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Fantasy Stock Watch: Week 7
And on the seventh week, we looked down upon our lineups and saw that they were not good. Trouble was upon the face of the starters and there was tumult upon the bench. We traveled to the waiver wire where there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth. Lo, the Stock Watch hath come to deliver you from the peril of injury and underperformance. And let the congregation say Amen.
Dear Colts, you might not think we know. But we know. And we know that you know. The jig is up. Luck had another setback with his surgically repaired shoulder and any possible return to the field for 2017 appears to be delayed yet again. One day perhaps you'll stop lying to yourselves (and to us) and realize that the best thing for all involved is to just shut him down for the year and try again in 2018.
When you're built like a pass rusher and run like a scatback, you'd think your head coach would find a way to get you the ball more. It seems like Mike Mularkey has figured this out, saying that he plans to use Henry as his go-to back in the fourth quarter for the remainder of the season. Huzzah! You want even more upside for Henry? With DeMarco Murray banged up this week, the young runner could see even more opportunity against the woeful Cleveland Browns. Double huzzah!
The Buccaneers seemed very excited this week to inform us all that Winston did everything in practice except throw. This is where it's important to read the full sentence, because those last two words -- except throw -- are just a little bit important for a quarterback. Especially one in a pass-heavy offense. As we inch closer to Sunday, it seems less likely that Jameis will lace 'em up. Do you believe in FitzMagic?
For a team that needs pass-catchers like hipsters need beard combs, the imminent return of Sterling Shepard is a welcome news item. Big Blue survived and thrived with a steady diet of Evan Engram targets last week. But that doesn't feel sustainable. Shepard walks back onto the field and becomes Eli Manning's No. 1 target. Now if only it wasn't against the Seahawks and their ball-hawking secondary. Then again, there's only so much we can ask for, right?
Every day that Kelvin Benjamin has a "DNP" next to his name on the practice report is one more day that Devin Funchess steps closer to be the Panthers' No. 1 receiver for the week. It's been refreshing to see Funchess' development this season but it feels too soon to believe that he can be the man who carries Carolina's passing game this week. Especially against a sneakily good Bears defense. Tread carefully here.
For every up in life, there is a down. While Mark Ingram has thrived after throwing off the shackles of Adrian Peterson in New Orleans, it's Ellington that is now feeling the downward pressure. A.D.'s arrival in the desert might signal the end of Ellington's PPR productiveness. But that's more of a long view. In the shorter term, it's a balky quad muscle that will do more to hamper Ellington's opportunities.
Injuries suck. There's really no other way to put it. That suckitude hit the Colts backfield in an awful way last week when Robert Turbin was lost for the season with a broken arm. Of course, in the NFL it's "next man up." In this case, that man is rookie Marlon Mack. Mack has already been making a name for himself with his explosive play. We could see that explosiveness even more frequently in the near future with Mack slated to get more touches in Turbin's absence.
The Jacksonville Jaguars passing game is a bit of a twilight zone. Doug Marrone would prefer that Blake Bortles avoid throwing the ball at all -- probably even in pre-game warmups if that were at all feasible. Alas, when he does throw it, it's frequently been in Lee's direction and the former Trojan is quietly having a nice season. Unfortunately, Lee might not be available this week with a knee injury. Allen Hurns ... come on down!
Did you realize that Taylor Gabriel was a thing in the Falcons offense for a week or two? Considering the general mediocrity of the Falcons passing game, you probably didn't. Either way, that's likely over for the time being now that Mohamed Sanu is expected back for Week 7. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss Taylor Gabriel.
Speaking of underwhelming passing games, I present to you the Denver Broncos. However, this could be a good week for the orange-clad horse men against the Chargers secondary. Too bad they won't have Emmanuel Sanders to toss the ball to. In that case, the name to know is Bennie Fowler. He'll slide into the WR2 role for the time being. Let's hope that concentrated passing game thing can continue for another week.
