RADIO
We are headed into the last slate of games of the season. This is championship week for many fantasy leagues. Knowing the warning signals is very important right now because there are a lot of teams with nothing to play for in Week 17. We will see teams play their younger players to see what they can do on the field before they head into the off-season.
A bad performance could possibly leak into the next season. A run of bad games could cause the team’s front office to pivot to other players the following year. Knowing who is on a downward spiral can help you pinpoint the landmines going into your drafts for next year.
Let’s take a look at some of the key warning signals from the previous week. A key theme we are focusing on is players who excelled that will revert back to not being productive.
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Quarterback
Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears
Trubisky could be leading us into a trap in Week 17 after achieving his fourth QB1 week of the season. He will be playing in a tough matchup against a Green Bay Packers team that held him in check to just 242 yards passing, three touchdowns, and two interceptions back in Week 12. The game script could increase the Bears’ passing volume due to them having to keep up with the Packers’ offense. On the opposite side of the spectrum, we could see the bears try to slow things down to keep the Packers’ offense from breaking loose.
Even though he has been able to cut down some of his mistakes over the last couple of weeks. His lack of rushing production will prevent him from being a consistent QB1. Trubisky only has one game with more than 30 yards rushing in his last five games. He will be reliant on the game script to help fuel his fantasy production. There’s a chance he could be productive this week everything goes his way, but he’s not a quarterback you want to rely on in your championship game.
Running Back
Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals
Perine produced 29.60 PPR fantasy points in Week 16 which is his first RB1 performance of the season. He will be playing against the Baltimore Ravens to close out the year which is a tough matchup for most running backs. Many fantasy gamers are going to be rushing to the waiver wire to get him on their roster. It’s understandable to chase fantasy points throughout the season, but it's not always the best practice. Perine has a small sample of production to work from, making it hard to trust him in championship games.
Players like Perine that have a random blow-up game will eventually disappoint in the near future. Part of his success in Week 16 was driven by a favorable matchup against the Houston Texans. The flow of the game helped his touch count and allowed him to maximize his opportunities.
Most fantasy managers who are in the fantasy championship are not going to rely on Perine. However, this is not the time to get fancy with lineups. He should only be an option if there are no other suitable running backs to plug into your lineup.
Wide Receiver
Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos
The rookie wide receiver has been struggling with drops. In a game where he was targeted 15 times, he was only able to reel in six catches for 61 yards. This could leak into his target share going into Week 17. On top of that, he only has one week with more than 20 fantasy points all season.
He is receiving enough volume in the passing game to provide WR1 production. Jeudy leads the team with 28 targets and 322 air yards in his last four games. The usage merits him being valued as a player that could go off this week. With him being paired with Drew Lock and with Noah Fant, Tim Patrick, and K.J. Hamler also seeing a sizable workload within the offense, he becomes a risky option in fantasy.
Jeudy is a good option for fantasy gamers who are swinging for the fences for upside at their flex position, but everyone shouldn’t count on him providing WR1 results.
Tight End
T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions
Mathew Stafford suffered an ankle injury last week and is more than likely not going to play in Week 17. Chase Daniel will start for the Lions against the Minnesota Vikings. The change at quarterback will create volatility in Hockenson’s outlook for this week. We just don’t know what the offense is going to look like with Stafford out of the lineup.
Tight end is the hardest position to project in all of fantasy sports. He could luck out and provide TE1 results, but the odds are stacked against him for the final week of the season. With the uncertainty the Lions have at quarterback it’s best to pivot to another option if possible.
Breakout Alert!
Cam Sims, Washington Football Team
Sims has seen 346 air yards in his last four games along with a 17 percent target share. He was targeted 17 times in his last two contests as it appears, he is finishing the season as a key piece to the Football Team’s offense. He’s a dart throw that would be best used in DFS tournament settings.
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