RADIO
The 13th NFL Sunday of the 2022 season has come and gone. Hopefully, you woke up on Monday morning feeling very good about how your week went. However, this week's slate of games was certainly stress-inducing for many fantasy football managers.
Part of that stress was caused by a group of players who drastically underachieved in Week 13. These players simply did not meet fantasy expectations, and it cost their managers in a big way. Let's take a look at the biggest busts from Week 13, as well as whether or not we can still have some trust in these players moving forward. All point totals are based on the PPR scoring system.
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Fantasy Football Quarterback Busts
Deshaun Watson, 6.65 FPTS
Watson returned from an 11-game suspension to make his Browns debut on Sunday. He tossed for just 131 yards and one interception while maintaining a 54.5 percent completion rate. It is totally understandable that Watson might not return to Pro Bowl form right away, but until he shows a little more progress, he should be left on the bench in most fantasy leagues.
Fantasy Football Running Back Busts
Nick Chubb, 8.0 FPTS
Chubb isn't the first Browns player to appear in this article, and (spoiler alert) he won't be the last. The 26-year-old rushed 17 times for 80 yards and was unable to get involved in the passing game. The bottom line is that Chubb's fantasy value is not immune to bad games from the Browns' offense, especially when he doesn't score a touchdown. As Watson continues to shake off the cobwebs and the offense endures these growing pains, Chubb falls to the low-end RB1 tier.
Derrick Henry, 5.8 FPTS
Henry was unable to capitalize on a favorable matchup against the Eagles, finishing with just 38 scrimmage yards. The Titans fell behind early and therefore had to stray away from running the football. Tennessee's dominant running back should rebound against a struggling Jaguars squad in Week 14.
Travis Etienne Jr., 7.6 FPTS
Etienne logged 66 scrimmage yards on Sunday and coughed up a fumble early in the game. The Jaguars trailed Detroit for the whole contest and therefore had to focus on passing the football. Thus, Etienne was an afterthought for most of the clash. He'll remain in the RB2 tier against the Titans next week.
Gus Edwards, 1.2 FPTS
One would have thought that Edwards' role would only increase after Lamar Jackson (knee) exited. As it turns out, that could not have been further from the truth. In the end, the 27-year-old rushed just six for 12 yards in the contest. At best, he's a low-end RB3 heading into next week's game against the Steelers.
Kyren Williams, 0.9 FPTS
After carving out a solid role last week, Williams was an afterthought this Sunday. He rushed for just nine yards and failed to log a reception. Instead, it was Cam Akers getting the bulk of the work; he finished the day with two touchdowns. Williams falls into the RB4 tier ahead of next week's game versus the Raiders.
Jeff Wilson Jr., 0.3 FPTS
Wilson rushed just one time for three yards and was unable to haul in either of his two targets. There was some hope that he might rebound after being held to 3.0 YPC last week, but instead, his production took another step backward. He falls to the RB3 tier in Week 14 despite a favorable matchup versus the Chargers.
Raheem Mostert, 3.0 FPTS
Mostert rushed seven times for 30 yards against his old team, the 49ers. The veteran back returned from a knee injury, and although he technically led the Dolphins' backfield in rushing yards, his final stat line was still massively disappointing. Perhaps a favorable matchup against the Chargers in Week 14 can yield RB3 results from Mostert. Still, he is far from a must-start as we approach the fantasy football playoffs.
Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Busts
Amari Cooper, 8.0 FPTS
As promised, a third Browns player graces this list. Cooper hauled in just four of nine targets for 40 yards against a pedestrian Texans pass defense. His fantasy value should rise incrementally as he forms a rapport with Watson, but for the time being, he's nothing more than a high-end WR3.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, 6.5 FPTS
Smith-Schuster hasn't been the same since suffering his concussion, catching just six passes for 73 yards during that span. He'll be a low-end WR3 against the Broncos' strong secondary next Sunday.
Adam Thielen, 4.7 FPTS
The Vikings' passing game struggled to get much going on Sunday, and Thielen was no exception. He turned six targets into just two catches for 27 yards but could bounce back against the Lions' shaky secondary in Week 14.
George Pickens, 1.2 FPTS
Pickens was held to just one catch for two yards against a Falcons secondary that looked surprisingly solid on Sunday. This was the rookie's second-worst outing since Week 2, so there's reason to believe he should return to the WR3 tier against the Ravens next week.
Zay Jones, 3.6 FPTS
One week after catching 11 passes for 145 yards, Jones came back down to earth against the Lions. He hauled in just two of seven targets for 17 yards, serving as the clear No. 2 behind Christian Kirk (six catches, 104 yards). Kirk is still the top receiver in this offense, so Jones ranks as a WR4 going forward.
Fantasy Football Tight End Busts
Travis Kelce, 7.6 FPTS
Kelce had an uncharacteristically quiet game on Sunday, catching just four passes for 56 yards as the Chiefs lost to the Bengals. He also fumbled for the first time since Week 8 in 2021. Despite this fluky underachievement, there is no question that Kelce is still an elite fantasy weapon, ranking as a high-end TE1 who should be started in 100 percent of leagues down the stretch.
George Kittle, 4.2 FPTS
Kittle totaled just 22 yards during Sunday's win over the Dolphins. Going forward, he'll have to form a rapport with Brock Purdy, who projects as the 49ers' new starting quarterback after Jimmy Garoppolo sustained a season-ending foot injury. The change under center temporarily drops Kittle into the low-end TE1 range.
Dawson Knox, 0.0 FPTS
Knox played an impressive 84 percent of snaps but was held without a catch for the first time this season. One would think that the starting tight end in a dominant, pass-heavy offense would have tremendous fantasy success, but Knox has been inconsistent lately. He ranks outside of the top-12 tight ends heading into Week 14 versus the Jets.
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