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Doug Orth | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


Mediocrity Reigns Supreme?
All Out Blitz: Volume 70
11/14/13

At about this point during every fantasy football season, patience can run a bit thin. The “bad” lineup choices are magnified, injuries continue to mount and missed trade/free agent opportunities have owners wondering what could have been.

While players will inherently disappoint us from time to time (they are human after all), I, for one, am quick to recognize that I am the one who drafted my team and is running it. Generally speaking, it is not a player’s responsibility to get me 100 yards and two touchdowns in a given week, it is my responsibility to make sure a fantasy win or loss doesn’t hinge on a player performing at that level – especially when it happens on a regular basis.

With that said, owners can quickly get disenchanted when players – especially those on poor or struggling teams – suffer in fantasy because of bad football decisions or awful play-calling. I was reminded of this phenomenon once again during the Monday Night Football game between the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Bucs. At its very core, football (and any team-oriented sport for that matter) is often about getting the ball to a team’s best player and putting him in a position to make plays. So when Vincent Jackson became an afterthought in the Bucs’ offense after the first drive, it got me thinking once again about consistency. Part of the reason bad teams lose is because they are so afraid of what might happen, they are unwilling to making something happen. In other words, the play-calling tends to get conservative because they start to consider the worst-case scenario rather than recognize that one more smart yet aggressive play could put the touchdown on the scoreboard that effectively ends the game.

The point, however, is not to rant about Jackson’s lack of involvement – he did see three consecutive targets late in the third quarter, the last of which was intercepted – but to find a way to avoid as many of the rollercoaster games as possible before and during a fantasy season. It should go without saying that disappointing fantasy performances will happen – after all, the Minnesota Vikings tend to forget to give Adrian Peterson his 20 touches every game despite average (at best) quarterback play.

My goal each week in my PPR leagues is to get double-digit performances from every one of my running backs, receivers and tight ends and 20+ points out of my quarterback position. I have set these standards in part because they are easy to remember and in part because my experience has suggested teams that get double-digit efforts from each of running backs, receivers and tight ends, win their fantasy weeks on a pretty consistent basis. Another reason I have set these benchmarks is because I don’t feel as if they should be all that difficult for my players to achieve at least 8-10 times during the fantasy season, particularly since so many of them are the first or second options in their respective offenses.

Let’s take a quick look at my “goals” and a sample line of what it takes to accomplish them in a PPR format:

Quarterbacks (20 points) – 250 passing yards and two touchdowns/225 passing yards and two touchdowns, 10 rushing yards
Running backs (10 points) – 65 rushing yards, two catches for 15 yards
Wide receivers/tight ends (10 points) – four catches for 60 yards/five catches for 50 yards

Admittedly, the goal may be a bit high for most tight ends, but it is one I expect to hit more than half the time since I typically end up with at least one of 6-8 top tight ends on each of my teams.

This week, I’d like to bring the level of mediocrity fantasy owners are dealing with this season under the microscope and share some general thoughts. Just as importantly, I encourage each of you to put just as much emphasis on the positional charts. Keep the above benchmarks in mind as you review each table.

Quick notes:
* The yellow highlight represents each time the player fell below the assigned fantasy-point benchmark above.

* “DNP” not only represents “did not play”, but also any game in which a fantasy owner could not have realistically expected the player to contribute in a meaningful way that week. As such, I did not apply a yellow highlight to players such as Zac Stacy in Week 1 or Nick Foles in Week 4 because their contributions came in relief. Please understand some of my judgments are subjective when it comes to this process, so keep that in mind.

* I intentionally skipped some players at running back and wide receiver due to the combination of their fantasy “relevance” and/or current depth chart status and/or an injury. Including the likes of Ahmad Bradshaw, Justin Blackmon or Daryl Richardson doesn’t make a lot of sense when conducting a study about consistency. Players such as Julio Jones or Reggie Wayne were left in because of what it potentially means for their replacements.

