It’s time to eat your words. With the midway point of the 2015 NFL regular season quickly approaching, many fantasy football players are starting to realize that their “unbeatable” Week 1 lineup is beginning to look even more worthless than a Jacksonville Jaguars first round pick. In this article, I will discuss the biggest busts through the first seven weeks of the 2015 NFL season and give advice on how to assess your lineup moving forward.
#5 Andrew Luck
It might be a bit preemptive to call Luck a total bust because his fantasy numbers have been outstanding since coming back from his injury, but as the #1 or #2 quarterback selected in the draft, his numbers have been subpar to say the least. Luck’s 56% completion percentage and 10 turnovers in five starts rank towards the bottom of the league. Not even the king of interceptions, Jay Cutler, has reached nine turnovers in his five starts. The only reason Luck has put up decent stats the past few weeks is because of his garbage time numbers. But hey, no fantasy owner, who couldn’t give a crap about the Colts, is going to complain about that.
Recommendation: While Luck has significantly underperformed this season, I would definitely continue to start Luck in your lineups. Barring any injuries, Luck has all of the skills to be an elite fantasy quarterback, and with matchups against Jacksonville, Houston, and Miami in the fantasy playoffs, he is sure to prove his worth.
Eddie Lacy owners need to hope that the Packer’s Week 7 bye provides enough rest for Lacy to finally get healthy again as his 2015 campaign has left fantasy owners on the ledge. Lacy has
not rushed for more than 100 yards this season and has only reached the end zone once. For one of the highest scoring offenses in the NFL, this is just horrific. What were once high expectations have turned into nothing but doubt and uncertainty of Lacy’s future.
Recommendation: He was the preseason #4 running back for a reason, so be patient. Mike McCarthy will figure out how to get Lacy into the end zone. He can only get healthier and perform better from here. He is a high-end RB2 in my book.
#3 Alfred Morris
If last week is any indication of the future of Alfred Morris, then you should consider him a low-end RB3 at best. While still being listed as a starter, Morris saw only 10 snaps in last week’s game relative to Matt Jones’ 4
5 offensive snaps. I fully expect Jones to be listed as the Redskins’ starter after this week’s bye and for Morris to serve in a back up role.
#2 Jeremy Hill
Ranked as the #9 running back in the preseason, a 27th rank among running backs was not what fantasy owners were hoping for. Aside from two multi-touchdown games, Hill has been a non-factor. He is yet to record a 65+ yard rushing game, and his receiving statistics are non-existent. Giovani Bernard has outperformed Hill in a majority of games and a split backfield, like this one, is a fantasy nightmare.
Recommendation: Hill is a low-end RB2 at best. He is unreliable, but if Gio Bernard were to get hurt, his value would sky rocket. I’d hate to have him as a starter, but owners could get lucky and start Hill on a multi-touchdown week.
#1 C.J. Anderson
Disappointment. That is the only way to define C.J Anderson’s season. He came into the season as the 6th ranked running back, but will likely end the season outside the top 50 running backs. Denver’s backfield situation is unorganized chaos. One week, Anderson gets a majority of carries; the next, Hillman sees all of the touches. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Knowshon Moreno or Montee Ball in the backfield next week.
Recommendation: Stay away from the Denver backfield. It provides nothing but confusion and heartbreak.
Honorable Mention
It pains me to say this as a Wisconsin Badgers fan, but I have to give an honorable mention to Melvin Gordon. He has not gained over 51 rushing yards since Week 2, and he is being overshadowed by Danny Woodhead’s wild success in the passing game. The only reason that he is not on this list is because all fantasy owners should have known the risks of selecting a rookie running back placed in a pass heavy offense with an unsuccessful college receiving ranking. Until San Diego switches its offensive dynamic to a run heavy offense, Danny Woodhead will continue to reap all of the fantasy glory.
Sources: ESPN
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