Fantasy Football Disaster Recovery: Playoff Panic

Multiple star players became duds in Week 13. Are there concerns for these guys heading into the playoffs? Steve Rebeiro examines.

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 sat a player for somebody else on your bench. Disaster Recovery is here to examine the guys who you didn't think twice about starting and to help you decide if you should be panicking at all about their value moving forward.

This season we've been focusing on one dud a week, but given that the fantasy playoffs have either arrived or are just on the horizon, we're going to hit on a few of Week 13's biggest busts, and talk about whether or not these high-profile players are worth rolling with for the playoff run.

Let's take a look at some concerning players from the past week.

Abandon ship?

Aaron Jones' Week 13 stat-line: 11 rushes for 18 yards, six receptions for 13 yards

It was a tough afternoon for Jones, who was stopped twice at the one-yard line and had another touchdown called back due to a penalty. It was the second straight game he was outplayed by his backfield mate Jamaal Williams.

Jones remains fantasy's most volatile high-end running back. But the highs are so high. We're talking about a player with multiple three-touchdown games this season. You just have to take the good with the bad when it comes to a player who's upside is as high as Jones week-to-week. He was a yard away from avoiding making this article in Week 13. He’ll bounce back, but he’ll always carry the risk that any running back in a shared backfield would.

Panic Meter: 2.5/5

Tyler Lockett’s Week 13 stat-line: zero receptions on three targets

Lockett followed up his one reception, 38-yard performance last week with an even worse game in a shootout victory against Minnesota. Owners who rolled out Lockett needing just one catch from him to win suffered heartbreaking defeats. It was a painful goose egg for one of Russell Wilson’s favorite targets.

Lockett has just four catches over his past three games and hasn’t salvaged any of them with a touchdown. He had more receptions against Tampa Bay (13) in Week 9 than he’s had targets in his last three games (9). Even worse may be the fact that Seattle’s offense is doing fine without his production.

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Lockett on and off the field, as he’s been battling a shin injury for the past few weeks and even battled the flu last week. Neither prevented him from suiting up last week and neither limited his snap count in any meaningful way. Lockett felt good enough to join in on David Moore’s touchdown celebration after all.

Lockett is slumping at the worst possible time for fantasy owners and has established himself as a heavy boom-or-bust candidate. He’s benchable, but benching him is a very tough decision. Lockett has the talent and the quarterback to pop off for a massive game any given Sunday. Owners will have to decide if they’re other options are worth risking leaving the potential of a Lockett blow-up performance on your bench.

The Seahawks will face a Rams Defense on Sunday that has looked like the ‘85 Chicago Bears and the ‘85 Chicago Pop Warner Pee Wee football team in their past two games. It’s another unpredictable matchup for Lockett. You’ll have to decide if other options are worth taking the Lockett gamble in Week 14.

Panic meter: 4/5

Le’Veon Bell’s Week 13 stat-line: 10 rushes for 32 yards, four receptions for 35 yards

It was yet another miserable showing for Le’Veon Bell, who’s been emerging as one of fantasy’s most disappointing players this season. Many were predicting the stars would align for Bell to have a dominant second half of the season, when the Jets schedule finally eased up. The astronomers were wrong there.

Bell is a tough player to deal with if you own him and are still playing in meaningful fantasy matchups. His usage is still high as ever and he’s been bailed out by a touchdown quite a few times this year. If the Jets are going to score points, Bell is likely to be the guy that scores them. The problem is that the Jets can go from hanging 34 on the Raiders to scoring 6 against the Bengals in the span of a week. Relying on good players playing on bad teams can be frustrating.

It’s hard to call Bell a must-start, but it’s also hard to advise benching him. His floor remains moderately high. His ceiling hasn’t been too high, but he’s gotten the job done a number of times. Bell feels like a lock to score between 8-16 points every week. Owners flushed with riches at the running back position shouldn’t hesitate to bench him for someone else. For the rest of us, benching Bell in a great matchup for a Ronald Jones-type guy isn’t the right move. Trust the floor that Bell will deliver and hope the rest of your team will pick up the slack.

Panic Meter: 4/5

Zach Ertz’ Week 13 stat-line: three catches for 24 yards on six targets

George Kittle's Week 13 stat-line: two catches for 17 yards on four targets

Look, it doesn’t really matter what other tight ends you have, you should not be benching George Kittle and Zach Ertz. Both guys are elite tight ends and have been reliable for the most part this season, even if the touchdowns haven’t come as much as one would hope. Last week was simply just an off game for both of them. Don’t make any panic moves here.

Panic Meter: nonexistent.

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