Believe it or not — and ready or not — we’ve just surpassed the midpoint of the fantasy football regular season.
Somehow we’ve made it with minimal COVID-19 disruption, and we can only hope that continues.
In the meantime, there have been the usual surprises, disappointments, and revealing statistics compiled through seven weeks of action so far, so let’s share a moment to take stock in how fantasy 2020 has played out so far. Following are three surprise players, three disappointing players and a trio of telling stats for each of the four main fantasy positions.
To be considered here, players must have played in a minimum of four games, so that automatically weeds out many of the one-week wonders and myriad players who have been curtailed by injury and weren’t going to be considered for those reasons here in any case.
And, as a general rule, we’re training most of our focus on the top-25 ranked players (average fantasy PPR points per game) and top 25 players selected on average at the four positions in redraft leagues.
That established, here goes, starting with …
Quarterback
Surprises
- Justin Herbert — Many, including the Los Angeles Chargers’ coaching staff in early September, weren’t even planning on the rookie sixth-overall pick playing much in the first half of the season, but here he is — one Tyrod Taylor punctured lung and Herbert five starts later — ranking fourth at the position with an average of 29.8 fantasy points per game. Herbert has thrown for at least 330 yards or had multiple TDs in each of his five starts, including 413 total yards (team-best 66 yards rushing) and four total TDs Sunday.
- Ryan Tannehill — Going by his preseason QB average draft position of 20, most viewed his eye-popping 2019 second-half fantasy run as nothing more than a flash in the pan, but the Tennessee Titans’ quarterback ranks 10th with 25.2 fantasy points per contest and has accounted for 16 total TDs and only two interceptions in six games.
- Derek Carr — The Las Vegas Raiders’ QB was a afterthought in most fantasy drafts with a positional ADP of 25, but he comes out of Week 7, ranking 12th with an average of 23.9 fantasy points — just ahead of some bloke named Lamar Jackson. Carr hasn’t been spectacular, but he’s had at least two scoring passes and 22.1 fantasy points in each of his last five outings.
Disappointments
- Lamar Jackson — Averaging 23.9 fantasy points per outing isn’t all that shabby, but that’s not why you bypassed some talented running backs and wide receivers and drafted a quarterback in the second round. The Baltimore Ravens’ signal caller is getting it done again on the ground (346 yards, 2 TDs) but is averaging only 189.2 passing yards (28th among QBs) and is on pace to throw 27 TD passes after leading the league with 36 a season ago.
- Matt Ryan — The Atlanta Falcons QB was drafted seventh overall at the position this summer, but currently ranks 17th with an average of 22.9 fantasy points. After a hot start, he’s had 20.9 fantasy points or fewer in four of his last five games.
- Daniel Jones — With a QB ADP of 14, big things were expected from the New York Giants’ sophomore, but he ranks 29th with an average of only 17.2 fantasy points. Turnovers have been a killer once again as he had 12 (seven interceptions, five fumbles) in seven games.
Telling stats
- Each of the current top 12 quarterbacks in fantasy scoring has at totaled at least 12.9 points on the ground this season, except one. And that’s No. 8 Aaron Rodgers with 45 yards and no TDs on eight rushes.
- The three QBs with at least 20 total TDs have gotten there via differing routes. The Seattle Sawhawks’ Russell Wilson leads the way with 22 scores, all through the air, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ ageless Tom Brady has 18 passing TDs and two rushing scores and Arizona Cardinals sophomore Kyler Murray has 13 TDs via the air and a position-best seven rushing scores.
- How badly has New England Patriots QB Cam Newton struggled as a passer? A whopping 54.4 of his 110.8 total fantasy points (49.1 percent) in five games have come via his legs (244 rushing yards, 5 TDs). Newton ranks 19th at the position with a 22.2-fantasy point average.
