Fantasy Football Panic Meter After Week 6: Jordan Mason, Dak Prescott, Mike Evans, Mike Gesicki and More

Week 6 of the NFL season is now in the books. That means it’s time to take a look back at some of the performances that took place and try to determine what it means going forward.

In this series, we are identifying players who struggled this past week, or so far this season, and then determining how panicked fantasy owners should be. Here’s last week’s story. Check back soon for the one-hit wonder or here to stay series article!

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Running Backs

Saquon Barkley and Jordan Mason are the two backs worth discussing this week.

Barkley was maybe the fantasy MVP coming into week 6, but finished with just 54 scrimmage yards on 20 touches, easily his worst showing of the season. He rushed 18 times for 47 yards and caught both of his targets for seven yards.

Barkley had been over 100 total yards in the team’s first four games. The matchup wasn’t great, but Barkley is definitely talented enough to overcome the toughest of matchups. What’s worth mentioning is that A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith were both back in the lineup - something that hasn’t happened since week 1.

I’d put the panic meter for Barkley at just a 2 at this point. I think he’s going to turn in a bunch of strong fantasy showings going forward, but I also would be wary of the situation with Brown and Smith now back in the lineup. 

Barkley might not get quite as many touches per week with the two wideouts back on the field, but you’d also think that could open some things in the running game for him. Maybe defenses are going to sell out on stopping Barkley and make Jalen Hurts, Brown and Smith beat them through the air - and that’s why there is a little panic.

Mason got just 10 touches on Thursday night after suffering an injury. He went for 82 yards, which is a good number, but it also was his worst showing of the season.

A healthy Mason probably would have easily topped 100 yards in the contest, but he’s more on the panic meter because of his injury and with Christian McCaffrey maybe nearing a return.

Mason has been fantastic while filling in this season, but he’s definitely not the dynamic playmaker that McCaffrey is. CMC will get the majority of the workload when he’s back on the field, and while Mason should still be involved, his fantasy value is obviously going to take a hit. 

I’d put Mason’s panic meter at a 5. It might not seem fair, but his days as the team’s workhorse are probably limited, and his injury is concerning as well. I’d try to sell Mason high while I could.

Quarterbacks

Dak Prescott and Kyler Murray are the quarterbacks I want to discuss this week.

Prescott was 17-of-33 passing on Sunday, going for just 178 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown and was picked off twice. 

It was the second time this season he’s failed to reach 200 passing yards, and the first time he went without a touchdown. He’s thrown multiple picks in three games now.

I’d put Prescott’s panic meter at a 4. It really could be a couple clicks higher, but with no running game in Dallas, Prescott is still going to pass a lot, and he can put up average or better fantasy numbers even without an average day overall.

Murray had 214 passing yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, but it took 22 completions and 32 attempts to reach those numbers. He only added 14 rushing yards on seven attempts.

Murray only has gone over 215 passing yards once this season, and that was his only game with multiple passing touchdowns. He’s done a nice job of taking care of the ball (two interceptions), but it feels like he’s still not living up to fantasy expectations.

His rushing ability gets him closer to the expectations, but he’s also had a couple weak rushing outputs, so that’s also a bit concerning. He’s only attempting five rushes a game as well.

I’d put his panic meter at a 3. I expected more out of Murray this season, and think it’s fair to say he’s underperforming right now. He might have to guide the team without Marvin Harrison Jr. now, which is another short-term concern. He’s still a good starting option because of his dual-threat ability, but he is by no means a locked-in starter.

Wide Receivers

Mike Evans and George Pickens are the wideouts we’ll hit on today. 

Tampa Bay scored 51 points on Sunday, which makes Evans’ performance pretty concerning. He had 34 yards on two catches and six targets. 

It was the third time he’s failed to reach 50 yards already this season, and if you take away the touchdowns from his three games over 50 yards, he looks like an average fantasy option at best. 

He’s on the panic meter for more his season-long numbers so far. I’d put his panic meter at a 5.

Chris Godwin is clearly the team’s No. 1 option right now, and fantasy owners are wondering if Evans has finally hit a wall. I’m not ready to write him off yet, but I’m definitely concerned with what I’ve seen. Evans is no longer a for sure starter.

Pickens went for 53 yards on three catches and eight targets in week 6. He still hasn’t scored this season and has two straight poor fantasy showings.

His targets are still in a good place, but his inconsistent fantasy outings has his panic meter at a 4. He’s not a locked-in starter, and is a pretty risky play in standard leagues, mostly because of the QB who is throwing him the ball.

Pickens and Evans are still good deep league starting options, and have enough upside to start in some standard leagues, but they are far from confident starting pieces.

Tight Ends

Jake Ferguson and Mike Gesicki are the tight ends I want to discuss today.

Ferguson only had 11 yards on three catches and four targets in week 6. It was the second time in five games that he’s been held at or under 15 yards, and he’s got just two games over 50 yards.

It was the lowest amount of targets he’s gotten in a game, along with tying for his lowest mark in receptions.

I’d put his panic meter at a 3. Ferguson had been a decent fantasy performer the past three games, but his meter is at a 3 because of the Cowboys’ offense as a whole. If Prescott is struggling, several of the top playmakers on the team are going to be risky fantasy starting options.

Gesicki looked like a possible hidden fantasy gem after a good showing in week 2 and another solid outing in week 3, but he’s fallen off in the three weeks since. He has just 22 receiving yards in the past three weeks, and wasn’t even targeted in week 6.

Gesicki was injured coming into the game, and only played 19 snaps. Erick All played 23 snaps, while Drew Sample was at 26 snaps.

This looks more like the Bengals going in a different direction at TE than Gesicki simply being banged up. I’d put Gesicki’s panic meter at a 9.

He wasn’t viewed as a big fantasy asset coming into the season, but after a couple good games, he now looks like he's fading out as a fantasy option. He’s getting dropped in a bunch of leagues, and will probably not be owned at all if he doesn’t have a catch this coming week.