Jalen Ramsey is on his way to becoming a superstar
R.C. Fischer discusses Six Fantasy Football Things We Learned From Week 7.
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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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6) The Common Denominator in the Marvin Jones and Stefon Diggs rise/fall…
In Week 2, Stefon Diggs looked like the next Antonio Brown posting 9 catches, 182 yards, and 1 TD on national TV…setting the fantasy world aflame. The following week, Marvin Jones dropped a 6 catch, 205 yards, and 2 TD stunner…rising to WR1 status for many. Since those big games, here are their numbers…
8.4 FF PPG (12.2 PPR) 3.8 catches for 53.8 yards and 0.50 TDs per game = Jones
3.5 FF PPG (7.2 PPR) 3.7 catches for 35.0 yards and 0.00 TDs per game = Diggs
The common denominator – both of their big games came against Green Bay, back to back, and more specifically against cornerback, Damarious Randall. Their big events may not have been the announcement of new fantasy WR stars, but fortuitous matchups early in the season.
5) Jalen Ramsey, emerging shutdown corner to fear for your opposing WR1
Ramsey’s last four games…
Week 7: Amari Cooper 4 rec. for 29 yards and 0 TDs
Week 6: Alshon Jeffery 7 rec. for 93 yards and 0 TD (virtually shut down in the second half)
Week 4: T.Y. Hilton 7 rec. for 42 yards and 1 TD
Week 3: Mike Wallace 3 rec. for 34 yards and 0 TD
Ramsey had an elite ‘shutdown corner’ profile coming out of college, and was arguably the bets prospect in the 2016 NFL Draft…and we can lose sight of him because of ‘Jacksonville’. Fantasy owners need to take him, and the Jags pass defense (held five of 6 opponents to under 210 yards passing in games this season).
Jeremy Maclin, DeAndre Hopkins, and Marvin Jones likely to get him Weeks 9–11. Not sure enough who Tennessee’s #1 WR is in Week 8 for it to matter for fantasy…whoever it is – is toast.
4) Major Chicago-based decisions this week…
What are you going to do with Jordan Howard, Cameron Meredith, and Zach Miller now that their ‘helping hand’ Brian Hoyer is gone…and replaced by the illustrious Matt Barkley? You can’t use any of them Week 8 versus Minnesota. You can’t use them Week 9 during their bye. Are you willing to wait three weeks tying up roster spots to see what’s going to happen to them with Jay Cutler (if he returns)?
Miller has had some relationship with Cutler going back to last year. You know Cutler irrationally goes right back to Alshon Jeffery (a la Ryan Fitzpatrick–Brandon Marshall)…so how does that bode for Meredith? Probably not well. Howard…I’d like to hold for the schedule from Week 10 on, but Ka’Deem Carey is making noise and who knows what happens when Jeremy Langford returns.
It’s a mess we’re probably going to wish we escaped. It’s sad…these were guys producing as RB1-WR1-TE1 options…and then…’proof’, up in smoke. Who knew Brian Hoyer was so critical?
3) The rise of IDP sleeper Daniel Sorensen…
One of my top deep sleeper IDP stashes for dynasty leagues the past couple of years has been Chiefs’ safety Daniel Sorensen. In the past three weeks, Sorensen has been playing heavy snap counts as a linebacker/safety hybrid and is averaging 5.7 tackles per game in that span. In Week 7, Sorensen had 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 PD, 1 INT…and returned the INT for a 48-yard TD. He’s a real talent to consider for those in deeper IDP leagues…and might be an option in most IDP leagues ahead.
2) The decline of Eli Manning…
In his last six games, Eli Manning has thrown 5 TD passes and 5 interceptions. In five of his last six games, Eli has had either 0 or 1 TD pass. He’s on a pace for 18 TD passes this season. In his last four games, Eli’s slipped to a 58.9% completion percentage. The Giants have no run game, and Eli has started to spiral a bit – and his problems bleed over into Odell Beckham‘s production problems.
Eli has struggled for numbers against the Saints, the Packers, and the Rams…he may not be trustworthy even in his ‘good’ matchups ahead, and that bleeds over to OBJ, Sterling Shepard, and Victor Cruz. The Giants’ pass game scene is getting scarier by the week.
Unless defenders are going to run into each other and allow OBJ long catch and run TDs every week…this situation is becoming a downgrade week to week. Beckham has been held under 60 yards receiving in three of his last 4 games.
1) The decline of Allen Robinson…
Here’s the pace Allen Robinson is on for a full 16-game season: 69 catches for 789 yards and 8 TDs. He’s not posting anywhere near the WR1 numbers he had in 2016 (80-1,400-14). Robinson has been under 60 yards in a game in his last five games with totals of 54-57-55-49-9 yards.
It’s not that Robinson has forgotten how to play wide receiver, but teams are giving him the extra coverage attention he deserves. Blake Bortles has fallen back to reality, and Robinson is being taken away.
This problem isn’t going away. Look at Robinson’s schedule from Weeks 12–15: Buffalo (#11), Denver (#1), Minnesota (#4), Houston (#2)…that’s three of the top five pass defenses in 2016 to date, four of the top 12 pass defenses. Denver and Minnesota aren’t just ‘good’ – they virtually shut off opposing #1 wide receivers.
If you’re hoping for Allen Robinson to ‘come around’…it’s likely not happening.
If you’re thinking Robinson might be a great ‘buy low’…he might not be.
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