RADIO
In the NFL, there are always those players who make you more and more anxious as the season goes on. They either aren't producing at the level they should, or too much of their production is coming in garbage time, making them unreliable on a week-to-week basis.
Fortunately, we're here to point out five of those players between the quarterback and tight end position that you'll want to keep your eye on moving forward.
This isn't to say that these five players should immediately be dropped and sent to the waiver wire, but they're at least making us sweat.
Quarterbacks Sending Out Warning Signals
Alex Smith (QB, KC)
Smith is going to struggle without Jamaal Charles, plain and simple. As soon as Charles left the game in Week 5, the Bears stepped up the blitz and ended up shutting Smith down, as he was only able to muster 181 passing yards over the course of the game. Charcandrick West and Knile Davis will likely split time out of the backfield, and while both are capable runners it won't take any special effort to stop then like it does for Charles.
Smith has the Vikings in Week 6, then gets the surprisingly solid Steelers and the ever-fierce Lions pass rushes in Week 7 and 8. All of those teams know how to put pressure on the quarterback, and will do so often. I don't see how Smith will have the time to get the ball to Travis Kelce or Jeremy Maclin, who are the only real threats in the passing game. Even if he does manage to get the ball out, you can expect them to be smothered. I firmly believe that Smith's time as a fantasy-relevant quarterback is over.
Marcus Mariota (QB, TEN)
The rookie phenom has been better than anticipated in the early stages of his professional career, but last week he seemed mortal against an above-average Bills defense. Mariota was only able to put up 187 yards through the air with no touchdowns and one very bad interception. He completed 21 of 32 passes, but that was only good for an average of 8.9 yards per completion, which isn't going to get the job done most weeks. Again, this was against the Bills defense, but Mariota looked like a different quarterback from what we had seen in the first three weeks.
One positive takeaway from the game is that Mariota finally began to show off some of the rushing ability that made him a superstar at Oregon. He was able to scramble for 47 yards on five carries, a ratio that could boost his fantasy production significantly if he can keep it up. I don't see the Titans contending for a playoff spot this year (although in that division who knows), and if they are out of it soon I think it would benefit the organization to see what happens when Mariota is let off the chain.
Russell Wilson (QB, SEA)
Wilson has just barely been maintaining his status as a startable QB1 in 2015, thanks in large part to depressed passing numbers. With Jimmy Graham brought in to be the receiving weapon that Wilson needed, many had high expectations for the Seahawks passing game headed into the season. However, things have headed in the exact opposite direction, with Wilson's QBR in the tank and his fantasy stats average at the very best. Wilson has already taken half as many sacks through five games as he did through all 16 last season, which has led to lower rushing numbers as well.
The most troubling factor is Wilson's lack of output in the last two weeks, when the Seahawks were without Marshawn Lynch. Granted, rookie Thomas Rawls has filled in nicely, but those two weeks should have seen Seattle lean on Wilson's arm. With just a 6:5 TD/INT ratio so far, Wilson is flirting with the line keeping him in the top 10 quarterback list. I don't see how things turn around from him as Lynch returns.
Tight Ends Sending Out Warning Signals
Travis Kelce (TE, KC)
"Baby Gronk" has thoroughly disappointed his fantasy owners through five weeks, hauling in just 24 catches for 328 yards and two touchdowns (both of which came in a Week 1 outburst). The main red flag that Kelce has going forward is the same one that Alex Smith has to deal with--the Chiefs' run game isn't scary anymore. Again, not to knock Charcandrick West and Knile Davis, but neither is Jamaal Charles, and opposing defenses know that. They can now key in on Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce, which should keep Kelce's numbers down for the foreseeable future.
It doesn't help that Kelce is playing the Vikings in Week 6, who have yielded just 44 yards per game to opposing tight ends. They'll likely send pressure after Smith early and often, giving him even less time to get set and try to find his big tight end. Any Kelce owners will need to hope he can put his run-after-the-catch abilities to use, otherwise it could be another tough couple weeks.
Jimmy Graham (TE, SEA)
As Russell Wilson has gone, so has Jimmy Graham. He has given investors an alarmingly low return (I had him go in the second round in one of my leagues) and is showing no signs of picking things up. As I mentioned earlier, with Marshawn Lynch out the last two weeks we should have seen at least some increased production from Wilson and Graham, but that was not the case. Graham was only able to pull in seven catches for 59 yards COMBINED in the two weeks.
It's becoming increasingly clear that the only way that Graham will put up double-digits in this offense is to find the end zone, which he should have an even harder time doing with a healthy Marshawn Lynch and capable Thomas Rawls both active. This may be your last chance to try and deal Graham based on name, and it's likely already too late.
