Each week during the 2022 NFL season, Field Yates will help fantasy football managers by providing the precise intel needed on the most important, fantasy-relevant storylines, with some help from friends at ESPN, who offer the best and freshest insight into what matters most. Field's Rolodex is vast; he'll dial up whomever he needs. This is the Field Pass.
Repeating as a Super Bowl champion is extremely hard to do.
The last time it happened, I wasn't even old enough to shave. That was back in 2004, and while I still don't have to shave to this day, the point remains: going the distance in back-to-back seasons is extremely tough.
It feels like Week 6 quickly became the week where people have decided the Rams are not equipped to repeat as champions this season, a declaration I'm not quite ready to make myself, even though there have been causes for concern. Check out our awesome NFL Live cast Monday-Friday at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN for more discussions to this effect.
And while the Rams might very well get on track as far as real football is concerned, fantasy football is not a game where we can always afford to be patient, and a repeat of 2021 does not look to be in the cards (except for Cooper Kupp ... more on him later).
Consider the stark differences from 2021 to 2022 so far for fantasy:
In 2021, Matthew Stafford was sixth among quarterbacks in fantasy points, throwing 41 touchdowns and looking like a weekly threat to push for 300 yards. This season, Stafford ranks 32nd among QBs in fantasy points per game, pacing for just 17 touchdowns and a robust 24 interceptions. He has faced three elite defenses already -- and that has contributed to this -- but with shaky protection and minimal receiver depth beyond Kupp, he's not in the starting QB category for fantasy right now. Far from it.
While the Rams relied upon a few different backs in 2021, one thing that you could count on was that when we knew who the starter was, good things were likely to come. From Weeks 1 to 12, when Darrell Henderson Jr. was running as the starter, he averaged 15.7 fantasy points per game. Sony Michel then stepped in for six games and averaged more than 15.0 points per game as well. This season, Henderson leads the Rams' backs in fantasy points per game with ... 7.7. That's with Cam Akers now carrying the heavier workload, and Akers is managing a paltry 4.4 points per game. Neither is startable and they're both fringe roster players at best.
In 2021, Kupp was the most valuable player in fantasy football. He's still that, so we've got that going for us. But beyond Kupp, if you combine the production of Robert Woods and Odell Beckham Jr. (OBJ debuted days after Woods' injury), you got 72 catches for 861 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. There was real value, even if not at an elite level. Prized free agent signee Allen Robinson II has games with 2.2, 4.3, 2.7 and 4.2 fantasy points this season. That's four duds in five games. He's unplayable and droppable.
Tyler Higbee has accounted for the lone position that's gotten better this season for the Rams in fantasy. After finishing a respectable 15th at tight end on a per-game basis last season, Higbee has soared to seventh in 2022.
Few teams were fantasy-friendlier than the Rams in 2021. When summing up their QB, RB, WR and TE fantasy points in 2021, they were the sixth-highest-scoring team in the entire league. This season, they rank 21st in fantasy points across those four positions.
While we don't know if they'll wind up achieving the same team success this season, the signs are even stronger that the reigning champs don't pack nearly the same fantasy punch this season.
Let's sort through the rest of what's on our mind in Field Pass for Week 6.
What to do with Russ and Rodgers?
We harped last week on the reality that quarterback simply isn't as deep of a position as we expected this season. Beyond Stafford, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are among the underperforming quarterbacks this season and concerns should persist going forward.
Rodgers -- the back-to-back NFL MVP and a top-five fantasy quarterback last season -- has yet to surpass 17 fantasy points in a game this season. Seventeen! He has yet to throw for 300 yards in a game and yet to throw for three touchdowns in a game this season, looking much like a player who lost arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL this offseason. And, frankly, I'm not certain that the ship gets righted in a massive way going forward. The receivers are who they are in Green Bay -- it's a largely young, inexperienced crew that right now lacks a player who is a consistent difference-maker. Beyond that, after a game in which Rodgers had a season-high 39 passing attempts in Week 5, the rhetoric after the game was around how the team needs to rely more on Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon rather than airing things out. I've got Rodgers as QB15 this week and if Geno Smith is still available in your league, that's who I'd target to start.
Wilson is now dealing with a shoulder injury that could bother him for weeks, according to colleague Adam Schefter. That's adding injury to insult, as Wilson has struggled out of the gates in Denver. He has one boom week with more than 27 fantasy points, but three games with 11.06 or fewer. Wasn't going to Denver supposed to mean Wilson would take his game to new heights? Not so fast. The offensive operation is disorganized in Denver, the offensive line is struggling (16 sacks in five games) and the receiving group isn't as dynamic as it looked on paper. Wilson has a rapport with Courtland Sutton, but that's about it; Jerry Jeudy is still looking to make his mark as a game-changer and Tim Patrick is out for the season with a injury. And perhaps most importantly, Wilson just isn't playing that well. He must be better, plain and simple. For fantasy purposes, I have a slightly longer leash on Wilson than Rodgers -- he's my QB12 for the week -- but visions of Wilson reestablishing himself among the fantasy elite this season are a distant thought.
The sinking Steelers?
