RADIO
With half of the fantasy season in the rear view and Week 8 byes raking everyone through the mud, the time is now to make firm decisions on some of those underperforming players you have held all season. Trade deadlines in many leagues are on the horizon as well, making the need for swift decision making all the more relevant.
This week we will discuss the addition of three new players to the crew in addition to examining just what is going on with a familiar name who is no stranger to the list. We will also circle back to check on the players that were on notice from last week.
To see where these players fall in our expert rankings for Week 8, check our Overall Player Rankings lists for Standard, PPR, and Half-PPR.
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Heed the Warning Signs
Cam Newton (QB, CAR) – Medium/High Warning Level
For the first time all season, we have our first repeat offender on the list. Cam Newton started the season very slowly, taking a while to adjust and knock the rust of off-season surgery and limited practice time in the preseason out of his system. Then it looked like the tide had changed as he put together two very good games, and appeared to be making a concerted effort to run the ball like the Newton of old. At that point after Week 5, it seemed that Cam would be solid enough to safely start for the rest of the season at the very least. In his two games since then, he has thrown only one touchdown to five interceptions, and has also lost a fumble while averaging 225 passing yards. Through seven games, he has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns with 10 to nine respectively.
Newton currently ranks as the eighth best quarterback in fantasy, which is thanks largely in part to his three rushing scores on the season. His week to week production however, will likely force you to continue to roster another quarterback during a stretch when bye weeks are ravaging fantasy rosters everywhere. Newton has seemingly reverted back to his early season form, and he might not become the every week guy at any point this season. Newton does have a favorable matchup coming up in Week 8 against a Buccaneers defense that is second to last in the league against QBs. Looking closer at his four games against bottom ranked defenses this year shows that while he was certainly serviceable in two of those matchups, he was unable to take advantage and put up duds in the other two. Newton’s weekly volatility will continue to be a problem for owners that just never know which Newton they will see that week.
Frank Gore (RB, IND) – High Warning Level
Even though Frank Gore owners didn’t draft him with the idea that he would finish as the overall RB1, it doesn’t make what little he has offered any less disappointing. For the past several fantasy seasons, Gore was the unexciting player that you could rely on week in and week out, and was a lock to finish with around 1,000 yards and five or so touchdowns every year. His production was never going to blow you away, but his consistency made him one of the safest picks available, if there was ever such a thing in fantasy. Through seven games this season Gore is averaging a career worst 3.4 yards per carry, and he hasn’t scored since Week 3. Gore has also failed to gain more than 57 yards in any game this season, and has only had more than 20 touches once all year.
His inefficiency has also coincided with a decline in snap percentage. In the three games following his Week 3 burst, Gore played 58%, 51%, and 40% of the snaps on a team that is already running the 12th fewest plays in the league. In Week 7, with Robert Turbin out and the Colts playing from behind all game, rookie Marlon Mack played 48% of the snaps to Gore’s 33%. With Andrew Luck’s status for the rest of the season in doubt, this could gradually become a situation where the team turns the rookie loose to see what they have for the future. Gore has surprisingly remained relatively active in the passing game, which has thankfully prevented his weekly production from completely bottoming out. At this point though, he has become fully touchdown dependent in a struggling offense, and his outlook for the rest of the season could be in danger if the Colts aren’t able to turn it around soon.
Alshon Jeffery (WR, PHI) – Low Warning Level
Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz has been on a tear the past two games, averaging 245 passing yards per game with seven total touchdowns. The problem is, receiver Alshon Jeffery has not reaped any of the benefits of Wentz’s improvements, and is looking more and more like the third man on the totem pole behind clear leader Zach Ertz and believe it or not, Nelson Agholar. Since finding the end zone for the second time in Week 4, Jeffery has averaged just three catches and 46 ypg on 20 total targets. In that same time, Agholar turned 17 targets in to four catches and 64 yards per contest, while scoring in all three games. If Agholar’s snap counts and targets continue to remain as steady as they have been the past few weeks, it will create even more problems for Jeffery’s production.
