After a fun Sunday of football, it’s time to discuss the players who let us down. In this column, I’ll identify the biggest disappointments of the week, and I’ll assign each player a grade from 0 to 5 that corresponds to my strategy of choice. Of course, I’ll leave out those whose disappointing performances were to injury, as you can read about those players in our weekly injury report.
Since your league’s trade deadline has probably passed, here’s the revised version of the panic meter that we’ll be working with the rest of the season!
| Panic Level | Meaning |
| 0 | No fear. If you’re starting this player, keep doing so. |
| 1 | Some concern. Consider benching them if you have a better option. |
| 2 | Not startable. Leave them on your bench, but don’t drop them yet. |
| 3 | Droppable. Send them to waivers. |
So with the panic meter laid out, let’s get started!
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Justin Herbert (LAC): 0
Yikes. The Chargers imploded against the Patriots in an embarrassing 45-0 loss. Herbert threw two picks, no touchdowns, and completed less than half of his passes.
They call him MR. INT for a reason. #ProBowlVote J.C. Jackson
?: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/j0lwk4ImK7
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 6, 2020
Fortunately for Herbert, he’ll have a much easier schedule moving forward. He’ll get the Falcons (Week 14) and Raiders (Week 15) through the next two weeks, and both teams field bottom-10 defenses against quarterbacks (the Falcons were even second-worst heading into Week 13). You should keep him in your lineup despite his poor showing this week.
Carson Wentz (PHI): 2.5
Wentz had a terrible week. After some early-game struggles, the Eagles decided to put Jalen Hurts in the game. Wentz had completed 40% of his passes for 79 yards and taken four sacks before his benching; in contrast, Hurts completed 41.7% of his passes for 109 yards, a score, and a pick.
It’s unclear which quarterback will start in Week 14, but it’s hard to see how the Eagles can go back to Wentz at this point. Whatever confidence he once had is completely gone, and head coach Doug Pederson didn’t even talk to him after the game.
You shouldn’t consider starting either Wentz or Hurts next week, as the Eagles will play a tough New Orleans defense. Their matchups against the Cardinals (Week 15) and the Cowboys (Week 16) do have some value, however, and Wentz would be worth starting in either of those games. Feel free to drop him in shallow leagues, but I would hold onto him in deeper leagues until we get some more information.
Derrick Henry (TEN): 0
So much for Mr. December, huh? The Browns got out to a massive lead early, and the Titans just couldn’t afford to feature Henry in their attempted comeback. The star running back got just 15 carries and one reception, finishing with 69 all-purpose yards and no scores.
Fortunately, this week was an outlier. The Titans won’t collapse in the first half every week, and they have an amazing series of matchups to end the season. They’ll play the Jaguars (Week 14), Lions (Week 15), and Packers (Week 16), all of which field bottom-five defenses against opposing running backs in half-PPR.
Expect Henry to rebound and finish as a high-end RB1 through the year’s final weeks.
Todd Gurley (ATL): 2
This one’s a little cheap, as Gurley is still dealing with a knee injury, and that’s likely why the Falcons only gave him nine touches. That said, Gurley didn’t do much with his handful of opportunities, as he totaled only 20 yards and was less efficient than both Ito Smith and Brian Hill.
It’s unclear exactly what exactly is going on with Gurley, but he may have aggravated his arthritic knee, and that imperils his rest-of-season efficiency (and availability).
The Falcons will play the Chargers (Week 14), Buccaneers (Week 15), and Chiefs (Week 16) to end the fantasy season. The two AFC West teams are bottom-12 against opposing rushers, while the Buccaneers are top-four. I would leave Gurley on your bench for the next two weeks and hope that he gets healthy in time for Atlanta’s trip to Kansas City. That said, if you need to cut bait with him to keep your playoff hopes alive, don’t feel bad about doing so.
Miles Sanders (PHI): 1.5
I don’t understand what head coach Doug Pederson is doing with his players. The man undermined both Wentz and Sanders this week.
