In this article, we're not looking at teams or coaches when we analyze the biggest flops of Week 1. Instead, we're picking on individual players. These disappointments do not come with betting recommendations but sometimes you just have to know who to back away from. These are the guys that bettors will probably need to be avoiding when it comes to prop bets in Week 2 or futures bets for the NFL season.
Part of being an underachiever is having a weight of expectation. From that point of view, these three players really jump as cases of "Bettors Beware" following the conclusion of Week 1. We found one running back, one receiver, and one quarterback that flopped to open the 2022 NFL season.
Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers
Christian McCaffrey is nowhere near the favorite to win the Offensive Player of the Year Award in the NFL. However, if a player simply makes the list with a major sportsbook then that means the player is on the radar. McCaffrey is the 16th favorite with bet365 sportsbook for the award, priced at 28 to 1 with that source (28/1; +2800).
McCaffrey had a touchdown in Week 1 but few other highlights. On ten carries, he managed just 33 yards. He only appeared in seven games last season, but 33 yards would have been his second-worst rushing total. The four receptions he had in Week 1 of this season did little to redeem his efforts.
Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers
Whenever an offensive player puts up bad stats, there's a question as to whether he is entirely to blame. The Trey Lance situation in San Francisco is one that most receivers would probably want to avoid. However, taking Samuel's stats at face value and not adjusting for the fact that he's playing with a crummy quarterback, the receiver underachieved in Week 1.
Samuel had two receptions for 14 yards in total. In 16 appearances last season, there was only one game where he was less effective in terms of receiving yards. He did have an effective game rushing in Week 1 to some extent as he had a rushing TD and 52 yards on the ground. However, he also had a fumble that was lost. Samuel is 4th favorite with bet365 sportsbook at 14 to 1 (14/1 or +1400) but hasn't looked that sharp as of yet.
Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers
Are we seeing the beginning of the end of Aaron Rodgers?
The 38-year-old quarterback certainly was not himself in Week 1 of the NFL season. That Davante Adams is gone from Green Bay is a mitigating circumstance, however, Rodgers has found a way to get results in the past so many times under trying circumstances. His Week 1 performance is head-turning for all the wrong reasons.
He had an adjusted quarterback rating of just 16.1 in Week 1. Two of three quarterbacks that performed worse from that perspective ended up injured in their outings (ie. Mac Jones and Dak Prescott). Rodgers connected for zero touchdowns, he had an interception, and Green Bay's offense had just 7 points in losing to Minnesota. If that keeps up, Green Bay's season will be in 'Jeopardy.'