The one positive for Jeffery owners is that he has been heavily targeted in each game this year, and has played no less than 79% of his team’s snaps in any game. The bad news though, is that despite netting nearly eight targets per game, he has only caught 50% of his passes, which ranks eighth worst amongst eligible receivers. At some point Jeffery will have to turn his target consistency into fantasy production, and until he can do so he will remain a boom or bust WR3/flex play that is on the outside looking in on his teammates individual success.
Zach Miller (TE, CHI) – Medium Warning Level
Even though he is one of the most reliable targets on a team that has very few pass catching options, Zach Miller has been largely hit or miss at the tight end position this year. Even with a late game touchdown in Week 5, and a fluky touchdown on a halfback option pass in Week 6, his numbers have been mediocre all year despite trailing only Tarik Cohen in targets. Outside of only six total targets in the past two games, Miller had been averaging five targets a game with Mike Glennon, but still hasn’t caught more than three passes in five out of seven games.
In addition to general inefficiency, the problem here is that the drop in targets reflects what could be in store for the rest of his season with rookie Mitch Trubisky. The Bears are determined to lean on the run game and an underrated defensive unit, and won’t be asking Trubisky to do much in his first season. In the Week 7 win over the Panthers, Trubisky only attempted seven total passes throughout the entire game. The Bears have also added wide receiver Dontrelle Inman, who quietly finished last season with 58 catches for 810 yards and four touchdowns as a Charger. Despite being one of the best options on his team, Miller might not be the greatest option for your roster going forward as long as Trubisky is able to continue to lead Chicago to wins doing the bare minimum.
Updates From Last Week
Tyrod Taylor (QB, BUF) – Lower Warning Level Than Last Week
Tyrod Taylor was able to keep his success at home going, finishing as the ninth best QB in Week 7. There still haven’t been any updates on top pass catcher Charles Clay’s status, but Jordan Mathews was able to play last week and new addition Deonte Thompson made an immediate impact for the Bills offense. The team’s receiving corps is still arguably one of the worst in the league without Clay, but if Taylor continues to make the best out of what he has, rosters in need of a QB could certainly do a lot worse. Taylor will look to continue rolling in Week 8 against a Raiders defense that was dismantled by Alex Smith last week, but keep in mind that the real test for Taylor starts when hits the road again in Week 9.
Mike Gillislee (RB, NE) – Higher Warning Level Than Last Week
Although he received less than 10 touches for the first time this season, it doesn’t seem like Mike Gillislee has been locked too far away in Belichick’s doghouse following his Week 6 fumble. However, he still offered little to no production as he again failed to reach 50 yards or find the end zone, getting stuffed on his only red zone attempt from inside the five. With Dion Lewis seeing the most snaps for Patriots’ backs for two weeks in a row and Rex Burkhead now back in the mix for between the tackles work as well as goal line attempts, it will be hard to trust Gillislee as anything more than a shaky, desperation flex with hopes of a boom.
Martavis Bryant (WR, PIT) – Higher Warning Level Than Last Week
For yet another week, Ben Roethlisberger and Martavis Bryant were again unable to connect on the deep ball, which again led to another unsuccessful fantasy day for Bryant owners. Despite all of the talk before the game that Bryant could potentially play a larger role for the Steelers in Week 7, Bryant was again out-touched and out-played by rookie Juju Smith-Schuster. Coming off of a game in which he saw two touches for a grand-total of five yards, Bryant has become entirely unstartable at this point, and continuing to wait for a boom game that might not be in the cards could ultimately prove to be detrimental to your roster. With Bryant being demoted and declared inactive for Week 8 by head coach Mike Tomlin, and the Steelers on bye in Week 9, it might just be time for owners to send Bryant and all of his upside to waivers.
Jordan Reed (TE, WAS) – Lower Warning Level Than Last Week
After opening the season without a touchdown catch through five games, Jordan Reed caught two touchdowns to go along with 64 yards and eight catches in a Monday night loss to the Eagles. It appears that the Terrelle Pryor experiment has lost its luster in Washington, and with Pryor coming off the bench in Week 7, Reed reached double digit targets for the first time all year. If Reed has turned the corner and can reach a level that makes him once again safe to start on a weekly basis you will be glad you held on to him, but owners will want to make sure there is some sustained consistency before trusting him completely just yet.
