RADIO
As we approach Week 4, warning signs are starting to become alarming for some and false alarms for others.
If we evaluate what we really need to worry about and what we don’t, it will allow us to improve the state of our fantasy teams.
Were you worried about Mike Evans after two weeks? How about now? How about Tyler Lockett after Week 1 compared to now? This is exactly why you do not want to panic after only one week. But then there are the other situations which either cropped up or were exacerbated this week. These storylines are definitely something to follow...
Saquon Barkley's Injury
As of now, it is reported by Ian Rapaport that many fantasy owners' top overall pick suffered a high ankle sprain and he will miss several weeks. If this is the case, the Giants' Super Bowl chances just took a major hit (sarcasm implied).
With Daniel Jones having over 300 pass yards, two passing touchdowns and another two rushing touchdowns, New York looked like they could have been on the incline. With this injury, they immediately fall. Possibly even further than they were before the quarterback switch.
Barkley is considered one of the top running backs in the NFL. You could even make the argument he is the most important player in the NFL to his team. Without him they literally have nothing. Sure, Evan Engram is good and Golden Tate will return in a week but these talents pale in comparison to Barkley.
The likelihood of him missing six to eight weeks makes all other Giants that much less of a fantasy play. Without the threat of Barkley breaking off a long run at any given time, defenses will force Jones to throw. Yes, he did good against the Buccaneers but he doesn't play them every week. While Barkley is a must-hold, consider the fantasy stock of every Giants player down.
Cam Newton Coming Back?
After the great performance of Kyle Allen, it is going to be hard to get him off the field. Because of the confidence in the young quarterback, the Panthers have already ruled Cam Newton out for the Week 4 tilt against the Houston Texans. Sure, I had Newton listed in this article last week as well but not because we knew he had a Lisfranc injury. After the way the offense looked under Allen, we may be seeing a changing of the guard in Charlotte for good if this keeps up.
Ron Rivera may not be able to do enough this season to save his job other than winning a playoff game or two. This is not likely to happen as the team is not talented enough to do so. Even in a weakened division, with Rivera may go Newton. Management will want to clean house and this could include getting younger at the most important position in sports.
If you still have Cam Newton on your team in redraft, it is time to drop him. As long as Allen is playing solidly, the foot injury might just take that much longer to fully heal. You should never hold two quarterbacks on a team. Especially if one of them is injured. Drop Newton now and grab a waiver wire player to fill in. Even before the injury, Cam Newton was having a miserable season. Why would you want to hold on to him, wasting a roster spot, just to have him come back playing the same way?
I said it last week and I will say it again. Get out from under the sinking ship of Cam Newton before you drown.
David Johnson
We expected a lot out of David Johnson in the Air Raid offense this season. The problem is, the Cardinals are still bad. Air Raid or not, you cannot be good with an offensive line as bad as the one in Arizona.
Kyler Murray has shown spurts of good NFL quarterback play but not enough. This has trickled directly down to the man next to him in the backfield. When you have a top-five running back in the league, he should have more than 36 rushes for 133 yards through three games. It is nice to see his 13 receptions on 17 targets, but for only 82 yards, this still leaves Johnson with only 215 total yards. 71.12 scrimmage yards per game is alright, if you are a two-down back. But a player like David Johnson, being one of the true three-down backs in the league, needs to be closer to 130 per game.
It looks like, at least in the case of Johnson, the team surrounding him is just so ineffective, he cannot get anything going. Much like another player on a struggling offense--James Conner--you might want to trade them on name value while it still holds more weight than their pitiful production.
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