In the second half of my Week 4 Risers and Fallers series, we will look at players who’s value is falling throughout the league and whether you should Buy, Sell or Hold them at their current value.
Quarterback
Tom Brady, NE:
The Patriots offense has been off all year long and Brady is a big reason for that. Without regular snaps for Gronk, Brady has only looked comfortable throwing the ball to Edelman. Through three games, Brady has failed to top 250 yards through the air after years of sustained success. Brady has struggled throwing the ball deep and it makes me worry that his calf issue may be worse than the Patriots are letting on. Belichick never lets the league, or fantasy owners for that matter, know how serious his players’ injuries are and this seems like it could be the case. Injury or not, Brady just does not look like the Tom Brady I have grown to hate over the course of his career as he has stolen division title after division title from my beloved Jets. Until he starts completing deep throws and connecting with his lesser receivers, Brady is nothing more than a mid-level QB2. SELL
Ryan Tannehill, MIA:
There was a lot of hype on Tannehill coming into this year. Entering his third season, after he improved from his rookie year to his sophomore campaign, Bill Lazor came in to bring some Eagles magic to the offense. So far not so good. Apart from a reinvigorated Mike Wallace, Tannehill has not been able to get on the same page with the rest of his pass catchers including Brian Hartline and Charles Clay. To make matters worse, Joe Philbin has been throwing heaps of shade in his direction, going as far as stating Tannehill may not be the starter for long. This has become an avoid at all costs situation until something drastic happens. SELL
Running Back
Shane Vereen, NE:
I just don’t get this situation. With Brady struggling with his weapons on the outside, Vereen should be seeing tons of work on passing downs and be put in situations where he can run in space. Instead, he is getting more rushing attempts than targets and is losing snaps to an ineffective Steven Ridley. Neither are more than RB2/Flex plays as long as they continue to split time and this offense continues to sputter. SELL high when he has a big week, its not worth the headache dealing with BeliTricks.
Matt Asiata, MIN:
I do not understand why fantasy owners love this guy. In two games as a starter, Asiata has failed to eclipse both 40 yards on the ground and 3.0 YPC in either game. Though he has done slightly more damage in the passing game, Asiata is a slow, average-at-best running back that has no business getting the bulk of the carries on any team. If McKinnon was ready to handle pass protection duties, I believe Asiata would already be riding the pine. McKinnon has bundles upon bundles of upside and will start to cut into Asiata’s workload, rendering Asiata almost useless. SELL high to a running back needy owner before McKinnon takes his job and runs with it.
Wide Receiver
Demaryius Thomas, DEN:
If only he had dragons. 13 catches for 141 yards and only one score is not what fantasy owners had in mind when drafting the second receiver off the board this year. Demaryius has struggled to get on the same page with Lord Peyton and has also caught a case of the drops. With Emmanuel Sanders seemingly Peyton’s new favorite, dreams of Demaryius finishing as the top WR in 2014 have quickly dissipated. Its not all bad news though as Peyton has targeted DT an average of nine times per game as well as numerous looks in the redzone. As the Broncos head into their bye week, you can be sure that Peyton will focus on getting back on track with his superstar wideout and get this offense clicking on all cylinders again. BUY low.
Randall Cobb, GB:
The three touchdowns have helped tremendously, but Cobb has yet to eclipse 60 yards or six receptions in any game yet this season. The offensive line has been shaky at best in Green Bay and has forced substandard play from Aaron Rodgers and Eddie Lacy so far this year. Fortunately, the Packers have played three of the best front 7s they will play all year and the running game should improve, allowing Rodgers more time to find his two favorite wideouts in Cobb and Jordy Nelson. Add that to a defense that struggles to stop opposing offense, Rodgers will have to throw more for the rest of the season, allowing Cobb more chances to make plays and put points on the board for fantasy owners. BUY low
Tight End
Jason Witten, DAL:
With the Cowboys passing offense still struggling to hit its stride, the biggest disappointment has been the production of Jason Witten. Witten has seen over 100 targets in every season since 2007 and has consistently been Romo’s second favorite target since they drafted Dez Bryant. This season, Romo has only connected with Witten for 10 catches on 18 targets for a pedestrian 96 yards and no scores while being virtually ignored in the red zone. If this offense improves, Romo will need to start getting Witten more involved, but for some reason, I don’t really see that happening. SELL, his best days are behind him and Romo is no longer laser focused on his BFF.