RADIO
Bruce Matson lists players at each position (QB, RB, WR, TE) who have struggled ahead of Week 8 of the 2020 NFL season. These players could be fallers worth benching, trading, or dropping soon in fantasy football.
With Week 7 in the books, it’s time to look at some of the warning signals to determine which players are more likely to see a dip in their production. We are looking at workload and efficiency metrics when evaluating these players.
We do not want to just chase points or condemn a player for just having a bad game. There have to be some actual signs the player is about to fall off before flick on the warning signals.
Just because the warning signals are pulsating letting you know something is about to happen doesn’t mean the player will automatically turn into a bust. Things can change rapidly in the NFL. A player could be a disappointment for a three-week span and a hero for the last six weeks of the year. With everything being said, let’s take a look at some of the warning signals from last week.
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Quarterback
Cam Newton, New England Patriots
After tossing three interceptions and a 39.7 quarterback rating, Cam Newton was pulled for Jarret Stidham. This was far from his best performance considering he struggled all game and was erratic on a lot of his passes. He didn’t exceed 100 yards passing for the day and only had five carries for 19 yards.
Newton has only provided just two QB1 weeks on the season. He also missed some time due to being on the reserve/COVID-19 list. There’s a chance he could make things right in the near future since the schedule the rest of the way doesn’t appear to be too drastic. However, there is no guarantee that he’s going to start next week either.
Running Back
Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
This is an easy call-out. The Cowboys’ offense is a sinking ship. Ezekiel Elliott has a life preserver, but the waves are too large for him to continuously tread water. Leonardo DiCaprio is not here to save the day this time.
The offensive line is wrecked. Andy Dalton who hasn’t been playing to expectations left the game with a nasty head injury. Ben DiNucci, the rookie from James Madison, relieved Dalton for the remainder of the game. Unless it’s Dak Prescott taking snaps under center, we are going to continue to live in the Dark Ages in the Cowboys’ offense.
Elliott’s fantasy production is not going to be the same. He will still hold value in fantasy football. However, with the offense struggling to move the chains, he won’t be able to put up points on a consistent basis.
Against the Washington Football Team, Elliott could only muster 45 yards on 12 carries while only catching one pass for six yards. The offensive line struggled to create running lanes which hurt his ability to get anything established on the ground.
Wide Receiver
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Going into this week there was a lot of skepticism about how the Tampa Bay offense would look once Antonio Brown got inserted into the offense. Unfortunately, he didn’t need to take a snap for us to question Mike Evans’ usage. Against the Las Vegas Raiders, he saw just two targets, leaving his fantasy managers wanting more.
He has just two WR1 weeks on the season which doesn’t justify his high price tag in drafts at the beginning of the year. Brown will be looking to steal some targets once he transitions into the offense. Scotty Miller has been sneakily productive this season. Tyler Johnson is also getting some run. With all that being said, Evans might be a volatile fantasy option for the remainder of the season.
Tight End
Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans
Jonnu Smith was the TE3 going into week 7. He was stifled by one of the best defenses in the league. We would be singing a different tune if he could’ve converted his line red zone target. The one thing to note, is that A.J. Brown’s return to the lineup has derailed some of Smith’s production. Brown steals some of those short to intermediate targets that could go to Smith.
This is just a warning signal letting us know that Brown will command a large portion of the targets. There’s a chance Smith becomes more volatile as the season moves forward. Which shouldn’t be a surprise since tight ends are usually volatile.
Breakout Alert!
Denzel Mims, New York Jets
It wasn’t a major break out, but it was a win, nonetheless. In his debut with the Jets, Mims caught four of his seven targets for 42 yards. He owned an astounding 31.82 percent share of the targets. With his ability to make plays downfield, Mims could be a key contributor to your fantasy team if he continues to see a sizable share of Jets’ passing volume.
The warning signals are strobing for a Mims breakout!
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