



It’s time to overreact. Your fantasy team lost and your awesome players did terrible.

Smash that remote control against the wall. Yell at the TV. Throw your phone as far as you can. Post a tweet in all caps complaining about your day. Snapchat yourself looking sad.

Because internally, you do that, right? You immediately assume the worst and think of the worst possible scenario coming true.

When one of your “studs” doesn’t perform well or gets injured, you assume that they’re going to continue to play terribly and be out with the injury for the rest of the season.

But that’s not always true. Yes, players have slumps and sometimes don’t play as well as the previous season. Yes, players get season-ending injuries. But not every bad game is a sign of how the player will perform the rest of the year, and not every injury is major.

So, to help calm your overreactions and give you some peace of mind on difficult situations, let’s look at some common overreactions and unpack them.

Le’Veon Bell Isn’t the Same RB he was Last Year

Verdict: False

Bell is still Bell, he’s just off to a slow start. In Week 1, he only rushed 10 times, and it looked like the Steelers might’ve been easing him in or punishing him for not practicing until September 1. This past week, he had 27 rushing attempts for 87 yards and four receiving yards. While he didn’t get a touchdown, the volume was there and it was against a tough Vikings run defense. I expect Bell to return to RB1 fantasy numbers this coming week against the Bears. However, you Don’t worry, he’ll still be the RB1 we all know and love.

DeMarco Murray is Losing his Starting Job for Good to Derrick Henry

Verdict: Maybe

If you weren’t tuned in to the Titans game on Sunday, then you didn’t see DeMarco Murray struggle. He had nine rushing attempts for only 25 yards. In the second half, it was revealed that he was dealing with a tight hamstring, and Derrick Henry took over for him. Henry ended with 14 rushing attempts for 92 yards and a touchdown, looking way better than Murray.

Since then, fantasy owners have been freaking out. Will Murray lose his starting job? Will he even play this Sunday because of the hamstring?

While both of these questions are unknowns, it’s clear that right now, Henry is playing at a higher level. In the last five games, Henry has more yards per carry (YPC), rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns than Murray. Yesterday, the head coach of the Titans, Mike Mularkey, told reporters that Murray is still the starter, and Henry is still the backup. However, he also mentioned that the number of reps each running back gets will be matchup-based (not to mention injury-based).

While Murray’s starting role is intact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Henry started taking more and more snaps. Last week, Murray played 37 snaps and Henry played 30. I see a 50-50 split looming…

Jordan Howard is a Bust and Tarik Cohen is the New Bears RB to Own

Verdict: Maybe

Jordan Howard finds himself in a situation similar to DeMarco Murray. This past Sunday, he had nine carries for only seven yards. SEVEN. Meanwhile, the rookie backup Tarik Cohen had seven carries for 13 yards, along with eight catches for 55 yards. Cohen also outsnapped Howard 39 to 31. At the end of the game, Howard’s right arm was in a sling, and his status for Sunday is up in the air.

The Bears are falling apart more and more each week, which doesn’t help Howard’s case at all. Teams can stack the box because the Bears have hardly any receiving threat, which means Howard’s efficiency is going down. If he misses any time, expect Cohen to pick up the slack. Howard may be the big bust of the season, but it’s too early to tell how this will all shake out. Howard owners should be worried, but the best thing to do is wait it out.

Lamar Miller is no Longer a Good RB

Verdict: True

People have been saying this since last year, and I’m inclined to believe them. I had Lamar Miller on my team last year, and I have him on a couple of my teams this year. I already regret it.

In Week 2, Miller found himself in what might be an RBBC with rookie D’Onta Foreman. Foreman had 12 carries for 40 yards, while Miller had 18 carries for 61 yards. While the volume is still there, Miller has competition, and has shown to not be very effective recently. I’m hesitant to role him out, I’m benching him where I can afford to, and I’m trying to trade him frequently.

A.J. Green Isn’t Going to be a WR1 This Year

Verdict: False

The Bengals have been a dumpster fire this year. Literally. They haven’t scored a touchdown in their first two games, and they just fired their offensive coordinator.

Obviously, this has hurt A.J. Green. In Week 2, he had five catches for 67 yards. In PPR that’s decent, but in standard, Green owners might be getting a little worried.

But with a new offensive coordinator brings new opportunities, and I think at least Green will bounce back. Don’t stress, Green will get his.

LeGarrette Blount isn’t Fantasy Relevant any More

Verdict: True

LeGarrette Blount doesn’t care about your fantasy team. He said so himself in a tweet on Sunday, after he posted a big, fat ZERO fantasy score. He only was in on six snaps of offense with no rushing yards and one catch for ZERO yards.

Blount is officially droppable. His days of touchdown glory seem to be over. Time to get off the Blount train.

Bilal Powell is Completely Forgotten

Verdict: True

It seems like the Jets have short-term memory loss. Did they forget their 2016 season where Matt Forte sucked and Bilal Powell looked way better? Seems like it. This past Sunday, Forte had nine carries for 53 yards and four catches for 38 yards, while Powell had six carries for 13 yards and ZERO receptions. It’s like they forgot that Powell was on their time and what he’s capable of.

The Jets are crashing, and Powell is apparently going down with the plane.

Kareem Hunt is This Year’s Ezekiel Elliott

Verdict: True

Everyone that drafted Kareem Hunt deserves a pat on the back. You did it, man. Nice work predicting that Hunt would be a top five RB after the first two weeks. So far, he’s looked like the rookie of the year. This week he had 81 rushing yards, 28 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. He finds ways to score, has incredible field vision, has a 7.6 YPC average, and is the overall RB1 right now. I’m excited to see how he performs the rest of the year, as long as he can stay healthy.

Ty Montgomery is a Top 10 RB This Year

Verdict: True

You heard it here first. Ty Montgomery has looked really good so far. Going back to last year, in his 10 career games with 50 percent or more of the snaps, he’s averaging 19.1 points (PPR). That puts him in the top 5 for RBs. Right now, he’s the overall RB3, and looks incredibly improved from last year. I can see him finishing in the top 10 easily.

Ezekiel Elliott is a Bust

Verdict: False

If you think Ezekiel Elliott is a bust, you don’t deserve him on your team. You should be thanking the football gods (and Elliott’s lawyers) that they allowed him to play this year. Yes, he only had eight yards on nine carries and 14 receiving yards, but this is an anomaly. He is still a beast, and will eat in the weeks ahead. Be thankful you got him as low as you did in the draft, and keep starting him. It looks like his suspension won’t be served until next year, so enjoy this year of free Zeke.

Bottom line is this: don’t overreact. It’s only Week 2, and we still have a lot of football left. It’s great to be invested in your team, try to make your lineup better, make trades, and use the waiver wire, but don’t freak out too much about your studs putting up duds or the potential for season-ending injuries. Just ride the wave and enjoy it.

For more fantasy advice, check out our weekly podcast and videos , along with our starts and sits, waiver wire adds , weekly rankings, and

.



