NFL: a player simply not moving during the play. New defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg has his hands full, and it's unlikely he'll find the magic key to unlock this run defense. He's a career passing coordinator and defensive backs coach, and with many of the problems on the defensive line due to the loss of both Alex Wright with a season-ending injury and Myles Garrett, this team has to find its identity.
Kansas City vs Indianapolis
Ken Walker III has made an immediate impact in Kansas City. After not having a 1,000-yard rusher since 2017, Kansas City has one of the most exciting rushing attacks in football as they completely dominated the Denver Broncos in Week 1. Walker had a career game, rushing for 173 yards on 23 carries, and it seems like the perfect fit: he's running behind one of the league's best offensive lines and no longer has the committee to worry about that kept him back for years in Seattle, with Zach Charbonnet as his running mate. Along the offensive line, the Chiefs surprisingly started undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson as 2025 first-round pick Josh Simmons deals with a back injury. Benson wasn't perfect, but he held his own against one of the league's best pass rushers, Nik Bonitto. This offensive line dominates in the interior. Led by All-Pro center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith, expect Walker to keep running between the tackles at least until Simmons (who did not practice Wednesday) can return.
It's hard to completely fault a team for allowing a big game to Derrick Henry, but when you're only one week into the season and you're allowing nearly 5.5 yards per carry, you're going to be a defense to target opposing running backs against. This defense lost a lot from last season as it got younger, which may work out in the long run, but it didn't show up in Week 1. They lost key players at all three levels: their best run-stopping linebacker, Zaire Franklin; their best run-stopping safety, Nick Cross; and edge rusher Kwity Paye. So far, the defensive line seemed overmatched as both Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner struggled while leading the team in snaps at defensive tackle. 2024 fifth-round linebacker Jaylon Carlies played on 62% of snaps in Week 1 and did not record a tackle. He'll have to play better to earn a full-time role on this defense. Meanwhile, 2026 fourth-round pick Bryce Boettcher played on 34% of snaps and had seven tackles with two solos and could be a player to watch if the team struggles early on again, as you can't be a linebacker in the NFL playing 60%+ snaps and not record a single tackle.