Nobody has a more stacked lineup of fantasy analysts and NFL team reporters than ESPN. It's the rare backfield-by-committee that's actually a good thing for fantasy managers. Every Tuesday, we'll ask our NFL Nation reporters a series of burning questions to help inform your waiver-wire pickups and roster decisions.
Kenyan Drake was a fantasy revelation after he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9 last year, finishing as the fourth-highest scoring running back in ESPN leagues the rest of the way.
This year? Well, he might be fantasy's biggest disappointment so far, ranking 35th in fantasy points among running backs through four weeks.
And if he doesn't break through next week against the struggling New York Jets, ESPN Cardinals reporter Josh Weinfuss said it might be time to bench him.
"It's not one thing that Drake is doing wrong or poorly. It's the Cardinals' offense as a whole," Weinfuss explained. "They're just not playing well right now, and that's a combination of the playcalling by coach Kliff Kingsbury, quarterback Kyler Murray's decision-making and the receivers' ability to get open. What's telling is that the Cardinals' run game is averaging more yards per game this season (144.5) than it did last year (124.4). But the difference is that Murray is the team's leading rusher."
"We're trying to figure ourselves out, what we are, what our identity is," Kingsbury said. "We're still a work in progress."
Weinfuss said Kingsbury has talked about the need to get Drake more opportunities in space. Of his 254 rushing yards this season, 166 have been between the tackles. And Drake isn't nearly as involved in the passing game as last year. Backup Chase Edmonds actually has eight more catches for 53 more receiving yards.
"If fantasy managers don't want to part ways with Drake, they may end up seeing an uptick in production at some point, because the Cardinals will stick with the run," Weinfuss said. "But if Drake doesn't break through in the next couple of weeks, his time as a fantasy star might be coming to an end."
Now for the rest of our weekly tour around the league:
Indianapolis Colts
T.Y. Hilton might be the biggest disappointment among all fantasy receivers so far, ranking outside of the top 70 at the position in ESPN leagues with a total of 13 catches for 162 yards and zero TDs. Unfortunately, Colts reporter Mike Wells doesn't see a breakthrough coming anytime soon. So he thinks Hilton belongs on your bench for now.
"He and QB Philip Rivers have been out of sync. Rivers has been more inclined to make the tight ends [Mo Alie-Cox, Jack Doyle and Trey Burton] a focal point of the offense," Wells said. "T.Y. will still get his snaps. But the way this season has started, I see no reason that Hilton is all of a sudden going to flip a switch and find that continuity with Rivers."
Philadelphia Eagles
Philly might have both the most disappointing fantasy quarterback and the most disappointing fantasy tight end in the early going, with Carson Wentz and Zach Ertz both off to clunky starts. (Wentz was the most-dropped QB in ESPN leagues last week and is down to 59.9% rostered.) But Eagles reporter Tim McManus sees some reason for optimism.
"While we might have to adjust our expectations regarding Wentz and Ertz's production, both should enjoy an uptick in output as other skill players get healthy," McManus said. "Ertz is drawing a ton of attention from opposing defenses with Dallas Goedert, DeSean Jackson and Jalen Reagor out. He's seeing double-teams and is being covered by cornerbacks at times. Once the speed receivers are reintroduced into the equation, he'll have a little more room to operate.
"Wentz, similarly, will have to do less heavy lifting when he gets some of his playmakers back. Every drive feels like a struggle right now. The good news is Wentz is using his legs as a weapon -- he has a personal-best three rushing TDs already this season. And the passing numbers will increase as the offense adds more players who can create on their own."
Carolina Panthers
Newly signed Panthers receiver Robby Anderson has outscored his more highly touted teammate D.J. Moore by nearly 25 points in ESPN leagues this year. And Panthers reporter David Newton said he expects that connection with Teddy Bridgewater to continue even if defenses start shifting more of their focus to Anderson.
"Anderson has felt comfortable in Joe Brady's offense, in his words, 'since day one.' Why? Because he spent much of the pandemic in South Florida working out with Bridgewater," Newton said. "Anderson is from Broward and Bridgewater from Miami, so they relate on and off the field. That's important to Anderson, who said Bridgewater is 'like a brother to me. ... I don't have any doubt in that bond and that loyalty outside of football.'
"Anderson had a catch rate of 53.6% in his first four NFL seasons with the Jets. This season, he's at 82.4%, catching 28 of 34 targets for 377 yards and a touchdown. Had Bridgewater not missed him in the first half Sunday, he would have one more TD. Moore's catch rate is 56.3% with only two fewer targets. So Anderson clearly is the No. 1 now, but coach Matt Rhule looks at it as though he has two No. 1 receivers, which is a good thing for everybody."
