Fantasy Duds Who Need Big Performances in Week 3 to Justify High Value

Many of you have been chomping at the bit to make sweeping changes to your roster after just two games, whether it be via trades, waiver moves or shuffling expected starters out of your lineup. I can understand the frustration, especially when it comes to top players not living up to their lofty values, but you can’t make wholesale changes so early in the season.

However, you can start to reassess your personal depth charts after Week 3.

Just like NFL teams make changes to their depth charts as a result of progress, game performance or injury, you can do the same once three weeks are in the books. What that means is that it’s time for some of your highly valued but underwhelming players to perform well or risk being moved.

This slideshow will concentrate on players you drafted to be no-doubt, weekly starters. C.J. Anderson, Frank Gore and even Andrew Luck have fallen well short of expectations in the first two games, but there's still time for all of them to rebound, starting this week.

Considering how high the following players were drafted, most have likely stayed in your starting lineup for the first two weeks despite not playing at a high level. You should give them another chance to prove themselves in Week 3 before you begin wheeling and dealing.

Frank Gore

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Changing teams can mess with a player’s fantasy value, even someone with a great track record such as Indianapolis Colts running back Frank Gore. At 32, he changed teams for the first time in his career in his 11th season, but his value remained high enough to be considered a high RB2, at worst. If you took a pair of wide receivers to start your draft, Gore may even be your first back selected.

Through two games, he’s scored a grand total of 10.2 fantasy points and checks in as the 55th-best RB in fantasy football. 

Maybe you thought he’d drop off a bit because of his age. Or maybe you were worried about him coming to a team with a great quarterback in Andrew Luck and plenty of other weapons around him, neither of which he had while with the San Francisco 49ers. I still doubt anyone expected such a bad start.

After facing a pair of tough defenses in the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, Gore has just 88 rushing yards on 23 carries and three receptions for four yards on four targets. His most memorable play of the first two weeks was a fumble near the goal line in the Week 2 loss to the Jets.

How does Gore bounce back? Can he?

The Colts head to Nashville to face the Tennessee Titans in Week 3, and it’s not a great matchup, at least by the numbers. The Titans have held running backs to the 12th-fewest fantasy points in the first two games. They also had the luxury of playing ahead for most of Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and didn’t have to worry much about running back Doug Martin. 

Indianapolis’ offense as a whole needs to get back on track, and this shouldn’t be a matchup that prohibits the Colts from doing so, which is why Gore has a chance to wipe away the ugly start to his tenure in Indy. If he doesn’t, any doubts about him, from changing teams to his age, will only pick up steam.

Mike Evans

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Following a tremendous rookie campaign, Evans found himself very high on the wide receiver rankings coming into his second season and deservedly so. Unfortunately, he suffered a hamstring injury during the preseason, which hurt his status in the eye of fantasy owners who were looking to get even more out of him in 2015.

Initially, it looked like Evans would be healthy enough to return for the team’s regular-season opener against the Tennessee Titans, but he was only able to practice in a limited fashion and sat out, which looked like a smart move with a long season ahead and a big role planned for Evans.

In the practices leading up to Week 2, Evans was able to participate in a limited fashion, although that was enough for him to make his 2015 season debut against the New Orleans Saints. Despite the fantastic matchup and subsequent victory, Evans was a non-factor in both reality and fantasy. He played just 61 percent of the offensive snaps and didn’t have a catch on three targets. His teammate, wide receiver Vincent Jackson, played 85 percent of the snaps and had three receptions for 54 yards.

Luckily, Evans has been practicing in full this week and looks to be in top form for a Week 3 matchup against the Houston Texans. With no points to his name and questions about his healthy, Evans needs to assuage any concerns about his fantasy production with some signs of life after such a frustrating start to the season.

C.J. Anderson

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Perhaps the biggest disappointment in the early part of the fantasy season is Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson. He’s elicited the most panic after just two games because he was drafted as a RB1 and has just 56 rushing yards on 24 carries and five receptions for 21 receiving yards without a touchdown to his name. With 12.7 fantasy points in two games, he’s 46th among running backs.

Why is this happening? Part of the issue could be a toe injury he suffered in Week 1 and played through in Week 2. While Anderson hasn’t missed any practice, he’s remained on the injury report, but he told Andrew Mason of the team’s website that he feels “fine” and that he didn’t think the injury affected him. However, treatment has continued because it will be “one of those nagging things for the season that I can take care of.”

That won’t put anyone who has Anderson on their roster at ease. Neither will the presence of running back Ronnie Hillman. Many are overreacting to Hillman having any kind of role, but the reality is that he’s run for just 75 yards on 21 carries and doesn’t have a reception. The carry total is close, but Hillman has been far from impressive, but the door will remain open so long as Anderson continues to struggle.

His next chance to right his season comes in Detroit in Week 3, when the Broncos take on the Lions at Ford Field. It’ll be a great opportunity for Anderson, as the Lions have allowed the third-most fantasy points to running backs in the first two games. They’ll likely be without star linebacker DeAndre Levy (hip) once again, which is great news for the entire Broncos offense.

The Lions are 0-2 and coming into this matchup looking completely lost, so the Broncos should be able to control the tempo and get Anderson going early, if his toe can handle it. Another shaky performance will raise some serious doubts about his fantasy value going forward.

Jonathan Stewart

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Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart has scored 19 fantasy points over the first two weeks of the season and comes into this week 33rd at the position, which makes him a RB3 or flex player. That’s falling short of preseason expectations since he was routinely drafted to be a running back on most teams.

The expectations likely increased when the Panthers lost second-year wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to a torn ACL. Other than tight end Greg Olsen, the Panthers lack high-end starting talent in their offense, and rookie wide receiver Devin Funchess wasn’t promoted to the starting lineup as quickly as Benjamin was last season. That put the Panthers in a bind before the season began, and the results have been shaky at best.