 Quarterbacks
Rk Player TM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total
1 Peyton Manning DEN 60.3 24.0 30.8 37.1 43.8 17.1 31.3 29.9 bye 35.1 309.4
2 Drew Brees NOS 24.5 14.9 37.8 40.7 23.3 20.5 bye 43.2 23.2 39.7 267.8
3 Tony Romo DAL 20.4 16.2 26.4 23.3 50.9 10.8 14.9 26.7 24.3 11.1 225.0
4 Matthew Stafford DET 24.5 21.2 25.6 18.5 16.4 32.5 32.3 28.7 bye 24.7 224.4
5 Russell Wilson SEA 17.5 13.0 29.5 10.6 26.6 16.4 26.3 19.2 26.3 25.5 210.9
6 Philip Rivers SDC 31.6 35.9 13.4 32.0 22.4 15.4 17.8 bye 23.0 15.4 206.9
7 Andy Dalton CIN 19.5 18.2 17.7 5.5 9.0 31.2 33.5 41.0 6.7 19.2 201.5
8 Andrew Luck IND 28.9 20.6 14.8 23.0 22.1 8.0 36.0 bye 30.8 15.8 200.0
9 Cam Newton CAR 14.8 20.7 35.4 bye 6.8 36.7 16.8 31.8 20.2 6.5 189.7
10 Aaron Rodgers GBP 30.6 42.9 14.2 bye 17.8 18.7 29.6 26.5 2.0 DNP 182.3
11 Matt Ryan ATL 23.4 27.0 19.2 26.8 22.8 bye 27.7 11.3 9.0 14.4 181.6
12 Robert Griffin III WAS 23.6 28.9 12.7 16.1 bye 13.5 30.3 6.0 11.3 33.6 176.0
13 Nick Foles PHI DNP DNP DNP 8.0 20.0 36.0 5.7 DNP 59.8 28.9 158.4
14 Ben Roethlisberger PIT 11.6 14.6 20.9 17.3 bye 17.7 14.9 13.1 33.9 12.2 156.2
15 Tom Brady NEP 19.1 13.2 19.5 24.4 5.9 16.4 7.1 9.1 41.2 bye 155.9
16 Alex Smith KCC 21.4 26.6 14.2 29.2 8.8 8.0 17.0 25.0 5.7 bye 155.9
17 Ryan Tannehill MIA 15.2 16.9 18.1 12.8 18.9 bye 20.3 14.9 14.4 19.4 150.9
18 Colin Kaepernick SFO 36.7 5.8 4.0 17.8 11.9 19.9 20.8 30.0 bye 3.2 150.1
19 Joe Flacco BAL 22.5 15.0 6.8 15.9 10.1 24.3 16.0 bye 24.5 12.0 147.1
20 Sam Bradford STL 24.1 32.6 15.6 9.7 27.3 23.1 14.3 DNP DNP DNP 146.7
21 Jay Cutler CHI 21.3 24.6 13.5 21.6 27.0 24.5 -0.9 bye DNP 14.0 145.6
22 Terrelle Pryor OAK 21.9 10.0 20.8 DNP 23.9 14.2 bye 16.1 16.9 8.8 132.6
23 Geno Smith NYJ 16.9 4.3 28.6 10.3 28.1 4.8 22.5 3.2 12.4 bye 131.1
24 Eli Manning NYG 36.8 12.5 4.2 9.9 19.4 9.6 14.5 9.7 bye 9.3 125.9
25 Carson Palmer ARI 21.1 13.7 3.5 12.5 6.7 19.9 12.8 17.8 bye 17.4 125.4
26 Jake Locker TEN 5.3 18.9 30.8 25.7 DNP DNP 25.9 bye 10.4 -1.2 115.8
27 Michael Vick PHI 29.5 38.5 17.5 14.0 12.1 DNP DNP -0.7 DNP DNP 110.9
28 Christian Ponder MIN 8.6 14.9 21.7 DNP bye DNP DNP 15.6 20.3 18.3 99.4
29 Mike Glennon TBB DNP DNP DNP 7.6 bye 22.9 21.5 17.2 20.0 9.3 98.5
30 Matt Schaub HOU 29.8 25.9 5.8 22.7 0.9 7.4 DNP bye DNP DNP 92.5
31 EJ Manuel BUF 20.3 17.1 21.7 6.8 6.6 DNP DNP DNP DNP 11.9 84.4
32 Case Keenum HOU DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 15.8 bye 34.6 25.3 75.7

Congratulations to all the Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Matthew Stafford owners out there – none of which have fallen below the 20-point mark more than twice. When one considers both Manning and Brees have posted at least as many 30-point games as they have 20-point performances, it is a small wonder how their fantasy teams aren’t lapping the competition in most leagues.

The problem arises after the top 3-4 quarterbacks and how often they are failing to reach a benchmark they should be able to achieve roughly about 8-10 times during the 16 weeks of the fantasy season. Of the regular starting quarterbacks that are currently healthy, only Andrew Luck (three) hasn’t fallen below the 20-point level at least four times. In short, there are only four healthy quarterbacks that are regular starters who have been able to deliver 20 points five of out nine (or six out of 10 for those quarterbacks who haven’t had a bye week yet). In other words, a lot of fantasy owners are hoping their quarterbacks score 20 points or more in a given week, but the chances of that happening – at least through 10 weeks – are no greater than 55-60%.

