If you’re heading into Week 8 with fantasy football problems, these are the players who are likely to blame since they were the 10 fantasy football busts of week 7.
Oct 23, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) throws a pass in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Week 7 of the NFL season had some fun highlights like the shootout in Atlanta that resulted in overtime, the Patriots picking up a big road win in Pittsburgh, and the Chiefs and Saints playing a fun game in KC. However, there were also some low moments as well including a weird and unsatisfying 6-6 tie last night on Sunday Night Football. In fantasy football, there were 15 players who came up big for their owners, but there were also some pretty brutal fantasy football busts.
In this post, we’ll highlight the biggest 10 fantasy football busts of the week. These are players who came into the week with solid expectations but ultimately let their owners down due to injury or ineffectiveness. While some have the potential to get things turned around, others should be put on your bench or even dropped moving forward.
Each week in our top 10 fantasy football busts, you can find the most disappointing options at each of the main fantasy positions. You definitely want to avoid using players that end up on this list for your fantasy team.
Make sure to check back tomorrow for our top pickups from the waiver wire Week 8 if you’re ready to move on from some of these players who are struggling.
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While some players came up big in Week 7, these players were the ten biggest fantasy football busts of the week starting with a returning No. 1 receiver who had a bad day.
Oct 23, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles free safety Rodney McLeod (23) and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) react with each other after a pass reception during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. The Philadelphia Eagles won 21-10. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Stefon Diggs-WR-Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings got Stefon Diggs back after their bye week in Week 6, but the last undefeated team fell on the road in Philadelphia with a lackluster game offensively including an unspetacular return for their top receiver.
Diggs ended up with just two catches on his five targets and finished with just 18 yards. He and Sam Bradford were looking ready to light the league on fire in Week 2 when Diggs totaled 182 yards and a touchdown against the Packers. Since then, though Diggs has posted three games of under 50 yards and hasn’t made it back to the end zone.
The bright side for Diggs owners is that he has good matchups ahead against the Bears, Lions, and Washington, but he’s still a boom-or-bust play who needs to show he’s fully healthy. As the top receiver in the Minnesota offense, though, I do expect him to be a startable option for the next three weeks.
Oct 23, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Diego Chargers tight end Hunter Henry (86) talks with tight end Antonio Gates (85) during warm-ups before their game against the Atlanta Falcons at Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Hunter Henry-TE-San Diego Chargers
After a great four-week run, rookie Hunter Henry was gathering some serious momentum as one of the best TE options to emerge as a fantasy star this season. He was coming into a great matchup against the Falcons, but all that momentum crashed to a halt with a down game in Atlanta.
Henry was only targeted three times while fellow-TE Antonio Gates drew ten throws his way. He finished with just one catch for 16 yards which almost ended up in a touchdown, but he was brought down at the three-yard line.
I still am high on Henry moving forward despite his trip to the fantasy football busts list this week. He out-snapped Gates 47-37 according to Pro Football Focus, and he will continue to be a playmaker in an offense that is badly in need of weapons. Look for Henry to be a low end TE1 moving forward, but remember he’s high-risk whenever Gates is active since Phillip Rivers can sometimes default away from the second-rounder with a bright future.
Oct 23, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) runs the ball as New Orleans Saints outside linebacker Craig Robertson (52) defends during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Jamaal Charles-RB-Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs were “optimistic” about Jamaal Charles being involved in Sunday’s game against New Orleans, but the results left his fantasy owners with a very different feeling. Charles remained way behind Spencer Ware in terms of playing time and production leaving his role moving forward in doubt even if he does manage to get healthy.
Charles ended up with just one carry on Sunday and was left entirely out of the passing game. He ended up with no gain on his single rushing attempt and played behind both Ware and Charcandrick West.
While I’m still not totally sold on the Charles era being over in KC, it’s hard to see him contributing until he is clearly back to 100%. The fact that his knee flared up and that he ended up with an MRI on both knees isn’t a good sign that he’ll be ready to contribute any time soon though. For now, leave him on your bench since Ware is clearly the best option for the Chiefs at RB.
Oct 20, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (17) catches a pass during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Alshon Jeffery-WR-Chicago Bears
The Bears are in trouble after losing Brian Hoyer to injury this week. In fact, they may even be hoping Jay Cutler returns this week after hoping they could move on from the Cutler era just last week. Hoyer’s broken arm on Thursday Night Football left Matt Barkley to take over and ultimately turned the Bears into a group of fantasy football busts.
Alshon Jeffery and Cameron Meredith both put up duds as a result of the QB change even though Jeffery was targeted a massive 11 times. He only managed to catch three passes for 33 yards in the Bears’ loss, and he has yet to get into the end zone this season.
Things don’t get easier for Jeffery and the Bears in Week 8 as they face the Vikings before their bye week. I’d suggest finding alternative options for Jeffery the next two weeks, but he’s too talented with too much late-season upside to let go just yet.
Oct 23, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Terrance West (28) runs with the ball during the first half of their game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Terrance West-RB-Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens 3-0 start seems like a long time ago as the team slid to 3-4 after losing to the Giants and Jets in consecutive weeks. The Ravens changed offensive coordinators in the midst of their slide, but they could get nothing at all going on Sunday as Joe Flacco and Terrance West both were fantasy football busts.
West came in with some momentum after staking his claim to the starting RB job with three straight productive games. However, the Jets shut him down on Sunday limiting him to only ten yards on eight carries and keeping him catchers as well. West did have one big run for 49 yards, but it was called back due to a holding penalty.
