Fantasy Football Panic Meter After Week 7: C.J. Stroud, Alvin Kamara, Josh Downs, Sam LaPorta and More

Week 7 of the NFL season is in the books, but before we turn our attention to week 8 and beyond, let’s do one final recap of the previous week of action.

Here, we’ll continue our panic meter series, where we identify players who struggled this past week and then determine 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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Quarterbacks

C.J. Stroud and Kirk Cousins are the quarterbacks I want to talk about this week.

Stroud had a rough go of things against the Packers in week 7. He completed just 10 of his 21 passes for 86 yards. Stroud didn’t have a touchdown or interception, while adding 19 rushing yards on five carries.

It was the least amount of passing yards Stroud has ever had in his NFL career. He’s thrown for at least 192 yards and a touchdown in every other game this season.

He was playing without Nico Collins again, but this was more about the Packers’ pass rush and defensive play than anything Stroud did. He was under pressure all day and simply had no time to make any plays.

This looks more like a one-week outlier than anything, and for that reason, Stroud’s panic meter is at just a 2. It really could be a 1, but without Collins, there’s at least a little panic after this kind of performance and knowing Collins can’t help for a couple more games still.

Cousins was 24-of-35 passing for 232 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble.

It was actually the fourth-most passing yards Cousins has had in a game this season, but the three turnovers and one touchdown led to a below-average fantasy showing.

I, along with many others, believe the Falcons’ offense was here to stay, but apparently the unit is not there yet. Because of some inconsistent showings, you can’t ignore what Cousins did in this game, and I’d put his panic meter at a 4.

Things haven’t fully clicked yet, and until Cousins and the offense can deliver solid results every week, he’s not going to be a player you can confidently start, which means fantasy owners have to worry about him.

Running Backs

Alvin Kamara and David Montgomery are the two backs I’d like to discuss.

Back on Thursday night, Kamara was held to 10 rushing yards on seven carries. He had 14 receiving yards on six catches and seven targets.

New Orleans was without Derek Carr again, and the team also played without Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. The game went as expected, with the Saints being blown out, but it was unusual to see Kamara struggle as much as he did.

Kamara’s panic meter has nothing to do with him and everything to do with the offensive talent that is/isn’t around him. I’d put Kamara’s panic meter at a 4 as well.

Olave should return in time, as should Carr, and that should alleviate some of the problems for Kamara. But until that happens, fantasy owners should be fairly worried about what he can accomplish as a fantasy player.

Montgomery has his worst showing of the season in week 7. He rushed nine times for 31 yards and had 39 receiving yards on three catches and four targets. Montgomery lost a fumble as well.

It was tied for the fewest scrimmage yards this season, and it was the first time he hasn’t scored, along with being the first time he’s fumbled. Montgomery also got dinged up in the contest, but appears to be OK.

The injury might not keep him out of the lineup, but it might limit his touches for a week or two. It’s not like Detroit needs Montgomery to be a workhorse either, as Jahmyr Gibbs can certainly fill that role on his own. 

I don’t expect Detroit to ever abandon Montgomery offensively, but I do think these next couple weeks could be lower fantasy outputs for the running back. I’d put Montgomery’s panic meter at a 2.

Wide Receivers 

Jayden Reed and Josh Downs are the two wideouts worth talking about this week.

Reed had just 10 receiving yards on two catches and four targets in week 7. He didn’t gain a yard on his rushing attempt.

It was the fewest touches and scrimmage yards Reed has had all season. Meanwhile, Romeo Doubs went for 94 yards and Dontayvion Wicks and Tucker Kraft caught touchdown passes. With so many pass catchers in the offense, Reed might have these down showings from time to time.

I’d put Reed’s panic meter at a 3. I thought he was a possible sell high trade candidate a couple weeks ago, and it looks like it might have been the right move looking back now. I still think he’s going to have big weeks, but to expect him to be a top-10 fantasy wideout every week just isn’t happening. Maybe someone still views him as a top-end fantasy talent and you can get a good haul for trading him away.

Downs had a three-yard catch across three targets in week 7. That was his worst performance across five games played.

Downs excelled when Joe Flacco was the quarterback, but in his two games where Anthony Richardson was the quarterback primarily, Downs had 25 yards, four catches and eight targets in total.

I’d put Downs’ panic meter at a 7. He was looking like a weekly starting option with Flacco at quarterback, but hasn’t looked rosterable with Richardson back there. I wouldn’t drop Downs yet, but I also am not comfortable enough to start Downs in a standard league right now.

Tight Ends

Travis Kelce and Sam LaPorta are the two tight ends I want to bring up again.

Kelce had another down week, going for just 17 yards. He caught four of his five targets.

It was his second-worst showing of the season, and the fourth time in six games that he’s finished under 35 receiving yards. Meanwhile, backup tight end Noah Gray led the team in receiving.

On Wednesday, Kansas City traded for DeAndre Hopkins, which means more competition for targets and production for Kelce. JuJu Smith-Schuster was also banged up this past week, making Kelce’s showing even more lackluster.

I’d say Kelce’s panic meter is at a 7 as well. He just hasn’t lived up to expectations yet. He’ll remain in starting lineups most weeks, but you can’t have a lot of faith in him at this point. Another thing working against Kelce is an incredibly tough schedule coming up.

LaPorta had just one 25-yard catch across two targets this past week. It was the second straight week LaPorta only caught one pass, and his season high in yards is just 53.

LaPorta has been one of the biggest draft disappointments so far, and was started in less than 80% of leagues this past week. There’s a glimmer of hope that he could get going as Jameson Williams serves a two-game suspension, but again, he’s a player who can’t really be trusted right now.

I’d put LaPorta’s panic meter at an 8. He could turn his season around with one big game, and that’s the only reason why his number isn’t higher.