Some of the more egregious violators on this list:

Andy Dalton (scored 30 or more fantasy points in Weeks 6-8, but a total of 21.2 points in Weeks 4, 5 and 9), who is seventh overall in fantasy scoring thanks in large part to his three-week explosion.

Robert Griffin III (scored 16.1 fantasy points or fewer in five games and 28.9 or more in three of his nine games), who ranks 12th overall in fantasy scoring. However, owners should have probably expected an up-and-down season from him considering he generates so much of his fantasy production with his running ability and is coming off a major knee injury.

Tom Brady (scored fewer than 20 fantasy points in seven of his first eight games), who ranks 15th overall in fantasy scoring. Like Griffin, Brady’s “slow start” is explainable. Brady wouldn’t have been drafted nearly as high as he was had we known that Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola would miss significant parts of the season back in August.

The most pleasant surprise on this list:

Nick Foles (scored at least 20 points in four of his five starts), who is 13th overall in fantasy scoring despite seeing a great deal of time on the sideline in Weeks 1-4 and a hard-to-explain dud in Week 7.

Running Backs
Rk Player TM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total
1 Jamaal Charles KCC 19.0 24.3 30.2 23.7 23.5 29.8 19.3 17.0 15.6 bye 202.4
2 Matt Forte CHI 19.1 24.1 21.1 22.7 15.5 17.1 30.9 bye 28.9 8.9 188.3
3 LeSean McCoy PHI 25.9 21.7 21.8 10.4 21.2 17.1 14.1 10.6 18.0 17.1 177.9
4 Knowshon Moreno DEN 9.5 25.7 5.5 16.1 26.0 35.4 13.9 25.3 bye 19.4 176.8
5 Marshawn Lynch SEA 7.2 34.5 6.9 21.3 11.7 31.5 16.4 3.7 18.1 25.1 176.4
6 Adrian Peterson MIN 33.1 9.7 21.5 26.0 bye 11.3 7.6 17.3 26.7 21.7 174.9
7 Reggie Bush DET 29.1 9.9 DNP 27.3 10.9 24.5 12.4 24.2 bye 14.3 152.6
8 Giovani Bernard CIN 4.0 19.5 19.9 13.5 6.9 22.0 10.9 3.7 26.4 23.5 150.3
9 Fred Jackson BUF 14.8 17.5 14.9 14.7 25.3 8.8 18.5 13.3 10.9 9.2 147.9
10 Danny Woodhead SDC 3.6 14.4 13.6 25.6 20.5 13.3 17.6 bye 18.8 14.4 141.8
11 Pierre Thomas NOS 9.9 8.8 12.7 8.8 30.1 7.0 bye 12.4 16.0 30.1 135.8
12 Frank Gore SFO 14.5 4.0 12.3 19.3 14.1 10.1 24.4 18.7 bye 12.3 129.7
13 DeMarco Murray DAL 20.5 12.4 29.3 14.0 11.8 13.0 DNP DNP 11.0 16.5 128.5
14 Chris Johnson TEN 7.0 10.7 10.1 5.1 18.0 8.4 21.0 bye 32.0 10.3 122.6
15 Darren Sproles NOS 17.0 12.2 9.6 31.2 7.1 13.3 bye 4.0 1.2 25.8 121.4
16 Alfred Morris WAS 10.4 14.0 13.3 7.1 bye 14.1 9.5 15.3 18.1 13.9 115.7
17 Eddie Lacy GBP 12.2 1.0 DNP bye 10.7 13.5 21.8 21.2 21.0 10.4 111.8
18 Arian Foster HOU 15.0 17.5 6.2 29.1 15.8 23.8 1.1 bye DNP DNP 108.5
19 Jacquizz Rodgers ATL 1.2 8.5 11.3 14.8 21.8 bye 26.2 3.9 8.4 10.9 107.0
20 Joique Bell DET 26.2 12.2 23.2 6.2 9.1 4.3 8.6 12.4 bye 4.1 106.3
21 Zac Stacy STL 0.4 DNP DNP DNP 7.8 11.0 18.7 13.9 35.8 14.8 102.4
22 Andre Ellington ARI 2.3 14.2 8.5 8.1 12.3 20.2 3.3 24.2 bye 9.3 102.4
23 Stevan Ridley NEP 2.6 4.0 5.3 9.9 DNP 24.0 13.3 13.9 25.4 bye 98.4
24 Le’Veon Bell PIT DNP DNP DNP 24.4 bye 8.6 10.9 16.1 17.9 18.6 96.5
25 Maurice Jones-Drew JAX 4.5 3.8 14.2 3.8 10.6 15.4 7.6 18.2 bye 17.4 95.5
26 DeAngelo Williams CAR 11.0 8.5 12.7 bye 8.9 16.7 6.9 12.1 7.4 10.6 94.8
27 Ray Rice BAL 21.1 5.5 DNP 1.7 26.2 7.9 11.2 bye 6.8 11.6 92.0
28 Darren McFadden OAK 15.6 17.7 13.5 2.9 DNP 11.3 bye 21.8 2.5 DNP 85.3
29 Ryan Mathews SDC 13.5 6.6 5.8 14.3 0.8 10.2 17.0 bye 3.4 13.1 84.7
30 Mike Tolbert CAR 1.4 6.3 7.8 bye 5.0 18.7 9.6 16.4 12.7 4.3 82.2
31 Bilal Powell NYJ 10.4 15.0 17.8 13.8 5.7 8.0 0.6 7.9 2.9 bye 82.1
32 C.J. Spiller BUF 8.5 14.7 2.0 7.7 12.6 8.6 3.7 DNP 17.5 6.4 81.7
33 Rashad Jennings OAK 0.2 4.4 3.5 19.6 4.1 3.1 bye 0.8 30.6 12.7 79.0
34 Lamar Miller MIA 2.0 15.5 7.4 13.8 1.5 bye 5.7 14.2 14.9 3.1 78.1
35 Roy Helu WAS 2.6 1.2 6.5 16.4 bye 11.7 23.6 3.5 3.9 6.1 75.5
36 Ben Tate HOU 8.2 13.1 7.3 3.5 4.0 11.8 7.5 bye 8.9 9.4 73.7
37 Trent Richardson IND 9.7 12.9 9.5 13.6 5.6 6.3 1.7 bye 7.3 6.5 73.1
38 Chris Ogbonnaya CLE 2.0 4.4 9.3 15.6 1.7 20.9 1.5 5.7 8.9 bye 70.0
39 Doug Martin TBB 12.4 14.4 12.8 9.1 bye 13.1 6.4 DNP DNP DNP 68.2
40 Jason Snelling ATL 3.7 16.0 21.1 4.4 13.3 bye 1.4 DNP DNP 5.5 65.4
41 BenJarvus Green-Ellis CIN 9.9 9.0 6.9 1.3 12.7 8.6 2.4 3.3 7.2 3.6 64.9
42 Rashard Mendenhall ARI 7.4 17.4 5.1 4.4 13.0 5.2 8.2 DNP bye 4.1 64.8
43 Donald Brown IND DNP 3.0 2.5 9.6 11.0 5.4 9.5 bye 4.9 17.3 63.2
44 Brandon Bolden NEP DNP DNP 15.0 2.2 12.4 4.8 11.3 10.9 3.6 bye 60.2
45 James Starks GBP 1.8 26.8 5.5 bye DNP DNP DNP 11.7 10.0 2.4 58.2
46 Daniel Thomas MIA 8.9 5.0 10.7 1.6 3.2 bye 6.8 12.2 5.2 -0.2 53.4
47 Bernard Pierce BAL 2.2 12.5 15.2 1.9 4.6 5.1 3.2 bye 1.1 6.3 52.1
48 Mike James TBB DNP DNP DNP DNP bye DNP DNP 10.4 24.7 4.1 49.9
52 Steven Jackson ATL 17.2 7.8 DNP DNP DNP bye DNP 4.3 10.6 5.0 44.9
53 Chris Ivory NYJ 1.5 5.2 0.5 DNP 2.7 1.6 11.2 1.1 19.9 bye 43.7
59 Willis McGahee CLE DNP DNP 0.9 4.5 13.2 4.9 3.9 4.8 1.1 bye 33.3

