Week 1 Recap: Josh Allen Wins an 81-Point Classic as Nine Games Come Down to One Score

Week 1 handed us chaos, and Buffalo delivered the exclamation point. The Bills edged the Ravens 41-40 in the highest-scoring game of the slate, but the bigger story is how tight the whole week was. Nine of the 16 games were decided by six points or fewer: LAC over KC 27-21, LAR over HOU 14-9, PHI over DAL 24-20, SF over SEA 17-13, TB over ATL 23-20, MIN over CHI 27-24, PIT over NYJ 34-32, plus two one-point finishes. If your DFS lineup lived and died in the fourth quarter, you weren't alone.

The shootout in Buffalo was a fantasy goldmine on both sides. Josh Allen went 33-of-46 for 394 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Keon Coleman was his top target with 8 catches for 112 yards and a score. For Baltimore, Derrick Henry was the best player on the field, running 18 times for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns. Lamar Jackson was surgical on limited volume, going 14-of-19 for 209 yards and 2 TDs, and Zay Flowers turned 7 catches into 143 yards and a touchdown. James Cook III salvaged his day with a short-yardage touchdown on 13 carries for 44 yards.

The blowout belonged to Indianapolis, which rolled Miami 33-8. Daniel Jones was efficient and in control at 22-of-29 for 272 yards and a TD, with Michael Pittman Jr. pacing the receivers at 6 catches, 80 yards and a score. Jonathan Taylor got the workhorse role with 18 carries for 71 yards. The Dolphins' side was ugly. Tua Tagovailoa managed just 114 yards on 14-of-23 passing with a touchdown and 2 interceptions, and Tyreek Hill was held to 4 catches for 40 yards. De'Von Achane made the most of his 7 carries, gaining 55 yards, but the game script never let Miami lean on him.

The nailbiter was Cincinnati's 17-16 escape in Cleveland, and it was not pretty for Bengals fantasy managers. Joe Burrow threw for only 113 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-23 passing, and Tee Higgins finished with 3 catches for 33 yards. Chase Brown was the bright spot thanks to volume and a score: 21 carries for 43 yards and a touchdown. Joe Flacco put the ball in the air 45 times for 290 yards, a touchdown and 2 picks, and Jerry Jeudy led Cleveland with 5 catches for 66 yards. Rookie Dylan Sampson struggled to find room, gaining 29 yards on 12 carries.

The fantasy takeaways: Allen and Coleman are a stack to keep chasing, and Henry looks like a locked-in RB1 when he gets that kind of workload. Flowers is the clear alpha in Baltimore's passing game. Jones and Pittman are worth a longer look after a clean outing, and Taylor's 18 carries signal a featured role. Chase Brown's 21 carries give him a safe floor even on an inefficient day. Flacco's volume keeps Jeudy in the flex conversation. On the other side, Tua's two-pick dud and Hill's quiet line are a yellow flag, and Burrow's 113-yard dud is one week. Don't panic-sell your Bengals yet, but don't pay full price in DFS until that offense shows a pulse.