5 Fantasy Football Studs Who Started Slow in Week 1: Should We Panic?

Brandon Marshall, WR, New York Jets

Brandon Marshall was remarkably consistent in 2015, with only two games all season with under 100 yards and zero touchdowns. In every other contest, he either eclipsed the 100 yard mark or scored a touchdown. But as players get older, decline can happen, so I don't fault anyone who drafted the 32-year-old receiver from being a tad concerned at his 3-catch, 32-yard performance in Week 1.

Don't be.

While Marshall may not score the 14 touchdowns he did last season, his final box score doesn't indicate any regression in ability or value to the team. It more likely reflects a solid Bengals pass defense as well as the ticket we all have to ride the Ryan Fitzpatrick roller coaster. Fitzpatrick was often inaccurate when pressured, and failed to give Marshall on opportunity on many of his eight targets.

With that said, Marshall was still thrown at twice in the end zone, and he just failed to make the play. With his size and ability, that won't happen often. The Jets receiver also dropped a target late in the game that would have made his performance a tad more respectable.

In a game the Jets often led and ran the ball extremely well, Fitzpatrick only threw for 189 yards. Much better days are ahead for Marshall, and it's far from time to panic.