In Week 9, we were panicking on Zay Flowers and Parker Washington
in fantasy football. Rightfully so for Flowers without Lamar Jackson, but a trade for Jacoby Brissett might have saved him. Remember, this guy peppered Michael Wilson with targets, which landed him a big contract ahead of this season. Meanwhile, Washington continues to be held back by blowout wins. Hopefully more targets and bigger performances are on the horizon.Ashton Jeanty regained control of the backfield, but it didn't matter. The Raiders' rushing attack looks broken, which is why Jeanty warranted a 4/5 on the panic meter last week. There's still a level of panic there despite a 68% RB opportunity share in Week 9.
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 10.
Week 10 Panic Meter
Jalen Coker - WR, Carolina Panthers
Panic Meter: 4/5
Coker got off to a fast start this season, catching 8-of-9 targets in each of his first two games. But then he suffered a quad strain in Week 3 and hasn't really been the same since (outside of a good game vs. a bad Eagles defense).
In his last three games, Coker has averaged just 2.3 catches for 24.7 yards on 4.7 targets per game. Meanwhile, Tetairoa McMillan is averaging 4.7 catches for 51.3 yards on 7.7 targets per game in those same three games. Darren Waller has also gotten into the mix. In Week 9, he caught 8-of-10 balls for 90 yards and a touchdown. He has now scored twice in his last three games.
The Panthers have a favorable upcoming schedule, however, Coker's 0.12 targets per route run, 10.8% target share, and 7.7 expected fantasy points per game in the last three games don't exude much confidence in his ability to produce in those contests. McMillan, and even the tight ends (Waller and Tommy Tremble) are taking away from Coker's appeal in fantasy football.
Drake London - WR, Atlanta Falcons
Panic Meter: 1/5
London has been relatively quiet in his last two games, but I'm not concerned one bit. Week 8 was a torrential downpour the entire game, so we can throw that 8-yard performance on six targets out the window. And in Week 9, he put up 68 yards while playing 97% of the snaps. He's on the field all the time and continues to lead the way in first read target share (31.8% the last two weeks, per Fantasy Points Data).
The Falcons have a couple of tough matchups for wide receivers on the horizon (Chiefs and Vikings), but after that, it becomes much more friendly with games against the Lions, Browns, Commanders, Buccaneers, and Saints (the fantasy football playoffs). If the London manager in your league is panicking, take advantage and buy low.
Saquon Barkley - RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Panic Meter: 2/5
Saquon played 59% of the snaps in Week 9 against his former team. That comes on the heels of a 15% snap share in Week 7 and a 32% snap share in Week 8. Progress! He's also scored in each of his last three games. The problem, however, remains two-fold.
One, he's battling through hamstring and back injuries. The Eagles have a Week 10 bye that will help, but the offense is unlikely to get any upgrades through the trade deadline. Two, he isn't used in the passing game. In fact, Saquon doesn't have more than two targets in any one game this season.
The Eagles do have a few soft matchups on the other side of the bye (Dallas, Arizona, Indianapolis), so while some level of panic exists for your first or second round fantasy pick this season, it isn't all doom and gloom.
Nico Collins - WR, Houston Texans
Panic Meter: 3/5
Collins has now seen five or fewer targets in each of his last three games. Luckily, he salvaged his Week 9 by scoring a touchdown on an incredible grab, but he's averaging just 9.9 fantasy points per game in his last four games. Jaylin Noel went down with an injury in Week 7, but the presence of Marvin Harrison Jr. and now Tank Dell have thrown a major wrench into Collins' fantasy value the last couple of weeks.
In the Texans' last two games, Collins is averaging just a 13.8% target share (22% first read target share), per Fantasy Points Data. Compare that to a 26.1% target share in his first two games (27.8% first read target share). Dell in particular seems to have great chemistry with C.J. Stroud. In fact, Stroud has targeted him at a rate of 0.36 in his first two games. Meanwhile, Collins has a target rate of just 0.16 in those games.
Stroud and the Texans' passing attack is on fire lately with the lack of a competent run game, but Collins doesn't appear to be the alpha he once was for this team.
Kyren Williams - RB, Los Angeles Rams
Panic Meter: 2/5
You're going to get consistency from Williams each and every week. But that's not what you signed up for drafting him in Round 3. Despite getting more snaps, Kyren is essentially splitting work down the middle these last three games with backfield mate Blake Corum. And it's Corum that's found paydirt in each of his last five games. Meanwhile, Williams has three touchdowns in his last five games.
Kyren had a 64% snap share and 49% route participation rate in Week 9, which still led to 19 opportunities for him, six more than Corum received. Corum, on the other hand, played on just 36% of the snaps with a 22.2% route participation rate. This is still Williams' backfield, but Corum has eaten into a lot of the high-value goal-line work recently.
I attest Williams remains a buy-low given the nature of the Rams' offense and the fact that Davante Adams is set to miss some more time
Bonus names: Chase Brown (2/5), Ladd McConkey (5/5), Rashee Rice (2/5), Emeka Egbuka (3/5)
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football Week 10 panic meter: Jalen Coker, Saquon Barkley and more
