Category: Fantasy football player trends

Fantasy Football Market Report: Week 9

The most notable risers and fallers heading into Week 9.

As we approach the midway point of the season, there are some anomalies that are hard to wrap your head around.

Who would have guessed that the 10 passing yardage leaders would include Matt Ryan (who was permanently benched before last week), Geno Smith and Jared Goff (in seven games)?

Who would have imagined that Geno Smith would have accounted for more touchdowns than Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers?

Who would have projected that Khalil Herbert would be tied for seventh in rushing yards?

Who could have forecast that Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson would combine for 121 receptions for 1,713 yards but scored just four touchdowns?

Who would have bet that the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be a combined 9-14 record, the teams of the NFC East would be a combined 23-8, and their fantasy players would be as if not more valued than the established top dogs of the conference?

Believe it. That’s what the first half of 2022 has brought us so far.

Here is the Week 9 Fantasy Football Market Report.

Fantasy Football Market Report: Week 8

Notable fantasy football trends heading into Week 8.

It’s bad enough for fantasy football owners when one of their key players is injured or not playing well. It’s much more of an issue when that player is a quarterback and two first-ballot Hall of Famers are on the wrong side of history at the moment.

It’s hard to imagine that seven weeks into the season, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are both sitting with records of 3-4, but harder to fathom is how poorly they’re playing from the fantasy perspective – where wins and losses don’t matter.

Neither one brings much value as a runner, so they earn their fantasy chops through the air. Through seven games, Rodgers has accounted for just 11 touchdowns (all throwing) and is averaging 228 passing yards a game. Brady is even worse. He is averaging 277 passing yards a game but has just eight TD passes in seven games.

For the purpose of comparison, seven games into last season, Rodgers was averaging 244 yards a game with 17 TDs (15 passing, two rushing), while Brady was averaging 325 yards a game with 22 TDs (21 passing, one rushing).

The problem with both is that fantasy owners who have their receivers are also suffering without even having Brady or Rodgers on their rosters. There is still time to turn things around, but, at the moment, the G.O.A.T. and the two-time defending MVP are both playing like hot garbage.

Here is the Week 8 Fantasy Football Market Report.

Fantasy Football Market Report: Week 7

Fantasy football risers and fallers entering Week 7.

We’re only six weeks into the 2022 season, and it’s already become bizarro world for quarterbacks.

Retreads Geno Smith and Marcus Mariota are getting a chance to replace franchise legends – and have the same win-loss record as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford. P.J. Walker is the starter in Carolina after two former No. 1 overall picks fought it out in training camp prior to suffering injuries. Jacoby Brissett is holding down the fort in Cleveland.

Cooper Rush is 4-1 replacing Dak Prescott in Dallas. Miami has started three different quarterbacks the last three weeks and all three have been injured. Bailey Zappe is creating a QB controversy in New England. Mitch Trubisky won, lost and then regained his starting job in Pittsburgh. The Trey Lance era was derailed after five quarters.

At a time when franchise quarterbacks are at a premium for fantasy owners, a lot of teams are playing without them – and we’re only a third of the way through the season.

Here is the Week 7 Fantasy Football Market Report:

Fantasy Football Market Report: Week 6

The key risers and fallers entering fantasy football Week 6.

The 2022 season may be teaching us why running backs – the investment requirement for fantasy football – is becoming a throwaway position in the NFL.

When you look at the leading rushers through five games, there is a real chance one lucky fantasy owner could have five of them. How early were people willing to take Nick Chubb (No. 1 in rushing yards) or Saquon Barkley (No. 2)? When did Miles Sanders (No. 3) or Dameon Pierce (No. 4) come off the board? How late in the draft could you get Jeff Wilson Jr. (No. 7), Rhamondre Stevenson (No. 10), Jamaal Williams (No. 14) or Khalil Herbert (No. 15)?

As hard as it might be for longtime fantasy players to accept, the initial flurry of running backs that historically starts draft day may be coming to an end, because there is talent to be had later that will produce just as well for those who play their cards right.

Here is the Week 6 Fantasy Market Report:

Fantasy Football Market Report: Week 5

The most important risers and fallers in fantasy football.

