Each Friday during the 2022 NFL and fantasy football season, Eric Karabell will bring his always-reasonable perspective to highlight the biggest fantasy football storylines heading into the weekend's games.
It is hardly a secret that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers don't currently have the look of a Super Bowl contender, as they enter Week 10 with more losses than wins and having been outscored for the season. Curiously enough, fantasy managers continue to whine about Hall of Fame QB Tom Brady and excellent WR Mike Evans, but neither of them really has been that bad. Only 10 quarterbacks have more fantasy points than Brady this season (two of them barely), and the same goes for Evans at wide receiver. He is 11th at the position. It's actually fine.
Things are not fine lately for RB Leonard Fournette, who carried fantasy managers to championships a season ago and, again, the magic number is 11. Fournette was the No. 11 RB selected in ESPN average live drafts. The issue, of course, is that fantasy managers can still count on Brady and Evans. It's not so bad. Alas, Fournette appears more on the hot seat than his colleagues for this week's matchup in Munich, Germany (Sunday morning at 9:30 ET, set your lineups early!) with the Seattle Seahawks.
Fournette is actually the No. 9 RB in PPR scoring this season, so he ranks better at his position than his QB and top WR do, and he is also rostered in more leagues, a near-perfect 99.3%. He is Tampa Bay's top fantasy scorer for the season, though he scored 35.9 PPR points in Week 5, roughly a quarter of his season total.
Lately, however, things are different, as he has averaged only 10 PPR points over the past three games and lost touches to rookie Rachaad White. The rushing numbers are nearly hard to believe; after totaling 127 rushing yards at Dallas in the opener, Fournette's next best game is 65 rushing yards. He's averaging 3.3 yards per carry this season, but only 2.7 YPC since that impressive Week 1.
The Buccaneers would like to run the ball, but aren't giving it much effort anymore, even in tight games, as Fournette has single-digit rushes in each of the past three games. The offensive line issues are real and the team struggles to protect Brady, but the lack of a rushing game is noticeable, too. The Bucs are last in the NFL at 60.7 yards per game.
Fantasy managers are not dropping Fournette -- nor should they even entertain the thought -- but there is legit concern whether he remains an RB2, with White forcing his way into a timeshare. White has 25 touches the past three games; Fournette has 36. It's still Fournette's backfield. His receiving work is key, and really, at this point, just about everything. This week's opponent, the surprising Seattle Seahawks, permit the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs, but seeing as White is the 12th-most-added running back in ESPN leagues, there's obvious pressure on Fournette to prove he's still the top option, and someone fantasy managers can rely on. Time will tell.
Quarterback
Brady, despite the narrative, is not on the Hot Seat. He remains a borderline QB1. Las Vegas Raiders starter Derek Carr, however, is the most-dropped QB in ESPN leagues, despite a nice bounce-back effort at Jacksonville in Week 9. This week, it's the odd Indianapolis Colts. Not sure why Carr is so unpopular, but he'll only get dropped in more leagues without a big performance. ... Denver Broncos starter Russell Wilson is the No. 2 most-dropped QB. He last reached the very low bar of 14 points in Week 4! Wilson's seat is no longer hot, really. It was six weeks ago. ... Fantasy managers suddenly trust New York Giants starter Daniel Jones, because his legs are doing things, but they will have no patience if he doesn't shred the Houston Texans defense. ... New Orleans Saints starter Andy Dalton could easily cede said starting role to Jameis Winston if he struggles again. He may not even get to finish the game. Be wary.
Running back
Colts star Jonathan Taylor built up so much goodwill from last season, turning that into being the obvious No. 1 fantasy pick this year, that he may never truly be on the hot seat. But this offense is a mess. Let's see if Taylor is even healthy enough to play. ... Similarly, perhaps, fantasy managers can never get too mad with Detroit Lions star D'Andre Swift, even if he gets so few touches that it's almost impossible for Jamaal Williams not to outscore him. ... Can any Los Angeles Rams RB be on the hot seat if nobody cares about the seat?
I evaluated Kansas City Chiefs underachiever Clyde Edwards-Helaire in this space recently, and things aren't improving in a clear timeshare with several others, none of whom warrant flex status. Edwards-Helaire is down to 87% rostered. ... I also wrote about Pittsburgh Steelers star Najee Harris, and now there are rumors of a potential benching so undrafted Oklahoma State product Jaylen Warren can get a chance. Warren has 41 touches this season. Harris does not look like his rookie version at all. ... Fantasy managers liked the Miami Dolphins' Raheem Mostert when he wasn't sharing touches. Now that Jeff Wilson Jr. is here, he is.
Wide receiver/tight end
Fantasy managers probably aren't relying too much on the Denver options, but coming off their bye week, it will be interesting to see if Jerry Jeudy and especially Courtland Sutton become more involved. ... Buffalo's Gabe Davis has 18 catches this season. That's it. No indication a highly targeted game is pending. Same deal for promising Isaiah McKenzie. Five catches since Week 5? Managers are moving on. ... Dallas Cowboys veteran Michael Gallup still hasn't hit 50 receiving yards in a game. ... Pittsburgh's George Pickens caught nary a pass in his most recent game. We love the rookies, but they have to produce. ... The Rams' Tyler Higbee has a great matchup this week with Arizona. He needs to do something with it.