Fantasy Football: 5 Biggest Letdowns Through Week 2
Which five players have been the biggest fantasy football disappointments through the first two weeks of the 2016 NFL season?
Through two weeks, fantasy football players can’t be too sure which players will turn their seasons around and which players will continue their struggles through two weeks.
Using the waiver wire effectively can certainly be an effective strategy in fantasy football. But for every surprise player picked up on waivers, a disappointment is released. Knowing when to cut ties with a player who has struggled to put up fantasy football points is tricky. And it sometimes just depends on who is available in the league’s waiver pool.
But we’re not talking about waiver pickups here. Instead, we take a look at five players who have been huge letdowns to fantasy owners through Week 2. These players can get back on track after struggling through two weeks. Maybe matchups or the structure of the offense has played into their struggles more than an actual lack of talent.
As any seasoned fantasy player knows, it’s about what players do in the fantasy playoffs that counts the most—even if you still need to notch enough regular season wins to get there in the first place.
Sep 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) runs against Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) during the second half of a NFL game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Todd Gurley, RB –- Los Angeles Rams
In 2015, the Rams had the worst passing offense in the NFL. They are well on their way to a repeat performance in 2016. Regardless of who starts at quarterback for the Rams, this passing attack is doomed to fail. So far, Kenny Britt has been the team’s only capable wide receiver, as Tavon Austin has disappeared after signing an overly optimistic contract following his career-year in 2015.
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Todd Gurley is by far the best player on the Rams offense and it’s almost sad how wide the gap is. Defenses know they can sell out against the run because Case Keenum sure as heck won’t win games on his own. Through two weeks, the Rams have scored just nine points. Yet they are 1-1 after a great defensive game against the struggling Seattle Seahawks.
Expected to carry the load for the Rams offense, Gurley has done nothing of note. After carrying the ball 17 times for just 47 yards against the San Francisco 49ers, Gurley was just as bad against Seattle with 19 carries for 51 yards.
There is no question of talent with Gurley. Rather, the issues lie in the talent around him. The Rams offensive line continues to be an embarrassment to run blocking, perhaps only matched by the Minnesota Vikings ineptitude on the ground this season. Meanwhile, the Rams passing game concerns are well-documented and that surely won’t get markedly better.
Fantasy owners will have to hope that Gurley can break a few big runs with his natural talent. The volume will be there, but unless this offensive line steps up, the efficiency won’t. And as long as the Rams passing attack stinks, the red zone touchdown opportunities for Gurley will be limited.
Sep 11, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Coby Fleener (82) catches the ball prior to the game against the Oakland Raiders at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Coby Fleener, TE –- New Orleans Saints
Before the season, I pounded the table hard for Coby Fleener simply because I saw boatloads of potential for the former Indianapolis Colts starting tight end. The New Orleans Saints offense is almost as tight end-friendly as it gets. Benjamin Watson became breathing evidence of that after producing a monster 2015 campaign.
Fleener was given eight opportunities to shine in Sunday’s loss to the New York Giants, but the man could only come up with two receptions. He’s had drops and miscommunications with Brees, worsened by his frustrating mental errors. Fleener doesn’t seem to get the Saints offense and he and Brees do not appear to be on the same page.
With three catches on 12 targets through two games, Fleener has been a 3.5-fantasy point dud thus far. However, there is good news. If his struggles are about familiarity in the offense, then those can be rectified with time. Additionally, Fleener should get more red zone looks at some point. Good old touchdowns in the Saints offense can help remedy inefficient catch rates quite well.
Sep 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver John Brown (12) drops a pass during the second half against the New England Patriots at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
John Brown, WR –- Arizona Cardinals
Fantasy owners who listened to Matt Harmon’s advice before the 2015 season and drafted John Brown reaped plenty of rewards. The second-best receiver on the Arizona Cardinals, Brown caught 65 passes for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns. A model of efficiency, Brown looked like he was on his way to being one of the NFL’s premier playmakers.
After struggling with a brain injury in August, Brown has found it hard to generate that same momentum to start the 2016 season. The Cardinals dropped 40 on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past week, yet Brown caught just one pass on three targets for 14 yards.
Instead of being the Cardinals most prominent playmaker in the passing game, he’s watched Jaron Brown soak up more big plays. John Brown has been almost an afterthought in the Cardinals offense, and he hasn’t exactly made the most of his targets with a 28.6 percent catch rate.
At this point, we can only say that this is small sample-size, because we never saw Brown struggle for an extended period of time in the first two years of his career.
Sep 18, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate (15) is unable to make a catch during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Ford Field. Tennessee won 16-15. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Golden Tate, WR – Detroit Lions
When given the option to draft either Golden Tate or Marvin Jones in fantasy drafts, Jones fans are surely gloating after the man’s 100-yard outburst against the Tennessee Titans.
Just like last year, the Lions are using Golden Tate in a way that inflates Matthew Stafford‘s completion percentage further. Okay, that’s not a fair way to describe Tate’s role, but it’s in-effect of what’s happening. Jim Bob Cooter and the Lions want to minimize Stafford’s mistakes and move the chains. So they’ve turned a well-rounded, top-quality wide receiver into a specialized chain-mover underneath.
After catching 99 passes for over 1,300 yards in his first season with the Lions, Tate caught just 90 passes for 813 in 2015, averaging nine yards per reception. Through two weeks, Tate sits at nine receptions for 54 yards or six yards per catch. All of those numbers will rise, but by how much? Tate is becoming a better real-life receiver than he is in fantasy—a designation he once held as a member of the Seattle Seahawks.
Sep 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks to pass against the Los Angeles Rams during a NFL game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Russell Wilson, QB – Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks offense was supposed to expand on its success at the end of the 2015 regular season, featuring Russell Wilson slinging the ball all over the place. With a healthy Paul Richardson and Jimmy Graham, the Seahawks were supposed to be even stronger in 2016, adding those two pass-catchers to the rising trio of Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, and Jermaine Kearse.
Instead, the Seahawks offense has struggled badly in a 1-1 start, recently mustering just three points in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Carson Wentz, Dak Prescott, Alex Smith, Tyrod Taylor, and Brock Osweiler have all outscored Russell Wilson, who is 70th in fantasy points on FanDuel. That’s even worse than Eddie Royal.
Wilson and the Seahawks offense could do nothing against the Miami Dolphins and Rams defenses, yet Jimmy Garoppolo and Blaine Gabbert had no issues tearing those two units apart.
The Seahawks offensive line woes bite them hard each week it seems. But bad luck bites just as hard and has been a factor working against Seattle, too. Many of their drives have started inside the 20, and this is a trend that is extremely unlikely to continue.