RADIO
Welcome to Disaster Recovery, where each week I'll examine why your studs played like duds. This isn't a place to find out why you should have benched a player for somebody on your bench. Disaster Recovery is to examine the guys who you didn't think twice about benching, and deciding if you should be panicking at all about their value moving forward.
The players covered in this column will usually have to be in the RotoBaller top-10 at their respective positions, but it may vary depending on the status of the players each week.
It was kind of a bizarre week for this column, as most of our duds are tight ends and quarterbacks.
Editor's Note: Steer clear of costly draft mistakes with RotoBaller’s expert Fantasy Football Bust analysis. We break down overvalued players, potential letdowns, and risky ADPs to avoid, so you can build a smarter, safer roster.
Week 11 Duds
Zach Ertz (TE, PHI) (#3 TE)
What Happened: Ertz caught two passes for eight yards on five targets in a blowout victory against the Cowboys.
How Did It Happen: The Eagles were firing on all cylinders and Ertz got lost in the shuffle. With three different running backs going for fifty yards, Carson Wentz only needed to throw for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Ertz wasn't able to snag one of the touchdowns.
Panic Meter: Low. Lets be honest: Ertz was due for a dud. He has massively exceeded expectations this year, scoring in five different games this season and having at least five receptions for 80 yards in games he didn't until this week. It happens. Expect Ertz to bounce back next week.
Rob Gronkowski (TE, NE) (#1 TE)
What Happened: Gronk caught all three of his targets for 36 yards in a blowout win .
How Did It Happen: Brandin Cooks tore apart the Raiders defense for 149 yards and a touchdown, and Danny Amendola added 66 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots had five more players go for at least 15 yards not including Amendola or Cooks. There was plenty of mouths to feed and Gronk owners suffered for it.
Panic Meter: Low. Is it concerning that the other two Patriot tight ends took five targets away from Gronk? Not when you consider that Gronk still played on 88% of the Patriots offensive snaps. These kind of games are bound to happen every so often when you have as many weapons as the Patriots do. Gronk is still the most dangerous weapon Tom Brady has and will be relied on down the stretch. Continue to load up Gronk as an elite TE1.
Dak Prescott (QB, DAL (#7 QB)
What Happened: Dak Prescott had the worst game of his career, throwing for just 145 yards with zero touchdowns and three interceptions as well as a lost fumble.
How Did It Happen: The Eagles knew that this was a statement game for them and they came to play, dominating the Cowboys up and down the field and asserting themselves as the clear favorite to win the NFC. The offensive line was missing Tyron Smith, and his absence was felt. They were also missing another fella by the name of Ezekiel Elliot.
Panic Meter: Medium. The Cowboys have scored single digit points in both games without Ezekiel Elliot, and Prescott hasn't thrown a touchdown pass in either game.
Just to be clear, I'm not throwing Alfred Morris under the bus. He played great against the Eagles on Sunday night. But defenses adapt when you're missing one of the most dangerous playmakers in the NFL. Prescott 321 yards combined over the last two weeks without Elliot.
The lack of a pass catching back was felt this week. Rod Smith had four catches in Week 10, but neither him nor Morris even received a target this week. Elliot averaged three catches for 30 yards before his suspension. The lack of his playmaking is having a major impact on the offense. Dez Bryant is still a capable player, but he isn't capable of taking over and dominating a defense like he used to.
But theres a more important question to be asked here: is Dak Prescott capable of taking over a game and dominating a defense?
The Cowboys have relied heavily on Elliot and the running game with Prescott under center. Prescott's most important contribution to the offense in 2016 was how well he took care of the ball. His best games were two 300 yard and three touchdown performances he had last year, including one against Green Bay in the playoffs. He hasn't thrown for 300 yards in a game this year. Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, the other top quarterbacks from the 2016 class, have each done it three times this year.
Prescott has an opportunity to prove that he can take over a game just like Goff and Wentz have proved this season. The Cowboys have a few favorable matchups during the rest of Zeke's suspension. He'll have his chance to bounce back and prove that he is still one of the best young quarterbacks in the league.
Should you be concerned about Prescott's fantasy numbers? It depends on how concerned you are about Prescott in general. I think he'll prove himself over the next few weeks. But there certainly are plenty of red flags here.
Alex Smith (QB, KC) (#4 QB)
What Happened: Alex Smith threw for 230 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions in a loss to a bad Giants team.
How Did It Happen: It certainly wasn't for a lack of opportunity. Smith threw 40 passes and completed 27 of them but failed to find the end zone once against a Giants defense that was lit up by C.J. Beathard and the winless 49ers the week before. Smith completed just three passes over 10 yards.
Panic Meter: High. If you can't trust Alex Smith to produce in a great matchup in which he threw over 40 passes, when can you expect him to produce? The Chiefs of the early season may be long gone. Even with a decent ROS schedule, I'm not rolling out Alex Smith if I'm making a playoff push.
Kareem Hunt (RB, KC) (#5 RB)
What Happened: Hunt ran 18 times for 73 yards and once again failed to find the end zone.
How Did It Happen: You want to know what makes Smith's day even more infuriating? Hunt ran the ball four times in the first half! Hunt worked for all 73 yards. His longest run of the day went for 12 yards.
Panic Meter: High. Kareem Hunt is a very good football player. He still seems like the favorite to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. But this is the second straight game he has found himself listed with the duds. Here are some of the facts I listed after Week 9 that are still true today:
- He hasn't scored since Week 3.
- He hasn't ran for 100 yards since Week 5.
- He hasn't totaled 100 yards since Week 7.
- He's had less than 10 carries twice in the last four games.
His 73 yards on Sunday was his second highest total in his last five games! He simply can't be considered an every week RB1 at this point. Andy Reid is not getting the most out of his backfield. If Alex Smith and the passing game can't produce points against the Giants, why should any team take them seriously? The Chiefs haven't found a way to reignite their early season offensive magic.
I wouldn't bench Hunt. He still has a decent floor even without scoring over the past few weeks. But can he get back to his RB1 form this season? I honestly don't think so. He is an RB2 with RB1 upside moving forward.