One of the aspects of fantasy football that never fails to amaze me is when fantasy owners don’t take into account bye weeks. Week 5 will be the last time in a long time that every player on most rosters will be available.

Injuries do their part to gut fantasy rosters, so players who had no draft-day intention of being in the starting lineup are there more weeks than not. Bye weeks are a meaningless gutting – those guys are healthy, just not playing.

There will be eight weeks in which at least two and as many as six teams will be on bye. If you’re a seasoned fantasy player, you probably paid attention to the bye weeks as you were assembling a draft/auction roster, but a lot has happened since then.

A week from now it will dawn on some casual players that the bye weeks have started. You can be ahead of that curve and prepare for it now. If you see a week that will be rough, make a trade to diversify your roster. There will be someone in your league who effectively forfeits a week because too many key players are on their bye. Don’t let that be you.

Here is the Week 5 Fantasy Football Market Report:

Fantasy Football Market Report: Week 3

Addressing key risers and fallers heading into Week 3.

One of the things fantasy football players learn with experience is that sometimes having the teams your players are on are getting clubbed early in their games can be a positive.

I call it the “Romo Rule.” From the fantasy perspective, the best thing that could happen if you had Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was for Dallas to fall behind by 14 points early. Invariably, Romo would abandon the run, throw 50 times, and post eye-popping numbers.

Last Sunday, we saw the Romo Rule explode. In Baltimore, Tua Tagovailoa had 150 passing yards and one touchdown at halftime trailing 28-7. In the second half, he threw for 319 yards and five TDs.

In Detroit, at halftime Carson Wentz had 59 passing yards and no touchdowns with the Washington Commanders trailing 22-0. In the second half, he threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns.

In Las Vegas, at halftime Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray had thrown for 53 yards with no touchdowns and an interception – trailing the Raiders 20-0. After halftime, he threw for 224 yards with a passing and a rushing touchdown.

The next time a team falls down by 20, don’t necessarily consider all is lost. Romo made a career of inflating his stats in early blowout games. If Week 2 taught us anything, the Romo Rule may be in play a lot more.

Here is the Week 3 Fantasy Market Report.

Fantasy Football Market Report: Week 2

The most important risers and fallers entering Week 2.

It is amazing how an injury to one player can impact numerous fantasy football rosters. On Sunday night of Week 1, one such injury changed the landscape of the NFC East in general and the Dallas Cowboys in particular.

It has become common practice in the NFL for a team to save money by having a journeyman backup and pray their starter doesn’t get injured. For the Cowboys and QB Dak Prescott, that prayer went unanswered.

Prescott had surgery Monday to repair his throwing thumb with a six- to eight-week timetable for his return.

There were questions surrounding the fantasy stock of Cowboys players before Prescott went down after the team traded Amari Cooper and lost Michael Gallup and James Washington to injury.

Now, everyone’s value on the team comes into question. If the organization decides to go with backup Cooper Rush, who is a backup for a reason, what is CeeDee Lamb’s value? If defenses don’t have to respect the pass, what does that do to the value of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard in the run game?

Even the Cowboys kicker is rendered moot.

It’s difficult to believe that one player can make that much of a difference to so many others, but the Cowboys may be dead in the water one game into the season – much to the delight of fans who don’t like the self-proclaimed America’s Team. For fantasy owners, the loss could have devastating implications.

Here is the Week 2 Fantasy Football Market Report.

Fantasy Football Market Report: Week 18

Trending in the right and wrong directions to close out the 2021 season.

The 2021 season has been one of the most frustrating in the history of fantasy football. COVID-19 had an impact last season in terms of forcing games to be shifted from one week to another and messing with lineups, but the NFL made it clear prior to the start of this season that, while there could be flexibility within a week to switch games (Tuesday Night Football was a thing again this year), if you had an outbreak, it would be on the individual organizations to play. This time around, the show must go on.

The balance of power shifted completely as outbreaks hit teams. Quarterbacks who had never started before made starts. Entire position rooms went down – it’s hard to win you start your third left tackle or fifth defensive end or cornerback.

