The Fantasy Football Panic Meter
After a rough week 1 for many fantasy players, week two relieved many fantasy managers as players such as Marvin Harrison Jr., D.K. Metcalf, and Amon-Ra St. Brown bounced back with elite performances. Despite the bounce-back performances from those three and others, some players have yet to perform strongly, leading to panic from fantasy managers.
Based on their ADP, the players discussed below have either not had a productive game from a fantasy perspective or have concerns surrounding their situations, which have caused panic among managers. Despite their rough starts, some players' performances are much more worrisome than others.
1. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets:
Wilson was a popular breakout pick this off-season in the fantasy community due to the return of Jets QB Aaron Rodgers. During Wilson's first two seasons, he dealt with poor QB play from Zach Wilson and others but showed he could be a dominant receiver in this league with just average QB play. With Rodgers returning from injury the expectation and hope was that Wilson would get peppered with targets and finally break out, but through two games that hasn't been the case.
Throughout two games this season Wilson has only 10 receptions on 17 targets for 117 yards and no touchdowns which is good for WR34 on the season so far in PPR leagues. Wilson has reached double-digit points in each outing so far, but considering he was the WR7 in drafts this year just reaching double digits is not ideal. Through two weeks the entire Jets offense revolves around Wilson and Breece Hall and that is not a shock, but other defenses are aware of that too and have zeroed in on stopping those two.
While the start for Wilson hasn't been great he has played an elite 49ers defense and a Titans defense that has L'Jaruius Sneed, a premier corner in the league who shuts down everyone. While Wilson and the Jets will face other good defenses throughout the season, Wilson should be in better positions to succeed with better matchups. Along with better matchups down the road, Rodgers will continue to shake off the rust and Mike Williams will continue getting healthier which will take some pressure off Wilson as the only pass-catching option.
Panic Meter Rating- 2
2. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders:
The WR65 through two weeks is Terry McLaurin who was drafted as the WR31 this year. During the off-season, there was a lot of worry surrounding McLaurin from fantasy players as the Commanders drafted Jayden Daniels, a run-first QB, to be their franchise QB. While McLaurin has never had a difference-maker at QB, Daniels is a rookie QB who likes to scramble when plays break down, and that combo often does not translate into success for receivers in fantasy.
Despite the worries, Terry also had plenty of fans during the draft season because Daniels should be the best QB he has ever had, and because Jahan Dotson was traded leaving McLaurin as the only proven receiving threat on the team. Through two weeks those who faded McLaurin are extremely happy that they did so, and those who drafted McLaurin and banked on the talent regret it.
Through two games McLaurin has a mere 8 receptions for 39 yards with 0 touchdowns on 12 targets. The Commanders' offense has been screen after screen with McLaurin almost exclusively isolated on the left side of the field all game long. Until the Commanders move McLaurin around more and change the offense around McLaurin has a limited ceiling and a poor floor. Week 2 was more promising for Terry as he saw 8 targets, but it resulted in 6 catches for 22 yards which isn't great. It is officially time to start worrying about Terry and trying to trade him.
Panic Meter Rating- 8
3. Amari Cooper, WR, Cleveland Browns:
The numbers for Terry McLaurin are bad, but the numbers for Amari Cooper have led to him being the WR 83 through two weeks which is 18 spots below McLaurin. Despite seeing 17 targets over the first two weeks, Cooper has just 5 receptions for 27 yards across two games.
In week 1 the Browns' offense was a mess against the Cowboys which was a big reason for Cooper's disastrous week 1. In week 2 the Browns offense looked better than it did in week 1, but it still wasn't great by any means. The Browns spread the ball around last week to players such as Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, and David Bell, which hurt Cooper's fantasy output in a plus matchup with the Jaguars.
The one positive for Cooper despite the poor output so far is the target share. 17 targets through two games is great and one would think if Cooper sees 8 plus targets every week he will eventually get right. In week 1 Cooper dropped a long touchdown that would have saved his fantasy performance and last week Cooper saw downfield targets as well. This week against the Giants, Cooper has another chance to bounce back, but if he doesn't it may be time to freak out. Monitor the target share this week for Cooper and if he sees a high portion of targets once again. If Cooper produces with his targets then don't worry, but if he fails to produce once again then it is time to panic.
Panic Meter Rating- 6
4. Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
After week 1 it appeared White was once again going to catch a ton of passes out of the backfield and be at least 15 points a game in PPR leagues. After week 2 there are some more questions surrounding White's fantasy upside and floor.
