What do Goku, Alfred Morris, Mr. T, Zac Stacy and Jodie Foster have in common? Well for starters they're all in today's column.
And if you're an owner of Matty Ice or Seattle's defense, I know you've been feeling a little panicky, right? But are they getting the "Full Jodie" this week?
Welcome to ... The Panic Room.
Matt Ryan
The good: The Ice Man has thrown a touchdown pass in every single game and he's been a double-digit scorer every week.
The bad: Here are Ryan's fantasy point totals from Week 3 on: 23, 20, 14, 12, 11. You don't need to be a sabermetrician to see a decline in points every single week.
As for the why, well, the offensive line has suffered four season-ending injuries, contributing to the team suffering four straight losses. Can the current patchwork line hold up enough to keep Ryan upright and chucking the rock?
Their opponent this week, Detroit, could turn the ATL o-line into origami, folding them into delicate shapes all game. But after Week 8 comes a much-needed bye and an easier stretch on the schedule. Divisional games versus Tampa Bay and Carolina are followed by home contests against the Browns and Cardinals. All four of those defenses are in the bottom half of the league in terms of fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks.
Panic level:Mr. T on a plane.
It's almost comical what's happening, but what are you going to do?
I pity the fools that have Ryan. No one could have predicted FOUR catastrophic injuries to the Atlanta offensive line. That alone has essentially negated one of Ryan's best assets -- his deep ball.
Is he going to recover fantasy-wise? Probably not, but he won't be terrible thanks to his upcoming schedule.
My advice: Shop him around. If you can get a T.Y. Hilton-type (read: reliable WR2) you do it immediately. If not, hold and see what happens in those divisional games. The Bucs and Panthers have both been absolutely terrible defensively and could allow for Ryan to get back on track ... somewhat.
If the former B.C. Eagle can soar in those games, shop him again. If you get no takers, you're no worse for wear, but must understand that Ryan is a matchup-based play moving forward.
Seattle Seahawks D/ST
How are we not talking about this?
No, seriously.
One of the most under-the-radar storylines is that for fantasy purposes Seattle's defense has been HORRENDOUS. The league's most outspoken defensive unit is actually, believe it or not, tied for the third-FEWEST fantasy points scored.
I can already see the litany of rabid Seattle keyboard warriors sharpening their knives for the comments section below, invariably pointing to a tough schedule as the 'Hawks have already seen Green Bay, San Diego, Denver and Dallas.
I get that, but get this: Against Washington and turnover-crazy Kirk Cousins, Seattle mustered ZERO turnovers and just two fantasy points. Against third-stringer Austin Davis and the Rams, they posted a shocking NEGATIVE one-point score. Not good.
This reference is going to go over the heads of about 83 percent of you reading this. Whatever. Let an Asian brother nerd out for sec.
Those of you who spent mid-round draft picks selecting Seattle's D believed they were so strong they could not be bested. You were confident in the Seahawks' ability to go to another level, daresay, a perfect form, and smash the competition. Only now do you see how mad you were.
My advice: Ugh. It's hard to say. The Seattle defense is not like every other D. When they get cooking, they are the most feared and disruptive force we've seen since the 2000's Ravens. You don't just cut bait on a fish of that size.
Believe me when I say this, no one pays attention to defensive rankings. Savvy or desperate managers will stream, most other will just keep their middle-of-the-road unit and play them every week and swap them out on a bye when necessary. Because of this general principle, the 'Hawks do have trade value despite their horrid output thus far. You could package them with an average player in the hopes of receiving a reliable flex-player in return.
If you want to keep them, do it. But if holding on to Seattle is preventing you from adding a guy like Jerick McKinnon or Shoelace Robinson, you need to look long and hard at your roster my friend. Dropping them and streaming the rest of the way is not out of the question.
Jimmy Graham
Yes he's hurt, but even when he was healthy he wasn't putting up those dominant Jimmy-esque numbers from last season.
Like Calvin Johnson, we don't know how much the injury is going to hamper him moving forward. Will he take two weeks off to heal? Three weeks? What happens if the Saints (who are already 2-5) lose their next two games? Will the team really be moving to rush Graham back after they just signed the guy to a huge contract this offseason?
Looking ahead at Graham's schedule, Green Bay and Carolina could be plus matchups, but those games are followed by home tilts versus San Francisco, Cincy and Baltimore. That is absolutely brutal, home or not.
You're facing a dire situation. It only seems like your first round draft pick has been kidnapped by Russians or Ukrainians or Algerians or whatever those guys were in that movie (Ed. note: They were Albanians). Bottom line, Graham has vastly underperformed this year, barely outscoring the unheralded Larry Donnell. This is not supposed to be happening. You drafted Graham to lock up double-digit fantasy points every week. The schedule doesn't look great. The shoulder injury could linger for an entire season. But like Neeson, you control your panic, calmly take it in and plot your next move.
My advice: Hold and see what you got. Because honestly, what are you going to get for him right now? Some kind of poo-poo platter of awfulness, that's what.
The shoulder is bothering him, but let's see if he can work through it before we give him the "Full Jodie." I think he can and will.
Zac Stacy
There's really not much to say. He's out.
His carries from Week 2 on have looked like this: 19, 12, bye, 11, and eight. Then in Week 8, Stacy got a giant bagel in the carries department. Tre Mason toted the rock 18 times, Tavon Austin five, Benny Cunningham two and again, Stacy got ZERO. Yikes.
