Facts vs. Feelings: Week 1 surprises you can trust in Week 2 (and those you can't)

1 month ago 29
  • Liz LozaSep 10, 2025, 10:25 AM ET

    Close

      Liz Loza is simply a writer for phantasy football, women's hoops and betting astatine ESPN. Liz besides appears connected "Fantasy Football Now" and contributes to the Fantasy Focus Football podcast.

Have you ever received a portion of quality that stole the aerial from your lungs and made your joints give? Something that shook your position arsenic though it was a kid's kaleidoscope, creating a wholly caller statement of events and consequent outcomes. A improvement oregon scrap of accusation that not lone forced you to a revised decision but besides made you question however you had ever arrived astatine the anterior destination successful the archetypal place?

What did you bash successful those moments? After the daze wore off. How did you proceed? For me, I go a inferior detective, attempting to tease retired an close timeline oregon uncover a antecedently hidden clue. So that the bewilderment of having been blindsided tin beryllium replaced by the thrill of putting unneurotic a puzzle. Maybe that's wherefore I excavation existent crime. Because there's thing satisfying astir solving a enigma ... adjacent if it doesn't erase the archetypal gut punch oregon unexpected ending.

And it doesn't person to beryllium a elephantine revelation. I'm not needfully referencing the find of a concealed half-sibling oregon a decease furniture confession detailing a torrid affair. Though those are immoderate loaded curve balls. Truthfully, though, thing arsenic elemental arsenic ... an unexpectedly crowded backfield successful Seattle oregon a three-time Pro Bowl receiver drafting a azygous look versus a part rival successful an land game, tin beryllium capable to stroke the upwind retired of one's proverbial sails.

What tin we bash to forestall ourselves from being truthful taken aback if it happens again? After all, it volition hap again. And we volition forgive and, ultimately, stay gleeful volunteers, registering for different 17 weeks of virtual work regardless. I deliberation the reply is successful reviewing the facts and checking our feelings. Miscalculations are quality occurrences. Even the robots conflict to decently parse the connection "strawberry." So, we can't bushed ourselves up for not knowing purposefully withheld information. We can, instead, instrumentality the caller information astatine our avail and retool our projections.

We are phantasy gumshoes, who ain our mistakes and strive to larn from them... knowing afloat good that determination is arsenic overmuch delight successful probe arsenic determination is successful being "right." Well, arsenic agelong arsenic that probing successfully gets america to Week 15 and the playoffs.

Now, let's excavation into what we learned, perpetrate to making change, and ace immoderate codes.

Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers: How astir an unexpected circular of applause for rational coaching? Instead of sticking to a run-first communicative connected Sunday Jim Harbaugh flipped the publication and fto his big-armed backmost travel retired slinging. Herbert completed 25 of 34 walk attempts (73.5 CMP%, QB6), starring the Chargers to a decisive triumph implicit the Kansas City Chiefs, leaving the reigning AFC champs slackjawed. Not lone did Herbert's 318 passing yards fertile 3rd among QBs, but the Bolts' 69% passing complaint was the sixth-highest successful the NFL successful Week 1. That's peculiarly telling fixed that the Chargers were the lone squad successful the apical 9 that won its contest. The different 8 clubs each trailed and, understandably, passed much arsenic a result.

Herbert didn't conscionable usage his arm, however. The erstwhile Oregon standout besides showcased his mobility, taking disconnected 7 times for a full of 32 rushing yards (T-QB11). Interestingly, the lone QBs to accrue much rushing yards were Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields, Jayden Daniels and Russell Wilson. This well-rounded utilization of Herbert's divers accomplishment acceptable suggests helium is precise overmuch the motor of L.A.'s offense. It besides raises his phantasy ceiling. Entering ...

Read Entire Article