Welcome to Blitz Sports Media’s Fantasy Football “Panic Meter” for Week 12. Each week, we will identify some of the disappointing performances from the prior week to determine if it is time to panic about said player. Below is the last Blitz Sports Media panic meter of the season, discussing the reasoning behind each panic meter level.
Woody Marks (RB) Houston Texans
Panic Meter: 1
Although rookie Woody Marks didn’t smash against the Tennessee Titans, a good matchup, they get another advantageous matchup vs. the Buffalo Bills‘ run defense on Thursday Night for Week 12. Marks still saw 19 opportunities, so he has fully entrenched the backfield over the veteran Nick Chubb.
With C.J. Stroud out again, it’s Davis Mills, who will try to game manage, but this could be a surprise back-and-forth affair. The only panic is that Mark’s only had one reception last week on a single target, and when he has his best games, that is when he is involved as a receiver. He should hit double-digits in PPR after a 6.1 point performance in Week 11. Marks is another confident start as an RB 2/ high-tier flex play this week.
Khalil Shakir (WR) Buffalo Bills
Panic Meter: 2
While normally a safe option and PPR start most weeks, Khalil Shakir busted in a big spot when the Bills scored 44 points, while he had just 0.7 in PPR for fantasy. Out of Josh Allen‘s pass-catchers, he’s normally good for at least double-digits, but against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had just 3 targets and only caught 1. While Shakir isn’t a drop like Keon Coleman, who was benched last week, it is concerning that his floor could be that low.
Sam Darnold (QB) Seattle Seahawks
Panic Meter: 3
Sam Darnold, as a must-start, may be coming to an end after a bad performance, throwing 4 interceptions against the Los Angeles Rams. He is now the 16th-ranked quarterback in fantasy after two games of just 4.92 and 5.76 fantasy points. While the Titans are a bounce-back spot, it is clear is a matchup-dependent streamer only, and the floor of at least 15 points from earlier in the year (Weeks 2-6) isn’t a consistent trend now. If he doesn’t do well against Tennessee, then Darnold could move to the drop category pretty soon.
Cut List | Panic Meter: 4
- Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp (WR) Seattle Seahawks
- Matthew Golden (WR) Green Bay Packers
- Justin Fields (QB) New York Jets
- Nick Chubb (RB) Houston Texans
With Marks taking over in Houston, Chubb is merely a handcuff at this point for the Texans. Tyrod Taylor was announced as the starter this week for the Jets vs. the Ravens in Baltimore, so Justin Fields is a drop for sure.
Rookie Matthew Golden, even with various injuries to the Packers offense, hasn’t seen his route participation go up enough to even warrant a stash. Both Seattle Seahawks wide receivers, Rashid Shaheed and Cooper Kupp, while good for the team, haven’t benefited in fantasy. They take a backseat to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is on a historic pace. I don’t envision either to be anything more than a desperation flex.
