3 Fantasy Football Players Sending Out Warning Signals in Week 1

September 10, 2014

RotoBaller analyzes the top three fantasy football players that did not perform well in week 1 leaving fantasy owners disappointed & looking for replacements.

Players That Are Making Me Nervous

Let's take a look at some NFL players that had "beware of bad games" signs posted on their front lawns this past week.

This article is not meant to make any of you panic, but at the same time I wanted to share my thoughts on a few players after seeing them in action.

I know it's only one week of play, and overreacting to Week One can also hurt your long term chances in fantasy football. However, fantasy football is not fantasy baseball. The season is much shorter, and by being too patient you can really shoot yourself in the foot.

So with that being said, here are a few players who are making me nervous for the 2014 fantasy football season.

Rueben Randle (WR, NYG)

51% Owned in Fleaflicker

If you have been reading my pre-season articles, you know that I advocated taking Rueben Randle in the 9th round or later in your fantasy drafts. I believed he was really going to take a step forward without Hakeem Nicks around, and be the main red zone threat for the Giants. Unfortunately, I forgot to take into account that the mail would get the Giants order mixed up and they got the Eli Manning model from last year as opposed to the two time Super Bowl winning model they ordered.

During the pre-season, Randle openly admitted he and Eli were not on the same page. That seems like a bit of an understatement. The lack of chemistry between these two is only matched by Tom and Jerry. Apparently they didn't perform enough trust falls during the pre-season, because their lack of chemistry showed up in the first game of the season.

During the game, Randle saw only three targets and hauled in two for an incredibly high total of a yard. At that pace, he'd only need well over 100 targets to ever get a touchdown. That's nothing! People get 100 targets all the time right? The answer for those of you thinking I'm being serious is no, no they don't. Ever.

Randle was out targeted by Cruz, Jernigan, Donnell, and Jennings demonstrating there is a whole host of people that Eli trusts more. Add in the fact that the Giants O-line looked like it couldn't even stop anyone in a game of Red Rover, and you have major issues for Randle. If I was in a PPR league, I'd consider dropping Randle for Jernigan. But honestly, I don't want any part of this Giants' passing attack not named Victor Cruz. Drop Randle unless you're in a very deep league.

Danny Woodhead (RB, SD)

67% Owned in Fleaflicker

Danny Woodhead is definitely not appearing on this list just because he screwed me personally in two leagues this week. Not at all. It's more because the Chargers have a new offensive coach in Frank Reich who doesn't seem to have much love for Woodhead.

What makes me say that? Well as you saw on Monday night, Ryan Mathews out-targeted Danny Woodhead 2-1. The one area that Woodhead really has value is being a pass catching back, and if he starts to lose that job to a more well rounded Matthews his value goes completely out the window. It's a bad sign that Phillip Rivers struggled quite a bit in the opening week of the season, and the game plan didn't become screening the ball to Woodhead. Woodhead had more carries than he did receptions, and he ran like his shoes were full of blocks.

Last year, Woodhead totaled over 1,000 yards with the bulk of that yardage coming on the 75 targets that came his way. I thought that Woodhead would be a featured part of the passing attack again for the Chargers this year. I didn't account that Malcom Floyd might become relevant after a down year, that Ryan Mathews could become a more well rounded back, that Antonio Gates would refuse to go quietly, or that Ladarius Green might get more than his fair share of targets. That's not even mentioning the fact that Keenan Allen established himself as "the" guy last year, and will obviously be the most targeted Charger.

All of this is bad news for good ol' Danny, but I wouldn't be dropping him yet except possibly in standard formats. In PPR leagues you most likely drafted him too high, as I did, to give up on him after just one game. Just don't expect a ton when he faces the Seahawks next week. The Legion of Boom can and will blow your house made of wood down.

Larry Fitzgerald (WR, ARI)

98% Owned in Fleaflicker

This is the one selection that I expect to get the most visceral reaction from. However, I wasn't high on Larry Fitzgerald to begin the season and I'm not advising you to drop him at all in this case. Just keep a close eye on him.

Why? Well, because I can only imagine that Fitz threw a tantrum (great band by the way) when he didn't even see his first reception in Monday night's game until the 4th quarter. His lone reception was a long one for 22 yards, but I'm sure it left fantasy owners unhappy.  The plan for the Cardinals seemed to be mainly to use Fitz to draw attention from the new star of this offensive attack, Michael Floyd.

Last year the Cardinals started to transition Fitz from "the guy" to just "a guy". Considering he's now 31 I don't expect this trend to reverse. Owners who drafted Fitzgerald as their No. one wide receiver may finds themselves very disappointed as the year continues.

However, a positive to take away from Monday night's game was that Carson Palmer was very good. One has to imagine there will be games where he finds Fitzgerald for huge receptions. I just expect those games to be few and far between for me to feel too confident about Fitzgerald and his usage with an emerging younger guy on the same staff.  Mr. Fitzgerald is both a sell candidate for other brand name receivers, and a buy low candidate at the same time.

Closing Thoughts On Week 1

What's with guys named Floyd stealing the spotlight from two guys I named here? Is it a weird coincidence or is this the year of people named Floyd? Either way, I'd definitely at least be keeping an eye on the Michael Floyd-Larry Fitzgerald situation. Give Woodhead maybe 2-3 games to establish himself in PPR, and feel free to drop Rueben Randle in all but the deepest leagues.

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