Hopefully, by the beginning of the 2022 season, this global nightmare will finally be behind us, but a lot of fantasy owners have seen their seasons come to an abrupt end due to COVID. For those who weren’t able to dodge the loss of key players at key time, just know you weren’t alone.

Here is the Week 18 Fantasy Market Report:

Fantasy Football Risers

RB Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers

Mitchell isn’t a surprise riser – he’s posted five 100-yard rushing games – but in his last four games has become a workhorse like no other back in the league. In those four games, he has 97 carries for 399 yards and has scored three touchdowns. If the 49ers get into the playoffs, which is a distinct possibility, if they’re able to control the ground game like they have with Mitchell, the 49ers will be a hard out in the postseason.

TE Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

There is always discussion about who will fill out the Tight End Mount Rushmore along with Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Darren Waller – the accepted Big 3. Andrews has always been in consideration to be the fourth guy, but he has really stepped it up, especially in the last month. He has 99 catches for 1,276 yards and nine touchdowns, including five 100-yard games, but in the last month he may have cemented his spot. In his last four games, he has caught 35 passes for 465 yards and three touchdowns – planting his Mount Rushmore flag for next season.

WR Cyril Grayson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A guy who didn’t play college football, he only has 10 receptions, but has gained 212 yards, including a 62-yard catch and touchdown receptions of 33 and 50 yards. With Chris Godwin out due to injury and Antonio Brown gone altogether, somebody has to step up, and Grayson may well be that speed option by default. Tom Brady has a history of turning receivers into fantasy darlings, and Grayson could be the next in a long line of them.

RB Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

Ekeler is a guy who is in fantasy lineups almost every week because he’s a poor man’s Alvin Kamara – or at least he was. He has just one 100-yard rushing game and hasn’t hit 70 receiving yards in a game, but it’s the body of work that matters here. He has scored 18 touchdowns (11 rushing, seven receiving), has a touchdown in each of his last six games and, over that six-game span, he has scored nine TDs. If you had Ekeler and didn’t win a fantasy championship, it wasn’t his fault. He gave you what you needed to be successful.

WR Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans

Cooks has become a very poor man’s Davante Adams. Everyone knows the ball is coming his way, but he didn’t have Aaron Rodgers throwing it to him. He has 130 targets (next highest on the Texans is 53). He has 87 receptions (next highest is 30). He has 1,011 yards (next highest is 379). He has six TD receptions (next highest is three). When most would give up on him, over his last three games, he has 22 receptions for 269 yards and three touchdowns – stepping up for those who showed faith.

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Fantasy Football Fallers

QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

His fantasy contribution as a rusher is negligible. What you get from him is passing yards and garbage-time touchdowns. That hasn’t happened this year, and it has gotten worse as time has gone by. The Falcons didn’t get in the QB run at the start of the draft and were willing to ride it out with Ryan – known for 300-yard games is losses. In his last eight games, he not only doesn’t have a single 300-yard passing game, Ryan has been under 200 in five of them, hasn’t thrown more than one touchdown in any game, and has no touchdown passes in four contests. Those are the kind of stat lines you get from COVID replacements, not a guy who is a borderline Hall of Fame candidate.

RB Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

He has been on this list before, but it has been because the expectations of a player of Elliott’s stature are pronounced. Unlike other running back disappointments, he has played in every game and never got benched in fantasy lineups. Scoring 12 touchdowns is great, but it has come with a price for a top-five pick. He has caught 46 passes, but they have gone for just 284 yards. He has 25 or fewer receiving yards in 13 games. What makes it an issue is that, in his last 10 games, his high for rushing yards is 52. Still in the heavy-lifting portion of his contract, this hasn’t been acceptable for some time. His stock for next year has a floor for the first time.

QB Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts

Fantasy football doesn’t care if you win or lose. Guys like Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford have become fantasy gods by having a brutal defense that provides fluffed numbers late in games (the Roethlisberger Effect). Wentz has a reputation for being capable of posting solid numbers. In his first nine games, he threw two or more touchdowns in seven of them and found his way into a lot of fantasy lineups. In his last seven games, he has one or no TDs and has thrown for 180 or fewer yards in five of them. Those who bought in during the first half of the season have been forced to rethink their position. While his team has been successful, he has stunk out loud from the fantasy perspective.

