RADIO
Similar to this week's running backs piece, it's also become increasingly difficult to identify star wide receivers who are struggling at this point in the season. That leaves us with some odd selections for our Warning Signals piece heading into Week 8.
You're going to see two names that don't exactly scream panic and one name you certainly didn't ever expect to appear on this list at all given his lack of star power. In any case, it doesn't make the discussion any less important, it's just the nature of the position heading into week eight.
Even though all three of these players are appearing on this list for the first time, there's a pretty decent chance this will be the only time they show up here. Given the way their respective seasons are going, it'd take a massive swing in either direction to warrant any more hoopla than currently necessary.
Wide Receivers Sending Out Warning Signals
Odell Beckham Jr. – WR, NYG
I know what you're thinking here: "How could Odell Beckham be sending out warning signals?" The answer to that is rather simple in that he's not really putting up the monster numbers many fantasy owners hoped he would when they selected him as an early second rounder. Despite already reeling in four touchdowns, Beckham currently only has two games of over 100 yards. Considering how absolutely spectacular he was in under 16 games last year, you'd expect some more explosive showings by now.
In essence what I'm saying here is that you shouldn't necessarily be worried about OBJ's production so much as you should lower your expectations. I'm still confident that he'll still have some highlight reel catches throughout the season while stringing together some solid WR1 worthy fantasy production. I've seen and heard several fantasy owners wonder if Odell is either a buy-low or a sell-high and the fact that both of those questions can be asked simultaneously proves that you should stay put. The answer is simple; he's neither.
There's a little bit of a crutch argument in regard to Beckham's production regarding the porous play of Eli Manning as of late and to that I respond with a shrug. When DeAndre Hopkins is out there putting up ridiculous numbers with Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer throwing him the ball, Eli Manning can't be used as an excuse. Eli is a far better quarterback than anyone in Houston so you can rest easy in thinking the big days are coming for OBJ, just be prepared to deal with some level of normalcy to go along with it.
Julian Edelman – WR, NE
This is another player that I'm sure many would question why I've added him to the list but my reasoning is rather simple. Julian Edelman had four ridiculous games to start the season and has since come back down to Earth a bit. After four straight games with at least 85 yards (including one in which he scored two touchdowns and another where he had 120 yards), Edelman has hovered around 50 yards in his last two contests.
I'm well aware that I'm nitpicking here but I think the important thing to keep in mind with Edelman is that he was always a greater threat in PPR than he was in standard scoring. That's exactly where I'm going with this. It's not that I think his minimal dip in production is cause for concern; it's that I think this is the type of play we were expecting at the start of the season. Basically, he's starting to regress back to the mean and that's okay. He's still going to catch a ton of passes in a New England offense that throws the ball a ton. Hell, Tom Brady was the team's leading rusher last week so it's not like Edelman will have to worry about a shortage in targets.
If you own Julian Edelman, be grateful for those first few weeks of fantasy stardom and be prepared to settle back into a more normal PPR pace the rest of the way. He's still a great WR2 in all formats. His run as a superstar was in fact short lived.
Travis Benjamin – WR, CLE
Speaking of short lived fantasy superstardom, Travis Benjamin has quickly gone from touchdown machine to finding himself in a scoring drought. After reeling in four touchdowns in the first three games of the season, Benjamin hasn't found the endzone since. This really shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone as it's not like this was someone anyone expected to be a key contributor prior to the season but nevertheless he's still a player who many fantasy owners have since added with the intentions of using.
Here's the thing to keep in mind about a guy like Benjamin; players like this come and go every single season. I won't bore you by rattling off a list of names of guys who popped in the first one-or-two games of an NFL season only to disappear back into the fantasy abyss by week eight but trust me when I tell you there is no shortage of players who fit that billing. That doesn't necessarily mean that Benjamin automatically fits into that category, especially when you consider the fact that the Browns are a team in desperate need of a consistent fantasy wide receiver. It does mean, however, that you can expect Benjamin to plummet back into WR3/flex territory for the rest of the season. Throw in the emergence of tight end Gary Barnidge and the slow-and-steady rise of Duke Johnson and you're looking at a Cleveland offense that can't really sustain a plethora of usable fantasy starters.
Travis Benjamin is definitely still worth rostering and given the right matchup/roster construction, is a guy who remains usable. Adding him to warning signals wasn't really a "uh oh, this fantasy stud's star is dwindling" so much as it was a "alright we've had our fun with him, let's talk everyone back down to reality now."
Updates From Last Week
With both Randall Cobb and A.J. Green on a bye in week seven, we only have one player to revisit and it's someone who will remain short and sweet, I promise you that.
Antonio Brown – WR, PIT
Quarterback Landry Jones breathed new life into Antonio Brown's fantasy prowess last week and Ben Roethlisberger is in line to return this week. You have now made it through hell. Welcome back to the top of the fantasy wide receiver leader board Antonio Brown.