Miles Sanders carries by drive:
1st: 5
2nd: 0
3rd: 0
4th: 0— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) December 6, 2020
Sanders ended the day with 10 carries for 31 yards. Jordan Howard turned his four carries into 19 yards, and Boston Scott got two carries for nine yards. No running back caught a pass.
This should’ve been a smash spot for Philly’s backfield, as the Packers were giving up the third-most half-PPR points per game to the position (27.8), but it wasn’t. The matchups aren’t going to get better for the Eagles, as they’ll play the Saints (Week 14), Cardinals (Week 15), and Cowboys (Week 16) to wrap up the fantasy season.
The Saints have the league’s best defense against the position, so you should seriously think about benching him for at least that game. See what he does and how Pederson distributes the workload before making a decision for Week 15.
D.J. Chark (JAC): 1
In his first game with Mike Glennon under center, Chark led the Jaguars in targets (7) but only hauled in two of them for 41 yards. So if you trusted him in his return from injury, he rewarded your patience with 5.1 half-PPR points. Not great.
It’s not all Chark’s fault, as Glennon spread the ball around a lot more than I expected. Four players finished with six targets: Collin Johnson, Tyler Eifert, James O’Shaughnessy, and James Robinson. The only player to catch a touchdown pass, Laviska Shenault, earned three.
This offense is somewhat unpredictable right now. Fortunately, they’ll play the Titans next, and they field the league’s ninth-worst wide receiver defense (and after what Baker Mayfield did, that number is almost certainly going to get worse when Pro-Football-Reference updates their data). Chark caught four passes for 84 yards against them in Week 2, and he’ll be a viable boom-or-bust option in Week 14. You should only think about benching him if you’ve got someone better to fit into your lineup.
Jerry Jeudy (DEN): 2.5
Drew Lock threw for 151 yards and two touchdowns this week, but Jeudy caught just one pass for five yards and failed to reach the end zone. Instead, Noah Fant and Tim Patrick led the team in receiving, and Patrick grabbed all of Lock’s touchdowns.
So who’s to blame for Jeudy’s underperformance? Lock.
Jerry Jeudy puts his CB on spin cycle … Drew Lock stares down the orange first down marker on the other side of the field and nails it pic.twitter.com/rN16hA5uhp
— Tyler Loechner (@LoechnerNFL) December 7, 2020
Jeudy is a fantastic asset to hold onto in dynasty leagues. However, he is nothing more than a boom-or-bust option with Lock under center, as there’s no guarantee that the sophomore quarterback will actually make the most of Denver’s 2020 first-round selection — especially if the Broncos attempt only 28 passes per game, as they did this week.
Denver will face the Panthers (Week 14) and Bills (Week 15) next, and neither matchup bodes well for Jeudy. The Panthers are very vulnerable to opposing running backs, so I expect Denver to exploit them on the ground. Meanwhile, Jeudy should draw Tre’Davious White in Week 15, and he will probably lock down the rookie.
If you’re in a shallow redraft league, send Jeudy back to waivers. If not, only drop him if you’re comfortable with your alternatives.
Hayden Hurst (ATL): 0.5
Hurst caught just one of his four targets for nine yards against the Saints. When he played New Orleans two weeks ago, he failed to catch either of his targets. Rough.
That said, Hurst is averaging 3.5 receptions per game, which is more than you’ll get out of most streamers. He’s hauled in three touchdown passes, too, and he had drawn 13.5% of Atlanta’s red-zone targets entering Week 13. He should rebound against a weaker opponent.
He’ll play the Chargers (Week 14), Buccaneers (Week 15), and Chiefs (Week 16) to end his fantasy season. All of those teams have bottom-half defenses against tight ends, and the Chargers even field the eighth-worst unit.
He’s a rock-solid streamer, but if you find someone better, don’t be afraid to throw them in your lineup.
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Isaiah Sirois is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Isaiah, check out his archive and follow him @is_sirois.
