Welcome to Overreaction Monday: Week 14, where we dissect the biggest narratives from the NFL week and season. Week 13 is almost finished… but we’re gonna overreact now anyway. Come check it out!
Bryce Young Is THE Best Year 2 QB to Own in Fantasy
As of this moment, this is very, very true.
The big 5 worth much of anything in fantasy from last year’s crop at Young, CJ Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis and late 4th round selection Aidan O’Connell. But outside of Stroud’s rookie season and ARich’s recent resurgence, Young has been the most impressive, despite his weapons…
https://twitter.com/BlegoBro/status/1863427101535211712
Of course, his receivers aren’t dropping everything Young has thrown their way. Although his 59% completion percentage on the season leaves something to be desired.
Regardless, Young has proven over his last 5 games that he’s starting to get the hand of this NFL QB thing. His reads are crisper and his decision-making is faster. He seems to be processing the game well and making accurate throws when given time. Of course, he faces the Eagles in Week 14, so the coming out party is sure to have a let down in Philadelphia.
Bottom Line: Young has looked far better than Stroud and Levis over the past few weeks. He’s even bested ARich in both of the last 2 weeks in fantasy points scored. Don’t look now, but Bryce Young may be the 2nd year QB to own…
It’s Time to Panic on Tony Pollard
Not a chance.
Pollard has struggled here and there this season, but it’s never really been for long stretches. On a bad offense with a suspect quarterback, that’s actually pretty impressive work. And, don’t look now but he’s on pace to rush for nearly 1200 yards this season:
https://twitter.com/PFHOFAmbassador/status/1863282974805872765
Pollard’s worst rough patch has been over the past month, however. He did finish as the RB5 overall in Houston just two weeks ago, but he’s been otherwise disappointing, not even finishing as an RB2 in his other three games.
Pollard has an excellent opportunity down the stretch to pay back fantasy managers who invested in him, with Jacksonville, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Jacksonville left on the fantasy schedule. All are super plus matchups and only Indy has even the sliver of a chance to shut Pollard down. But that just won’t happen.
Tony Pollard can still help you win your league, and I’m planning to ride him to a championship firmly planted in my RB2 slot.
Bottom Line: The reason you invested in Pollard has nearly arrived. Don’t bail before the bounty is bestowed upon you. Stay the course with Pollard!
Terry McLaurin Is a WR1 ROS
Probably not… but maybe?
We’ve been worried about the Kliff Kingsbury route bush for years. Its most high profile victim was DeAndre Hopkins in Arizona. But its latest victim has been McLaurin. Yet, when Austin Ekeler went down, Kliff did the unthinkable… he moved Terry around the formation:
https://twitter.com/Ethan_Cadeaux/status/1863352364993778009
Terry’s usage was off-the-charts awesome this past week, and he got there last week too versus Dallas. With a bye next week, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Atlanta remain on the Commanders schedule.
With tougher matchups than we’d like, I’m fading McLaurin slightly. But he can still get there if Kingsbury can scheme him up and Jayden Daniels can execute. It’s been inconsistent this season, but McLaurin is currently the WR3 overall in half-ppr. And he can still be a WR1 down the stretch here.
Bottom Line: I’m betting against McLaurin, but I wouldn’t bet against him… so let’s not. I’ll say the WR11 or WR12 ROS…
Kyle Pitts is Unstartable in Every Format
This is true. What a nightmare…
It’s been hard to fathom just how bad Kyle Pitts has been this season. This might help:
https://twitter.com/Sherman_FFB/status/1863327932015313016
But in case you need more data to convince you, how about his stretch of 8 receptions over his first 4 games? Or, maybe you prefer his 6 games under 30 receiving yards, two of which netted him 0 yards? It’s been an abysmal year for the TE13 overall in half-ppr… which is a stat in itself that seems impossible.
You simply can’t play Kyle Pitts right now, especially since every game from here on out is crucial. Oh, and other than his Week 15 showdown against Vegas, it’s a pretty poor matchup situation down the stretch. Sit Pitts unless he miraculously turns it around.
Bottom Line: Sit Pitts each and every week. It’ll be hard and it might not even make the most sense. I don’t care. It needs to be done
It’s Time to Roll Out Anthony Richardson in 1QB Leagues
Yeah, okay. But I don’t feel good about it.
I’ll be clear here: Richardson does not have a favorable schedule to wrap up the fantasy season. A bye week plus a matchup in Denver in Week 15 means he’s completely unusable for two straight weeks. But ARich is starting to understand something, and it’s coming across for his reality team:
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1863328483096531435
Richardson is anything but a lethal shooter, still sporting a sub 50% completion percentage on the year. Still, he’s running more and more confidently, and making quicker decisions to do so. Additionally, the touch he has put on display last week was impressive to see.
Richardson provides a safe, high weekly floor as a result of his rushing output, but his ceiling is still far too inconsistent. However, Week 16 against Tennessee and Week 17 against the New York Giants could provide a nice spot to start Richardson and profit. But I’ll be reluctant to do it.
Bottom Line: It’s hard to trust A Rich in your fantasy playoffs. I get he could go off, but he could also be the reason your team goes to the offseason early. I’m personally dropping him now in 1QB leagues and letting him be someone else’s problem.
To see how far these players have risen and fallen in our rankings, head over to the Fantasy Football Universe Rankings Home Page, you can also check out all our daily video content on The FFU YouTube Channel.