At running back, a table like this reveals the difference between the haves and the have-nots pretty quickly. Needless to say, the owners fortunate enough to start some combination of Jamaal Charles, Matt Forte, LeSean McCoy, Knowshon Moreno, Adrian Peterson, Reggie Bush, Danny Woodhead, Frank Gore and even DeMarco Murray have to be thrilled. If you simply take a five-second look at the colored boxes, it appears the cutoff point for “useful” running backs that have been dependable fantasy starters for most of the season is at No. 18 with Arian Foster. (Of course, Foster is no longer available for his owners.) Thankfully, players such as Zac Stacy and Andre Ellington have stepped up to rescue a few of us from our running back misery, but the emergence of those two rookies against the backdrop of a handful of first-round fantasy running backs that are hurt, struggling (or both) is of small comfort.

There may be no better indicator of the landscape of the running back position than Pierre Thomas, who is 11th in fantasy points. While it is true that Thomas has seen his playing time increase since Week 4 (62% of the snaps over that span as opposed to 41% in the first four weeks), much of that can be attributed to the fact Mark Ingram missed significant time. Most of us wouldn’t even think about Thomas being a fantasy RB1 in any format (especially considering he has four games below 10 points to his credit), but yet he is still a few points ahead of more consistent backs like Frank Gore or Alfred Morris. Even Joique Bell, who has enjoyed exactly one moderately productive fantasy week since Week 3, is 20th – ahead of players such as Maurice Jones-Drew, Ray Rice, C.J. Spiller, Lamar Miller and Trent Richardson.

One of the more interesting observations I made from this data is the fact that not only are five rookies among the top 24 scorers at the position, but they have also all have been remarkably consistent when compared to their peers. Stacy, Ellington and Le’Veon Bell all got off to slow starts for obvious reasons, but it seems hard to believe a draft class that was knocked for being average – especially at running back – has produced so many players capable of consistent fantasy contributions. Further consider that two of the most talented running back prospects in the draft – Seattle’s Christine Michael and San Francisco’s Marcus Lattimore – haven’t even had a chance to show off their wares on a consistent basis yet (or in Lattimore’s case, at all).

