RADIO
It was a pretty incredible week, complete with a few shocking performances, and one that nearly broke an NFL record. While Drew Brees and Eli Manning combined for 13 passing touchdowns in an incredible 52-49 game, we're going to talk about the players who were on the other side of things.
There's always plenty of good to talk about, but what about the quarterbacks who are sending out warning signals as we head into Week 9 of the NFL season? These players may not be guys you'll want to just completely write off (as you can tell from the first name on this list), but they had performances last week, or over the previous few weeks, that have us concerned.
Let's jump right into the action, and we'll talk about the man that everyone knows is on our minds right now after a 77-yard passing performance last Sunday.
Quarterbacks Sending Out Warning Signals
Aaron Rodgers – QB, GB
Welcome back to the real world with the rest of us, Aaron. The lead man for the Green Bay Packers looked pretty awful against the fierce Denver defense in Week 8. While throwing for just 77 yards is obviously something to talk about and a reason to be concerned, let's look a bit deeper than that. Sure, he was shut down by a powerful defensive unit, but after his five-touchdown performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, he's failed to throw more than two touchdowns in any game, while also throwing two interceptions as well.
It's obvious that with a guy like Rodgers, the "warning signals" aren't the same as they are for other quarterbacks, but after going the whole season without an interception, two of his last three games haven't blown us away. He threw two interceptions against the St. Louis Rams, then had the 77-yard performance against the Broncos. When you're one of the top fantasy quarterbacks drafted, it's much easier for those dreaded warning signals to begin going off, and that's what we saw from Rodgers.
He'll still be Aaron Rodgers and should get the ball rolling again, but I'm not expecting any five-touchdown games in the near future.
Matthew Stafford – QB, DET
Let's get to possibly the most frustrating fantasy football quarterback out there right now, Matthew Stafford. Stafford got benched in Week 5 after throwing three interceptions against the Arizona Cardinals. He bounced back from that game by throwing for 405 yards and four touchdowns against the Chicago Bears. After that, he had another solid showing, throwing for 256 yards and two touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings. All was good for Stafford owners, but then the red lights started flashing again in Week 8.
Stafford was simply awful against the Kansas City Chiefs, throwing for 217 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in a blowout loss in London. Any time a player as shaky as Stafford has a game like this one, it's time to sound the alarms once again. He needs to get things figured out, or else his time in Detroit may come to a close sooner than later. To top it off, he's completely unreliable as a fantasy player right now.
Ben Roethlisberger – QB, PIT
What exactly happened in Roethlisberger's return to action in Week 8? Aside from a simply brutal showing, Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers lost star running back Le'Veon Bell for the season. Obviously, that doesn't help Big Ben's stock moving forward in 2015.
In his first game back in action after missing four games with a knee injury, Roethlisberger completed 28 of 45 passes for 262 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Whether it was just shaking off the rust or being a bit anxious playing with his knee at less than 100 percent, it's an obvious cause for concern. It's likely that Roethlisberger will return to form in the coming weeks, but there's still plenty of reason to be concerned about your likely QB1 in fantasy.
Tight Ends Sending Out Warning Signals
Martellus Bennett – TE, CHI
Bennett simply isn't having the type of year that fantasy owners had hoped for. Even when it seems like things are starting to shift for him, he takes a step back the week after. Starting four games ago, it's been a bit of a roller coaster. While he topped 11 targets in three of the last four games, it's resulted in just one total touchdown and one game with any significant impact, which came in Week 4 against the Oakland Raiders. During that game, Bennett caught 11 balls for 83 yards and a score. Since then he's totaled just 13 catches for 123 yards and no touchdowns.
Bennett has been mediocre at best and below-average at worst. It was widely expected that the offensive game plan would be focused around Alshon Jeffery and Bennett, but that hasn't been the case. There's the obvious chance that losing Matt Forte to an injury could make Bennett more of an offensive factor, but I'm not going to bet on that.
Ladarius Green – TE, SD
When you look at the numbers, you'll notice that Green has never topped five receptions in any game this season. So, why the warning signals now? Green had hauled in four touchdowns through six games heading into last Sunday, but he took a massive step back in Week 8. Along with the fact that he had multiple receptions in every game, he had been targeted pretty frequently by Philip Rivers, getting 36 looks through those six games.
With Antonio Gates nursing an MCL injury in Week 8, it was expected that Green would step up and have a solid game, even with Gates still giving it a go against the Baltimore Ravens. Well, that wasn't the case, as Green not only finished with just one catch for 10 yards, but he got exactly one target as well. The ankle injury he's been dealing with could be the main reason for his lack of production, but the numbers are troubling all the same. With Keenan Allen on the injured reserve and the Chargers affinity for two-tight end sets, Green is a good bet to bounce-back. However, as long as Antonio Gates is in the picture he has a low ceiling.
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