Fantasy Football Panic Meter After Week 9: Jonathan Taylor, Kyle Pitts, Jordan Love, Brian Thomas Jr. and More

Week 9 of the NFL regular season has wrapped up, so now it’s time to recap 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. Also be sure to check out the one-week outlier or here to stay series.

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Running Backs

Kyren Williams and Jonathan Taylor are two running backs worth mentioning after week 9.

Williams still produced 69 rushing yards on 22 attempts and caught a 26-yard pass across three targets, but this was pretty easily his worst fantasy performance of the season.

He still got a healthy amount of touches and yards, but without a touchdown, was left with an uninspiring fantasy total. Williams has at least 20 touches in all but one game this season, and it was the first time he didn’t score at least once.

I’d put Williams’ panic meter at a 1. He really probably shouldn’t even be part of this week’s article, but there weren’t a lot of other options. He’s still a must-start fantasy player every week.

Taylor had 48 rushing yards on 13 attempts and added 11 receiving yards on three receptions and five targets in week 9. It was tied for the second-fewest touches Taylor has gotten in a game this season, while being his second-lowest total yards in a contest.

It was an off night for the Indianapolis offense, with the team’s longest drive being just nine plays. It led to an underwhelming performance for Taylor.

I’d put his panic meter at a 3. I’m not really worried about Taylor as much as I am the Colts’ offense in general. Switching from Anthony Richardson to Joe Flacco didn’t boost the team’s offense the way many were hoping he would, and now we have to wonder if the team’s offense can get things going.

He’s got some favorable matchups ahead, so I’m not worried about Taylor all that much, but just the thought of the team’s offense continuing to struggle is at least a little concerning for the Taylor fantasy owners.

Tight Ends

Kyle Pitts and Cole Kmet are the tight ends I want to discuss today.

Pitts had an 11-yard catch on his only catch and target in week 9. It was a highly disappointing performance after he had at least 65 yards in four straight games.

It was Pitts’ second fantasy dud of the season, and he had a couple other low-scoring performances in weeks 1 and 2. Since then, he’s had 55 or more yards in every game.

I see this performance as more of a one-game blip than a sign of things to come. But because they are still a possibility, I’d put Pitts’ panic meter at a 4. That might seem a bit high to some of you, but I’m also factoring in a bit tougher schedule for the TE. 

I’m basically saying to keep starting Pitts, but to not be too surprised if some of these fantasy dud performances continue to happen.

Kmet didn’t even receive a target in week 9. He had just one catch and target in the team’s previous game. He’s really only had two good fantasy performances all season.

I’d put Kmet’s panic meter at a 9. He shouldn’t be rostered in standard leagues anymore, and he’s not a safe starting option in deeper leagues. Kmet really should be dropped in deeper leagues now, but I get holding out a little hope for him.

A tough schedule ahead likely means Kmet continues to underperform as a fantasy player. There’s just too many mouths to feed in Chicago, and having a rookie quarterback throwing the passes isn’t helping matters.

Quarterbacks

Jordan Love and Kyler Murray are the two quarterbacks we’ll discuss this week.

Love was 23-of-29 passing for 273 yards in week 9, but he didn’t throw a touchdown and tossed another pick. Love also fumbled three times in sloppy and wet conditions, but didn’t lose any.

Love hasn’t thrown a touchdown over the past two weeks, and has at least one interception in every game. He’d thrown multiple touchdowns in his first five starts, but without those the past couple weeks, he’s been a below-average fantasy performer.

I’d put his panic meter at a 4. Injuries could be playing a role in his poor play of late, but the multiple TD passes have been masking some otherwise average outings for the Packers’ QB.

There’s also a handful of tougher matchups coming, so I’m definitely a little concerned about Love as a fantasy player. We’ll see if the bye week can get him healthy and back on track.

Murray was 13-of-20 passing for 154 yards, but no touchdowns in week 9. He didn’t throw a pick and only added six rushing yards on two attempts. Murray lost a fumble to lose a couple more fantasy points.

Murray has had his fair share of lackluster fantasy performances this season, but this was a new low for him. He was coming off two better outings, so week 9 was a disappointment for his fantasy owners.

I’d put Murray’s panic meter at a 3. I’d like to chalk the down performance up to a tougher matchup, but some inconsistencies this season make me at least a touch more concerned about the Cardinals’ QB. 

He’s got a more favorable schedule ahead as well, so I’m definitely not ready to write him off. You might just have to play matchups a bit more with him going forward.

Wide Receivers

Brian Thomas Jr. and Xavier Worthy are the wideouts I want to talk about after week 9.

Thomas went into week 9 banged up, but played nearly every offensive snap. He had just 22 yards on two catches and four targets.

It was his worst performance of the season, last failing to hit 30 receiving yards four weeks ago. He’s been over 45 yards in every other game, and has five touchdowns on the season though.

I’d put Thomas’ panic meter at a 3. I want to chalk this up to a one-week outlier, but with a second down performance in a month, I also can’t ignore it. I’m also pretty concerned about a tough schedule ahead.

Thomas should be able to bounce back without Christian Kirk around, but fantasy owners definitely won’t be as confident starting him this week after what happened in week 9.

Worthy had about as bad of a fantasy showing as possible this past week. He didn’t catch either of his two targets, and went backward 10 yards on two carries.

He’s now failed to top 40 yards in four straight games - two touchdowns over that span have bailed out the fantasy owners who have started him.

I’d put Worthy’s panic meter at a 7. DeAndre Hopkins emerged as a big-time target for Patrick Mahomes this past week, and Travis Kelce is still there, of course. That could leave Worthy in the dust.

Worthy isn’t anything more than a talented gadget player right now. His big-play potential makes him an intriguing starting option, but he really should only be considered in deeper leagues for the time being. I’d do my best to avoid him at least for this coming week.