Here is one thing that annoys me about the NFL. Since the season is 17 weeks long, when is the midway point? Do we say it’s after eight weeks when some teams haven’t played eight games or do we wait until everyone has played at least eight games?
Anyhow, I’m saying we’ve reached the midway point. Alas, let’s take a look at what makes many individuals’ cats go meow…fantasy football.
Our first midseason peek examines the biggest busts in fantasy football through the first eight weeks of the season. These picks are based off of standard fantasy scoring from Pro Football Reference. Thus, the player’s current position rank is in parenthesis and followed by their scoring total.
Also, no defenses and kickers in this discussion. Realistically, if those positions defined your season to this point, all hope is lost anyways.
As a point of reference, the number one player in fantasy after eight weeks?
Tom Brady with 186 points.
And now introducing the 2015 All-Fantasy Bust team…midseason edition.
QB – Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos (28, 80 pts.) – A consensus top 10 quarterback heading into the season, Manning has finally seen Father Time catch up to him and it actually translate into a drop in fantasy value. While he just tied Brett Favre for most wins by a quarterback with 186 victories, there are two numbers of note for fantasy owners…his 7 TD passes and 11 interceptions. How poor has Manning been despite the Broncos defense carrying the squad to a 7-0 record? Brian Hoyer, Sam Bradford, and Jay Cutler posted more fantasy points.
Oh and this guy is ahead of him in fantasy scoring:
YES, KIRK COUSINS.
RB – Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers (41, 51 pts.) – During his Monday weekly podcast with Cousin Sal, Bill Simmons likened Lacy’s play thus far to seeing an offensive linemen play running back. That’s not a good comparison. Lacy owns just two touchdowns and is averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Some preseason fantasy publications had Lacy at fantasy football’s top spot. Instead, he checks in as the 41st best back in fantasy football.
RB – C.J. Anderson, Denver Broncos (45, 45 pts.) – Our second Bronco was arguably the most predictable fall from grace for any top back from last season. Anderson ranks 45th in fantasy scoring for running backs. His only touchdown came last Sunday night against the Packers and he is averaging a lean 3.4 yards per carry. While some of the blame could be placed on Denver’s offensive line issues, teammate Ronnie Hillman is averaging over a yard more per carry on more carries.
WR – Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers (30, 64 pts.)– It’s a copout to pick injured players like Dez Bryant, Jordy Nelson, or Mike Evans who either missed a huge chunk of the season or were hounded by injury at the start of the season like the latter. Cobb entered the season with a ton of promise because of Nelson’s season-ending injury and of course, he catches passes from Aaron Rodgers. Things haven’t quite developed yet for Cobb. A preseason top 10 wide receiver with Nelson in the lineup, Cobb has struggled mightily to be a big play option. While there are worst places to be than the 30th ranked receiver, folks were expecting more than 377 yards and just four touchdown catches.
WR – Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles (47, 44 pts.) – I thought about going with Andre Johnson here but at least he has a plausible excuse for his struggles. Matthews on the other hand? Not so much. Chicago’s Alshon Jeffrey has played in just three games but managed to eclipse Matthews in scoring despite dealing with injuries to start the season. The Philadelphia Eagle hasn’t delivered on the promise of being a go-to-guy in Philly’s fast-paced offense. Instead, he has only one touchdown reception and owns a smaller yards per catch (10.2) than Buffalo Bills tight end Charles Clay (10.3).
WR – Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills (77, 27 pts.) – While Watkins has only played in four games due to battling injuries, he lands on this list for a few reasons. First, he only has 11 receptions and two touchdown receptions, which is still relatively lame over the course of four games. Secondly, he called Bills fans losers. That’s grounds enough for me.
TE – Jordan Cameron, Miami Dolphins (23, 32 pts.) – The former Cleveland Brown hasn’t quite turned into the pass catching threat he was while in Cleveland. The crash of the Joe Philbin regime in Miami certainly didn’t help things. Miami’s inconsistent offense has dragged Cameron into the pits of an already production-challenged position. He has just 19 catches and one touchdown entering Week 9.
