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 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.
There were a ton of strong performances among top 10 ranked players this week, and if it wasn't for Andy Reid, this column would have been hard to fill up. There were some high ranked receivers that disappointed in week 12, but not enough to warrant being thrown in the duds.
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Week 12 Duds
Mark Ingram (RB, NO) (#3 RB)
What Happened: For the first time since the Saints came off of their bye week, a defense actually shut down Mark Ingram. He ran 11 times for just 31 yards and didn't contribute much in the passing game.
How Did It Happen: The Rams defense came to play, dominating the Saints offense on every play that Alvin Kamara did not touch the ball. Ingram ran for 134 yards and a touchdown last week on the same amount of carries. It just wasn't his week.
Panic Meter: Low. Even though this was the first real game where Kamara was the lone star in the Saints backfield, Ingram owners have nothing to worry about. The Saints have proven that they can give both backs enough volume to produce at an RB1 level. This was Ingram's first game with under 70 yards rushing since their Week 5 bye and just his second without a touchdown. It is not time to panic.
Evan Engram (TE, NYG) (#5 TE)
What Happened: Engram caught three of his seven targets for 18 yards and was held out of the end zone for the second straight week.
How Did It Happen: The rookie tight end had two drops against Washington on Thanksgiving. When the offense is as bad as it is in New York, you have to take advantage of the opportunities you can get, and Engram simply did not do that this week.
Panic Meter: Low. There is reason to be concerned here, but I'm not panicking too much. Engram has a total of 27 yards on four catches over the past two weeks. The biggest reason for my optimism with Engram is how many targets he still gets. Even in his goose egg performance in Week 5, he saw four targets, which is his lowest of the year. Engram is in no danger of not being fed. The Giants are going to keep him involved and hopefully he can find a way to get back into the end zone. With tight end being as scarce as it is, there isn't better options available for Engram owners. I'd project him as a middle of the pack TE1 with big upside.
Marcus Mariota (QB, TEN) (#10 QB)
What Happened: Mariota threw for 184 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in a tight victory over the hapless Colts.
How Did It Happen: I have a feeling the narrative in the offseason for Mariota is going to revolve around this question: are we sure Marcus Mariota is good? Mariota and the Titans offensive was shut down until a few late touchdowns gave them the victory. For a team that is 7-4, they really don't pass the eye test.
Panic Meter: High. It took me until Week 12, but I've finally dropped Marcus Mariota, and I'd advise you to do the same unless you are in a very deep league or a two quarterback league.
Here is a list of things Marcus Mariota hasn't done this year:
- Thrown for over 306 yards.
- Score over two total touchdowns in a game.
- Throw for double digit passing touchdowns in back to back weeks.
- Throw for 300 yards and two touchdowns in the same game.
A big part of Mariota's fantasy value is his ability to run the ball, but all it has done this year is made him go from a complete bust to saving a few games. Are we really going to trust a guy who hasn't scored over 20 fantasy points in standard scoring in a single game this year? There are better options on the waiver wire in almost every league. I'd rather roll out Blaine Gabbert than Mariota at this point. He isn't going to win you games in the playoffs.
Every Single Offensive Player on the Kansas City Chiefs
This includes Kareem Hunt (#5 RB), Alex Smith (#6 QB), Travis Kelce (#2 TE), and to a lesser degree Tyreek Hill (#11 WR).
What Happened: Duds across the board this week for the Chiefs. Smith threw for 199 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but also led the team in rushing with 35 yards. Hunt carried the ball 11 times for 17 yards and had just 26 total yards on the day. Kelce had three receptions for 39 yards and Hill had seven receptions for 41 yards. They led the Chiefs in receiving.
How Did It Happen: Andy Reid happened.
But seriously, Andy Reid happened. The Chiefs have been a dumpster fire since starting out 5-0. They've scored 17 points or less in four of their last six games. After turning the ball over one time in their first four games, they've turned it over seven times in their last four. They've ran for 100 yards as a team just once since Week 5. They've thrown for over 260 yards once since Week 5.
Can you believe this is the same team that opened the season by beating the Patriots and the Eagles?!
Panic Meter: High. Lets start out with what seems to be a weekly feature here: Disaster Recovery's Not-So-Fun Kareem Hunt Facts!
- He hasn't scored since Week 3.
- He hasn't ran for 100 yards since Week 5.
- He hasn't totaled 100 yards since Week 7.
Hunt is an afterthought, and should never be considered a top 10 play until he proves otherwise. Owners who are lucky enough to have other options should strongly consider using them over Hunt. If the season started in Week 6, Hunt would have been dropped by most owners weeks ago. He has value solely because of his hot start. He has been one of the biggest busts of the year since.
Alex Smith is droppable to me at this point. He is still capable of putting up decent fantasy numbers, but he is not a guy I could trust in the fantasy playoffs. His floor has been miserable and he is never going to reach the ceiling he hit earlier in the year. He might not even be the starter in KC by the end of the year.
Travis Kelce is a little bit tougher to digest than Hunt and Smith. He has proven many times this season that he is an elite fantasy TE1 and there isn't a situation that I would recommend benching him in. But this is the third time he has appeared in this column, and he could have easily appeared in Week 1 if there wasn't easier targets. I'm starting Kelce for the rest of the year, but I have a high concern that he is going to drop one of these duds in the playoffs. We can only hope for the best.
As for Tyreek Hill, I'd continue to roll him out without much hesitation, especially in PPR leagues. He's been a bit boom-or-bust this year but his booms haven't been scarce and have produced big numbers. He has basically performed as expected this year, but I'd say my panic meter with Hill is at medium due to how inept this offense has been recently.
