Time To Panic? Underperforming Fantasy Football Studs Include Ja'Marr Chase, Josh Jacobs, Amari Cooper, Breece Hall, more

September 21, 2023

Justin's 2023 early-round fantasy football busts. These NFL stars were supposed to be fantasy football studs but are underperforming - will they turn it around?

It's still early in the NFL season. Two weeks is a very small sample size. Don't overreact too much to the things we've seen. But with that said, there's been some performances from top players that are worrisome.

Whether it's a stud wide receiver failing to live up to their high expectations or a running back who just can't find room to move the football, there have been some players whose struggles have got people talking. But, what should we read into that talk?

Below, you'll find an analysis of the biggest names that have gotten off to slow starts this season. Is it time to worry about these players?

Ja'Marr Chase - WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Something's wrong with the Bengals. Sitting at 0-2, Cincinnati currently ranks 30th in the NFL in scoring offense. Joe Burrow has thrown for 304 yards through two games; last season, he had three individual games where he threw for more than that.

Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has just 10 catches for 70 yards so far. He averaged 87.2 receiving yards per game last season; this year, he's at 35.0.

It's a big drop, but I'm not worried about the Bengals at this point, and I'm especially not worried about Chase. Cincy had two tough matchups to open the season and Joe Burrow's been dealing with a calf injury.

Once Burrow's closer to 100% and the Bengals can open up the full playbook, Chase will eat. He's one of the NFL's best wide receivers and I'd be shocked if we don't see him showcase that the rest of the way. The only thing that would really worry me would be if Burrow doesn't get back to being healthy, but there's still a lot of football left to play and a lot of time for things to get right.

Verdict: Don't Panic!

Josh Jacobs - RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Last season, Josh Jacobs led the NFL in rushing yards with 1,653. He also led in rushing yards per game at 97.2. It's no surprise that expectations were fairly high for the 25-year-old running back in 2023.

So far, those expectations haven't been met. Jacobs had 28 carries for 46 yards, an average of 1.6 yards per carry and 23.0 yards per game. He's helped his numbers a little with his seven receptions for 74 yards, but he's still far below last year's numbers. The receptions have helped him average 3.4 yards per touch. Last year? He was at 5.2 yards per touch.

Will he turn it around? Sure. I don't expect him to have negative rushing yards in a game again like he did against the Bills. But there's a big difference between playing better and living up to the hype.

One issue? Defenses aren't going to let Jacobs beat them. Derek Carr doesn't get the respect he deserves as a passer. The switch to Jimmy Garoppolo this year has already caused defenses to focus on stopping Jacobs, and they've been successful.

Volume should allow him to be a high-end RB2, but you didn't draft Jacobs to be an RB2.

Verdict: Yes, panic a little...

Breece Hall - RB, New York Jets

Breece Hall looked like a future stud before tearing his ACL last season. And his first two carries of the 2023 season made it look like he was about to have a breakout campaign in 2023.

At halftime of the season opener against the Bills, Hall had two carries for 109 yards. He has 10 carries for 27 yards since then.

Two things here. One, the obvious struggles for Hall with Zach Wilson under center. Hall had 26 yards on one carry with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. He had a big 83-yard run on his first carry with Wilson but hasn't done much since.

We obviously can't just ignore that big play, because it's something Hall's capable of doing. We also can't ignore the lack of production since. We also can't ignore my second big concern: the fact that against the Cowboys, the Jets split running back snaps three ways. Dalvin Cook saw 17 snaps, Hall 16, and Michael Carter 15. If Hall's going to be a fantasy stud, he's got to be on the field more than that. I'm worried.

Verdict: Definitely Panic Time!

Amari Cooper - WR, Cleveland Browns

Amari Cooper's rest-of-season outlook depends on two things. One is his availability, as he's dealt with a groin issue so far. He hasn't missed a game, but it could be part of why he hasn't exploded yet.

The other issue is who's on the other end of the throw: Deshaun Watson. Watson has completed just 55.1% of his passes so far. His adjusted net yards per pass attempt rank seventh-lowest in the NFL, and he's third-worst in both QB rating and QBR. Simply put, Watson doesn't look good.

Maybe Watson's just completely broken as a passer. He doesn't look anything like the guy who led the NFL in yards and yards per completion in 2020, his last full season. Spending a year and a half away from the NFL while being investigated for sexual misconduct likely plays a big role in the apparent deterioration of his football skills.

But Watson will probably start to look at least closer to league average based on his past performance. And that'll probably be all Cooper needs to have some solid games. I mean, he caught seven passes for 90 yards against the Steelers, so maybe the struggles against Cincinnati were the anomaly.

Verdict: Don't Panic!

Dameon Pierce - RB, Houston Texans

As a rookie, Dameon Pierce averaged 72.2 rushing yards per game and 4.3 yards per attempt. In his second season, those numbers have fallen off big time. Pierce has just 69 rushing yards through two games with only one first-down run. His 34.5 yards per game and 2.7 yards per attempt are major departures from 2022.

What's happened? A few things. One is just that Pierce isn't gaining yards when he touches the football, which is a product of the Texans' offensive line being a mess right now. Five offensive linemen are on IR, plus two more are dealing with injuries. That'll make it tough to run the ball effectively, and it's something that will likely plague him all season.

Another is that he just isn't on the field as much. In the 13 games Pierce played as a rookie, he was out there for 64% of Houston's offensive snaps. He played over 70% of the snaps six times. But this season, his snap rates through two games are 47% and 45%.

Devin Singletary isn't necessarily getting a lot of touches, but he's preventing Pierce from getting more. Singletary played 45% of Houston's Week 2 snaps. Dare Ogunbowale played 19%. And with Houston's offense likely looking at pass-friendly game scripts most weeks, Pierce just doesn't have the same upside he had in 2022.

Verdict: Yes, Time to panic!

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