X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Don’t Call It a Comeback - Second Half Rebound Candidates

Regardless of expert consensus, every year there are a slew of top ranked players that underperform.  The question half way through the year is, who’s going to rebound, and who’s going to fall flat?

Paint me optimistic today, but there’s a lot of the season left, and opportunities abound. I expect many of the following players are in for a positive regression to the mean.

Here are some second half rebound candidates for 2017 to target in your league via free agent add or trade.

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 10% off using code BALLER! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

 

Quarterbacks and Supporting Cast

Underperformers: Matt Ryan, Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, Jameis Winston, Tyrod Taylor, Andy Dalton

Roethlisberger and Bryant’s success is tied together

  • The Steelers have a tough schedule, but the latter half is a good bit more forgiving than the first stretch. There are four games remaining in their schedule against bottom-10 defenses. Roethlisberger’s best game of the year from a QBR perspective (104.8) was Bryant’s best week (91 yards, 1 TD).  Roethlisberger has only thrown for one 300-yard game this year. He’s on track for only 2 this year, while in 2016 he had 4; but in 2015 he threw for 300 yards 7 times.  2015 was also the last year that Martavis Bryant was active on the Steelers, if Bryant works himself back into favor with Roethlisberger they can regain their 2015 form, saving both of their fantasy seasons.

Russell Wilson and the Seahawks are a second half team

  • The Seahawks have one of the easier remaining schedules in the NFL, with six matchups against bottom ranked defensive teams. Both Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin have already rated above 82 this year according to profootballfocus. If the offensive line can improve at all, the superior play of these two should be able to lift the rest of the team, producing more opportunities for both.  For the last three years Doug Baldwin has had a substantial uptick in production starting after week ten, this is likely to begin faster this year due to the relative ease of their schedule. Furthermore, Baldwin plays a significant number of snaps from the slot, avoiding strong defensive matchups, like in week seven’s matchup against the Giants and Janoris Jenkins.  Many of the elite competition may pass Baldwin over to focus instead on the Seahawks conventional outside wideouts.

The writing is on the wall: Carr and Cooper will pick it up

  • Derek Carr and Amari Cooper, had a huge comeback game and the talent is obvious. The return to the mean has likely started and the big games are ahead. One should be hesitant to expect wide receiver 1 production every week though. Cooper needs a significant target share to be successful, in weeks 1 and 7 he commanded 36.5 and 40.6 percent respectively. Those were both of his fantasy viable weeks. Cooper’s efficiency has left something to be desired; but after this win, the offense may start leaning more on the pass. This could bring both Cooper and Carr back into WR/QB1 territory. The Raiders alternate tough and easy defensive matchups for the rest of the year.  The production could be sporadic, but is perhaps the most explosive.

 

Wide Receivers

Underperformers: Michael Thomas, Mike Evans, Keenan Allen, Terrelle Pryor, Martavis Bryant, Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas.

Michael Thomas, the quiet producer

  • Michael Thomas has caught nearly two-thirds of the passes thrown his way, and has had only two games this year under five receptions and 80 yards. With Snead continually injured, Thomas maintains his position in the number one wide receiver position. Thomas is likely to improve his performance as the season proceeds, but even if he maintains his current trajectory, he would end with over 1000 yards and seven touchdowns. The Saints also have Tampa Bay in their schedule who currently allow the most yards to wide receiver.

Last man left, Demaryius Thomas

  • After a number of poor performances, Demaryius Thomas burst back onto the scene with 14 targets, 10 receptions, and 133 yards against the Giants. Janoris Jenkins was often covering DT as well. Even with that elite coverage, Trevor Siemian found Thomas time and time again as the only steady weapon last week. Much of this extra attention is due to Sanders going down, but as Sanders lays dormant on the sideline, Siemian can develop his rapport with Thomas.  Last year with Siemian at the helm, DT amassed over 1,000 yards and five touchdowns.  There’s no reason he can’t do it again, especially considering the rest of the Broncos divisional foes are allowing passing yards left and right.