Running back
Surprises
- James Robinson — Undrafted out of FCS Illinois State and unselected in many fantasy drafts (ADP of 55 among RBs), Robinson won the Jacksonville Jaguars’ starting gig in the preseason and ranks sixth at the position with 19.1 fantasy points per contest. He’s tied for fourth among backs with 27 receptions, is third with 225 receiving yards and has reached double digits in fantasy points in each of his seven games while dominating the Jags’ RB touches (85.4 percent)
- Chris Carson — This Seattle stud was limited to only 15 snaps (and 5.1 fantasy points) Sunday night after coming out due to a foot sprain, but he had put up at least 19.8 fantasy points in four of his first five games and still ranks eighth at the position with 17.5 points per outing. Not bad for the 20th overall running back drafted on average this summer.
- Mike Davis — He’s coming off his two worst games (13.5 and 8.6 fantasy points) of the season, but he tallied at least 15.5 points in his first four games while stepping in for the Carolina Panthers’ injured Christian McCaffrey in Week 2. And like CMC, Davis has been a revelation as a pass-catcher, snaring 37-of-41 targets for 233 yards and a pair of TDs.
Disappointments
- Kenyan Drake — Drafted as the 14th running back overall on average, the Cardinals’ Drake is currently 27th with a 12.2-fantasy-point average. A third of his 85.1 fantasy points came in Week 6 against the defenseless Cowboys — his only outing with more than 14.5 points this season — and now he’s dealing with an ankle injury that is expected to sideline him at least a few games.
- Devin Singletary — It isn’t just that the Buffalo Bills’ second-year back is slightly underperforming his No. 26 RB ADP (32nd with 10.3 fantasy points per game), it’s the uninspiring way Singletary has gotten there with only two games with more than 10.3 points, a 3.8-yards-per-carry average and only one TD on 99 total touches.
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire — Sure, the rookie is averaging a solid 15.5 fantasy points with at least 11 in every game and ranks third in RB opportunities (rushes plus targets) with 150, but consider that CEH the only back drafted among the top 10 (seventh overall) at the position who currently ranks outside of the top 12 (19th overall). A lack of TDs (2 in 7 games) has been the biggest issue, and now Le’Veon Bell is in K.C. to cut into the workload.
Telling stats
- New Orleans Saints stud RB Alvin Kamara not only leads all backs with 53 targets and 43 receptions, his position-best 460 receiving yards is nearly double the total of the next closest running back (Davis’ 233 yards).
- Of the nine players tied for the league touchdown lead with seven scores apiece, six are running backs: Derrick Henry (7 rushing), Todd Gurley (7 rushing), Dalvin Cook (7 rushing), Aaron Jones (5 rushing, 2 receiving), Kamara (4 rushing, 3 receiving) and Kareem Hunt (3 rushing, RB-most 4 receiving).
- The league’s two most dynamic running backs in terms of yards per touch — the San Francisco 49ers’ Raheem Mostert (7.3 yards) and Arizona No. 2 back Chase Edmonds (7.4) — have been limited to 62 and 55 touches, respectively, due to health issues (Mostert playing only 24.3 percent of the Niners’ offensive snaps) and role (Edmonds’ 55 touches to Drake’s 126).
Wide receiver
Surprises
- A.J. Brown — This second-year Tennessee wideout has missed two of the Titans’ six games due to a bruised knee, but he’s been a terror since returning in Week 5, totaling 71.3 fantasy points (18 receptions for 293 yards and 4 TDs). Brown, who had a preseason wide receiver ADP of 17, ranks fourth at the position with 20.1-fantasy-point average.
- Robby Anderson — This Carolina offseason signing failed to register on the fantasy radar with his positional ADP of 63, but he’s currently tied for 13th at the position with Tyreek Hill with an average of 16.6 fantasy points. While he only has one scoring grab so far in seven games, Anderson has shown he’s much more than just a deep threat, ranking fifth in receptions (46) on 59 targets and trailing only the Cards’ DeAndre Hopkins (704) with 640 receiving yards.
- Travis Fulgham — With 23 catches for 357 yards and three TDs in four games (seventh among wide receivers with an average of 19.2 fantasy points), this Philly wideout has been one of the waiver-wire finds of the season — in both fantasy and reality. He’s simply been a godsend for an injury-ravaged and underperforming Eagles’ pass-catching corps.