Wide Receivers
Rk Player TM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total
1 A.J. Green CIN 37.2 10.1 14.6 12.1 11.1 22.3 27.5 14.5 23.8 29.1 202.3
2 Calvin Johnson DET 7.7 29.6 24.5 14.4 DNP 5.5 36.5 50.9 bye 26.3 195.4
3 Brandon Marshall CHI 24.4 24.3 10.2 16.9 13.0 29.7 13.5 bye 23.7 32.9 188.6
4 Demaryius Thomas DEN 33.1 10.2 19.4 29.6 10.7 10.8 18.2 20.5 bye 35.8 188.3
5 DeSean Jackson PHI 23.4 34.3 9.2 5.4 26.2 24.4 5.1 14.3 26.0 18.0 186.3
6 Andre Johnson HOU 26.6 15.6 8.6 20.0 6.9 15.8 12.9 bye 49.9 20.7 177.0
7 Dez Bryant DAL 6.2 29.1 13.8 26.1 30.1 8.6 19.0 22.3 12.4 5.4 173.0
8 Jordy Nelson GBP 26.0 21.6 17.3 bye 13.2 21.3 15.2 31.3 10.7 11.6 168.2
9 Antonio Brown PIT 12.5 11.7 40.6 21.8 bye 18.2 11.3 17.4 18.1 16.4 168.0
10 Wes Welker DEN 25.7 12.9 21.4 26.6 15.9 18.3 16.6 20.1 bye 5.1 162.6
11 Pierre Garcon WAS 13.4 28.3 16.3 17.9 bye 12.9 10.8 11.6 24.2 24.9 160.3
12 Alshon Jeffery CHI 9.2 5.1 12.1 26.4 37.8 5.2 16.1 bye 17.0 20.9 149.8
13 Victor Cruz NYG 34.8 19.8 5.5 32.4 9.8 10.8 10.0 15.6 bye 6.7 145.4
14 T.Y. Hilton IND 5.0 18.4 3.3 9.8 31.0 9.3 4.7 bye 37.1 20.0 138.6
15 Eric Decker DEN 5.2 17.7 27.3 13.8 17.7 10.0 29.0 8.2 bye 8.2 137.1
16 Vincent Jackson TBB 22.4 12.7 6.4 4.7 bye 32.4 35.8 12.9 3.1 5.8 136.2
17 Torrey Smith BAL 13.2 15.5 14.2 27.6 18.1 2.2 9.1 bye 13.4 15.6 128.9
18 Riley Cooper PHI 3.4 10.3 4.9 4.5 0.0 22.0 14.8 3.3 38.8 25.2 127.2
19 Golden Tate SEA 9.1 2.9 16.7 4.7 17.1 8.3 11.7 26.3 5.9 22.6 125.3
20 Marvin Jones CIN 3.1 6.5 12.8 0.0 6.7 19.5 15.7 44.2 10.6 1.9 121.0
21 Josh Gordon CLE SUS SUS 32.8 11.1 18.6 19.6 4.1 24.2 8.4 bye 118.8
22 Larry Fitzgerald ARI 28.0 5.3 11.4 18.8 7.3 22.1 3.7 14.8 bye 5.3 116.7
23 Denarius Moore OAK 15.3 0.0 24.4 10.6 19.4 19.2 bye 5.2 13.2 7.5 114.8
24 Cecil Shorts JAX 7.0 17.3 22.3 13.1 18.4 0.0 16.0 14.4 bye 6.2 114.7
25 Kendall Wright TEN 3.1 18.4 13.1 10.6 13.4 11.9 18.8 bye 9.9 14.8 114.0
26 Keenan Allen SDC DNP 5.4 1.3 13.0 23.5 25.7 9.7 bye 26.8 8.1 113.5
27 Jerricho Cotchery PIT 13.4 8.4 8.2 21.3 bye DNP 8.1 6.9 34.6 11.1 112.0
28 Anquan Boldin SFO 39.8 1.7 11.7 20.0 4.1 5.8 12.4 9.6 bye 5.3 110.4