 

Running Backs

Underperformers: Jay Ajayi, DeMarco Murray, Isaiah Crowell, Joe Mixon, Bilal Powell, LeSean McCoy, Ezekiel Elliott

When Bilal Powell is healthy and used as a runner, he has huge games

  • Jets are willing to get him involved with a hefty number of carries and plenty of targets to keep him healthy. Neither Elijah McGuire or Matt Forte have been good enough to dig too far into his hold on the lead back position.  Powell has an exceedingly easy schedule, and the Jets have been better than expected, so running the ball is still an option. When given a legitimate number of carries this season (15 or more) Powell has at least converted that opportunity into a touchdown each game, and in his 21-carry game he ran for 163 yards at 7.76 a carry. Powell averaged over six yards a carry last year and has continued to show the ability to reproduce those figures.

LeSean McCoy has the benefit of addition through subtraction

  • McCoy and the Bills benefit from another easy second-half schedule. Out of the five games that McCoy has played, three have been against top-10 rush defenses. As the Bills play the rest of their divisional matchups, McCoy will be afforded opportunity after opportunity to feast. Positive regression is very likely with McCoy, as Zay Jones has yet to find a way to capitalize on his increased target share, and former target leader Charles Clay is down for an extended period of time.  Not only does this require the offense to be funneled through McCoy, Taylor’s ability to run the zone read increases the mental load on any defenders trying to deal with Shady.

 

Tight Ends

Underperformers: Jordan Reed, Jimmy Graham, Jack Doyle, Eric Ebron

Jordan Reed’s rough journey begins to lighten up

  • The Washington football team no longer plays a team that has produced top half defensive games against tight ends. Jordan Reed hasn’t attracted the same target share that he usually commands thus far, but I believe this is largely due to lingering injuries, and defenses that have figured out how to contain tight ends. As he heals, he’ll be a bigger part of the offense, especially since the defense isn’t elite and there will be ample opportunity to keep up in higher scoring affairs. With the emergence of Chris Thompson and a banged-up defense, one can easily conclude that Washington will be passing early and often in most games, giving Reed the chance he needs to be the chain moving, red-zone threat that he has been for a number of years.

Someone has to produce in Indy; if not Moncrief then Doyle

  • Jack Doyle seems to be healthy and Donte Moncrief is playing poorly, being unable to haul in the crucial red-zone targets. Doyle is in a prime position to continue his play from Week 6, becoming the Colts primary end zone target. The Colts' remaining schedule is very difficult, but the bright side is that it’s better than it looks for tight ends.  Many of the best teams in the league at defending the pass often allow the tight ends to float under their radar. As the wide receivers are shut down, Doyle can roam over the middle of the field and under the higher-positioned defensive backs to play a central role leading to a 10+ target upside (11 in week 6) on a week to week basis. He's disappointed those who had him pegged as a sleeper early in the season, but his best could be yet to come.

 

More 2017 Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope36 mins ago

No Longer On Injury Report
Wendell Carter Jr.41 mins ago

Considered Questionable For Saturday
Brady Singer45 mins ago

Shipped To Cincinnati
Jonathan India54 mins ago

Traded To Kansas City
Tre Mann56 mins ago

Listed As Out For Saturday
Torrey Craig1 hour ago

Available Versus Hawks
Nick Richards1 hour ago

Ruled Out For Saturday
Jarace Walker1 hour ago

Ready To Face Bucks
Ben Sheppard1 hour ago

Misses A Third Consecutive Game
Anfernee Simons1 hour ago

Returns To Action Friday
Ja Morant1 hour ago

Considered Doubtful For Saturday
Jerami Grant1 hour ago

Ready For Action Friday
Marcus Smart1 hour ago

Questionable For Saturday
Deandre Ayton2 hours ago

Remains Out On Friday
Yves Missi2 hours ago

Will Not Play On Friday
Stephen Curry2 hours ago

Available Versus Pelicans
Scoot Henderson2 hours ago

Absent On Friday
Giannis Antetokounmpo2 hours ago

Good To Go Friday
Coby White2 hours ago

Available On Friday
Joel Embiid2 hours ago

To Miss Friday's Game
Dorian Finney-Smith2 hours ago

Will Play Friday
Miles Bridges2 hours ago

Out At Least One Week
Nicolas Claxton2 hours ago

Back In Action Friday
Rashod Bateman3 hours ago

Added To Week 12 Injury Report
Vince Dunn3 hours ago

Could Be An Option For Kraken Next Week
TOR3 hours ago

Alexander Nylander Joins Maple Leafs On One-Year Deal
George Kittle3 hours ago

Cleared For Week 12
Jason Dickinson3 hours ago

Expected To Play On Saturday
Cam York3 hours ago

Expected To Return Saturday
San Francisco 49ers3 hours ago

Nick Bosa Won't Play Against Packers
Mason McTavish3 hours ago

Remains Out On Friday
Brock Purdy3 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Tage Thompson3 hours ago

