RADIO
As most fantasy football leagues head into the playoffs, it is important to keep track of the troubled players from the week prior to determine if their poor performance or situation change could impact your fantasy team down the line. Every start-sit decision is crucial. One wrong move could knock fantasy managers out of the playoffs.
Week 13 is the grand finale of the fantasy football regular season. Knowing the warning signals going into the playoffs could be crucial for many fantasy managers. It could be the difference between winning your fantasy league and receiving a first-round exit.
Just because a player had a bad game doesn’t mean they won't be able to turn things around. They could easily bounce back and return to their old form. Fantasy managers should monitor the warning signals, but it’s the best practice to not overreact with your decision making.
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Quarterback
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Herbert tossed his first bad game of the season. After completing 26 for his 53 pass attempts for 209 yards and two interceptions, Herbert finished Week 13 with his first single-digit fantasy performance of his career. In his previous ten games, he averaged 320 yards per game and produced 26 total touchdowns along with 7 interceptions.
This was a bad matchup for Herbert. The New England Patriots’ defense is good at shutting down young quarterbacks. Earlier this year they held Kyler Murray to just 201 yards and one interception. He's not the only quarterback who has been stifled by New England's defense.
The Chargers’ schedule is money for Herbert’s fantasy managers. With the Falcons, Raiders, Broncos, and Chiefs left on the docket, there will be plenty of opportunities for Herbert to circle wagons. Look for him to bounce back to his old self soon.
Running Back
Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are the middle-aged man who lives down the street who has a brand-new Corvette in the driveway. Instead of driving his new Corvette, he leaves it parked in the garage. Sanders is currently left parked in the Eagles driveway. In the team’s 30-16 loss to the Green Bay Packers, he carried the ball just ten times for 31 yards while seeing just one target. The lack of volume in both the run and pass game has hurt his fantasy production. Fantasy managers need to be concerned because if he's not touching the ball then he's less likely to put up numbers in the boxscore.
There’s a lot going wrong in Philadelphia. The team’s quarterback play is suffering. Everyone is questioning Doug Pederson’s decisions. Injuries have plagued the team throughout the season. Even Sanders has been bit by the injury bug earlier in the season. This might just be an off-year for the Eagles.
Nonetheless, the results on the field are what drives fantasy production. If he’s not supplying fantasy points, then he’s not worth starting in your lineup. The lack of workload is very questionable, and if it continues will make him a major liability in fantasy. If he wasn’t one of the most talented running backs in the league in terms of raw athleticism, then he would be an easy drop candidate. However, he’s a player that you just can’t give up on either.
Wide Receiver
D.J. Chark Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
Although Chark led the team with seven targets he wasn’t much of a factor, catching just two passes for 41 yards. Mike Glennon likes to disperse his pass attempts around the middle of the field. The marriage between him and Chark is not a great fit since Chark makes his money stretching the field with his speed.
Collin Johnson has led the team in receiving two weeks in a row. He’s a late-round rookie from Texas who is talented enough to steal targets if he starts gaining traction in the offense. The last thing Chark’s fantasy managers want is more competition in the offense. Johnson is a threat to Chark's fantasy value for the remainder of the season.
With how erratic Jacksonville’s passing game has been lately it’s hard to depend on Chark. He profiles as a WR3-4 down the stretch. The upside will always be there, but fantasy managers are not going to be eager to insert him into their lineups.
Tight End
Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
Fantasy managers can’t trust any tight end not named Travis Kelce or Darren Waller. There are some other good tight ends, but none of them have been as consistent as those two. Waller and Kelce have combined for 17 TE1 performances this year. Of course, they are not the only good tight ends in the league, but they have been the most consistent.
Almost all of the tight ends have warning signals strapped to their back. The tight end position is the most volatile position in fantasy. There are just 35 fantasy points that separate the TE12 from the TE25. There have been times where there are TE1’s that score less than ten fantasy points.
Goedert and Ertz could be problematic down the stretch. Ertz returned from injured reserve to play in Week 12. There’s a very good chance that the two tight ends will cannibalize each other, limiting their ability to maximize their opportunities.
As we all know, the Eagles are experiencing some issues at quarterback which could trickle down to Goedert and Ertz’s fantasy production. The team benched Carson Wentz for Jalen Hurts. We don’t know the verdict for this week, but fantasy gamers have lost all confidence in the Eagles’ passing game.
One of the two tight ends could blow up. However, it’s going to be nerve-racking for fantasy gamers to try to predict which one will dominate and it's going to be hard to pinpoint which game it's going to happen. If you don’t have a suitable replacement, then you have to start them.
Breakout Alert!
Keke Coutee, Houston Texans
With Will Fuller out due to being suspended, it looks like Coutee will see a major increase in workload. He led the team with eight catches for 141 yards, making him the WR6 for Week 13. Fantasy managers should look to get him off waivers for the playoffs. Since we are acting off a small sample, it’s going to be almost impossible to start his with confidence. If he continues to lead the team in targets, then he could be a league winner.
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