Quick PSA before I get to the Week 6 Fallers. Please check out the Fantasy Knuckleheads podcast on daily fantasy every Tuesday and Thursday at 10pm EST. You can watch live if you subscribe to Mark Milano on Youtube or you can follow me on Twitter (@AlexHanowitz) for the link when each show starts. I will also be hosting Q&A sessions after each podcast at around 11:30pm EST. That link will be accessible from my Twitter page and will be posted in the comments section of the podcast on Mark's Youtube page when we finish airing. Now on to Week 6 Fallers!
Quarterback
Matt Stafford, DET:
Other than a superb performance in Week 1 against the Giants, Stafford has not been able to find consistency, failing to eclipse either the 300-yard mark (not including week 1) or throwing for three touchdowns in any game this year. The injuries to Calvin Johnson, Reggie Bush and Joique Bell have brought a lot of adversity to the Detroit offense and he has not been able to get on the same page with the rest of his weapons consistently apart from Golden Tate. Add in the fact that Stafford has only attempted more than 40 passes just once this year and Stafford becomes an extremely risky option until his weapons are healthy. HOLD if you own him and consider BUY low if you don’t. He might struggle while his weapons are ailing, but his matchups in Weeks 14-16 are a major plus, especially if this offense gets healthy.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, HOU:
Coming into the season, there were many of those (myself included) that believed Fitzpatrick was in the best position of his career to date with weapons he has never had the opportunity to play with. A run game led by a great o-line and a receiving corps led by one of the best receivers of our generation in Andre Johnson and the new kid on the block DeAndre Hopkins. Unfortunately, what has made Fitzpatrick turn into FitzMagic in the past is not what this Texans offense needs for a successful passing attack. Fitzpatrick succeeded in the past with limited help in the running game in addition to being down by large margins seemingly ever game, allowing his passing volume to create fantastic fantasy scores. With Arian Foster running like a man possessed all over again, Fitz has been relied upon far less than he has in the past, limiting his opportunities and need to march down the field all at once. Without that volume, the magic has worn off and made Fitzpatrick a bottom of the barrel QB with limited upside. SELL, you can probably still trade him in two-QB leagues for a nice piece or try to swap him with another asset for an upgrade.
Running Back
Reggie Bush, DET:
I try not to add players that have gotten hurt to my Fallers list, but Reggie Bush was absolutely dismal being “the guy” on Sunday even before he got hurt. Reggie was primed to explode given the opportunity presented to him with Joique Bell out with a concussion, but he let down his owners to the tune of six carries for just 13 yards and hauled in just two of his five targets for 30 yards before injuring his ankle and leaving the game. One year removed from a top-10 RB season, Bush has just one touchdown so far this year and is averaging just over 60 total yards per game. Though the 20 catches make Bush more reliable in PPR formats, he is nothing more than an inconsistent, high-upside RB2 in PPR leagues and an even riskier RB2/Flex play in standard leagues until he shows us otherwise. SELL if a running-back needy team wants to overpay for him, but you’ll likely have to HOLD and pray for better days.
Chris Johnson, NYJ:
If not for his two touchdowns, CJ2K would not have cracked 10 points in any week thus far including 3 performances of less than five points even in full PPR leagues. To say Johnson has been dismal would be a vas understatement as he has yet to find lanes in the running game or space to run in the passing game. Chris Ivory has been far and above the better back and even Bilal Powell has shown better running and catching ability in his limited time this year. The dreams of CJ2K breaking huge plays in a true ground and pound offense have all but evaporated and he could soon be discarded as his ineffectiveness continues. SELL, his best days are multiple years behind him and effectiveness is laughable.
Wide Receiver
Michael Floyd, ARI:
For the second time this season, Floyd was held to just one catch while trying to establish chemistry with a quarterback he is unfamiliar with. I, like many other Floyd owners, was expecting big things from the Notre Dame product coming into his third year, but they have yet to materialize. Fortunately, in his other two games, Floyd has gone for over 110 yards in each with two different quarterbacks. Obviously if Palmer comes back Floyd’s value will skyrocket again, but if he can’t, look for Floyd to still get himself involved after a full week of work with Logan Thomas (provided Stanton can’t go either). This is one of the best BUY low opportunities there will be all year because once Palmer comes back, Floyd could push WR1 numbers for the rest of the year.
Michael Crabtree, SF:
Apart from two great games in weeks 2 and 3, Crabtree has struggled mightily this season to establish consistency with Kaepernick. In week 5, Crabtree played on less than 60% of the offensive snaps and caught just one of his four targets for 16 yards. To make matters worse, Crabtree’s foot injury, that he’s had issues with for a long period of time, seems to be more serious than he or the 49ers are letting on. SELL, his upside is tantalizing, but the injury concerns and overall inconsistencies have me extremely worried about his prospects for the remainder of the year.
Tight End
Larry Donnell, NYG:
After shredding the Redskins for three scores, Donnell came crashing down to earth with a big fat goose egg against the Falcons. Though the Falcons have a leaky defense, they have actually been quite impressive against tight ends this season and they keyed on Donnell from the get go. The fact that Atlanta made it a point to remove Donnell from the outcome of the game is very encouraging considering almost no one knew he who was before Week 1. As Eli continues to improve in Ben McAdoo’s system and Odell Beckham Jr. finally back in the mix, the Giants passing game should open up for everyone as they look to make it back into the playoffs. BUY low, goose eggs are bad and owners may be looking to move him, but you know better because Eli loves his security blanket.
Zach Ertz, PHI:
One of the more frustrating situations in fantasy football this season is the continued misuse of one of the most freakishly talented tight ends in the game in Zach Ertz. Ertz is easily the second best receiving option in Philly but is not being treated as such and has been neglected in the redzone where he has thrived in the past. Ertz is simply too good to continue to post games with less than five catches and less than 50 yards and Chip Kelly knows it. BUY low, all Ertz needs is one big game for him to establish more trust with Foles and to increase his looks going forward.