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Disaster Recovery, Week 2 - Studs turned Duds

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's Week 3, which is still very early, so I'll do my best to avoid overreacting on anything. Which is why I'm not going to cover Odell Beckham Jr in the duds this week. He had limited practice time, only played on 61% of snaps, didn't even start, and most likely was not at 100% at kickoff. If he doesn't produce next week, he'll make his debut in this column, but I'll cut him a break this week.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Week 2 Duds

Ezekiel Elliott (RB, DAL) (#2 RB)

What Happened: Ezekiel Elliott had the worst game of his career, rushing nine times for eight yards and catching four passes for 14 yards in a blowout loss to the Broncos.

How Did It Happen: The Denver defense dominated the line of scrimmage and gave Elliott no room to run in the first half. The Cowboys were down by double digits the entire second half, and the flow of the game didn't do Elliott any favors. He was also accused of quitting on hims team by everybody from Peter King to LaDainian Tomlinson.

Panic Meter: Low. This is the first dud of Zeke's entire career. If we're not going to give him the benefit of the doubt after 15 straight games with at least 80 yards rushing, we're entering an overreaction apocalypse. Expect Elliott to, at the very least, triple his Week 2 output next week.

 

LeSean McCoy (RB, BUF) (#3 RB)

What Happened: McCoy ran 12 times for nine yards and added six receptions for 34 yards in a 3-9 loss to Carolina.

How Did It Happen: This might go down as the most pitiful offensive performance of the year by both teams. The Bills ran for 69 yards as a team, with Tyrod Taylor running for 55 of them. McCoy's 34 receiving yards actually led the team. The Carolina Panthers defense put up a dominant performance for the second straight week, and McCoy owners paid the price.

Panic Meter: Low. It is a bit alarming how bad the Bills offense looked, but the bright side for McCoy owners is that he was still the most involved skill player on the offense. His touches are not going anywhere. The Bills had four games last year with under 70 yards rushing and McCoy still finished as a top-four running back. Don't expect an elite McCoy performance against Denver next week. The Broncos have allowed just 104 yards on the ground this year, the fewest in the NFL besides Miami and Tampa Bay, who have only played one game. McCoy still remains a must-start even in that matchup due to his high volume, but a bad performance still wouldn't raise the panic meter. If he fails to perform against Atlanta or Cincinnati in the following games, then the panic meter may reach red alert.

 

Amari Cooper (WR, OAK) (#4 WR)

What Happened: Cooper had four receptions on five targets for 33 yards in Oakland's 42-20 blowout victory against the Jets.

How Did It Happen: Michael Crabtree happened. Derek Carr's other favorite target caught six balls for 80 yards and three touchdowns. Jalen Richard and Cordarrelle Patterson each added a 40+ yard rushing touchdown, and Marshawn Lynch scored the last of the Raiders six touchdowns. The Raiders used their other weapons this week.

Panic Meter: Medium. It's more like medium-low on the panic meter, but there are reasons to be a little concerned. Crabtree wasn't the only player who had more targets than Cooper. Jared Cook added six targets, although he still had less yards than Cooper. Cooper also leads the NFL with five drops, which is the easiest way to see less targets.

There's no chance that Cooper is written out of the offense. But games like this are bound to happen in an offense with so many different weapons. They scored six touchdowns and their best player failed to even get one of them. Last season, the Raiders offense was really just Cooper and Crabtree, with running back Latavius Murray scoring a ton of touchdowns without too many yards. Murray may be gone, but the Raiders added more players into their arsenal. Jared Cook is going to see a good amount of targets in the passing game. Patterson will be used to try and catch lightning in a bottle like he did today. And Marshawn Lynch didn't come out of retirement to watch other people play football. Cooper should be fine, but I'm not sure I expect him to improve on his numbers from last season. That's a bit concerning to me.

 

Brandin Cooks (WR, NE) (#6 WR)

What Happened: Cooks reeled in just two receptions on four targets for 37 yards in the Patriots win against the Saints.

How Did It Happen: In a game where Tom Brady threw 39 passes and had 447 yards on the day, Cooks received just four of these targets. Rob Gronkowski dominated the Saints defense with six receptions on nine targets for 116 yards and a touchdown. James White caught all eight of his targets for 85 yards. Chris Hogan led the receiving corps with 78 yards and a touchdown on five receptions. Cooks and Hogan led New England skill players in snaps, being on the field for 86% of the offensive plays.

Panic Meter: MediumIt's only the second game Cooks has played with Tom Brady, so it's too early to go into full panic mode, but there is a lot of cause for concern. Cooks has just five catches on the season, fifth on the team and less than Danny Amendola who didn't even play last week. Cooks is still the most talented weapon Tom Brady has that isn't Gronk and the Patriots will likely continue to try and get him more involved in the offense. It's way too early to bench Cooks in his current situation, as the upside is still incredibly high for the young receiver. The Patriots wouldn't give up two high draft picks for a guy they don't believe in. I expect Cooks to bounce back soon, but I'll also be looking into backup plans should his low usage continue.

 

DeMarco Murray (RB, TEN) (#10 RB)

What Happened: Murray ran nine times for just 25 yards and added three yards on his lone reception.

How Did It Happen: It was a worst case scenario for Murray owners: he was out-touched and out-gained by backup Derrick Henry, who ran 14 times for 92 yards and a touchdown. Henry has been breathing down Murray's neck since the Titans drafted the former Heisman trophy winner in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. Murray firmly controlled the job last season, but Henry's time may be sooner than later.

Panic Meter: High! The only positive here is that Murray still out-snapped Henry 37-30, but that's a bleak positive. Henry is gaining ground on Murray fast. Murray has 69 yards rushing on the season and is averaging just 3.29 yards per rush. Henry has 117 yards and is averaging 5.9 yards per rush. Even more alarming is that Murray's longest run of the year is higher than Henry's. If you remove Murray's 21-yard rush from the equation, he's averaging 2.4 YPR, while Henry is still averaging 5.3 YPR. Murray desperately needs to have a big game next week, or else the best case scenario for Murray owners is that he enters a timeshare with Henry. The worst is that he plays the role Henry played in 2016.

 

More Week 3 Lineup Prep




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