RADIO
We are about to hit the home stretch of the fantasy football season. Some of our fantasy teams are undefeated and some of our teams are fighting for a spot in the playoffs. No matter where you are at in the standings, you have to consider making some roster moves for the future.
One way to determine what moves you need to make is to look through your roster and see if any of your players are trending downward. Analyzing a player’s situation, workload trends, and injuries are good indicators of how we should value those players going forward
There are players sitting on a lot of people’s rosters who should either be dropped to the waiver wire or should be nowhere close to a starting lineup. In this week’s warning signals, we will deep dive into some of those players who should be monitored for the rest of the season.
Quarterback Concerns - Sit 'Em For Week 10?
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Tannehill is currently the QB13 with just two QB1 weeks on the season. Both of those QB1 games came against the Indianapolis Colts. He has been a steady QB2, averaging 18.52 fantasy points per game in his last five performances. Many fantasy gamers drafted him with the hopes that he would provide QB1 production on a more consistent basis. After all, in 2020, he was the QB7 with eight QB1 performances.
The odds are very good that Tannehill will never completely bust in your lineup. The odds are also against him consistently hitting upside. With that being said, fantasy gamers may want to pay attention to his weekly matchup before they consider starting him.
Speaking of matchups, the Titans will be playing the New Orleans Saints at home. Vegas has a 44.5 over/under, making this contest one of the lowest projected point totals for this week’s slate of games. Both teams rank in the bottom half of the league in offensive pace. These are two run-heavy teams who want to control the clock and minimize mistakes, which doesn’t always bode well for offensive output.
What To Do
Considering Tannehill won’t be in an optimal matchup to boost his fantasy production. Fantasy managers might want to look at other options for their lineups this week. The game script would have to completely break wide open for him to sling the rock to crack the top 10 in production.
Running Back Concerns - Sit 'Em for Week 10?
Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
Pollard was supposed to be this year’s cheat code. He was routinely being drafted in the middle rounds of drafts. People were excited about his potential. In a short sample, he had a couple of productive performances in Weeks 14 and 15 in 2020.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t lived up to the hype. Pollard only has two games with double-digit fantasy points. His best game came in Week 2 against the Chargers where he rushed for 109 yards and one touchdown while catching three balls for 31 yards. This was the only time he cracked the top-25 in fantasy scoring this season.
The Cowboys are going to ride Ezekiel Elliott until they can’t do it anymore. He leads the team with a 31 percent opportunity share compared to Pollard's 18 percent share. Although Pollard profiles as a receiving back who can eat chunks of yards in the open field. He is only seeing six percent of the team’s passing targets. This is not enough volume to fuel his fantasy production. Especially, when he’s sharing carries with Elliott.
We’re deep into the season, it’s quite apparent Pollard is a liability in your fantasy lineups. He needs something to happen to Elliott for him to get enough touches to be productive. The Cowboys will be playing the Atlanta Falcons at home in Week 10. Vegas has the over/under set at 55 points with the Cowboys being nine-point favorites. Elliott has been dealing with a knee issue that impacted his performance in last week’s game against the Broncos. He is expected to play this weekend.
What To Do
This is a good matchup for everyone on the Cowboys' offense. There’s a chance Pollard could get his opportunity to shine. This isn’t the first game where Dallas had a good matchup and he wasn't able to take advantage of it. We should look at Pollard as a gamble in fantasy. He could tap into his upside. However, more than likely, he won’t receive enough touches to be relevant in fantasy. It’s safer to leave him on your bench this week.
Wide Receiver Concerns - Sit 'Em for Week 10?
Bryan Edwards, Las Vegas Raiders
The hype train went off the track this off-season when Edwards was drawing comparisons to Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. He might have made some Hall-of-Fame-worthy plays in training camp, but his fantasy production has not lived up to expectations.
With Henry Ruggs III out of the picture, many thought Edwards would receive a bump in targets. In a losing effort against the New York Giants last weekend, he was targeted just four times. His 8.70 percent target share in Week 9 is a major concern. He has been targeted five times or more in just three games this season. With just one WR2 week, which came in Week 7, he has burned many fantasy managers.
The Raiders will be playing at home this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs. Vegas has the implied point total set at 51.5 points in this game. It’s a prime matchup for him to turn things around. If he doesn’t produce this week, then it might be wise to just let him go to the waiver wire.
What To Do
It’s going to be hard for fantasy gamers to feel confident in starting him since he has been a major letdown this season. I suggest keeping him on your bench unless you have to due to injuries and bye weeks.
Tight End Concerns - Sit 'Em for Week 10?
Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers
The tight end position is the most volatile position in fantasy. When it comes to tight ends, it’s either top-tier production or bust. For example, in Week 9, the 25th-ranked tight end, Albert Okwegbunam, was only 3.5 PPR fantasy points from being a back-end TE1. With that being said, any tight end who is taking the field is free-game for your lineups if you don’t already have one of the top tight ends in the league.
We do have to pay attention to the Chargers’ offense. They are starting to implement more three tight end sets in their weekly game plans. Donald Parham Jr. and Stephen Anderson are both starting to see bigger roles in the offense with them siphoning seven targets in Week 9.
It’s a small sample, but this change in the offensive game plan could impact Cook's fantasy output in the future. He’s a tight end that you can insert into your lineup if he has a good matchup. Fantasy gamers will need to pay attention to the team’s target distribution going forward.
What To Do
The Chargers will be playing the Vikings in week 10. This should be a good matchup for Cook, considering Vegas has a 52 over/under for this contest. The Chargers' offense should be able to routinely move the ball downfield, presenting plenty of opportunities for Cook to produce.
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