RADIO
We are approaching the half-mark of the season where bye weeks and injuries are at their peak. This is the hardest time of the year to make fantasy lineups. Most fantasy gamers are dealing with injuries and bye weeks to key players.
Some players are experiencing changes to their situation that could radically affect their performance while others are going to keep trucking, dishing out fantasy points for their fantasy managers.
We are here to analyze some of the players who could bust on our fantasy teams. Whether it’s this week or for the long term, we need to address the warning signals and come up with a plan of attack, so we aren't left holding an empty bag at the end of the season.
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Quarterback Concerns - Start 'Em Until The Party Is Over!!
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Hurts is a cheat code in the fantasy football space. If he’s on the field, he’s a must-start. The key phrase is that he has to be on the field because if he's not in the game, he can’t score fantasy points.
The potential issue with Hurts is his play hasn’t matched his fantasy value. The Eagles are currently 2-5 and in a three-way tie with the Washington Football Team and the New York Giants for second place in the division. There is a lot of concern around his play since it’s evident he hasn’t taken a step forward in his development.
Now there’s a threat that could wreck Hurts' fantasy value. Gardner Minshew could start at some point this season. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s a warning signal to fantasy footballers to prepare or at least get their mind right for life with Hurts out of their fantasy lineups.
Right now, we can enjoy the benefits of having Hurts in our fantasy lineups. It’s also a good time to think about the other options as an insurance policy for our fantasy teams. There’s a chance Hurts finishes this season as the Eagles starting quarterback. We could also see him holding a clipboard for the second half of the year. Fantasy gamers need to be cognizant of both situations.
What To Do
This depends on if you have a backup quarterback. If you have a competent backup then your choice is going to be quite obvious. You would simply put the backup in your lineups and monitor Hurts' status to see if you want to drop him to the waive wire.
If you don’t have a backup on your roster that you can count on, then it’s a smart idea to look at the waiver wire now and develop a plan just in case Minshew steals the starting job. There could be a functional option currently sitting on the waiver wire for you to add to your team. You could also look at Trey Lance if he’s on waivers. There’s a good chance he’s going to be the San Fransisco 49ers' starting quarterback sometime this season.
Streaming quarterbacks by matchup is another strategy fantasy gamers can implement. Pick up the quarterback with the best matchup off waivers and then throw them in your lineup. Then the next week you evaluate the matchups for all of the quarterbacks that are on waivers, choose the best option, and put them in your lineup. Then rinse and repeat for the rest of the season.
For some fantasy managers, this might be the most cost-efficient method to get through injuries and bye weeks. There’s an opportunity cost of holding a second quarterback on your roster because that roster spot could go to another player at another position who could garner more season-long upside.
Running Back Concerns - Fade 'Em for Week 8?
Antonio Gibson, Washington Football Team
Gibson was a major breakout candidate going into the season. Unfortunately, a lot of things have not gone his way. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been out since Week 1 with a partially dislocated hip. Many fantasy players were banking on him to rejuvenate the offense. J.D. McKissic is also siphoning targets out of the backfield, making it harder for Gibson to hit the PPR upside we were hoping for.
From a production standpoint, Gibson is not providing the return on investment the fantasy football industry was projecting this off-season. He has four RB2 weeks on the season, and the rest of his performances have made him a liability instead of an asset to your fantasy team. One of the reasons why he hasn’t provided top-end production is because he has seen three or fewer targets in six games.
It’s quite apparent the shin injury that he’s playing through is affecting his work capacity. In Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers, he played 30 snaps compared to McKissic’s 46 offensive snaps. He did receive eight more touches than McKissic. The fact that he’s not getting a large enough workload in the passing game to fuel his fantasy production makes him a touchdown-dependent asset.
What To Do
The Washington Football Team will be traveling to Denver to play the Broncos this weekend. This is not a favorable matchup for Gibson. This might be the week we think about not putting him in our lineups. Limitations due to injuries and bye weeks might force many fantasy managers to plug him anyways. However, we must account for his less than optimal usage going forward.
Wide Receiver Concerns - Sit 'Em for Week 8?
Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
Boyd is the WR43 during his last four games which includes his only WR1 performance in Week 4. One of the reasons why Boyd is struggling to provide fantasy production is the emergence of rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase. He is the WR3 on the season with 146.20 PPR fantasy points. At his current pace, Chase will be considered one of the top wide receivers in football.
Tee Higgins is also a major threat to Boyd’s fantasy production. With him seeing 28 targets in his last three games after coming back from injury. It appears Boyd is fighting for scraps when it comes to the team’s target distribution.
From a pure talent perspective, Boyd is a great wide receiver have on your team. On the fantasy gridiron, his value is dependent on touchdowns. Fantasy managers can’t count on him on a week-to-week basis.
What To Do
There could be some games where he blows up because the targets might funnel his way due to defenses trying to double cover Chase and Higgins. However, if you consistently put him in your lineup, you are going to lose more than you win. He needs an injury to either Chase or Higgins to regain his pecking order in the team’s target distribution. The odds of him being a reliable fantasy option from here on out are slim to none. I suggest not putting him in your lineups unless attrition forces you.
Tight End
Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns
Tight end is the most volatile position in fantasy. It doesn’t take much to produce backend TE1 fantasy production on any given week. Targets fuel production and if a tight end is struggling to see targets, then it’s going to be hard for them to be reliable in fantasy. Hooper currently owns an 11 percent target share. The Browns’ other tight end, David Njoku, is also getting some of the workload, making it harder for Hooper to get enough targets to be productive. The Browns are naturally a run-heavy offense and tend to have fewer passing targets to spread around to their receivers compared to other teams.
What To Do
Fantasy managers should only think about starting Hooper if they are in a bind. His fantasy value is dependent on touchdowns, making him an unpredictable player for fantasy purposes. He’s never going to rack enough catches and yards to make you feel satisfied. The Browns will be playing the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. It would be the best practice to keep him on your bench or drop him on waivers until he starts producing on the regular.
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