Continues To Sit On Friday
Kevin Hayes4 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Friday
Kris Letang4 hours ago

Might Return On Friday
Ladd McConkey4 hours ago

Returns To Practice On Friday
CeeDee Lamb4 hours ago

Cleared To Play In Week 12
Sam LaPorta4 hours ago

Off The Injury Report, Cleared For Week 12
Jake Ferguson4 hours ago

Ruled Out With Concussion
DeVonta Smith5 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Brock Purdy5 hours ago

Not Seen At Friday's Practice
T.J. Hockenson5 hours ago

Expects To Be More Involved In Week 12
Alexander Mattison5 hours ago

Zamir White Doubtful To Face Broncos
Nico Collins5 hours ago

Set For Increased Workload Against Titans
Mike Evans5 hours ago

Officially Listed As Questionable
Malik Nabers6 hours ago

Questionable For Week 12, Intends To Play
Sam Darnold6 hours ago

Cleared For Sunday
D'Andre Swift6 hours ago

Gets Questionable Tag For Week 12
Keenan Allen6 hours ago

Lands On Injury Report, Questionable For Week 12
Isiah Pacheco7 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
CeeDee Lamb7 hours ago

Practices Friday, Expected To Play Sunday
Tyjae Spears7 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Shohei Ohtani8 hours ago

In Early Stages Of Recovery From Shoulder Surgery
Tabatha Ricci8 hours ago

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Yan Xiaonan8 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Muslim Salikhov9 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Chris Sale9 hours ago

To Have Normal Offseason
Garrett Crochet9 hours ago

Drawing Plenty Of Interest
Song Kenan9 hours ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Zhang Mingyang9 hours ago

Set For His Second UFC Fight
Ozzy Diaz9 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Macau
MacKenzie Weegar12 hours ago

Notches Three Assists Against Rangers
Macklin Celebrini12 hours ago

Tallies Two Assists In Thursday's Loss
Nikita Kucherov12 hours ago

Comes Up With Three Assists Versus Blue Jackets
Sean Monahan12 hours ago

Finishes Thursday's Win With Four Points
Zach Werenski12 hours ago

Enjoys Career Night With Five Points Against Lightning
Jack Hughes13 hours ago

Posts Three Assists Versus Hurricanes
Joonas Korpisalo13 hours ago

Records 21-Save Shutout Versus Utah
Carlos Ulberg24 hours ago

Looking To Cement Himself As A Title Contender At UFC Macau
Volkan Oezdemir24 hours ago

Eyes Another Knockout At UFC Macau
Gabriella Fernandes1 day ago

A Big Underdog At UFC Macau
MMA1 day ago

Cong Wang Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC Macau
Deiveson Figueiredo1 day ago

Looks To Extend Win Streak At UFC Macau
Petr Yan1 day ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Shohei Ohtani1 day ago

Named National League MVP In 2024
Aaron Judge1 day ago

Wins American League MVP Award
Alex Ovechkin1 day ago

To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Fractured Fibula
Zach Hyman1 day ago

Expected To Miss 4-7 Days
Kent Johnson1 day ago

Back For Blue Jackets Thursday
Yaroslav Askarov1 day ago

Makes Sharks Debut Thursday
Mikael Granlund1 day ago

Good To Go Thursday
Alexandar Georgiev1 day ago

Returns To Action Versus Capitals
Cody Bellinger1 day ago

Cubs Looking To Trade Cody Bellinger?
1 day ago

Blake Snell Has Met With Red Sox, Dodgers
Chris Sale2 days ago

Wins National League Cy Young Award
Tarik Skubal2 days ago

Wins 2024 American League Cy Young Award
Austin Eckroat2 days ago

Heads To The RSM Classic After Win
Harris English2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To The RSM Classic
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To The RSM Classic
Denny McCarthy2 days ago

