RADIO
Things are beginning to get more and more intense, as we close in on the halfway point of the 2015 NFL season. The trade deadline for many leagues is likely on the horizon, and it means that you need to be locked and loaded at every position, specifically at quarterback and tight end.
While some quarterbacks and tight ends have bounced back and forth between strong and poor showings, others have just let down in big ways over the recent weeks. Regardless, the warning signals are there for a few players, and the five listed below are the ones we really needed to highlight.
Let's get into the action with a quarterback who was a stud early on in the season, but has slowed down over the past two weeks.
Quarterbacks Sending Out Warning Signals
Eli Manning – QB, NYG
When I put Eli Manning on this list heading into Week 7, I got plenty of negative feedback for it. Let me preface this by saying that Manning didn't play bad football in the Week 7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. He didn't throw an interception, but he also didn't throw a touchdown and wound up with just 170 total yards. The issue? The Giants seemed content to try to control the clock and work their run game more than we've seen in the past.
While this could become a common theme for the Giants, even if it doesn't, there are obvious reasons to be concerned about a quarterback who was truly a QB1 from Weeks 2-5. In the three games he struggled, they came against the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys twice, and to be honest, neither team has a stellar pass defense. Remember, just because a team is playing well, doesn't automatically make their starting quarterback a fantasy stud.
Nick Foles – QB, STL
In defense of Nick Foles, the run game (and specifically Todd Gurley) has been absolutely stellar for the St. Louis Rams. Unfortunately, Foles has struggled in a brutal way over his past two games. Against the Green Bay Packers in Week 5, he completed just 11 of 30 passes for 141 yards, one touchdown and four (yes, four) interceptions. Foles was a complete disaster, but had a bye in Week 6 to help right the ship.
The bye week didn't turn him into a touchdown machine, but at least he didn't turn the ball over in Week 7. Foles came out against the Cleveland Browns and didn't do anything to blow owners away. While he completed 15 of 23 passes for 163 yards, he failed to throw a touchdown. It seems that the plan has shifted away from Foles being forced to do anything too drastic in this offense, as he is now simply a game manager. Expect Foles to be in that role moving forward, and nothing more.
Matt Ryan – QB, ATL
Matt Ryan played some strong football to start the 2015 season, and his team is 6-1, so obviously something is going right (see Freeman, Devonta). While Ryan's still a very good quarterback, the past three weeks have given us reasons to be concerned. Over that span, he's thrown three touchdowns against four interceptions, while also losing two fumbles. He's had two very poor games mixed in with one good game against the New Orleans Saints, who have a pass defense that has allowed 14 touchdowns and 2,036 yards to opposing quarterbacks this season.
Ryan has a great opportunity to turn things around, but it seems that whenever he faces a solid pass defense, he really struggles. To top it off, Freeman is running like a man possessed right now, so there are obvious reasons to assume that Atlanta may feature their run game in a very big way moving forward through the 2015 season.
Tight Ends Sending Out Warning Signals
Jimmy Graham – TE, SEA
I give up, officially. Jimmy Graham is the most impossible player in the NFL to figure out. He's received over eight targets three times this year, while seeing five or less in the other four games. Graham is simply too inconsistent to be relied upon, and even his big games aren't big enough to place him on the "stud" level for fantasy owners. Yes, his eight-catch, 140-yard performance in Week 6 was nice to see, but he followed that up with a complete dud against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers.
After his major explosion, Graham caught just two balls for 31 yards on five targets in Week 7. At this point, Graham is going to be penciled into many lineups, but it's nearly impossible to be excited about him in any given week.
Charles Clay – TE, BUF
Clay is a great talent, I have to give him that. He's got serious potential, but he needs to turn it into consistency. I'm not going to sound the "cut him from your roster" alarm yet, but he's not playing like the sleeper that we saw in Weeks 3-4, when he caught 14 balls for 193 yards and a touchdown. Over the past three games, Clay had one strong showing with nine catches for 62 yards, but in the other two games he wound up with just four catches for 33 yards total. This could have something to do with the fact that it's been E.J. Manuel under center, but with Sammy Watkins and Percy Harvin banged-up one would have thought Clay would still have a bigger presence.
Fortunately, Clay is on bye this week, and he may get Tyrod Taylor back under center in Week 9. It's going to be a situation worth monitoring, but just give Clay some time and he should be fine. Even with that said, he's going to get the nod as the last man on this list, with the potential to jump off it soon enough.