Disappointments
- Odell Beckham Jr. — Sadly, OBJ’s season is now done after suffering a torn ACL Sunday in Cincinnati, but he was already falling well short of his WR ADP of 10 with an average of only 12.3 fantasy points (38th among wideouts) before the injury. And 38.4 of his points, including a 50-yard rushing score, came in one blowup in Week 4 (against the Cowboys, of course).
- Mike Evans — Drafted seventh among wideouts, Evans ranks 30th with a 13.3-fantasy point average. He has snared six scoring passes, but he’s caught only caught 19-of-33 targets in seven games apart from those TDs and his 12.7 yards-per-catch average is down nearly five yards from his 2019 average of 17.3. And just when you think it couldn’t get worse for Evans, Antonio Brown has signed to further muddle the Bucs’ wide receiver mix.
- JuJu Smith-Schuster — JSS, with a WR ADP of 11, leads the Pittsburgh Steelers in targets (42) and receptions (32), but they’ve only amounted to 279 yards (8.7 per catch) and 77.9 fantasy points (13 per game). That ranks him 31st at the position and essentially third on his own team behind rookie Chase Claypool (14.9) and injury-addled sophomore Diontae Johnson (13.0).
Telling stats
- Among wideouts with at least 25 targets, Claypool and fellow rookie Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings are the only pass catchers averaging more than 12.1 yards per target at 13.3 and 14.9, respectively.
- Speaking of productive Vikings wide receivers, veteran Adam Thielen leads the league in red zone efficiency, catching all eight of his targets for a league-most six TDs, according to ProFootballReference.com.
- The Atlanta Falcons’ Calvin Ridley continues to lead the league in total air yards on receptions with 517 (on 40 catches). Among players with at least 20 receptions, only DK Metcalf (15.8), Kenny Golladay (15.0), Darius Slayton (13.4) and Scotty Miller (13.1) are averaging more air yards per catch than Ridley’s 12.9.
Tight end
Surprises
- Jonnu Smith — He’s struggled the last two weeks with a combined two catches for 22 yards while battling an ankle issue, but the Tennessee tight end Titan still ranks fourth at the position with an average of 12.4 fantasy points. He’s also tied for the tight end lead with five scoring grabs.
- T.J. Hockenson — The Detroit Lions tight end is looking like he’ll deliver on his second-year promise as he ranks sixth at the position with 11.9 fantasy points per game. He’s caught a TD pass in four of six contests this season, including the game-winning 11-yard score on the final play Sunday in Atlanta.
- Robert Tonyan — The Green Bay Packers have long been searching for a reliable tight end, and Tonyan just may fill the bill. He’s off to solid start, anyway, despite only 18 total receptions, with touchdown receptions in three of six games, which ties him for the position lead with Smith, Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews.
Disappointments
- Zach Ertz — To no one’s surprise, the Philadelphia Eagles tight end is tied for third at the position with 45 targets but has caught only 24 of them for 178 yards, which ranks 25th among tight ends. Overall, Ertz ranks 23rd with only 8.0 fantasy points per contest and is currently on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain suffered in Week 6.
- Evan Engram — He was the sixth tight end off the board on average in preseason drafts, but he’s the 24th-ranked tight end (7.9 fantasy points per game) coming out of Week 7. He’s averaging a career-low 8.6 yards per catch and is the only current top-30 tight end without a TD grab.
- Austin Hooper — The Cleveland Browns’ offseason acquisition, currently recovering from last week’s appendectomy, was drafted to be a top-12 fantasy tight end, but he currently ranks 22nd with only 8.1 fantasy points per game. And that’s even after putting up double-digit fantasy point performances in his last three contests prior to his surgery.
Telling stats
- Five tight ends — Kelce (56), Darren Waller (56), George Kittle (45), Ertz (45) and Smith (33) — currently lead their respective teams in targets.
- The Miami Dolphins’ Mike Gesicki paces the position in yards per reception (15.6). The Houston Texans’ Darren Fells (14.6) and the Saints’ Jared Cook (14.1) are the only other tight ends averaging more than 14 yards per catch.
- On the flip side, Waller (8.6), Engram (8.6) and Ertz (7.4) are the only tight ends averaging fewer than nine yards per catch.