RADIO
We are in the thick of the fantasy playoffs. Every decision from here could be the factor that determines if fantasy gamers will be able to advance further into the playoffs. Knowing the warning signals from the previous week is crucial to all of our roster management decisions.
There are only three weeks left of the regular season. Many people are left out in the cold due to not making the playoffs in their fantasy league. Fortunately, we still have DFS to lean on to get us through these tough times. Being calibrated to which players could potentially fall off the map will also help when building lineups in DFS.
Most fantasy managers made it to the fantasy playoffs with their main core of players. This is the time of year to not get fancy and focus on starting your studs. There are still some teams that are still sweating the waiver wire to fill some spots and knowing which players are trending down could indicate who swapped out of your fantasy lineup. With that being said, let’s look at Week 15’s warning signals.
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Quarterback
Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
In a losing effort where 55 points were scored by both teams, Stafford managed to toss for 244 yards and one touchdown. With just 14.36 fantasy points he scored outside the top-20 in fantasy for Week 14. One of the reasons why he wasn’t able to hit QB1 numbers was his lack of rushing production. He only rushed for six yards which didn’t provide enough floor to boost Stafford into fantasy relevancy.
With the Titans and the Buccaneers on the docket for the Lions over the next two weeks, we might see Stafford dragged into game scripts that will hamper his passing volume. Without the added rushing production, he could be stuck into low-end QB2 purgatory.
He’s also dealing with a rib injury that could cause him to miss some time. If he continues to play, then he’s going to be even more likely to not scramble and run for extra yards. The injury is another warning signal because it could knock him out of the fantasy playoffs.
One of the reasons why Stafford’s 2020 season has been unstable with only three QB1 weeks on the season is due to not having Kenny Golladay who is the alpha wide receiver in the offense. Stafford has struggled to produce in the box score without his security blanket. Golladay would stretch the field and climb the latter to reelin in those tough contested catches. Now, he has to make do with Marvin Jones, T.J. Hockenson, and the rest of the wide receiving corps.
Running Back
Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals
After his first fumble in forever, Bernard was benched for the young running back, Trayveon Williams. The benching was a reminder that he doesn’t have a long leash and the team is ready to see what they have from their younger players. Don’t be surprised if we see Williams on the field more as the season winds down.
There were some fantasy managers who were relying on Bernard to get them through the first round of the playoffs. His 3.3 PPR fantasy points is an indicator that anything can happen when the stakes are high. It’s going to be hard to rely on him for the remainder of the year, considering the coaching staff can just pull the plug on him at any moment.
Wide Receiver
Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
Lockett hasn’t produced a WR1 week since Week 11. His recent performances have been troublesome with him scoring 27.8 PPR fantasy points in the last three weeks. In the Seahawks’ blowout win against the Jets, we saw nine different players get targeted. The competition for targets doesn’t bode well for consistent fantasy production.
This is a major warning signal because there are many fantasy gamers counting on him as we head deeper into the playoffs. At this point, he’s a gamble. He has the potential to score 30+ PPR fantasy points but there’s a chance he can score less than ten. Is he worth the risk?
Tight End
Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tight end remains the ficklest position in fantasy sports. Travis Kelce remains the clear-cut TE1. Darren Waller is another tight end who sees a steady amount of work. After that, tight ends seem to be very volatile.
In the Buccaneers 26-14 win over the Vikings, Gronkowski was able to catch one of his two targets in the end zone. The lack of volume in the passing game is something we need to monitor. Antonio Brown is starting to steal a larger percentage of the workload, leaving fewer targets to be distributed to the tight ends.
We can consider Gronkowski a touchdown-dependent fantasy asset. He does see a fair amount of looks around the end zone. However, he doesn’t receive enough targets to be a safe option in fantasy.
Breakout Alert!
Michael Pittman, Indianapolis Colts
Pittman has technically already broken out this year but it’s been four weeks since he has scored double-digit fantasy points. He saw five targets in his Week 14 contest against the Raiders which the second-most on the team. His 18 percent target share over the last three weeks is an indicator that he has the chance to blow up in the right matchup.
The Colts will be playing the Texans this week. This is a plus matchup for Pittman considering the Texans are allowing an average of 254.3 passing yards per game which is the tenth most in the league. He could be worth the gamble for fantasy managers who need help filing their flex spot.
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