Welcome to Blitz Sports Media’s Fantasy Football “Panic Meter”. Each week we will identify some of the disappointing performances from the prior week to identify if it is time to panic about a certain player. Below is the official Blitz Sports Media panic meter discussing the reasoning behind each panic meter level.
Let’s get into all of the players who made this week’s version of the panic meter.
Travis Etienne Jr. RB (JAX)
Panic Meter: 2
Tank Bisby outsnapped Etienne last week and it resulted in Bigsby having 13 carries for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Jaguars in their first win. Doug Pederson has made it very clear over this week that Etienne remains the starter in Jacksonville, but his days as the workhorse back might be coming to an end. Bigsby has established himself in the running game this season. If you look below the top right is Bigsby compared to other running backs in tackles avoided and yards after contact per carry.
Bigsby has carved out a role on early downs behind his 6.5 YPC after contact that limits Etienne’s volume in the running game. Where Etienne remains valuable is on 3rd down. Etienne has still seen 10 targets in the last two weeks and remains a better blocker than Bigsby. Etienne should be valued as a low-end RB2 for the rest of the season.
Josh Allen QB (BUF)
Panic Meter: 1
Allen has struggled the last two weeks and maybe played the worst game of his career in week 5 against the Texans. He finished with only 9 completions and looked like he played through a concussion in the 2nd half of the game. In the last two weeks, he has combined for 24.5 fantasy points, during that stretch only having 1 touchdown pass. Another concern is that offensive coordinator Joe Brady has shifted his red zone touches more towards RB James Cook and it has resulted in 0 carries inside the five-yard line this season for Allen.
He remains one of the best options in fantasy football after his two-game slump. Allen remains in the MVP mix and still has 10 touchdowns with 0 interceptions to start the season. With two tough matchups against the Jets and Titans defense, Josh Allen will be a good buy low candidate in fantasy football. Not worried about him at all
Chris Olave WR (NO)
Panic Meter: 3
Olave currently ranks as the WR33 in fantasy football and is coming off his worst performance of the season with 2 catches for 10 yards on Monday night. So far fellow wide receiver Rashid Shaheed has produced more than Olave to start the 2024 season. Shaheed has more air yards than Olave this season and has more first-read targets on the season. New Orleans is committed to running the ball as they have one of the highest run rates in the league. Their passing game is highly dependent on taking deep shots right now and Shaheed’s game is more suited for that role which has caused Olave to take a back seat. With the injury to Derek Carr, he is a Flex play at best going forward and you should sell high on him if he has a big week.
Tank Dell WR (HOU)
Panic Meter: 2
It has not been smooth sailing for Dell this year after returning from injury between drops and receiving fewer snaps than he did last year at this time. Analytically speaking, Dell has regressed in a few important areas. He currently ranks 81st in yards per route run, 65th in target share, 64th in air yards, and 86th in QB rating per target. Despite these shaky numbers, Dell still ranks 30th among all receivers in separation suggesting an increased role will allow him to produce more on the field. With Nico Collins heading to the IR, now is the time for Dell to step up and produce like he did last season.
Breece Hall RB (NYJ)
Panic Meter: 1
Hall has now disappointed two straight weeks in fantasy football totaling 27 rushing yards on 19 attempts during that stretch. Two things can be true, Hall has been a disappointment this year in fantasy football, and he still is at least a low-end RB1 the rest of the season. In week 5 he had the 5th highest snap share among running backs showing that Braelon Allen will maintain his 33% snap share. He also just faced the Broncos and Vikings defenses that have been stout against the run this season. Despite ranking bottom 3 in the NFL in yards per touch he will have a bounce-back week against the Bills who have the 2nd worst EPA per rush. Buy low while you can.
George Pickens WR (PIT)
Panic Meter: 2
The drama between Pickens and the Steelers is well-known after he only played 57% of snaps in the loss to the Cowboys. Below is a video of all of the routes he ran against the Cowboys and it very clear that the young receiver was not happy with his diminished role
It is clear that there is an issue in Pittsburgh, and we will see if it gets resolved in week 6. On the bright side for Pickens, he has yet to catch a touchdown this season despite seeing 36 targets. That number puts him at the 2nd most targets in the NFL without a touchdown catch suggesting he is due for one soon. I was never sold on Pickens coming into the season as a breakout candidate due to Arthur Smith’s usage of his receivers. Expect him to be a FLEX play the rest of the season.
Deebo Samuel WR (SF)
Panic Meter: 1
At this point, owners of Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle should expect bust weeks at times with too many mouths to feed in San Francisco. There is no reason to panic on Deebo coming off of a 3-point performance in week 5 where he has seen his target share decrease since his calf injury. I am not convinced he is fully healthy yet and Shannahan is limiting his touches the first two weeks post-injury. Against a beat-up Seahawks secondary expect him to have a good week 6 performance.
Cut List | Panic Meter: 5
Aaron Rodgers QB (NYJ)
Carson Steele RB (KC)
Zamir White RB (LV)
Dalton Schultz TE (HOU)
Keenan Allen WR (CHI)