Last week, there was some real panic around some big names in fantasy football. Two of those names were Justin Jefferson and Derrick Henry. Both guys managed to find the end zone in Week 8, but their outlooks remain bleak. Lamar Jackson could be out for the season with a UCL injury, while Jefferson appears visibly frustrated with the quarterback play in Minnesota.
The Chase Brown panic doesn't appear warranted, as he's now received 35 touches in his last two games compared to just nine for Samaje Perine. Despite the inefficiency concerns, the Bengals don't seem ready to give up on their feature back.
As a reminder, this article will highlight the duds from the previous week. I'll provide a score (0-5) on the panic meter. Zero means no panic whatsoever,
while five means alarm bells are going off. Let's see who's on the panic meter heading into Week 9.
Week 9 Panic Meter
Zay Flowers - WR, Baltimore Ravens
Panic Meter: 2/5
Lamar Jackson (UCL) could be out for the season, and his backup Tyler Huntley has turf toe. That leaves undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano as the guy responsible for getting the ball to Flowers. Fagnano looked Flowers' way a few times in Week 8, but he put up a goose egg on just five targets as the rookie didn't appear all that comfortable in relief duty.
Depending on how severe Huntley's injury is, the Ravens will likely look to add a quarterback to the room, but it could still very well be Fagnano on Thursday night against a very good Jaguars defense. There is definitely cause for concern in the short-term, but we're not all the way panicked just yet, as this is one of the most elite wide receivers in the NFL.
Getting Tyson Bagent in the building (a guy who worked with Declan Doyle last year in Chicago) would probably alleviate some of the panic with Flowers going forward.
Ashton Jeanty - RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Panic Meter: 4/5
It's unclear why exactly Klint Kubiak decided to start Mike Washington Jr. in Week 8, but he did. Not only did the rookie get the start, but he led the way with 25 carries. Compare that to just two for Jeanty.
Even with 20 more touches, Jeanty managed to outscore Washington due to his role in the passing game. In full PPR formats, a target is approximately 2.7x more valuable than a carry. So as long as Jeanty's usage in the passing game sticks, he can still be a valuable asset. However, it's clear his ceiling is capped by Washington.
Jeanty is no stranger to the panic meter, but this time, it's at an all-time high despite the double-digit fantasy points in Week 8.
Quinshon Judkins - RB, Cleveland Browns
Panic Meter: 3/5
As mentioned in the Jeanty write-up above, a target is worth approximately 2.7x as many fantasy points as a carry in full PPR leagues. That's a problem for Judkins, who's seen just three targets to Dylan Sampson's nine in their last two games together.
Despite not scoring a touchdown, Sampson has recorded double-digit fantasy points in each of his last two games, playing on approximately 50% of the snaps. Judkins, meanwhile, scored just 6.9 fantasy points in Week 8 despite out-carrying Sampson 11-to-1. If he's not finding the end zone, he's not producing for fantasy managers.
He's got the goal-line role locked down even with Sampson splitting work (100% of RB opportunities inside the five-yard line the last two games), however, Judkins ranks just 30th in expected fantasy points per game (11.7) in those games (per Fantasy Points Data). Sampson, meanwhile, has averaged 8.9 expected fantasy points per game despite nearly half the touches (31 vs. 16).
When the Browns fall behind, Judkins' fantasy value takes a nosedive.
Parker Washington - WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Panic Meter: 2/5
The Jaguars destroyed the Colts in Week 8 (42-7), so we need to take Washington's line with a grain of salt. He saw just two targets from Trevor Lawrence and had a carry for 10 yards. This came in a game Lawrence threw the ball just 14 times.
However, after starting the season with two big games, Washington has cooled off a bit. He's caught four or fewer balls in four of his last five games and has produced single-digit fantasy points in two of his last four.
Part of that is due to the Jaguars having a league-high +85-point differential, but another part is due to the success of the run game and the plethora of weapons at Lawrence's disposal.
Brian Thomas Jr. could be on his way out, which would certainly boost Washington's snap share, but there's also the possibility of a couple of blowouts on the horizon against a Joe Fagnano-led Ravens team, the Giants, and the Titans x 2.
Tre Tucker - WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Panic Meter: 3/5
Jack Bech didn't see a single target on just 10 routes in Week 8. However, his return spelled trouble for Tucker, who saw his route participation rate (63%) and snap share (54%) dip with Bech back on the field for the first time since Week 3.
Without Bech from Weeks 4-7, Tucker averaged eight targets per game on a 75% snap share and 78% route participation rate. With Bech in Weeks 1, 2, 3, and 8, Tucker has averaged just four targets per game on a 58% snap share and 72% route participation rate.
It's not about Bech earning targets, it's about taking away snaps and routes from Tucker, and about the offense funneling more through the tight ends (Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer) and running back (Jeanty). This can be seen in Tucker's dip in first read target share with Bech on the field vs. off the field (16.7% vs. 25.2%) (per Fantasy Points Data).
Tucker has been a boom-or-bust player through eight games this season (3x >20 fantasy points, 5x <10 fantasy points), but three of four single-digit performances have come with Bech active.
Bonus names: Omar Cooper Jr. (4/5), Bijan Robinson (0/5), Tyler Warren (2/5)
For more fantasy football advice, subscribe to The Weekly Lineup newsletter.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football Week 9 panic meter: Zay Flowers, Ashton Jeanty and more
