RADIO
With 16.66 percent of the NFL season now in the books, we are now on our way to Week 4. As you all know, situations can change quickly once we start moving towards the middle of the season. Some of those hyped-up fantasy assets that were being touted over the summer are now looking like potential waiver fodder. There are players that are casting warning signals, providing clues as to whether or not they should be considered functional options for your fantasy lineups. Some of them might even need to take a trip to the waiver wire.
A lot happened last weekend. Along with some poor performances, we saw an unexpected decrease in some players’ production. There were some warning signals flashing in Week 3 that we need to analyze before we move forward to our next slate of games.
With that being said, let’s take a look at this week’s batch of players who are causing some fantasy football managers to worry about their long-term fantasy outlook.
Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
After three weeks of play, Roethlisberger has put up 39.04 fantasy points, making him the QB27 on the season. Unless you are playing in a superflex league or an ultra-deep league, there’s no reason for him to be rostered at this point.
Guys like this could never play in today’s league pic.twitter.com/kuFu2PU520
— Steven Ruiz (@theStevenRuiz) September 27, 2021
His performance on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals was enough to cause all fantasy gamers to draw concern on how much longer Roethlisberger will be able to hold up. Father time is showing no remorse as he committed multiple follies throughout the game. In a game script where the Steelers needed to keep the chains moving in order to keep up with the Bengals’ offense, Roethlisberger was unable to take advantage of his opportunities. He passed for 318 yards and one touchdown while also throwing two interceptions. He was off the mark on a lot of his passes and struggled to keep the offense afloat.
Thus far the wide receiver corps hasn’t been able to pick up the slack. They lead the league with 12 drops, and Diontae Johnson wasn’t able to suit up in week three due to a knee injury. Additionally the offensive line allowed Big Ben to get sacked four times in Week 3, making it eight times on the season. The days of him being a dependable fantasy asset are over. He’s not what he used to be. There might be a few matchups where he could put up some points, but it’s safe to say that he can be parked on the waiver wire for the duration of the season.
Running Back
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Taylor has as much upside as any running back in the NFL. He was a decorated prospect from Wisconsin. We saw him make some big plays during his rookie season last year. However, his production during the first three weeks has left fantasy gamers wanting more.
It’s been a frustrating season for Taylor’s fantasy managers. His usage has been perplexing, considering Nyheim Hines has taken over a large portion of the workload. In Week 3 against the Titans, he saw just 50 percent of the workload and rushed for 64 yards while catching one pass for eight yards. The game script didn’t go his way in this game. The Colts used Hines more in the passing game which crushed Taylor’s chances to rack up fantasy points through the passing game.
But we are only three weeks into the season, so it’s too early to get overly concerned. He’s a big play waiting to happen and the team will need to switch things up if they want to win games. Last year, we saw him average 10.3 yards after the catch per reception. He can be a dynamic asset when given the ball in space, and the team will eventually give him the chance to see a larger workload.
Like this year, he had a slow start to the 2020 season, before finishing strong with four RB1 performances in his last five games. We could easily see this happen again with Taylor. Fantasy gamers will just need to remain patient as the Colts figure out how to get him more implemented into the offensive game plan.
Wide Receivers
Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens
Considering how he has been used in the offense over the years, his current fantasy production shouldn’t be a surprise. He’s currently the WR14 on the season with one WR1 finish on the season. Week 3 wasn’t his best performance as he caught just three passes for 53 yards while dropping two balls. He was third on the team in receiving behind Sammy Watkins and Mark Andrews.
The warning signal that we have to pay attention to that could impact Brown’s production for the rest of the season is that Rashod Bateman (groin) is going to be back soon. He’s going to see a large share of the snaps. Bateman is a high-end wide receiver prospect who could become the team’s target leader as soon as he steps on the field. He will be returning to practice this week.
After a performance where he failed to lead his team in targets, having added competition in the passing game is not an ideal situation. Bateman is a first round pick who was consistently making big plays in camp prior to his injury. If Brown continues to struggle to provide consistent fantasy production on a weekly basis with Bateman out of the lineup, then his output will become very volatile once the rookie wide receiver is integrated into the offense.
Brown will get the chance to redeem himself against a stout Denver defense, although this is not an ideal match-up for fantasy production. He should be looked at as a WR3 going into Week 4.
Tight Ends
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Pitts was garnered as a can’t miss prospect coming out of the 2021 NFL Draft. He looks like a generational talent at the position. However, he is not providing generational results in fantasy football.
He is currently the TE15 on the season, averaging 8.2 fantasy points per game. Week 3 was his worst performance of the season as he caught just two passes for 35 yards. He did catch a 25-yard pass to set Atlanta up for their game-winning field goal. However, against a suspect Giants team, fantasy gamers were expecting more out of Pitts.
Part of the issue is Atlanta’s offense. They rank dead last in offensive DVOA. It’s quite apparent that age is setting in on Matt Ryan’s skill set. One thing to note is that we are seeing 31.62 percent of the passing targets go to running backs. Pitts is tied with running back Mike Davis with 17 targets on the season, and Cordarrelle Patterson is right behind them with 16 targets. Combine that with Calvin Ridley seeing 24.79 percent of the targets, and we really need Pitts to be efficient to be able to maximize his workload.
On the flip side, there are some positive trends as well. He currently ranks fifth among all tight ends with 53 snaps out of the slot. He is consistently on the field and is being targeted. There are some external factors that are impacting his play, but overall, his talent should rise to the top. Fantasy gamers should not jump off the deep end with Pitts. He has the potential to rack up TE1 weeks throughout the season.
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