29 Julio Jones ATL 18.6 35.2 21.2 16.8 17.9 bye DNP DNP DNP DNP 109.7
30 Julian Edelman NEP 26.9 21.2 11.4 18.8 6.2 10.7 9.4 2.7 2.1 bye 109.4
31 Steve Johnson BUF 12.9 25.1 16.6 0.9 3.9 DNP 12.1 20.2 9.6 7.8 109.1
32 Harry Douglas ATL 13.3 8.3 -0.1 11.8 2.6 bye 27.9 24.1 11.2 9.9 109.0
33 Terrance Williams DAL 5.2 5.5 DNP 12.1 27.3 10.7 19.1 14.4 5.3 9.1 108.7
34 Brian Hartline MIA 26.4 11.8 15.6 6.4 10.0 bye 12.9 7.7 6.9 10.7 108.4
35 Emmanuel Sanders PIT 12.7 12.8 7.9 9.7 bye 16.0 1.7 23.8 15.8 7.8 108.2
36 Eddie Royal SDC 17.4 34.0 5.4 7.2 3.6 0.4 16.9 bye 15.6 5.6 106.1
37 Steve Smith CAR 17.1 10.2 7.0 bye 10.0 13.1 17.9 8.2 9.2 12.3 105.0
38 Reggie Wayne IND 23.6 9.6 10.3 21.0 14.5 13.8 10.0 bye DNP DNP 102.8
39 DeAndre Hopkins HOU 11.6 24.7 12.0 4.7 4.3 5.7 16.6 bye 8.4 12.9 100.9
40 Aaron Dobson NEP DNP 14.6 12.2 2.0 6.9 12.3 6.4 16.0 30.0 bye 100.4
41 Doug Baldwin SEA 16.4 6.1 10.5 6.9 13.0 8.8 2.6 2.2 19.5 12.6 98.6
42 Mike Wallace MIA 2.5 26.5 4.2 5.4 17.5 bye 13.8 7.9 14.2 5.5 97.5
43 Michael Floyd ARI 12.2 5.2 8.9 13.7 11.1 15.4 13.1 12.0 bye 5.1 96.7
44 Rueben Randle NYG 15.1 4.4 6.0 1.7 27.6 16.5 11.0 0.0 bye 14.0 96.3
45 Hakeem Nicks NYG 16.4 12.3 0.0 6.3 23.2 11.0 4.8 12.1 bye 8.9 95.0
46 Tavon Austin STL 10.0 23.5 9.3 2.6 6.2 1.3 6.9 2.9 0.6 28.2 91.5
47 Marques Colston NOS 17.8 10.3 12.1 16.6 3.5 2.1 bye 4.8 DNP 23.7 90.9
48 Brandon LaFell CAR 0.0 5.3 20.3 bye 8.7 21.6 6.5 5.3 13.4 8.8 89.9
49 Marlon Brown BAL 16.5 14.5 2.6 13.4 DNP 9.9 6.2 bye 24.4 2.0 89.5
50 Nate Washington TEN 8.6 8.0 21.1 26.5 6.0 2.5 9.2 bye 0.0 5.9 87.8
51 Kenny Stills NOS 10.6 2.0 0.0 7.8 0.0 15.4 bye 28.3 6.5 16.5 87.1
52 Greg Jennings MIN 6.3 13.4 7.3 24.2 bye 9.4 8.1 1.9 11.6 4.8 87.0
53 Randall Cobb GBP 24.4 27.8 10.4 bye 14.7 9.3 DNP DNP DNP DNP 86.6
54 Leonard Hankerson WAS 25.0 6.5 5.1 8.9 bye 5.6 3.6 7.7 10.5 11.1 84.0
60 Rod Streater OAK 12.9 7.2 7.2 3.8 14.6 7.6 bye 8.5 14.8 1.6 78.2
61 Robert Woods BUF 8.8 13.1 5.5 19.3 11.4 2.9 5.4 1.7 8.4 DNP 76.5
63 James Jones GBP 0.0 26.8 13.4 bye 22.7 2.0 DNP DNP 2.7 8.4 76.0
73 Jarrett Boykin GBP DNP DNP DNP bye DNP 5.3 24.3 13.9 2.5 19.2 65.2
77 Danny Amendola NEP 20.4 DNP DNP DNP 9.5 2.1 DNP 4.5 22.2 bye 58.7

