Week 1 is always a wild ride, right? Everyone’s overreacting, but you gotta sniff out those real signals from the noise. This year, one thing jumped off the screen: Bucky Irving’s performance for Tampa Bay. Yeah, he coughed up a fumble and the Buccaneers lost, but his usage? That screamed “crushing ADP” to anyone paying attention.
Bucky Irving Is Already Proving Everyone Wrong
Irving was everywhere in Week 1. He snagged all seven of his targets for 48 yards, making him super relevant even as Tampa Bay played catch-up. On the ground, he was a beast too, going 8 for 45 with a touchdown, finding lanes behind what looked like a solid offensive line. Remember all that summer chatter? Kenny Gainwell signed, Sean Tucker sticking around as a goal-line threat? That talk just melted away. Gainwell was practically invisible with just one reception. Tucker, who even took a pay cut, was inactive with a hamstring injury.
Sure, Gainwell might be a better pass blocker, but Irving ran 21 routes compared to Gainwell’s 13. And if you look at their careers, Irving’s been the far more productive receiver: 8.5 yards per carry, an 89.4% catch rate, and 7.6 yards per target, smoking Gainwell’s 6.9, 78.6%, and 5.4. Teams want to adjust after a loss, but unless Irving completely bails on his blocking assignments and lets Baker Mayfield get clobbered, he’s absolutely set to blow past his summer projections.
Christian Watson’s Usage Blew Up the Board
Let’s talk about Christian Watson. Six catches, 147 yards, two touchdowns. That line alone is fire, but the underlying usage trends? They’re straight up encouraging. He was on the field for three quarters of the snaps, which is a big-time jump over his career mark of 63%. And those eight targets? That’s huge. He’s only hit that number six times in his entire career.
Jordan Love was slinging it, targeting his receivers at the second-highest rate in Week 1. Meanwhile, the Green Bay running backs were basically forgotten in the passing game, seeing just two targets and zero catches. Josh Jacobs might come back at some point, but he’ll be stuck behind a horrible offensive line. If that O-line can just keep Love upright, the Packers could easily morph into a top-5 passing team this year, and Watson is poised to be the main beneficiary.
Colston Loveland’s Zero Points Hides a Deeper Story
Okay, so it stung seeing Colston Loveland put up a goose egg in a game where the Bears dropped 59 points. Brutal. But don’t let that fool you. He was running a route on 89% of the team’s dropbacks, which was tops on the club. Caleb Williams even missed him on an end-zone throw that easily could have been a touchdown. I still can’t shake off that target barrage Loveland ended last season with: 48 targets, 28 catches, 378 yards, and two scores. My lofty expectations aren’t budging.
We do need to keep an eye on Kalif Raymond though. He could be a real disruptor, grabbing just enough targets to mess with other players’ floors without being consistent himself. Raymond ran 22 routes, the same as Rome Odunze, and was targeted on nine of them. He’s already built some serious rapport with Williams, excelling at those quick, defined throws. He might just turn into one of those sneaky PPR guys, a catch collector like Wan’Dale Robinson was back in 2024.
Week 1 always throws us curveballs, but these early usage trends for Irving and Watson are too loud to ignore. Keep your eyes peeled for Week 2; if these guys keep this up, they’re going to be absolute league-winners.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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