The Ravens will take some time to work on their offense this week as they have a Week 8 bye. After the bye, the Ravens have tasty matchups against the Steelers and Browns at home, so stash West on your bench and hope he can erase Sunday’s dud after his week off.
Sep 18, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson (87) looks on against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Packers 17-14. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Jordy Nelson-WR-Green Bay Packers
The Packers seemed to get some things figured out this week as they rolled over the Bears on Thursday Night Football. While the team somewhat righted the ship, Jordy Nelson continued to struggle and is far from the top-10 WR that many owners expected when they picked him.
Against Chicago, Nelson had his worst showing of the season catching just one pass for nine yards. He was held out of the end zone for the second straight game and drew just four targets on a night when Aaron Rodgers attempted 56 passes. Rodgers threw to Davante Adams 16 times, Randall Cobb 15 times, and Ty Montgomery 13 times. All three of those receivers ended up with double-digit catches and solid games while Nelson was largely left out of the offensive plan.
Moving forward, Nelson will look to bounce back this week against the Falcons in a good matchup against the Falcons this week. If he can re-establish himself as a go-to option in Green Bay he has some great matchups ahead as the Packers play the Falcons, Colts, Titans, and Washington before a tough stretch against the Eagles, Texans, and Seahawks. Nelson is still a WR2, but his owners have to be concerned about his fading role in the Pack’s attack.
Oct 23, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell (93) tackles Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Russell Wilson-QB-Seattle Seahawks
Last night’s primetime matchup was not a pretty contest. Sure, the defenses were solid as the Seahawks and Cardinals played to a 6-6 tie, but there was virtually no offense and very few well-exectued plays in any facet of the game. While no one had a good game offensively, the biggest letdown was Russell Wilson who is the QB of our fantasy football busts this week ending out Joe Flacco and Eli Manning who also had very forgettable weeks.
Wilson did somewhat save his night with some passing yards in the overtime period, but he still finished with just 225 yards on 24-of-37 passing. He didn’t connect for any touchdowns and ended up with -1 yard rushing and -1 yard receiving while also losing a fumble.
The Seahawks are 4-1-1 despite their offensive struggles this season, but Wilson’s fantasy owners haven’t been happy. The fourth-year QB out of Wisconsin has totaled zero touchdowns in three of his six games this season with multiple touchdowns only once (against the Jets). This week, the Seahawks and Wilson’s fantasy owners will need more from him as Seattle goes on the road again to challenge the Saints at the Superdome where New Orleans can pile up points in a hurry.
Oct 23, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions cornerback Darius Slay (23) tries to tackle Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones (31) during the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Jones-RB-Washington
Washington lost a tough road game in Detroit in Week 7, and primary running back Matt Jones continued his roller coaster of a season. Jones has posted up-and-down yardages in his last four games alternating 117 yards, 31 yards, 135 yards, and then yesterday’s 27 yards.
He ended up with ten carries for his 27 yards and didn’t get into the end zone. He lost a brutal goal line fumble and was part of a pair of dropped handoffs as well. He and Kirk Cousins were out of sync in the backfield and as a result Jones ended up with zero fantasy points in standard scoring (+2 for the yards, -2 for the fumble)
After the game, coach Jay Gruden said he is sticking with Jones as Washington heads to London for this week’s matchup against the Bengals. Jones has been a solid RB2 if you average out his performances, but his boom-or-bust tendencies make him hard to rely on every week. He’ll probably be a top-20 option in the coming week with six teams on a bye, but he’s definitely a risky play after a week in our fantasy football busts.
Oct 23, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy (25) runs the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. The Miami Dolphins defeat the Buffalo Bills 28-25. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
LeSean McCoy-RB-Buffalo Bills
The Bills’ decision to play LeSean McCoy made zero sense coming into Sunday. Despite his history of hamstring injuries, the Bills reportedly pushed him to play this week after injuring his hammy again last week. Hopefully, you were able to avoid putting him back into your lineup since he was obviously less than 100% against Miami.
The Bills apparently “thought he was fine” according to Coach Rex Ryan, but now they’ll probably be without Shady for multiple weeks after he re-injured himself in a game the Bills ended up losing anyway. McCoy managed just 11 yards on his wight carries after posting 110, 70, 150, and 140 the last four weeks. He didn’t catch a pass or get into the end zone leaving his owners with little to show and a major roster dilemma in the next few weeks.
If McCoy is out a few weeks as is the growing consensus, he’ll miss possibly the two trickiest weeks of the season for fantasy football owners. Six teams are on a bye each of the next two weeks, and then the Bills have their off week in Week 10. If the injury keeps McCoy out until Week 11, it’ll be tough for his owners as they battle for the playoffs without their top RB.
Oct 23, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Robinson (15) warms up prior to a game against the Oakland Raiders at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports
Allen Robinson-WR-Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars struggling isn’t anything new, but their offense has been a total disappointment for fantasy football owners. So far this season, Allen Robinson is shaping up to be one of the biggest fantasy football busts of the year as he continues to disappoint on a weekly basis.
The last two weeks were set up beautifully for the player many thought would be a WR1 this year. However, in Week 6 Robinson was on our fantasy football busts list with just three catches for 49 yards. He did even less this week finishing with two catches for just nine yards against the Raiders who had been being shredded through the air before yesterday.
For owners in standard scoring systems, Robinson put up literally zero points this week while his 2.9 in typical PPR were also less than exciting. Robinson had a couple of bad drops this week and is totally out of sync with Blake Bortles right now. He could definitely turn it around, but right now he’s not even a locked-in starter in most formats moving forward. Robinson has been held under 60 yards receiving in each of his last five games.
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