WR D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers

When the season started, it seemed like a lot of the same with Moore. Through his first four games, Moore caught 30 passes for 398 yards and three touchdowns. That was when things were good. In 12 games, he has caught 56 passes for 672 yards and one touchdown. As bad as things have been, even those averages are above his last three games – 14 catches for 132 yards and no touchdowns. Moore was brought onto fantasy rosters with the knowledge that he was going to have issues at quarterback. But, he has had that before and thrived. This time around? Not so much.

QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Lawrence came in with the can’t-miss franchise tag of a “can’t miss” prospect – the best since Andrew Luck, many postulated. In his first game, he threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns and the expectations suddenly went off the hook. In the 15 games since, he has thrown just seven touchdowns (with 14 interceptions) and has thrown for fewer than 230 yards in 11 of them. In his last 11 games, he has accounted for just four touchdowns. It’s not his fault that the Jaguars are extremely limited talent-wise, but four touchdowns in 11 games is something you expect from a marginal tight end, not the No. 1 overall pick.

Fantasy Football Market Report: Week 17

Fantasy football risers and fallers entering Week 17.

With many fantasy football leagues have their championship games this weekend, it’s amazing how many seasons have been devastated by COVID-19. Last year, the balance of power was tipped by the lack of crowds. This year, teams have been forced to play practice squad players and street signees to field rosters due to in-house outbreaks.

In 2020, when significant outbreaks hit teams, games were shifted – sometimes to dates weeks later than the originally scheduled games. This year, the biggest shift has been pushing games to Monday or Tuesday of the same week of games and putting lineups on the field that can be without numerous starters.

It would be unfortunate for a fantasy team to lose its chance to win a championship because of COVID outbreaks. If there is any solace, real NFL teams are finding themselves in the same boat as they try to make the playoffs with a third-string quarterback or without three or four offensive linemen or their entire starting secondary. Hopefully by next season, this two-year nightmare will be over and we can get back to football as we remember it.

Here is the Week 17 Fantasy Market Report:

Fantasy Football Risers

RB Sony Michel, Los Angeles Rams

There’s an old adage (lie) that says a player doesn’t lose his job due to injury. Michel is proof of that. In the first weekend in December, starter Darrell Henderson had missed one game. In that game back in Week 3, Michel ran 20 times. Over the next eight games when Henderson returned, Michel averaged just less than six carries a game. The Rams made the switch four games ago and, in that span, Michel has 89 carries for 423 yards and two touchdowns and looks to be a focus of the offense moving forward.

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

A fourth-round rookie, few receivers have been hotter than St. Brown over the last month. He has quietly caught 74 passes this season and has been doing his most damage over the in December (so much for the rookie wall). In his last four games, he has been targeted 46 times, catching 35 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns, which should significantly elevate his stock heading into the offseason for a team in search of a No. 1 wide receiver after losing their top guys last year.

RB Damien Harris, New England Patriots

For a team that typically doesn’t have a single dominant back, Harris has become that guy for the Patriots. Despite missing two games due to injury, he has five 100-yard rushing games, including his last two – both against Buffalo, rushing 28 times for 214 yards and four touchdowns. Over his last nine games, he has scored 11 rushing TDs and made himself a must-play fantasy back. The Patriots have a time-honored history of mixing and matching running backs, but Harris would appear to be breaking that mold.

WR Antonio Brown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After the shocking fake COVID vaccination card debacle, there were questions as to whether Brown would ever play for the Bucs again. However, injuries have changed the coaching mindset for the Buccaneers offense with the team’s top two receiver in terms of receptions – Chris Godwin and Leonard Fournette – out for the season and Mike Evans sidelined with a hamstring injury. Brown has played in only six games but has caught five or more passes in five of them and has seven or more receptions in each of his last four games. AB has 93 or more receiving yards in four of them and has scored four touchdowns. He has a rapport with Tom Brady, and his numbers are Pro Bowl-worthy if extrapolated over a 17-game season (111 receptions for 1,471 yards and 11 touchdowns). He may not be a long-term answer in Tampa, but he’s putting up strong numbers.