Much like running back, the top 10 is pretty easy on the eyes. Sure, DeSean Jackson has endured his ups and downs, Andre Johnson was tough to take when Houston was averse to throwing the ball deep and Dez Bryant has had more duds than one might expect. However, once we get past the first 10, it becomes a bit more obvious why receivers are risky business. Of the top 30 scoring receivers in fantasy after 10 weeks, 16 of them are players that were regularly going after the fourth round in most drafts. (Compare that to roughly 10-12 – depending on when owners held their drafts – of the top 30 at the running back position.) Both running back- and receiver-heavy approaches work, it is just the odds are slightly better if owners secure their running back slots first and settle for the Pierre Garcons and Eric Deckers of the world. In the end, however, the running back-heavy versus receiver-heavy debate will wage on because the caveat will always be selecting the right players for the favored approach.

Whereas the cutoff for “useful” fantasy running backs was at No. 18, it is hard to say there is much of a difference from a consistency perspective from about Nos. 14-28 at receiver (and that’s after losing two elite or near-elite options in Julio Jones and Reggie Wayne). Of course there are exceptions, but I look at players like Kendall Wright and Steve Smith as acceptable WR2s in PPR formats when every other spot on my roster is squared away. Neither player has been extraordinary in any of their games, but both have been fixtures in at least two of my teams’ lineups. Obviously, the goal at every position is to get production one grade higher than you have them slotted (WR1 plays like an elite fantasy player; WR2 plays like a WR1 and so on…), but in highly competitive leagues – especially those that don’t like to trade all that often – that isn’t always possible.

Even some of the players owners have labeled as disappointments for most of the year have been acceptable WR3s. At least one of my teams – which lost Randall Cobb, has endured the Roddy White nightmare and is now awaiting the news of Tony Gonzalez’s toe injury – would benefit greatly from having a player like Marques Colston I could start every week. Has he lived up to his fantasy draft slot? No. Would he be helping that team win? Yes. And he is 47th overall in fantasy scoring at his position. One could also make the argument that if they were starting Michael Floyd and Reuben Randle (43rd and 44th, respectively) as their receivers every week and were secure everywhere else, they would win more fantasy games than they would lose. Try to do that with Donald Brown and Brandon Bolden…

Tight Ends
Rk Player TM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total
1 Jimmy Graham NOS 14.5 33.9 34.4 26.0 23.5 0.0 bye 18.7 32.6 10.9 194.5
2 Julius Thomas DEN 28.0 16.7 12.7 8.3 33.2 12.2 15.1 5.9 bye 18.6 150.7
3 Jordan Cameron CLE 25.8 14.5 30.6 25.1 6.6 11.4 18.5 12.1 1.4 bye 146.0
4 Jason Witten DAL 27.0 4.2 11.7 9.3 25.1 5.7 8.8 3.5 24.2 4.7 124.2
5 Vernon Davis SFO 27.8 5.0 DNP 9.8 17.8 38.0 10.2 14.2 bye 1.2 124.0
6 Antonio Gates SDC 6.9 18.4 16.5 29.6 14.4 6.8 9.1 bye 11.3 10.2 123.2
7 Tony Gonzalez ATL 12.6 7.3 6.4 38.9 19.7 bye 5.0 5.6 20.1 5.9 121.5
8 Jordan Reed WAS 8.8 10.8 10.0 DNP bye 9.8 28.4 17.0 9.5 18.2 112.5
9 Martellus Bennett CHI 13.9 26.6 3.0 17.0 10.6 12.8 7.7 bye 7.6 6.9 106.1
10 Charles Clay MIA 10.4 22.0 8.0 16.2 14.2 bye 7.7 8.8 6.5 6.1 99.9
11 Greg Olsen CAR 10.6 21.4 9.4 bye 12.9 3.9 8.7 11.1 16.6 2.4 97.0
12 Jared Cook STL 31.1 2.0 9.4 8.5 5.6 6.5 7.3 6.1 12.6 2.7 91.8
13 Scott Chandler BUF 7.8 4.0 18.9 4.8 8.9 12.7 3.8 14.2 5.6 5.1 85.8
14 Coby Fleener IND 1.7 16.9 3.3 18.7 3.5 4.6 14.8 bye 11.4 9.3 84.2
15 Delanie Walker TEN 7.0 8.0 9.9 10.4 8.3 6.9 14.2 bye 3.3 16.2 84.2
16 Kyle Rudolph MIN 4.7 13.2 7.8 2.6 bye 24.7 5.7 9.1 11.5 DNP 79.3
17 Jermichael Finley GBP 16.6 18.5 0.0 bye 9.2 10.5 18.2 DNP DNP DNP 73.0
18 Tyler Eifert CIN 9.7 9.6 1.7 6.9 10.3 3.3 13.5 4.3 4.4 8.5 72.2
19 Garrett Graham HOU 12.7 12.0 DNP 17.9 4.5 3.7 6.8 bye 8.6 3.8 70.0
20 Dallas Clark BAL 15.7 1.8 8.6 6.4 DNP 18.1 9.9 bye 2.4 7.1 70.0
21 Jermaine Gresham CIN 8.5 12.6 4.7 8.3 6.4 2.5 10.4 9.4 6.3 DNP 69.1
22 Owen Daniels HOU 23.7 10.4 7.9 13.2 12.0 DNP DNP bye DNP DNP 67.2
23 Tim Wright TBB DNP DNP 1.6 9.1 bye 16.1 3.5 15.8 15.8 2.9 64.8
24 Brandon Pettigrew DET 0.6 6.2 0.0 12.4 9.9 7.6 9.7 6.1 bye 12.0 64.5
25 Brent Celek PHI 13.6 0.0 3.8 8.7 13.7 2.0 1.9 3.7 11.7 1.7 60.8
26 Lance Kendricks STL 5.5 4.3 8.6 7.6 13.7 7.2 2.7 4.3 4.3 0.0 58.2
27 Heath Miller PIT DNP DNP 6.5 13.0 bye 14.4 7.7 4.9 8.3 1.6 56.4
28 Brandon Myers NYG 19.6 13.4 6.3 0.0 5.5 0.0 3.5 7.2 bye DNP 55.5
29 Zach Miller SEA 7.2 4.2 14.5 1.7 DNP DNP 15.0 3.4 7.9 DNP 53.9
30 Rob Gronkowski NEP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 19.4 4.7 29.3 bye 53.4

