Welcome to the “Panic Meter!”
Each week, we’ll feature several underperforming players and assign them a grade that corresponds 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.
Without further ado, let’s get into this week’s fantasy football panic meter.
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| 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 possibly 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
Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN) | Panic Meter: 0
Nobody can blame you for being a little panicked when your first-round pick is averaging 9.8 PPR PPG to start the season. I’ll let you in on a little secret, though: Ja’Marr Chase started last season averaging 8.6 PPG. His next seven games? He averaged 23.3 PPG. Chase will be fine. If his manager in your league is panicking, this may be your last chance to buy low.
Sam LaPorta (TE – DET) | Panic Meter: 1
After two weeks, Sam Laporta has just six catches for 58 yards. Week 2 was his second in a row with single-digit points. Jared Goff hasn’t been spectacular to start the season, but he is passing plenty, currently averaging a respectable 262 passing yards per game. Yet, Laporta has just eight targets. Panic is rising for a player widely regarded as the TE1 entering this season. Has the tight end wasteland claimed another victim? Probably not. Twice is a fluke. If it happens again, however, then we need to talk.
Michael Pittman Jr. (WR – IND) | Panic Meter: 1.5
Michael Pittman Jr. has opened the season with consecutive weeks of 7.1 PPR points and 5.1 PPR points. In six career games with Anthony Richardson, Pittman Jr. has now finished as a top-20 WR just once. Meanwhile, Alec Pierce has done so twice so far this season. The sample size is large enough that panic is justified. Based on past results, Pittman Jr. deserves a longer leash, but concern is growing by the week. He has entered WR3 territory with one strike remaining before full-blown panic sets in.
Travis Kelce (TE – KC) | Panic Meter: 2
There is plenty to be panicked about after Travis Kelce’s one-catch performance in Week 2. He has seven targets through two games this season, the least he’s had in a two-game span since 2016. In fact, it’s the lowest yardage total he’s had in a two-game span in his entire NFL career. Kelce has finished with single-digit PPR points in his last five regular-season games. We all know how shallow the tight end position is, and yet Kelce hasn’t finished inside the top 15 at the position since Week 14 of last season. Long story short: Panic is through the roof. His name and the tight end landscape being a barren wasteland will keep him in lineups, but Kelce’s days as a dominant fantasy option seem to be behind him.
Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC) | Panic Meter: 2
Are you ready to have your mind blown? Patrick Mahomes hasn’t accounted for over two total TDs in a regular-season game since Week 7 of 2023. In this 11-game span, Mahomes has finished as a top-10 QB just once. Through two games this season, he’s averaging just 14.04 PPG. At this point, it’s past a fluke; it’s a trend that has carried over from last season. The Chiefs continue to win games, so they won’t drastically change their course out of nowhere.
However, with Mahomes, an eruption is possible any week. Isiah Pacheco will be sidelined for some time, so that could open things up for the Chiefs to be more pass-heavy. Still, with what we’ve seen from Mahomes lately, he’s hard to trust. You can’t bench him but proceed with caution.
Cut List | Panic Meter: 4
