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.
The duds were light this week, but we'll also be taking a look at some repeat offenders who have been major let downs through the first quarter of the fantasy season.
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Week 4 Duds
Antonio Brown (WR, PIT) (#2 WR)
What Happened: Brown had his worst game of the season, catching just four of his nine targets for 34 yards on the day.
How Did It Happen: Road Roethlisberger was in full effect, and Le'Veon Bell made up for it on the ground. The Steelers didn't need an Antonio Brown day.
Panic Meter: Low. This was Antonio Brown's worst performance since Week 6 of 2015, and even this likely wasn't catastrophic in PPR leagues. Brown has consistently been an elite fantasy player over the past few years and it's hard to expect much to change. When you share the offense with another elite position player, occasionally you can be forgotten. It happened to Bell a few weeks ago.
I mentioned Roeghlisberger's well-documented struggles on the road, but Brown owners shouldn't be too concerned about this. The Steelers have just five road games left on the schedule, and Brown was still able to put up 100 yards in two of their three road games this season. No need to panic with Antonio Brown, obviously.
Matt Ryan (QB, ATL) (#5 QB)
What Happened: Ryan threw for 242 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in an upset loss to the Buffalo Bills.
How Did It Happen: The injury bug did Matt Ryan no favors this week. Julio Jones didn't play in the second half, and Mohamed Sanu didn't finish the game either. It's hard to expect a dominant performance with such a depleted receiving corps, even from the reigning NFL MVP.
Panic Meter: Medium. I'm not ready to pull out my pitchfork after a game in which Ryan's two top targets were both injured, but there are real concerns for Matt Ryan owners moving forward. Ryan is 20th in points among quarterbacks this season, just two spots ahead of Jameis Winston despite playing an extra game. Anybody who drafted Ryan expected to plug him in and not have to worry about their quarterback for the rest of the year. That's not going to be the case this season. Ryan has has just one game over 300 yards passing and one game with multiple touchdowns. In his two-TD performance, he watered it down by throwing three interceptions. Ryan didn't throw multiple interceptions once all last season. He's done it in each of the last two games. Ryan owners should make sure they pick up somebody who can potentially be a long-term solution this week. We may have not been giving Kyle Shanahan enough credit for last season.
Kyle Rudolph (TE, MIN) (#6 TE)
What Happened: Rudolph pulled in two of his four targets for 34 yards.
How Did It Happen: Case Keenum doesn't look Rudolph's way very often. On 63 passes over the past two weeks, Rudolph has been targeted just six times. The Vikings offense this season has ran through Dalvin Cook and Staffon Diggs, which hasn't left many touches left for Rudolph.
Panic Meter: High. Tight end has always been a top heavy position. If you don't get one of the studs, the best you can hope for is a guy with a decent floor who you can start and not worry about. Kyle Rudolph isn't one of those guys at this point in time. He has just 104 yards and a touchdown on the season, an average of four points per game in standard scoring. He should only be played if there are truly no other options while Keenum is at quarterback. Rudolph found the end zone in Sam Bradford's lone start this season, but still only managed three receptions for 26 yards. A tight end who can't reach 10 points with a touchdown isn't exactly a weekly start in fantasy. Rudolph owners should be scouring the waiver wire for other options.
Quarter Season Duds - Time to Evacuate?
We haven't touched on many repeat offenders in this column. With one fourth of the season in the books, it's time to look at some of the biggest fantasy disasters at this point in the season. Some of these guys may be worth waiting out the storm, while others might require us to evacuate at once.
Wait Out The Storm: T.Y. Hilton (WR, IND)
T.Y. Hilton led the NFL in receiving last season, but has been a major disappointment this season, only managing to reach 10 points in full PPR leagues one time. Everybody knows the story here: without Andrew Luck, every part of the Colts offense has suffered greatly. Scott Tolzein was a disaster in Week 1, and while Jacoby Brissett has been better, he's still a long way from bringing what Luck brings to this offense. Frank Gore led the Colts in receiving in Week 4 with just 34 yards. It's been a brutal year for the Colts as well as owners dependent on Colts in fantasy.
The bright side here is that it has to get better. The Colts are adamant that Andrew Luck will return this season, and he's expected back sometime between Weeks 6-8. Hilton's dominant Week 3 performance still gives owners who are relying on him hope that he can produce even with poor quarterback play. Hilton has a few plus matchups coming up, including the 49ers in Week 5 and the Titans in Week 6, who respectively have given up the sixth and second most fantasy points to receivers this season. He should become much less matchup dependent when Luck returns.
Hilton's diagnosis is simple: we know the problem and we know that it should be solved soon. There's no point in unloading him now while his value is about as low as it will get this season. Ride this one out.
Evaluate Your Options: Jay Ajayi (RB, MIA)
Ajayi has only played in three games this season. He looked like he was picking up where he left off last season in a dominant Week 2 showing, but has been brutal in the last two weeks. A major concern here is that the Dolphins have scored just six points and Ajayi has only had 60 rushing yards combined against the Jets and Saints over the last two weeks. The Jets and Saints aren't exactly freighting defenses. The poor play of the Miami offense is extremely alarming.
It's still too early to completely give up on Ajayi, but owners should be exploring all of their options at this point. If the Dolphins offense remains poor, it's unlikely Ajayi will produce near the level he did last season. Peruse the waiver wire for running backs and explore what other owners in the league would pay for Ajayi. But don't move on for the sake of moving on. I can't imagine Ajayi averaging 30 yards per game for the rest of the season, but I'm not sure if I can imagine him averaging 100 either.
Abandon Ship: Amari Cooper (WR, OAK)
Amari Cooper is hands down the most baffling fantasy disappointment of the season. Cooper put up five receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets. It was a solid performance, but left a lot to be desired. Cooper was considered an elite receiver and missing out on eight targets was a big deal. Cooper owners had to be hoping for him to play a bit more consistently and up his yardage a bit.
That feels like a lifetime ago now. In the following three games, Cooper has 48 yards combined on seven receptions, hasn't scored a touchdown, leads the NFL in drops, and just lost his quarterback for a few weeks. He's caught just 12 of 31 targets on the season. EJ Manuel is set to take over for Derek Carr for the next 2-6 weeks. Cooper had nine yards last week and Michael Crabtree didn't even play!
Cooper has been an absolute train-wreck this season. I really can't see him posting under 10 yards receiving becoming a weekly, thing, but I have serious doubts that Cooper gets back to the level he was at last season, especially with Derek Carr off the field. Under no circumstances would I start Cooper in Week 5, and owners should see if they can trick other players into trading for him based on name recognition. This situation looks awful.
