Most fantasy players are nothing more than a lesson in patience. We move effortlessly from elation to despair with little in the way. We have high expectations, and when they aren’t met quickly, we end up in the darkest places.
Sometimes the best thing I can do is try not to think about Player X, who is letting you down every week.
So what happens when a player or team who has given up starts producing? Can we trust them? Can we make this a lesson in patience? Or are we doomed to become slaves to the emotional roller coaster that is fantasy football?
Here, we check out some of the big names we hit the panic button on in September to see if we believe they can be trusted going forward.
Caleb Williams, QB, D’Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears
Let’s start with Swift. Swift was drafted as a fantasy starter by many zero or hero RB strategists. Through the first three weeks of the season, it looked like a terrible mistake. But since then, Swift has scored at least 19 half PPR fantasy points per game from Weeks 4 to 6, making him the RB2 in fantasy.
These coincided with some of the best fantasy matchups for running backs (Rams, Panthers, Jaguars) and an improvement in Williams’ play. Williams was selected as a backup QB in a fantasy draft, and his potential was fulfilled. Williams has been fantasy QB8 for the past three weeks. It was easy for him to persevere because he was going through the growing pains of the NFL (two touchdowns, four interceptions in the first three games, three fumbles this season). But over the past two weeks, he has established himself as a phantom must-have starter (6 TDs, 1 pick).
The Bears have a bye in Week 7, but both managers are eager to play against Washington in Week 8. Note that Chicago’s receivers, including TE Cole Kmet, will likely continue to be up-and-down fantasy performers. Still, given the number of injuries this season, DJ Moore, Kmet, and Keenan Allen will likely be required starters going forward.
Bijan Robinson, RB, Drake Rondon, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Robinson finally produced a fantasy line that matches where you drafted him (25.5 half PPR points in Week 6). However, his performance hasn’t been too bad, with double digits in each of his previous four games, just missing that mark in Weeks 4 and 5. Next up are the Seahawks, Bucks, and Cowboys, all of which are above-average fantasy matchups for a running back, but I think it’s safe to expect 15-20 fantasy points from a first-round pick for the time being. .
But Robinson isn’t doing it alone, as the Falcons’ overall offense has improved in recent weeks, ranking 11th in points per game and points per play. Rondon is averaging eight catches for nearly 100 yards per game over the past three weeks, and his four receiving touchdowns help him achieve fantasy WR5 status. London is rock solid after a rough Week 1 game against the Steelers.
Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders
McLaurin has long been taught patience, and with the ability to draft him in the middle round this year, enduring his slow start wasn’t too difficult. Jaden Daniels’ early superiority was frustrating as McLaurin scored 4-8 fantasy points in the first two weeks of the season, but all is forgiven now.
McLaurin quickly became one of the best fantasy draft values, finishing Week 6 as a fantasy WR5 and moving up to WR14 on the season (scoring half PPR). He’s on track for five straight 1,000+ yard seasons, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he finishes with a career-high in fantasy points per game.
Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Brown is another trending zero RB target this summer, and one that fantasy managers will be bragging about in the draft right away. Brown, who has scored at least one point in each of the Bengals’ last three games, is the ninth-best fantasy running back over that span. The Bengals may have had a rough start to the season, but they’re on track right now. Patience paid off for Brown, as he became a reliable player during this difficult bye week.
Looking ahead, Brown has two more tough matchups against the Browns and Eagles before heading into another selection matchup against the Raiders in Week 9. However, that’s only half the equation. Brown has outscored Zack Moss in each of the last two games and only had one fewer target in Week 4. This means that opportunities are increasingly on our side. Despite only losing Dallas and Chicago to byes this week, Brown may still have a better chance than, say, James Cook (vs. Tennessee), 49ers backs (vs. KC), or Aaron Jones (vs. Detroit). I don’t know.
Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens
Andrews finally got the game his fantasy manager has been waiting for…but did you start him? This weekend was his third acceptable game of the season (I’d say 7 points, which is half a PPR point, is fine considering his poor position), and it was his best (3/65). /1).
I think there’s room for patience in fantasy football, but I don’t agree with Andrews being an elite fantasy TE for the rest of the season. Perhaps you’ve put together a roster that can withstand his zero (happened twice so far), but I’d feel more comfortable starting with Isaiah Likely or some other streaming option that’s exempt.
Maybe you started Kmet after week 5. I would definitely start him over Andrews.
Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions
Speaking of being patient with tight ends, LaPorta was probably the first TE in your league drafted in the second round or maybe the third round. So yeah, it was great to finally see him score in Week 6. Also, yes, it was a great catch-and-run trick play. But it also only caught one target against a defense that wasn’t performing extremely well.
It’s not a matter of patience with Laporta, but a fear of missing out on the explosive stat line he can still produce. You have to continue to start him, and I, along with you, hope that his involvement in the Lions’ high-powered offense continues to increase. But that may not be possible this week, as the Vikings are allowing opponents the third-fewest points per game in the league.
Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
Everyone loves to keep a rookie QB under wraps at the beginning of the season, and if your choice was the Knicks, you probably had a hard time looking at yourself in the mirror for the first two weeks of the season ( (4 interceptions, zero passing touchdowns for the Knicks). He showed signs of life against a Bucs defense that wasn’t as solid as people thought, rushing for his second goal of the season and managing to protect the football. But he’s really turned things around in the last two games, scoring five touchdowns and one interception, along with over 200 passing yards and 35 rushing yards per game.
He’s QB7 in our two-game fantasy sample. Importantly, Week 6’s performance was against a Chargers team that has historically had the stingiest defense in the league (averaging 13.2 ppg). If he was limping along with Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert, it might be time to consider a dramatic move to the Knicks.
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Downs was a fantasy sweetheart, drafted by most 12-team leagues even though he started the season coming off an ankle injury. He started slowly in Week 3, but has since become a fantasy workhorse managing fantasy finishes of WR8, WR26, and WR16. Those were good enough to make him a fantasy WR11, averaging 10 targets per game over the past three games.
The problem is that all of these games feature passer Joe Flacco at QB, and Anthony Richardson is scheduled to return for the Week 7 meeting with Miami. Miami’s offense has struggled significantly since losing Tua Tagovailoa, but the defense is holding opposing wide receivers to the second-fewest fantasy points per game (allowing the fewest points to QBs and the league’s lowest points against RBs). average).
I can understand if there aren’t better options, but Downs is not a player I really want to trust in Week 7 despite his recent success.