In terms of consistency, the tight end position doesn’t feel much different than it has in recent years. Generally speaking, there are usually about 3-4 players that are very good or elite options, 3-4 players that should probably considered every-week starts despite their inconsistency and a whole lot of uncertainty after that. I am most struck by the amount of yellow that appears on the table starting in Week 6, particularly at the top. Sure enough, after calculating each week’s average of the top 30 tight ends, here is what I discovered: the average point total has fallen from 12 (in Weeks 1-5) to 9.5 (in Weeks 6-10). In two of the last three weeks, the averages have been 8.6 and 7.1. Even for tight ends, that is abysmal in PPR scoring. Players like Jason Witten, Martellus Bennett and Charles Clay – all of which had a hint of consistency over the first five weeks – have become more miss than hit. That isn’t such a big deal when it is Bennett or Clay – players drafted as TE2s or picked up off the waiver wire – unless owners dealt their original TE1 in order to fill a hole at another position. It is a big deal for Witten, though. It’s impossible to say with any degree of certainty whether or not the 30 tight ends above are being kept in to block more and if that is the reason for their decline in production. What the falloff does tell me, however, is that owners of Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas, Vernon Davis, Jordan Reed and perhaps even Jordan Cameron have a huge advantage over their opponents as we move towards the fantasy playoffs.

By all accounts, any tight end that is fourth in overall scoring is not having a bad year relative to his position. But as any Witten owner can tell you, he is not having a good fantasy season. What is worse is that he has been particularly bad over his last five games, which means he is trending in the opposite direction he was last season. While there are plenty of “football reasons” as to why he is struggling, fantasy owners only have to look at his catch percentage and target average. Last year, Witten caught 110 of his 147 targets (74.8%); this year, his success rate is 47-of-72 (65.3%). Witten’s targets have declined by 1.9 from last season (9.1 to 7.2), so it isn’t hard to understand why his production has slipped when he is seeing fewer targets and catching a lower percentage of them. Given how bad Dallas’ defense figures to be without MLB Sean Lee, it’s a reasonably good bet the Cowboys are going to ditch the run earlier in games than they would prefer and the increase in pass attempts will boost Witten’s production. He hasn’t regressed much in terms of his ability to separate from linebackers, so there is still hope. It is worth mentioning, however, he is on track for his worst fantasy scoring average since 2006.

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Doug Orth has written for FF Today since 2006 and appeared in USA Today’s Fantasy Football Preview magazine in 2010 and 2011. He is also the host of USA Today’s hour-long, pre-kickoff fantasy football internet chat every Sunday. Doug regularly appears as a fantasy football analyst on Sirius XM’s “Fantasy Drive” and for 106.7 The Fan (WJFK – Washington, D.C). He is also a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association.