Fantasy Football Panic Meter: AJ Brown, Stefon Diggs, Ja’Marr Chase, Cooper Kupp, Derrick Henry

Welcome to the “Panic Meter.”

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.

PANIC METER GRADE	STRATEGY/PLAN OF ACTION
0	This past week WAS not ideal, but it can be chalked up as an anomaly. Panic is not necessary.
1	Panic is creeping up. It’s not time to sound the alarm yet, but it is something to be aware of. Said player should still be considered a starter but is now under surveillance.
2	Officially panicked, taking things week by week, considering a Plan B, exploring trade options or benching for a more reliable option.
3	Fire sale. Actively seeking a trade while the player in question still has value. They are no longer a trustworthy starter. In some cases, a borderline drop-candidate.
4	Sever all ties. Smash the drop button so hard that the man ends up in the shadow realm.

Fantasy Football Panic Meter

AJ Brown (WR – PHI) | Panic Meter: 0

AJ Brown was erased in Week 11 as he finished with just one catch for eight yards. His 1.8 PPR points marked his lowest scoring week of the season. Yet, there is no cause for panic. Brown had seven consecutive games with more than 18.5 PPR points before this uncharacteristic stinker. He remains locked in as a rock-solid WR1.

Stefon Diggs (WR – BUF) | Panic Meter: 1

In Week 11, Diggs failed to record 35 yards, five catches or finish as a top-50 wide receiver for the second consecutive week. This is likely nothing more than back-to-back flukes. However, it’s worth monitoring that it’s been six weeks since he recorded 100 yards in a game. Nevertheless, Diggs remains is still a high-end WR1. The only reason panic is present in any capacity is because the standard is extremely high for Diggs.

Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN) | Panic Meter: 2

The rollercoaster season of Chase reached a new low in Week 11 with the loss of his QB1. Jake Browning will take over as signal caller with Joe Burrow out for the season. Panic is apparent, and why wouldn’t it be? As far as Chase is concerned, this is a massive downgrade for his fantasy value. His talent will keep him in lineups, but with the already-struggling Bengals offense likely to take a step back, Chase is far from a safe bet for weekly production moving forward.

Cooper Kupp (WR – LAR) | Panic Meter: 2.5

Kupp has now gone four games in a row with less than five catches and 7.0 PPR points. It continues to be the longest cold-streak of his career and what was once being chalked up as an anomaly is now developing into very real concern. Of course, his ankle injury and early exit were the cause of his Week 11 dud. Yet, he has failed to finish with 50 yards or as a top-48 WR since Week 6. No excuse is going to cut it. Panic is rising rapidly. He remains in must-start territory if active, but confidence is dropping by the week.

Derrick Henry (RB – TEN) | Panic Meter: 3

Henry’s downward spiral continued in Week 11 as he finished with just 5.4 PPR points. Since Week 6 of 2019, Henry has just three games with less than 5.5 PPR points. All of those have come this season, including the past two weeks. What is most concerning of all: Henry still has yet to play more than 75% of snaps in any game this season. From 2019-2022 he had one game with less than 13 carries. He has four such games this season. Needless to say, panic has reached an all-time high for Henry managers. He has fallen out of RB1 territory, and at this rate, is in danger of falling out of RB2 territory as well.