Cincinnati Bengals
OK, maybe you can't expect too many more 42-point fantasy days from RB Joe Mixon, considering his outburst Sunday against Jacksonville was nearly 12 points higher than his previous personal best. But Bengals reporter Ben Baby said there is legitimate reason to hope Mixon can keep being an asset after his lackluster start to the season.
"Coming into Sunday's game, Jacksonville's defense was actually ranked 10th in the NFL in run stop win rate (an ESPN metric powered by NFL Next Gen Stats)," Baby said. "But with Alex Redmond at right guard, the Bengals' offensive line found some synergy and was able to move the Jaguars at the line of scrimmage. Cincinnati's run block win rate of 76.1 was the third-best percentage out of Sunday's games. And a lot of that was powered by the guards, who won on 74.1% of their run blocks. The improved blocking, coupled with a more effective offense, could bode well for Mixon the rest of the season."
Cleveland Browns
Nick Chubb is expected to miss "several weeks" with a sprained MCL. But Browns reporter Jake Trotter doesn't think that will stop Cleveland from running the ball.
"The Browns are running the ball at historic rates," Trotter said of a team that is averaging 204.5 rushing yards per game -- by far the most in the NFL. "So Kareem Hunt definitely becomes a must-start for as long as Chubb is out. And given that Hunt has five TDs over the past three games, he's worth a strong look even after Chubb returns."
Meanwhile, Trotter pointed out that second-year pro D'Ernest Johnson actually wound up being the Browns' leading rusher Sunday with 95 yards on 13 carries -- despite having just one carry in the first three weeks. Trotter believes Johnson will continue to get carries going forward, so he is "at least worth a temporary handcuff to Hunt in the interim."
Also in Cleveland, Trotter wrote about how receiver Odell Beckham Jr. reminded everyone Sunday that he is still an elite playmaker.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos needed an unlikely receiver to emerge after Courtland Sutton went down with a torn ACL. And they got one in fourth-year receiver Tim Patrick, who caught six passes for 113 yards and a touchdown Thursday night.
As Broncos reporter Jeff Legwold wrote, "Call it a night that was 35 months, 28 games, three different teams, three trips through the waiver wire and one stint on injured reserve in the making."
Legwold said fantasy managers should be willing to add Patrick, especially if tight end Noah Fant misses time with an ankle injury. Rookie WR Jerry Jeudy should still be the Broncos' top option. But as Legwold pointed out, the targets for Jeudy (28) and Patrick (21) are separated by only seven on the season.
Detroit Lions
Rookie RB D'Andre Swift was dropped in more than 10% of ESPN leagues last week (down to 73.6% rostered) after his quiet start to the season. But he showed a spark in Sunday's loss to the Saints with four carries for 22 yards and four catches for 30 yards and a TD.
And it just so happens Detroit is a team that could use a spark.
"Yes, people are jumping ship too soon -- especially if you believe the Lions are not going to be a good football team this year," Lions reporter Michael Rothstein said. "Swift should get even more work in situations where the Lions are trailing because he is their best pass-catching back, so he still remains your best option from a PPR perspective. Plus, if Detroit continues to not play well, it might try to give Swift more opportunities to build him up for the future.
"I still expect this to be a back-by-committee situation. But it could end up being closer to half for Swift, who has big-play potential. On Sunday, Adrian Peterson played 27 snaps and Swift 23. That might be much closer to normal in the future."
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
RB Ronald Jones II took advantage of Leonard Fournette's absence with career highs of 20 carries and 111 yards Sunday. But as Bucs reporter Jenna Laine pointed out, Jones still dropped two passes -- a problem that has crept up throughout his three-year career. So she expects the mixing and matching to continue in Tampa's backfield.
Fournette's ankle injury makes him questionable for Thursday's game at Chicago. And whenever Fournette does come back, his role might still be limited by the fact that coach Bruce Arians said he doesn't know the full playbook yet. But Laine said the Buccaneers "really like what Fournette does in the fourth quarter."
Laine could also see a growing role for rookie RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn in the passing game after he had a couple of key plays during Sunday's fourth-quarter comeback over the Chargers, including a touchdown.
New Orleans Saints
As ESPN's Saints reporter, I wrote that one silver lining from Michael Thomas' absence over the past three weeks was the connection that QB Drew Brees has started to develop with receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Tre'Quan Smith.
It's hard to predict with any confidence that either will be a reliable fantasy option once Thomas returns from his high ankle sprain. But both should be legitimate considerations during bye weeks in deeper leagues. Even though Sanders is an 11-year veteran, he admitted it took him a while to feel comfortable in New Orleans' complex offense. But after he caught a season-high six passes for 93 yards Sunday, he said, "I think I'm all the way there."
As for Smith, consistency has always been his biggest issue -- partly due to injury. But this is definitely the most confident he has ever looked now that he also feels comfortable in his third year in the offense.