Fantasy Football Panic Meter: Breece Hall, Dameon Pierce, Cam Akers (2023)

Each week, we’ll feature several underperforming players with an assigned grade corresponding to the appropriate level of panic for the respective player/performance. Below is a scale with grades between 0 and 4 and a strategy that correlates to the specific grade.

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Fantasy Football Panic Meter (2023)

Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN) | Panic Meter: 1

Chase has now finished with less than 40 yards and 10.0 point per reception (PPR) points for the second consecutive game. The problem seems to stem from his QB. After Zac Taylor referred to Joe Burrow‘s week three status as “hard to say,” it’s fair to wonder if the calf injury is more of a concern than we were led to believe. Panic for Chase is present because if Burrow goes down, who is left? The Bengals current backup is Jake Browning. Needless to say, it would be a significant downgrade for Chase’s value. For the moment, he holds elite WR1 value, but a third consecutive dud performance could tip the scales.

Breece Hall (RB – NYJ) | Panic Meter: 1

The approach since drafting Hall has always been to hold and expect results mid-season. An explosive week one reminded fantasy owners what Hall could do. However, after only receiving four touches in week two, expectations have crashed back down to earth. There’s no real need to put a lot of stock into this one. The Jets were in an uphill battle against the best defense in the league. Jets RBs as a unit registered 12 touches. Hall will be more involved in the future. If you drafted him, you should’ve been prepared to wait and see; therefore, panic remains minimal.

Justin Fields (QB – CHI) | Panic Meter: 2

Fields has struggled through the first two games of the season. His 3:4 TD-to-turnover ratio or his 14.6 points per game (PPG) average aren’t the biggest concerns here. The concern is he has failed to develop as a quarterback. Fields’s poor reads and sloppy decision-making are major factors in the Bears’ 0-2 start. A player as physically gifted as Fields provides a high floor in fantasy due to his rushing prowess. However, his upside has been limited by his failure to make plays with his arm. He remains in play as a QB1, but if Chicago’s record continues to slide, panic that Fields might be benched is certainly justified.

George Kittle (TE – SF) | Panic Meter: 2

Your level of panic should depend on your expectations. Kittle is notorious for his boom-or-bust nature. Though recently, the booms seem to be in short supply (averaging 5.5 PPR PPG through two weeks). If you can afford to hold strong, his boom performances will come. If you value consistency, it may be wise to evaluate your options.

Dameon Pierce (RB – HOU) | Panic Meter: 2

Pierce has seen volume, but his production thus far has been disappointing. He has dominated the Texans RB room with 30 touches in weeks one and two, yet he finished with less than 50 total yards and 7.0 PPR points in each game. On a Texans offense that is expected to be trailing in most games and not much receiving aptitude to his name, just how much value he has is up for debate. It’s also not a good sign that Pierce is playing just 45% of snaps thus far. His talent isn’t the issue. The real question is: how often will the game script be in his favor? At the moment, Pierce projects as a matchup-dependent RB3 with upside. Unless those were your expectations for him, it’s time to consider panicking.

Cam Akers (RB – LAR) | Panic Meter: 3

The bizarre saga of Akers continues. Last year, he requested a trade. After a bit of turbulence, he finished the 2022 season looking like a franchise back. Akers compiled 100+ yards in each game, Weeks 15-18 and averaged 19.4 fantasy PPG during that span. Now we’re back to square one, as Akers was made a healthy scratch for Week 2 and is now (once again) the center of swirling trade talks. Simply put, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to trust Akers as long as he remains on the Rams… Especially with the emergence of Kyren Williams (four total TDs in two games). The only reason to hang on to Akers at this point is to hope he gets traded to a team where he might be heavily utilized.

Cut list | Panic Meter: 4

Van Jefferson, Michael Gallup, Rashod Bateman, Allen Lazard