With more pressure on Stewart to carry the offense in the absence of help from the passing game, he’s been busy with 35 carries, but he has just 118 rushing yards (3.4 yards per carry) and has also contributed five receptions for 22 yards. In addition to worrying about Olsen stealing red-zone and goal-line touches, the threat of quarterback Cam Newton using his legs is a worry. Newton has already rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, so he’s right there with Stewart. 

The Panthers host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and if all goes according to plan, Stewart should be busy and productive. The Saints have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to running backs in the first two weeks and are a mess from top to bottom on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Drew Brees may not be able to play because of a shoulder injury, and it’s not like he’s played well in the first two weeks when he has been on the field. 

Between the favorable matchup and the issues with the Saints offense, it’s setting up well for Stewart to come through with his best game of the short season. While he’s on the injury report with a knee injury, it’s not a significant issue, and the team is treating it with extra precaution. Stewart certainly needs a good game to prove he’s a reliable RB2 instead of the RB3/flex territory he’s been in to start the season.

Andrew Luck

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I can’t believe we need to have any conversation about Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck just two games into the season, but here we are following a putrid start for Luck and the Colts after embarrassing losses to the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. 

As the consensus top fantasy quarterback, Luck is one of the last players you’d expect to have any early-season struggles. After two games, he’s scored just 26.1 fantasy points, and at the No. 26 spot, he’s scored less fantasy points than Alex Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs, Ryan Mallett of the Houston Texans, Nick Foles of the St. Louis Rams, Ryan Fitzpatrick of the New York Jets and Blake Bortles of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

How does Luck fix this? Facing a lesser defense would certainly help after opening with the Bills and Jets.

Luck gets a crack at the Tennessee Titans on Sunday and should be able to get himself and the team back on track. In less-than-dangerous matchups against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns, the Titans have allowed the ninth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks, but obviously, Luck is a big step up from Jameis Winton and Johnny Manziel.

Concerns about the Colts should be calmed after this week, but they were on full display against the Jets. Head coach Chuck Pagano called out everyone, from Luck to the offensive line to general manager Ryan Grigson, although that last one wasn’t directly by name. There was a lot of blame to go around, so the issues with the Colts have been more than just Luck’s poor play.

In two games, he completed 47 of 86 passes for 493 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions and added 44 rushing yards on eight attempts. Luck needs to be more accurate and make better decisions, even if his offensive line is a liability. We’ve seen him do it for his entire career with the Colts already, so it’s not like he hasn’t overcome this obstacle before.

Concerns surrounding Luck will disappear after he performs at a high level against the Titans.

Lamar Miller

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Every other player on this list shoulders most of the blame for his disappointing performance to start the season. In the case of Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller, though, the coaching staff is at major fault, but there’s still time to correct it.

Of course, the Dolphins won’t be able to correct any problems related to Miller if he’s not ready to play in Week 3. An ankle injury forced him out of a Week 2 loss to the Jaguars. He’s since downplayed the injury to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald and has gone through limited practice this week, although he was out for Wednesday’s practice.

Miller has just 23 carries for 67 rushing yards and six receptions for 50 receiving yards through two games. Why the Dolphins haven't shown a commitment to the run is one of the biggest questions early in the season and one without an answer. Miller is 38th at the running back position with just 17.7 fantasy points to open the season. As someone who is expected to be a reliable RB2 all season long, this is a worrisome start, especially with the ankle injury.

The Dolphins take on the Buffalo Bills in Miami for an AFC East showdown. Despite getting crushed by the New England Patriots last week, the Bills have been great against running backs, holding them to the eighth-fewest fantasy points to start the season.

Because of the injury, my expectations aren’t high for Miller, and it may take a little more time for him to reach that RB2 status. However, it would be nice to see him overcome the tougher matchup and ankle issue to put his fantasy owners in a much better frame of mind in regard to his future fantasy prospects.

Justin Forsett

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Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett is one of the most intriguing fantasy players in 2015 because he’s coming off a huge season on his fifth team in an eight-year career. Before he rushed for 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns on 235 carries with the Ravens in 2014, Forsett had never topped 118 carries or 619 rushing yards.

If you can be a young 30 as an NFL running back, that will be Forsett when his 30th birthday comes around in October. Last year was the first time Forsett played a prominent role for an entire season.

Can he do it again at an even higher level?

So far, the results have been solid but not spectacular, and fantasy owners were looking for spectacular. Forsett has 111 rushing yards on 29 carries (3.8 yards per carry) and has yet to score a touchdown. He has eight receptions for 25 yards on 11 targets.

After two weeks, he’s 25th among running backs with 21.6 fantasy points, which makes him a low-end RB2. Forsett was drafted to be one of the best RB2s or even a low RB1 if he’s on a team with a pair of top-flight wide receivers.

Forsett’s chances of moving up the RB2 category hinges on his performance in this week’s matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. With a 2-0 record, the Bengals look like one of the best teams in the league so far, and their defensive numbers have been fantastic except against running backs. They’ve allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to the position, mostly because they’ve given up 21 receptions, 172 receiving yards and two touchdowns. 

The excitement for Forsett in 2015 had a lot to do with new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman and what he did with Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte the last two seasons, including 102 receptions in 2014. Based on the numbers the Bengals are giving up through the air to running backs, this would be a great week to feature Forsett in the passing game—it’s not like the Ravens have much talent other than veteran wide receiver Steve Smith Sr.

The matchup is a good one for Forsett, and I still consider him to be a huge part of the Baltimore offense. This would be a great week to prove he’s capable of the monster games we saw last year.