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RB Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks

Penny has been a career disappointment after being taken with as a first-round pick in 2018. The team declined his fifth-year option in the spring and, when Chris Carson went down with injury, Seattle didn’t turn to Penny. Instead, they turned to Alex Collins and then to Adrian Peterson (for one game). Over the last month, Penny has got his chance to be the main man, and he has responded. In his last three games, he has 135 or more rushing yards in two of them and has scored three touchdowns. Whether he’s stating his case to return to Seattle or go as a free agent somewhere else, he has finally had his opportunity and is making the most of it.

Fantasy Football Fallers

WR Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens

Hollywood is known for his big-play ability, but he has become such a non-factor in the Ravens offense that has become little more than a Check-down Charlie. In his first eight games, he had 80 or more receiving yards in four games and scored six touchdowns, including TDs of 42, 43 and 49 yards. In his last six games, he has caught 39 passes, but they have gone for just 271 yards – a miserable 6.9-yard average. He has just one catch of more than 15 yards in that span, no games with more than 55 receiving yards and no touchdowns. Granted, the Ravens have had issues at quarterback, but it hasn’t hurt guys like Mark Andrews, despite killing Brown’s fantasy value.

RB Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

Sanders was drafted to be a RB1 in every fantasy format there is, but he has been a lineup liability to every fantasy owner who has him. In the 12 games he has played, he has fewer than 65 yards rushing in eight of them, is averaging just two catches a game for 12 yards, and has yet to score a touchdown. He has a broken bone in his hand, which will sideline him, but that could actually be a bonus for fantasy owners in their championship games, because they can replace him with somebody who may actually score a touchdown.

WR Emmanuel Sanders, Buffalo Bills

Sanders has always been a popular player to have on fantasy rosters because he has been productive wherever he played, including Pittsburgh, Denver, San Francisco and New Orleans. Coming to Buffalo, big things were expected given what Josh Allen had accomplished in 2020. After a strong start, Sanders has all but disappeared. In his last six games, his receiving yardage totals have been 27, 26, 28, 22, 25 and 20 and he hasn’t scored a touchdown in his last nine games. He has become such a non-factor that he has rendered himself useless in most fantasy lineups, if not all of them.

QB Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders

Carr’s selling point was massive yardage games and a ton of multi-touchdowns games. But, in 2021, he hasn’t thrown more than two touchdown passes in any game, hasn’t thrown more than one touchdown in his last six games (five total in those six games) and has thrown for fewer than 265 yards in six of his last seven games. Seeing as he gives you nothing as a runner, his only value is as a passer and he isn’t living up to that end of the bargain.

WR Julio Jones, Tennessee Titans

Jones was acquired for huge money ($23 million over two years) with the expectation of being the All-World wide receiver that will make him a Hall of Fame player. But, he has been an unqualified bust with the Titans. In the nine games he has played, he has just 26 receptions (2.9 a game) for 376 yards (41.8 yards per game) and has no touchdowns. Since missing three games due to injury, in the three games since he has come back, he has caught just five passes for 40 yards and is tied for sixth in receiving yards on his own team. He’s been an elite receiver for years, but there is no way Tennessee brings him back for more than $11 million next year.

Fantasy Football Market Report: Week 16

Risers and fallers of the late-stage fantasy football season

At the start of the 2021 season, I made the bold prediction that I thought all four teams in the NFC West had the potential to finish the season with winning records, which is why I was bullish on drafting fantasy players from the division. Barring the Seattle Seahawks running the table, that isn’t going to happen, but another division has stepped up to live out the big talk I had for the NFC West.

The AFC North has found itself in a situation where all four teams control their own destiny to win the division and make the playoffs in the final three games. All four teams have looked dominant at times and awful at others, but their fantasy players are all filling up playoff lineups. When you’re fighting for a fantasy championship you need to have all your players in games that mean something. It would appear every game the teams from the AFC North play from here on through are going to have playoff implications, which is all fantasy owners can ask for with titles on the line.