Between a rock and a hard place is a tricky spot to be, in general, but especially in fantasy football. That's where you find yourself if you roster Najee Harris, Diontae Johnson or both. Harris rocked it as a rookie last season with elite volume as a runner and a receiver, factors that figured to be in his favor again this season -- you don't use a first-round pick on a running back to admire his pass-protection skills. His efficiency last season was weak (just 3.9 yards per carry and 6.3 yards per catch), but ... volume.
This season, Harris' efficiency is even worse: he's down to 3.2 yards per carry and 4.4 yards per catch, with two total touchdowns through five games. It's a mess. The offensive line has struggled in the running game and, for whatever reason, Harris' opportunities in the passing game are also way down. He's pacing for just 44 catches after garnering 67 last season and 755 rushing yards after 1,200 last season. Yuck. And to be clear, it's not really Harris' fault. With a poor offensive line and stuck-in-the-mud passing game, teams can just load up on Harris. Factor in Jaylen Warren having a role this season (which Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday is sticking around) and Harris is a low-end RB2. I've got him at RB20 for Week 6, which isn't anything close to what I forecasted coming into the year.
Meanwhile, much of what is plaguing Harris applies to Johnson: the pieces around him. The Steelers are the only team to have made a quarterback change because of performance this season and poor play at that position has made its mark. While Johnson is tied for seventh among all players with 50 targets through five games, he ranks 49th out of 54 qualified wide receivers in yards per target. Teammate Chase Claypool is 54th out of 54. That stat is not exclusively tied to quarterback play, but it's certainly a contributing factor. And unless you are an NFL player reading this column, Johnson has the same number of receiving touchdowns as you and I this season. It has been a slog. I net out here: Johnson's talent is too obvious to ignore and the volume remains elite. He's been knocked down to WR25 in my Week 6 rankings, so while he's not a must-start if you crushed it at wideout in your draft later in the rounds, he's still a likely staple for you with the hope that better days are ahead. They have to be ... right?
The fallout of two RB injuries
Rashaad Penny will now miss the rest of the 2022 season because of a fractured fibula, a crushing blow for a player who has been so good since the home stretch of 2021.
Things are more cut-and-dried long term in Seattle, as Kenneth Walker III is set to step into a featured role. He was arguably the best pure runner in the 2022 NFL draft and was a force during his lone season playing at Michigan State. He's a check-the-boxes player and showed his potential on a 69-yard touchdown run in Week 5. It's a massive opportunity for Walker to turn this into a possible 18-to-20 touch role, with upside as a top 15 back if he seizes it like I suspect he will.
Meanwhile, in New England, a two-man backfield could be reduced to one on Sunday with Damien Harris now nursing a hamstring injury. That happened early in Week 5, opening the door to a career day for Rhamondre Stevenson. If Harris sits in Week 6, Stevenson -- who was already providing value as a strong flex -- moves into must-start territory against a Browns defense that has allowed 440 rushing yards over the past two weeks.
Bill Belichick not only indicated that veteran Ty Montgomery would not be back this week, but also said this when asked this week on WEEI Sports Radio how much confidence he has in Stevenson's ability to be a complete, three-down back: "As much confidence as you could possibly have, that's how much we have." While it would stand to reason that the Patriots will have Pierre Strong Jr. active and possibly bring up another back from the practice squad if Harris is out, Stevenson could be used similarly to how he was last year against the Browns: he had 24 total touches and amassed 114 yards. He's just outside my top 10 running backs for Week 6.
More backfield notes
Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins entered the season looking primed to rely on a backfield by committee. No longer. Mostert handled 18 rushing attempts to just one for Chase Edmonds in Week 5, barreling for 113 yards and a touchdown. He even had more targets (three) than Edmonds (two) in the game. Mostert looks like the man and is a top-20 play in Week 6.
J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens: You're going to have to continue to be patient with Dobbins, as he's not the lone wolf in this backfield ... yet. He played less than 50% of the Ravens' snaps in Week 5 and saw zero targets. He has just 28 carries in three games played and two games with 6.0 or fewer fantasy points. He's so talented, but a flex consideration only for now. Baltimore continues to be smart with him after a major knee injury.
Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders: It was remarkable to see rookie Brian Robinson Jr. back on the field just six weeks after being shot in the leg twice. He led the Commanders with nine carries and 22 yards, while Gibson was limited to just three carries for 6 yards. While Gibson (four) did get involved in the passing game, it's hard to view him as anything more than a borderline flex (at best) assuming that Robinson's role will grow ahead. J.D. McKissic (seven targets) is the top receiving back in the offense.
James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars: Remember when it looked like Robinson was going to dominate the Jacksonville backfield? Not so fast, perhaps. Travis Etienne Jr. matched Robinson in terms of carries for the second straight week and owned a snap lead, too; Robinson now has just 8.8 fantasy points over the past two games and head coach Doug Pederson lamented after the Week 5 loss not getting Etienne more carries. Both players are talented, so I don't ever expect this to become a "one or the other" situation, but the balance diminishes the value for each. Etienne -- with more passing game upside -- gets the edge for now as a flex play.