Spencer Ware is still fighting off Charles for the running back job
R.C. Fischer discusses Six Fantasy Football Things We Learned From Week 6.
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After each week of preseason games, I’ll be discussing things that stood out to me — things I believe the football media is shaping the wrong way or has totally overlooked. Here’s my take after watching all the this week’s contests…
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1) Kansas City lead running back, Spencer Ware…
Week 6 touches:
Carries – Spencer Ware 24, Jamaal Charles 9
Targets – Spencer Ware 2, Jamaal Charles 2
The heavy rain probably favored Ware’s running style, and ‘hot hand’ is probably the plan week to week…but note that Spencer Ware is not going away.
Only David Johnson (695 yards with a game still to go on MNF), Ezekiel Elliott (810), Demarco Murray (698), and LeSean McCoy (684) have more total yards at RB than Ware (646) this season.
2) Two running backs that their NFL teams need to move on from…
Can we be done with Jeremy Hill, yet?
He has rushed for 50 yards or less in four of six games this season (and in seven of his last 11 games). Hill hasn’t rushed for a 100+ yard game since the 2014 season. He’s been below 3.5 yards per carry in a game in eight of his last 10 regular season games.
If not for the gift-wrapped short TDs on and off, Hill would be totally useless in fantasy…he’s mostly useless even with the TDs. In his six games so far this season, Hill has scored 10+ fantasy points in just one of them…whether PPR or non-PPR…he’s been under 10 fantasy points 83% of his games this season.
While we’re at it – Rashad Jennings needs to go.
42 yards rushing on 22 carries (1.9 ypc) in his last two games. He’s averaging 3.3 yards per carry in 2016. Jennings had two 100+ yard rushing games very late last season, which were his only two 100+ yard rushing games in his last 27 games. At least Jeremy Hill scores TDs with his awful rushing performances, Jennings has scored one TD in a game in just three of his last 22 games…one rushing TD in a game in just four of his last 30 games. Why is he the automatic starter? Why was anyone on the edge of their seat hoping Jennings could ‘get back’ from a minor injury to be the Giants’ starting running back this past week?
Jennings, like Hill, is also a total waste in fantasy, but you already knew that…only Ben McAdoo is unaware of the problem.
3) Eddie Lacy is worse than ‘Justin Frimmel’…
*You know that commercial is burned into your soul. They play it a hundred times a game during NFL broadcasts. It’s Eddie Lacy who is chanting ‘Jus-tin Frim-mel’. Oh, now you remember where you’ve heard that name before.
I’ve been ‘ragging’ on Lacy every week in this series of articles since Week 2…and I’m not stopping now.
Eddie Lacy is so bad that the only thing that worked for Green Bay’s offense was a #4 WR (Ty Montgomery) playing RB…and they got the WR turned RB ball via short pass, used as quasi handoffs. When the Packers got inside the 5-yard line, Eddie Lacy was nowhere to be found on the field (and it wasn’t the ankle). He’s simply too slow to get yards on a known (to the defense) short yardage play. He’s too slow to get in position for a screen pass. He’s just too slow, period…it’s 2015 all over again. It’s not the ankle.
If Green Bay loses to Chicago Thursday night, and Lacy is his typical iceberg self – look for Lacy to be benched, effectively. Look to see if Green Bay signs a running back off someone else’s practice squad Monday-Tuesday. If they sign NY Jets P-Squad RB Brandon Wilds, get ready for a coup at running back in Green Bay.
4) Dear Matt Ryan, I’m sorry…
I thought the AT Denver, AT Seattle part of the schedule would bring Matt Ryan’s numbers back to reality. Nope.
4 TDs/1 INTs…the pick being a Julio Jones drop/tip leading to an interception. Without that Julio bobble/drop/turnover – Ryan defeats two legit Super Bowl contending teams…on the road.
Matt Ryan, I’ll not doubt you again in 2016.
…until you give me a reason to.
**Here are two things for those with Big Ben issues.**
5) Marcus Mariota, the QB1…
When someone is proclaiming Marcus Mariota as a top 12 quarterback week to week, the first thing people think the topic is coming up because of his running ability/numbers, and that is a big part of the equation, but did you know that Mariota has thrown for two or more TDs in a game in four of his six games this season? Did you know he has thrown for 3 TDs in a game in four of his last nine games? Mariota is averaging 1.7 passing TDs per game in his career (ignore his last game played in 2015 where here left with injury after 6 passes).
Don’t forget the rushing production – 32.7 rushing yards per game this season, and back-to-back 60+ yard rushing games the past two weeks.
Look at this schedule ahead: IND, JAC, SD, GB, IND, CHI the next six games before their Week 13 bye.
Mariota is available in about 40% of ESPN-Yahoo-NFL, etc., leagues right now.
6) Tyrod Taylor, the QB1…
Since putting up a fantasy dud in Week 1, Tyrod Taylor’s fantasy points the past five games (4pts per pass TD): 24.4, 18.4, 16.6, 15.8, and 22.0 this week against the 49ers. In the past five weeks, Taylor is averaging 19.4 FF PPG – a top 5–7 fantasy QB performance.
Taylor’s schedule through Week 16: MIA-NE-SEA-BYE-CIN-JAC-OAK-PIT-CLE-MIA. Look at those juicy last four games/the fantasy playoff stretch. Buffalo will be in the playoff hunt all season, so Taylor could be/should be pushing numbers all the way.
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