RADIO
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 arrived, we're going to hit on a few of Week 14'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.
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Let it go? Let it go?!
Alvin Kamara's Week 14 stat-line: 13 rushes for 25 yards, four receptions for 18 yards
The Saints and 49ers played the game of the year so far on Sunday afternoon. The 49ers escaped New Orleans with a huge 48-46 victory. The two teams combined for nearly 1,000 total yards and 12 total touchdowns.
In this high-scoring game, Alvin Kamara failed to amass 50 total yards and didn't score a touchdown. Staying out of the end zone is nothing new for Kamara. He's only scored a touchdown in one game this season. That game was 11 weeks ago. In those 11 weeks, Kamara is averaging roughly 85 total yards and six receptions per game. Over the past two games, those averages have dipped to 63 total yards and four receptions.
Given his top-three ADP, Kamara has turned in one of the most disappointing fantasy campaigns of 2019. The fact that he's playing on the highest percentage of snaps in his career just adds to the disappointment. He's facing Indianapolis and Tennessee for the remainder of the playoff run, which are largely neutral matchups. However, Kamara has had a decent floor in PPR leagues and still has that big-play potential we grew to love in recent years. I'm not considering benching Kamara unless my alternative options are too good to bench, but view him more as a middling RB2 than the elite RB1 you drafted him to be.
Panic Meter: 4/5
Davante Adams' Week 14 stat-line: four receptions for 41 yards on six targets
Owners with Adams on their team that are still in the playoffs should give themselves a big pat on the back. You guys have absolutely earned it. It's been a nightmare.
Adams has been gobbling up targets when he's been on the field this season, but staying on the field has been a huge issue. In recent weeks, he's found the end zone enough to satisfy, but when it mattered most in the fantasy playoffs, Adams failed to deliver much of anything against Washington's horrifying defense. Aaron Rodgers and the Packer's passing attack was quiet against Washington. That's not the type of performance you'd like to see with matchups against Chicago and Minnesota on the horizon.
The plus side for Adams is that he's Rodgers top option in the passing game and he's proven that he can put up yards and touchdowns this season. He's had over 100 yards in a third of his games this season. Prior to this week's stinker, Adams had double-digit targets in four straight games, and scored three touchdowns across the previous two games. It's impossible to start Adams with full confidence in Week 15, but he's not somebody I'm putting on my bench for such a crucial moment in the season. In this case, start your stud.
Panic meter: 3/5
Odell Beckham Jr's Week 14 stat-line: two receptions for 39 yards on five targets
There are three sure things in life: death, taxes, and Odell Beckham Jr letting down the Browns and his fantasy owners in 2019.
Odell's five targets in Week 14 marked the lowest number of targets sent his way this season. Worse, his 39-yard showing isn't even one of his three worst games this season. This was Beckham's worst game since... well, last week. On top of all of this, he's apparently telling opposing players and coaches to have their teams trade for him, and he's been dealing with a sports hernia that he believes he should have had surgery on in the preseason. This should be an easy decision for the panic meter.
Panic meter: .........
It seems like the panic meter is broken. The arrow is going all over the place. On one side, we're talking about a player that's been so inconsistent and disappointing he probably doesn't even deserve to be mentioned in an article talking about studs. He's caught just two touchdown passes, has two games with over 100 yards, and is the second option in a mediocre passing game.
On the other hand, the Browns are playing Arizona this week. Arizona's defense is trash. It's hard to describe just how horrible their passing defense is. Last week was the first time in their last three games that they didn't allow an opposing receiver to produce over 130 yards. They're giving up the most passing yards per game by a solid 16 yards. Every team that has faced Arizona this season has scored at least 20 points.
If you have absolutely no faith in Beckham, you can bench him. There's no shame in benching him. But if you have the slightest shred of optimism for Odell, keep him in your lineup. There's no better matchup in fantasy football than the Arizona Cardinals. If there was ever a team for Odell to have a blow-up showing against, it's them.
Le'Veon Bell’s Week 14 stat-line: a career-high 251... just not on the football field
Bell put up his best performance since joining the New York Jets this offseason. Actually, according to Bell, it was the best performance of his career and was made even more impressive by the fact that he had the flu. Bell's flu-game showcase of a 251 was a feat unlike any the Jets have seen from their eight-figure running back.
Of course, I'm not referring to the Jets' victory against the Dolphins this week. I'm referring to Bell's bowling score this week. The Jets sent him home with the flu and he went bowling. A star player being held out of action going bowling doesn't always end well. Luckily for Bell, he's expected to suit up on a short week to face the Ravens.
Unluckily for Bell owners, he's been terrible on the gridiron this season. Baltimore is an awful matchup and a game that the Jets will likely be playing behind in. If you have any other real options to play at running back, now might be the time to shift Bell over to the bench. This simply isn't his year. For those unlucky fantasy players who don't have another option, Bell has had a fairly high floor, even if the ceiling isn't that high. You better hope the rest of your team can turn it up. He's not going to be the guy that carries you to victory.
Panic Meter: 5/5
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