Is he a roster drop? Eh, I guess I wouldn't go that far, but if you're holding onto him, you're doing it for the same reason you've held on to Carlos Hyde all year -- he's a good handcuff.
It is worth mentioning that Stacy was reportedly dealing with a sore ankle coming into last week's game, but even if he gets fully healthy there's no guarantee he gets the starting gig back to himself. It's looking like Stacy is at best a committee back with Mason and Cunningham.
Panic Level: The "Full Jodie."
My advice: His trade value is zero so what you can do is pretty limited.
In 12-team or deeper leagues, Stacy is worth a hold but that's about it. In shallow 10-teamers with inexperienced managers, a drop is probably advisable as there are likely some enticing backs or receivers that have much higher upside. In one league I dropped Stacy for Dwayne Allen. That's rough. If you invested heavily in him ... I'm sorry.
Alfred Morris
One of my favorite players, Morris was cruising to start the season, averaging a cool 13 points per game, even getting into the end zone an almost unbelievable three times in four games. But the past three weeks, we've seen a two-point performance followed by a pair of five-point outings. Not good.
But more disconcerting is that his carries have gone from a season-high 23 in Week 3 to averaging just 14 carries per game over his last four. We're starting to see a lot more Roy Helu. And we're starting to see more of the dreaded Darrel Young near the goal line as well.
It is clear Freddy is the clear lead back, but make no mistake, the proverbial mouths to feed are numerous here and touchdowns will be hard to come by. DeSean Jackson will need to eat as will Pierre Garcon and the tight end platoon of Jordan Reed and Niles Paul.
If games are close, Morris will be effective, but the question is, will games be close? The team is an absolute mess at quarterback and the defense is one of the 10 worst in the league, not a great combo for sticking to the run game. Passing downs have been primarily going to Helu and we should expect that to continue.
(Al)Fredo (Morris), I know it was you ... you broke my heart. You broke my heart.
There was so much to like early on. He was even getting goal line carries for goodness sakes!!!
But it was all a mirage. In the back corners of those shady fantasy hotels, Shanahanigans were still plotting against good old innocent Freddy.
The Week 7 Tennessee game was the most telling. In a close 19-17 game, versus one of the softer run defenses in the league, Morris was given the rock 18 times but could only convert for 54 yards -- a paltry three yards per carry.
My advice: Hold and play for the next four weeks. Morris's next three games include Dallas, Minnesota, a bye and Tampa Bay. Not bad. You got to think he gets back on track, especially versus the Vikings and Bucs, meaning his trade value goes up.
In an ideal world, Morris goes off in Week 9 versus Minny and you can package him with another flex play to snag a bonafide stud. Or you can hold him, play him and hope for the best, which honestly, isn't a terrible option.
Panic Room high alert:
A.J. Green: When he's in there, he's money, having scored double digits in all three of the team's six games he's played in. Is it time to panic? I'm not ready to go there mostly because it sounds like he's getting close to returning. Hold onto him and hope he is at least 75 percent moving forward. You can consider a trade that looks like Kelvin Benjamin and Branden Oliver, but other than that, hold and play when healthy.
Panic Room snooze button:
Pierre Garcon:DeSean Jackson is clearly the first option, Andre Roberts is stealing looks, as is the tight end combo of Niles Paul and Jordan Reed. So it should come as no surprise that the targets have been disappearing with Garcon averaging about five targets per game over his last four. That's not good. It was looking terrible again for Garcon, who had just one catch for five yards in the first half, before he caught a 1-yard pass, breaking a tackle and exploding for a 70-yard touchdown. Week redeemed ... for now...
Roddy White: White has been extremely up and down this season and is becoming increasingly touchdown dependent to score fantasy points. The 10-year veteran had not netted 100 receiving yards all season until Week 7. With six points combined in Weeks 5 and 6, Roddy went rowdy on Baltimore (of all teams), collecting 100 yards and his third touchdown of the season. The Atlanta offense is a mess, but White proved he still has something left in the tank ... for now.
Koh's Mailbag:
I was utterly torn all week on who to blow my FAAB money on this week. We saw Brown as an extremely eletric, but extremely fumble-prone back in Philly. And it's a big part as to why my guys Marcas Grant and Adam Rank are firmly in the Brown camp (see the video to the right). But me? I'm not sold.
Dixon was a highly-touted recruit out of Mississippi and had an awesome senior campaign for Mississippi State, rushing for nearly 1,400 yards to go along with 12 touchdowns. Make no mistake, Dixon is an absolute truck, but from what I've seen still has pretty nimble feet as well. I don't think he will break off an 80-yard run ever in his career but for me I see him as a bigger, stronger, faster Matt Asiata. In other words, a pretty darn effective two-down back.
And if Dixon is the Asiata in this analogy, Brown is obviously the Jerick McKinnon, and NO ONE has been higher on J-Mack than me, but my hesitation with Brown mostly stems from the fact that he hasn't been on the active roster for the ENTIRE SEASON. Is he mentally prepared to play? Has he been keeping up physically? Basically, is he ready?
I ultimately leaned towards bidding on and playing Dixon, but talk to me in four weeks to see if I made the right call. I'm still not sure.
I've officially made it. When people start naming their fantasy teams after inanimate objects associated with you, you're official.
Have a player you're panicking on? Follow me on Twitter @JamesDKoh or use #PanicRoom and let me know!
-- James Koh is an anchor/reporter for NFL Media, and the host of NFL Fantasy LIVE. Follow him on Twitter @JamesDKoh.