White has never been viewed as a super-talented pure rusher as he is not extremely efficient and does not have breakaway speed. Despite not being viewed as an elite rusher, White is one of the better receiving backs in the league which has led to elite fantasy production in the past. This season White has been extremely inefficient averaging 2.0 yards a carry as he has just 49 yards on 25 carries. Those are poor numbers that will not help out fantasy teams.
What will help fantasy teams are White's receiving numbers which are 7 receptions for 8- yards through 2 games. Those numbers are great but deceiving. White had 6 of the 7 catches in week 1 along with 75 of the 80 yards meaning in week 2 he had just 1 catch for 5 yards. If White is going to be an inefficient runner he needs to see a large amount of targets to make up for it, but after seeing just 1 in week 2 there is some concern about Whites floor. Considering White caught 6 passes in week 1 it would be wrong to freak out about White, but there is valid reason for concern and if someone has an interest in trading for White it would make sense to ship him out.
Panic Meter Rating- 6
5. Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams:
Kyren has been good for fantasy so far as the RB 18, but the Rams could be in big trouble which could negatively affect Kyren.
In week 1 Kyren saw 18 carries for 50 yards and 1 touchdown along with 3 receptions for 4 yards. Those aren't great numbers but the Lions are great against the run, so Kyren being inefficient made sense. In week 2 against a bad Cardinals defense, Kyren had just 12 carries for 25 yards and 1 touchdown. The game was over as soon as it started as the Cardinals just dominated every stage of the game. The touchdowns have made up for the inefficiency through 2 games, but with all the injuries on the Rams, offense points could be hard to come by for Kyren.
In week 1 the Rams lost star receiver Puka Nacua for at least 4 weeks if not more. In week 2 Cooper Kupp got injured as well and his timetable to return is TBD. Without Kupp and Nacua, Demarcus Robinson is the team's WR1 which means teams will most likely load the box and make Robinson and others beat them. Along with losing both starting receivers, the Rams' offensive line is already full of backups due to injuries to the starters. The Rams' starting offense is depleted with injuries and struggled to do anything against a bad Cardinals defense. With all the injuries it may be hard for Kyren to find success outside of goal-line work which means his ceiling is much lower than last year and his floor is touchdown-dependent
Panic Meter Rating- 7
6. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs:
Tight Ends as a whole have been disappointing through two weeks outside of Brock Bowers and George Kittle, but none have been more disappointing than Kelce.
In a Chiefs offense with no other real options in the passing game besides Rashee Rice, Kelce has seen just 7 targets in two games which led to 4 receptions for 39 yards. Kelce was a 2nd - 3rd round pick in drafts and is currently the tight-end 28. As the tight end 28 Kelce is currently behind Will Dissly, Darnell Washington, and Elijah Higgins, in points so far at the tight end position along with many others. Kelce just has not been good for fantasy and things may stay this way.
Kelce is 34 years old and is coming off a long post-season run where he was the focal point of the offense. Kelce is at the point of his career where he may take plays off during the regular season to preserve himself in the playoffs for another Superbowl run. As mentioned before Rahsee Rice is the clear number one target for the Chiefs, but 1st round pick Xavier Worhty should get more involved as the season goes on. If Worthy becomes established as a go-to receiver for the Chiefs, Kelce could be the team's third option in the passing game. With Isiah Pacheco sidelined for 6 - 8 weeks the Chiefs may look to pass more which could help Kelce, but the worry with Kelce in fantasy is very real.
Panic Meter Rating- 8
7. Sam LaPorta, TE, Detrit Lions:
LaPorta has had two great matchups so far and has just 6 catches for 58 yards this season. LaPorta was serviceable in week 1 with 4 receptions for 45 yards, but in week 2 he had just 2 catches for 13 yards on 3 targets. LaPorta was drafted in the 2nd - 3rd round just like Kelce and at this point, he has been a major letdown.
Last year LaPorta was a fantasy star with 889 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie which led to his early draft slot this season as many hoped for an even better year two or at least a similar year. Through two weeks it appears people may have jumped the gun as LaPorta has been the clear 3rd - 4th option in the offense. Amon-Ra St. Brown is the clear number 1 target which isn't a surprise but 3rd year receiver Jameson Williams has been the number two target through two weeks and it appears that will not change. Williams has game-breaking speed but has dealt with injuries and other issues through two years, but he had a full off-season for the first time this year and made major improvements.
Between Amon-Ra and Jamo, LaPorta is seemingly the third option in the offense. While that is not ideal the Lions were an elite offense last season and should be once again despite some rust from Jared Goff through two weeks. LaPorta should be a red zone threat once again which will help make up for a lack of targets. It is concerning that LaPorta is not seeing a high percentage of targets but it was clear last year he is talented and is a legit red zone threat.
Panic Meter Rating- 4