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There's been the good, the bad and the ugly through six weeks of NFL action. More specifically, there's been a slew of quarterbacks and tight ends who have broken your heart repeatedly. Whether it's been inconsistent play for weeks, or just one or two weeks of struggles, the players listed below have all put out warning signals in some form or fashion.
It's not always a terrible run of six straight losses that can send out warning signals, but as you'll see from what we'll call the "Manning brothers edition," even one single brutal game can get your name on this list.
Let's get into a combination of the five quarterbacks or tight ends who have fantasy owners just a bit worried heading into Week 7 of the season.
Quarterbacks Sending Out Warning Signals
Peyton Manning – QB, DEN
Time for Manning brother No. 1. Whether it's just the grind of the NFL season finally getting to Peyton Manning or something else, we aren't seeing the Manning that we're used to seeing. Through six games this year, Manning has completed just 61.6 percent of his passes for seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. To make matters worse, his last three games have been some of his worst.
Manning has yet to see his quarterback rating top 68.9 in any of the previous three games, and it's actually gotten worse in every week from Week 4 to Week 6, falling all the way to 53.3. Over that three-game span, Manning has thrown just two touchdowns against seven interceptions. It's safe to say that the warning signals are not only out right now, but they're lighting up like a Christmas tree.
Maybe the Week 7 bye week will help Manning to right the ship, but if it doesn't, the undefeated Denver Broncos are going to be in for a short postseason run. The Broncos simply need more from Manning, so this is a situation absolutely worth monitoring over the coming weeks. For now, fantasy owners should look elsewhere to find their QB1.
Eli Manning – QB, NYG
Let's begin this by stating that Eli Manning is having a strong year. He's thrown 11 touchdowns against four interceptions, and had a beautiful three-game stretch where he threw seven touchdowns against just one interception. He finds himself on this list because we saw the Eli of old in Week 6 when the New York Giants took on the Philadelphia Eagles.
While Manning started off Week 6 by attacking a below-average Eagles secondary that is allowing 260.7 passing yards per game, things went south pretty quickly. Manning put the Giants up 7-0 just 4:37 into the game, with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Odell Beckham Jr. From there though, everything came apart at the seams.
Manning's hot start against the Eagles ended with him throwing for just 189 yards and two interceptions, while posting his worst quarterback rating of the season at 62.3. For the first time in 2015, we saw the Eli Manning from back in 2013, who tossed 27 interceptions in 16 games. Obviously this not a reason to throw in the towel on Manning, because he's more than talented enough to fix whatever happened in Week 6.
Marcus Mariota – QB, TEN
Let's give some credit to Marcus Mariota for attempting to battle through a sprained MCL to get onto the field in Week 7. Even if he does play though, it doesn't mean that fantasy owners are going to want to stick the former Oregon Duck into their lineups--not yet, at least. The MCL injury is just one of many things that should deter fantasy owners from using Mariota in the near future, as his play hasn't been great over the past few weeks.
Mariota started the season off with a bang, throwing six touchdowns and no interceptions in the first two games, but his two lost fumbles in Week 2 may have been a bit overlooked due to those numbers. In the following three games, Mariota has thrown just three touchdowns against five interceptions, while losing two more fumbles. Turning the ball over is quickly looking like it may be a problem for the No. 2 overall pick, with an emphasis on the fumbing.
His fantasy stock has taken a major hit in the past two weeks specifically, and at this point you're probably going to want to just stick Mariota on your bench and turn to whichever quarterback you were relying on early in the season.
Tight Ends Sending Out Warning Signals
Jason Witten – TE, DAL
With all due respect to Jason Witten, you can't put the blame on him winding up on this list on him. The quarterback situation for the Dallas Cowboys is obviously impacting Witten's statistics quite a bit. In Week 1, when Witten and the Cowboys had a healthy Tony Romo under center, the veteran tight end caught eight balls for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Even in Week 2 when Romo played in part of the game, he caught seven balls for 56 yards.
While the yardage total isn't amazing, we've seen a whole lot of mediocre since that point. Witten has caught 15 passes for 155 yards over the past three weeks, an average of five catches and 51.67 yards per game. It's blatantly obvious that the Cowboys aren't happy with how Brandon Weeden has produced in the passing game, so the upcoming switch to Matt Cassel may help out Witten's numbers a bit. Who knows, maybe it'll even help Witten find the end zone again.
For now, though, until we know for a fact that Romo is walking through the door and getting back under center, Witten is someone to avoid.
Martellus Bennett – TE, CHI
When Jay Cutler came back from his injury to help lead the Chicago Bears to a victory over the Oakland Raiders in Week 3, it seemed Martellus Bennett's fantasy season had been saved. He caught 11 balls for 83 yards and a touchdown in that game, totaling 13 targets and proving to be one of Cutler's favorite offensive weapons. It was a great day for fantasy owners and a great day for Bears football.
The narrative has shifted dramatically in the last two weeks. While Bennett has been targeted 22 times over the past two weeks, it's resulted in 10 catches for 91 yards. Obviously those aren't terrible numbers, but owners are obviously hoping that more of those targets can turn into receptions in the very near future.
The good news for fantasy owners is that you get a full week to sit and think about whether or not Bennett will start posting those stud numbers that many expected of him this season, as the Bears are on bye in Week 7. The red lights are flashing, but not brightly enough to give up on Bennett just yet.
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