3 Running Backs Sending Out Warning Signals After Week 7

October 22, 2014

Rek analyzes the top three fantasy football players that did not perform well in Week 7 including Reggie Bush and Alfred Morris. These fantasy football busts are sending out warning signals.

Players That Are Making Me Nervous For Week 8

As always here, is your quick follow-up to last week's action. First, Kendall Wright is the only one who responded to being called out in my article, putting up 68 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Bishop Sankey continued to prevent the Sankey Leg from becoming a thing in his second start. Finally, Percy Harvin was so afraid of continuing to disappoint us that he got himself traded to the Jets, who had already played for the week. I guess the Seahawks read my weekly columns!

Now let's get started with this week's review.

Marshawn Lynch (RB, SEA)

98% owned on Fleaflicker

Many thought that this would be the year Beastmode would start to sputter, because he had run too hard for too long. We couldn't have been more wrong. Marshawn came out running hard in the first four games, and continued to be one of the top options at the volatile running back position. Maybe the fountain of youth is secretly hidden in packets of Skittles, because Marshawn looked like he was running as if powered by a golden mushroom on Rainbow Road.

However, the last two games have not quite been the same story. Sure, Lynch did gain 61 yards on 10 attempts against the Cowboys, but he had no touchdowns, making for a pretty mediocre fantasy day. More concerning for his owners was this week's performance against the Rams. The volume was there, as evidenced by Marshawn's 18 attempts, but he only managed 53 yards for a disgusting 2.9 yards per carry. Sure, he also had two receptions for 18 yards, but this is not the sort of performance fantasy owners were expecting after what he'd done to open the season.

Should Marshawn Lynch owners be worried? No. That's silly. The Seahawks are a run-first team and they will need to feed the Beast to win games. Another positive note for Lynch owners is that both the Cowboys and Rams run defenses are ranked among the top in the league this year, and the schedule is looking a little easier from here on out. In fact, next on the docket for Lynch is the Panthers, who are allowing the third-most fantasy points to running backs this year. Sign me up for some of that action, please! If the Beastmode owner in your league is worried, do everything in your power to buy low.

Alfred Morris (RB, WAS)

96% owned on Fleaflicker

The outlook for Alfreid Morris is not quite as rosy as it is for Lynch. Morris has only had two games this season where he has earned 10 or more fantasy points in standard leagues, and he is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry on the year. Most recently, Morris faced the Titans-- he should have run all over them, but he couldn't. Jay Gruden claimed that Morris is out of sync with the offense. Things are not going well for you when you're publicly called out by your head coach. It's like the teacher in high school who announced the lowest grades to the class, and your name was one of them.

There are other factors at play here as well. Obviously the QB rotation between RGIII, Kirk Cousins and now Colt McCoy has not helped. It's hard to run the ball when your passing attack can largely be ignored, but that doesn't really explain the huge dip of over a yard from his career rushing average. Things won't get easier this week for Morris owners, either, as he faces the aforementioned tough Cowboys run defense.

In this low-end offense, with the way he is running, it's hard for me to see Morris as anything but a middle-to-low-end RB2. I'm willing to bet that's not what most of you drafted him for. If you could package him and another bench piece for someone like Ahmad Bradshaw, I'd take that deal.

Reggie Bush (RB, DET)

91% owned on Fleaflicker

As one of my fellow writers here once said to me, "Champions are won with running backs who are old and running on bum ankles, right?" We were, of course, referring to Reggie Bush, who is 29 and hurt his ankle not too long ago. I was trying to sell Bush because I thought we had seen the height of his value; unfortunately, so my trading partner felt the same way. Ultimately, I did find another buyer who gave me Torrey Smith for Reggie Bush. But this isn't about my trades, this is about why I wanted to trade Bush.

As my fellow writer sarcastically reminded you guys, it's not typical to see good production from an older running back with an injury, especially not when the injury is to the lower body. Bush returned against his former team, who many expected him to torch in this "revenge" game, similar to what Steve Smith Sr. did to the Panthers a few weeks ago.  Fate had other things in mind for Bush. He rushed four times for 10 yards and caught five balls for 22 yards. This more than likely reminded the Saints why they'd rid themselves of Bush in the first place, though to be fair, he has had many good seasons since leaving them.

Bush, whose value is mostly in PPR formats, has only one game in such leagues where he has earned 10 or more fantasy points. Meanwhile, it's starting to look like the Joique Bell Show in Detroit. Earlier in the year, when I drafted Bush in the sixth round of the RotoBaller expert league, Uncle Leo asked me if I was worried at all about Joique Bell. I confidently (and idiotically) said "no." I'm older now, and wiser! I'm officially worried about Bush, and I'd advise trying to sell on his name value if he still has any.

Closing Thoughts After Week 7

There were other players that I could write about this week, but since I write a weekly running back column I thought it might be nice to highlight some running backs I'm worried about. Some of my other choices, such as Matt Ryan, were also just too obvious at this point. As a bonus, I know some people are worried about Giovani Bernard, but you shouldn't be.  Just remember we are past the halfway mark now, so it's time to make decisions to save your season and ensure your road to glory!

On an unrelated note: I'll be on vacation next week and thus away from my computer. Zach W will be writing this column for me next week so you guys won't miss out. See you all when I get back from sunny Florida!