Fantasy football is basically a stock market. Values rise and fall, become buys or sells. This is our weekly look at players whose values are shifting in fantasy, and what it means.
The fantasy season officially reaches its halfway point in Week 8. So far 2017 has been a year like none other in recent memory with its unpredictability. Remaining fluid in your assessment of players is a crucial trait for owners to possess.
To aide you in your analysis of some recent performances here’s a look at some players on the rise, some sliding down and a couple to keep on the radar.
Rising up
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Playing with a sprained AC joint in his throwing (right) shoulder, Winston turned in his best game of the season on Sunday in a road loss at Buffalo. He was once again aided from playing from behind as he threw a season-high 46 attempts, completing 32 of his passes for 384 yards and three touchdowns.
Aside from his Week 6 outing versus the Cardinals that he left early with the shoulder injury, Winston has had 38 or more attempts in four straight outings. The Bucs’ signal-caller had six deep-ball throws and three end-zone throws and showed no signs of his shoulder causing problems.
Owners were leery to pull the trigger on Winston in Week 7 given the injury issue and the fact the Bills had only allowed two TD passes through five games, but those that did roll him out were rewarded. The schedule eases up in the weeks ahead with matchups with the Panthers, Saints, Jets, and Falcons on tap over the next four weeks.
Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints
For the second straight week without Adrian Peterson eating into his carries, Ingram very much looked the part of an elite RB1. He carried the ball 22 times for 105 yards and a touchdown to go along with four catches on five targets for another five yards.
Alvin Kamara is still a factor and a fantasy asset in his own right, but Ingram is clearly the lead dog for the Saints. He out-touched Kamara 26-14. Both players had runs of 15-plus yards, but Kamara got the only carry inside the 5-yard line.
Over the past two games, only Le’Veon Bell has produced more fantasy points in standard formats and no running back has outscored Ingram in PPR leagues. Expect the Saints to keep leaning on the run game as long as they keep finding success. After starting the season at 0-2, they have now rolled off four straight victories.
Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis Colts
There weren’t many bright spots for the Colts in their 27-0 loss at home to the Jaguars on Sunday, but Mack may have been one of the few. The rookie caught a 34-yard pass on his way to 40 receiving yards and added three more receptions to go along 26 yards on five carries (5.2 YPC).
He had as many touches (9) as Frank Gore did in Week 7. With Robert Turbin (arm) on injured reserve and Frank Gore finally starting to show signs of his age, look for the Colts to give the youngster more looks as their lost season drags on.
Mack is definitely worth adding in most leagues and makes for an intriguing starting option in the week ahead at Cincinnati as six NFL teams are on a bye. His big-play ability offers a high ceiling.
Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle Seahawks
For just the second time this season Baldwin finished with WR1 numbers in Week 7 against the Giants as he pulled in nine of his 12 targets for 92 yards on his way to 24.2 fantasy points.
Before Seattle’s Week 6 bye Baldwin was dealing with a groin injury, but he looked to be near 100 percent following the week of rest. He garnered 31.6 percent of the targets in this game and had four deep-ball targets.
Baldwin has been a bit of a disappointment early on given his high draft-day price, but he’s poised to finish strong. Look for more consistent outputs ahead.
Sliding down
Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons
Ryan couldn’t take advantage of a great matchup Sunday night to break out of his season-long slump. He was the first quarterback in seven games this season who didn’t register 300 passing yards against the Patriots and only the second one to fail to throw multiple TD passes.
The Falcons’ quarterback has struggled mightily in the post-Kyle Shanahan era. He has only passed for more than one touchdown in a game once all season. After passing for 321 yards in the opening week of the season Ryan hasn’t broke 300 yards since, averaging just 253.8 per contest in the other five games.
When you add in Ryan’s lack of ability to run the ball, his fantasy numbers get mediocre quickly. Owners are best served to let the veteran play his way back into their lineup. In shallower leagues, it might be time to explore other options on the waiver wire.
C.J. Anderson, RB, Denver Broncos
The Broncos’ backfield has turned into a huge fantasy headache. Denver’s offense as a whole has been decimated by injuries and that has led to some pedestrian numbers. After starting 2-0, the team has dropped three of its last four games and scored just 36 points during that span.
Game flow has led to Anderson seeing limited attempts in recent weeks. He gained 44 yards on 10 carries in this contest and added a catch for 17 yards. The numbers are a bit misleading though with 33 of his 51 total yards coming on his final three touches. He only ended up with three more touches than Jamaal Charles (8) and six more than Devontae Booker (5).
The math is simple – Denver is 3-0 when Anderson gets 20 or more carries and 0-3 when he doesn’t. Another issue is that he has only scored in one of his six games. The problem is with the way the Broncos are playing the carries aren’t there and that spells trouble.
Ty Montgomery, RB, Green Bay Packers
Life without Aaron Rodgers has led to many Packers seeing their fantasy values plummet. For Montgomery, it may be more about the emergence of Aaron Jones that is causing his stock to drop.
Jones looked the part of a feature back Sunday when we tallied 131 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. He had four times the touches that Montgomery saw (20:5) in the contest.
They both might have been able to be fantasy-worthy in a high-powered, pass-first offense led by Rodgers. However, with the Packers now forced to focus more on the run it only makes sense they’re going to lean on the more traditional running back. Montgomery has a bit more appeal in PPR formats, but even there he’s a bye-week filler at best in his current environment.
Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Allen saw a season-low seven targets against Denver on Sunday and it resulted in his lowest catch output of the year. He finished the day with just three receptions for 41 yards.
The matchup was tough so owners should’ve tempered expectations going in, but despite a steady amount of balls being thrown his way Allen has yet to produce any monster numbers. He’s offering WR2 production in PPR leagues, yet his lack of scoring gives him a low ceiling.
Allen hasn’t made his way into the end zone since Week 1 and has only scored in four of his 16 games over the last three years.
On the radar
Kenny Stills, WR, Miami Dolphins
With DeVante Parker nursing a bad ankle, Stills stepped up for Miami in their comeback win over the Jets as he pulled in six of his nine targets for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
Both of his scores came after backup Matt Moore got in the game. The duo definitely has some chemistry. Stills scored in all three of Moore’s starts in 2016 too. With Jay Cutler (ribs) out for a couple weeks and Parker still hobbling we might see some more Moore-to-Stills scoring strikes ahead.
O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Howard turned in the best game of his short career against the Bills as he caught all six of his targets for 98 yards and two touchdowns. In non-PPR leagues the rookie now sits as the No. 8 TE in fantasy points.
He still finished behind Cameron Brate in both targets and routes run. Howard is definitely worth grabbing in leagues where you carry two tight ends. However, beware as he will be a very volatile starting option when inserted into in your lineup.
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