Here is the Week 16 Fantasy Football Market Report:

Fantasy Football Risers

RB D’Onta Foreman, Tennessee Titans

When the Titans lost Derrick Henry, the organization’s first idea was to dust off Adrian Peterson. After three weeks, they gave up on that theory and went to Plan B. Foreman was signed in the days after Henry went down and, over the last three games, he has looked a little like the franchise – and played like him as well. In those three games, he has rushed 54 times for 264 yards and a touchdown – topping 100 yards in two of them and scoring a TD in the other. He won’t make fantasy owners forget Henry, but he likely won’t be a journeyman after this season.

WR Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have been an offense in transition. Future Hall of Famer Julio Jones was allowed to leave. Calvin Ridley left the team for personal issues. All-World Kyle Pitts has been up and down. The most consistent player over the last month has been Gage. He has help keep the Falcons’ dim playoff hopes alive over the last four games, catching 29 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns. He has become a go-to flex option and still is affordable in daily play as he makes his case moving forward on a Falcons team in transition.

RB Craig Reynolds, Detroit Lions

You don’t look to Detroit for fantasy players, especially in the playoffs, but Reynolds is making the most of his opportunity. The Lions are his fourth team in three years, and he has been little more than a practice squad live body. But with D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams both down, he has been thrust into the mix against a pair of good defenses (Denver and Arizona). He has responded with 37 carries for 195 yards. Like Foreman and Gage, Reynolds is making his statement to his current team and the rest of the league that he has the skills to be a factor in the NFL.

QB Mac Jones, New England Patriots

The rookie QB hasn’t been flashy and doesn’t bring a lot in the run game, but he has started putting together some solid fantasy numbers. In huge games with playoff implications against the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts, he has thrown for seven touchdowns and, in the last two of those games, he has 310 and 299 passing yards. They aren’t the kind of numbers that have him in fantasy playoff lineups, but his stock is on the rise heading into 2022.

RB Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys

The time share between Ezekiel Elliott and Pollard is getting less all the time. Pollard has 119 carries to Zeke’s 201, but Pollard’s rushing average (5.7 yards) is 1.4 more than Elliott’s (4.3), and he had a better rushing average in eight of the last nine games both have played. Anyone who has Elliott isn’t going to bench him, but the Cowboys are consistently getting more yardage out of Pollard. As games increase in importance, he may be seeing even time as the Cowboys season gets more intense and impactful with each coming week.

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Fantasy Football Fallers

WR Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys

Few players run as hot and cold as Cooper. Over the last seven games, he has played in five of them and, in those games, he has just 15 catches for 188 yards and one touchdown. An average of three catches for 37 yards over five games (technically seven) isn’t what fantasy owners bought into, and there has to be legitimate concern about continuing to play him with a fantasy season on the line.

QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

With all the weapons Burrow has, huge numbers are expected every week. Over his last six games, he has accounted for just eight touchdowns (six passing, two rushing) and has thrown for 190 yards or less in three of his last five games. Considering that he never had fewer than two touchdowns in his first eight games and 20 TD passes in those contests, his drop-off has been pronounced. He isn’t the must-start player he was the first half of the season.

WR Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers

Through his first five games of the season, Williams was averaging 95 yards and scored six touchdowns, making him one of the breakthrough players of the early season. However, in his last nine games, he has more than 61 receiving yards just twice, less than 50 yards in five of them, and has scored just one touchdown. The Chargers offense has been lighting things up, but Williams hasn’t been a part of it enough to warrant staying in fantasy lineups.

TE Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins

It’s been the tale of two seasons for Gesicki. He is among a growing number of fantasy tight ends those of whom without one of the Big 3 are looking to step up and make a statement to be a TE that plays every week. Over his first seven games, Gesicki had three games with 85 or more receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. Over his last seven games, he has fallen flat, registering 54 or fewer receiving yards in every game and scoring no touchdowns. Considering Miami has gone a six-game winning streak in that stretch, it has become apparent that the Dolphins don’t need Gesicki to come up big for them to win.

WR Kenny Golladay, New York Giants

The fact Golladay hasn’t scored a touchdown for the Giants after signing a big free-agent contract is bad enough, but his production has completely flat-lined. In his first four games, he was productive, catching 17 passes for 282 yards. In his last seven games, he has caught just 14 passes for 195 yards and no TDs – an average of just two catches for 28 yards a game, which not only will get you benched on a fantasy team, it will get you waived.