3 Fantasy Football Players Sending Out Warning Signals in Week 2

 

Players That Are Making Me Nervous

Originally I didn't plan to make this a weekly column for the entire fantasy football season, but it just lends itself so well. Every fantasy football owner's worst nightmare is drafting someone on draft day, just to see them underperform and not put up nearly enough points for their teams. These are the guys I'm here to discuss, and to give you my take on why they make me nervous. Granted, almost every player that I said I was worried about after Week 1 had a better performance in Week 2.

But, that's not the point of this article. The point is to highlight some people who struggled this past week, or have struggled for multiple weeks now, and who may (emphasis on may) continue to have some struggles going forward. These are the players who I watch play, or look at their fantasy football stats, and they make me nervous for Week 3 and the 2014 fantasy football season.

So with that being said, below is this week's group of players that struggled in Week 2, but will probably have three touchdowns each in Week 3 just to spite me.

 

Torrey Smith (WR, BAL)

91% Owned on FleaFlicker

Everyone knows Torrey Smith is boom or bust. That didn't stop him from having 65 receptions last year for 1,128 yards and 4 touchdowns. So why am I concerned about him this year? Well, maybe because so far he looks more busted than your first car after its final road trip.

On the season Smith has been targeted a total of 10 times, and has gained 60 yards on 4 receptions in two games. However, he has been completely out-shined by elder statesmen Steve Smith Sr. who has been targeted 25 times, has brought in 13 of those targets for catches, has totaled 189 yards, and has scored a touchdown in those same two games. You can chalk up the lack of targets going Torrey Smith's way to the coverage on him, but that's not fair to Steve Smith. Smitty, who essentially got paid to leave the Panthers, looks explosive for someone who is 35 years old.

Torrey shined last year, but that was largely due to the departure of Anquan Boldin in my opinion. Who else did Joe Flacco have to throw to? Jacoby Jones? Marlon Brown? Torrey was clearly the top option. I get the feeling that Steve Smith's performance is complicating the original offensive plans for the Ravens, and he really seems to be the one who has chemistry with Flacco.

Keep an eye on how this situation pans out. However, if someone offers you a solid brand name player for Torrey Smith, take that deal. Especially if they are more consistent than what amounts to a boom-or-bust player.

 

Tom Brady (QB, NE)

98% Owned in Fleaflicker

How the mighty have fallen. Tom Brady has gone from looking like a fantasy football god, to looking like Loki after the Hulk tears him a new one in the Avengers. In his first two games in standard leagues, Tom Brady has totaled about 10 points in each game. That's not good for someone who is widely considered to be among the elite quarterbacks, and was drafted by many to be one.

New England fans might try to tell you that Rob Gronkowski hasn't been fully healthy, or that Brady's other receivers aren't healthy either. The first part is true, but the latter is not. His receiving corps is mostly healthy, unlike last year, with the exception of Aaron Dobson who missed Week 1. The blame for Tom Brady's current struggles can be directly laid at the feet of Tom Brady, and on the offensive game plans.

The next excuse I've heard, in an attempt to defend Brady in the game against Minnesota, is that the Patriots were so far ahead that Brady didn't need to throw it anymore. True, if it was any team but the Patriots. The Patriots are notorious for throwing when they don't have to and running up the score. Tom Brady acting as a game manager as opposed to throwing the ball down the field suggests that he may not be fully confident in his throwing ability currently.

I also know enough to never really bet against Tom Brady. But when he struggles against the Dolphins and Vikings, you really have to start questioning whether we are seeing his decline. If he doesn't absolutely obliterate the Raiders secondary, I think we have our answer. Monitor Brady very closely this upcoming week, and have a good backup QB option just in case this really is the end.

 

Toby Gerhart (RB, JAC)

86% Owned in Fleaflicker

Toby Gerhart owners are panicking, and in my opinion rightly so. In standard leagues, Gerhart has totaled 5.7 points and 1.7 points over the first two weeks of the fantasy football season. That's ugly, and I don't think it's going to get much better.

"But Rek, he's the lead running back!" That's what you might find yourself saying in response, and yes he is. He may have a few good games based on pure volume, but in the first game of the NFL season he had 18 carries and still only managed 5.7 points. The Jaguars O-line doesn't look like it could contain a mouse, much less heavily muscled defenders. Do you really want to own a running back who is averaging 2 yards per carry behind that O-line? No? Me either. Gerhart does seem to have some decent receiving ability, but that won't matter if Henne is too busy getting sacked to get him the ball.

If I owned Gerhart, I wouldn't feel comfortable with him as my RB2 or even as my FLEX. I'd really only want to own Gerhart as a bench piece in case of injuries to my team. See if you can package him with another player on your team, and trade him away to get someone that won't cause you to develop early gray hairs by playing him as your RB2.

 

Closing Thoughts On Week 2

The first two cases of Smith and Brady are situations to monitor. You don't need to act right away, but if their situations continue into Week 3 then it might be time to hit the panic button. With Gerhart, you should already be panicking. Gerhart owners may want to check out my article on running backs here.

 

Want to tell me why I’m wrong (or why you agree)? Debate me @RekedFantasy.