Returns to The RSM Classic
Ludvig Aberg2 days ago

Looks To Defend RSM Classic Title
Si Woo Kim2 days ago

An Intriguing Option At RSM Classic
Maverick McNealy2 days ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of RSM Classic
Eric Cole2 days ago

Chasing First Tour Victory At RSM Classic
3 days ago

Guardians' Stephen Vogt Named AL Manager Of The Year
Milwaukee Brewers3 days ago

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager Of The Year
3 days ago

Nick Pivetta Declines Boston's Qualifying Offer
Jose Siri3 days ago

Mets Acquire Jose Siri From The Rays
3 days ago

Phillies To Meet With Juan Soto
3 days ago

Luis Severino Rejects Qualifying Offer From Mets
3 days ago

Willy Adames Declines Brewers Qualifying Offer
3 days ago

Teoscar Hernandez Declines Qualifying Offer From Dodgers
3 days ago

Juan Soto Declines Yankees' Qualifying Offer
Luis Gil4 days ago

Wins AL Rookie Of The Year Award
Charles Oliveira4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 309
Karine Silva4 days ago

Suffers Her First UFC Loss
Viviane Araujo4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Mauricio Ruffy4 days ago

Extends His Win Streak To Six
James Llontop5 days ago

Loses Clear-Cut Decision In Thrilling Fight At UFC 309
Paul Craig5 days ago

Loses Decision At UFC 309
Bo Nickal5 days ago

Remains Undefeated With Lackluster Performance At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic5 days ago

Retires After UFC 309 Loss

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch: Top College Fantasy Football Players Week 12 (2024)

Welcome back to another season of Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch, where I highlight the best and brightest performances from the college football week. The Big 12(16) took center stage this week and Tennessee fell to the ranks of most SEC contenders with two losses. Here are the players who showed out that you may have […]


Video: Week 12 Booms, Sleepers, and Streamers - 2024 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Analysis

And here...we...go... The YouTube team is dropping fresh fire content for the weekend ahead with our top Week 12 booms, sleepers, and streamers! NFL Network and RotoBaller contributor LaQuan Jones gives in-depth fantasy football advice, breaking down some of his high-upside, sleeper, and value plays as we head into Week 12 of the new fantasy […]


RotoBaller NFL Betting Picks Stock

2024 NFL Week 12 Betting Picks (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools and Content can be accessed on the premium dashboard. To see ALL of Jamie's bets (and others from RotoBaller experts) then head over to the RotoBaller Discord. You'll find every bet and prop in the #NFL-BETTING-PROPS channel there!   Background My name is Jamie Calandro (@jac3600 on X) and I have […]


DeVon Achane - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Injury News

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 12 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 12! There will be a whopping six teams on bye this week (Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets), so that means fantasy managers might need to look deeper on their benches. This Week 12 matchups […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

WR/CB Matchups to Upgrade and Downgrade - Fantasy Football Week 12 (2024)

Welcome back to our WR/CB Matchups for Week 12 of the 2024 fantasy football season. For those unfamiliar, this weekly series looks at fantasy football matchups for wide receivers versus the cornerbacks who are projected to cover them. The data we access for offensive and defensive players continues to skyrocket. Though we mainly focus on offensive […]


Houston Texans Defense D/ST Streamers, Rankings, Waiver Wire - Derek Stingley Fantasy Football IDP

D/ST Strength of Schedule: Best Fantasy Football Defense Streamers and Matchups (Weeks 12-17)

Ahh, the good old Defense/Special Teams (DST) position in fantasy football. It is a controversial inclusion in fantasy lineups for some fantasy players, but strategizing around DSTs is one of my favorite aspects of the in-season fantasy football experience. In the article below, I will present the strength of schedule (SOS) for the fantasy Defense/Special […]


NFL DFS: FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Picks for Week 12 - Top Lineup Plays Include Jayden Daniels, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jared Goff, Puka Nacua

It’s already Week 12, although the end of the 2024-25 campaign can’t come soon enough for teams like the Jaguars, Raiders, Giants, and Panthers, to name a few. On the other hand, clubs like the Bills, Chiefs, and Lions are only a few weeks away from officially punching their tickets to the postseason.   In […]


Braelon Allen - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Best/Worst Fantasy Football Playoff Schedules: Streamers and Starts To Win A Championship (2024)

Planning too far in advance to align your fantasy football players for an optimal playoff performance comes with many pitfalls. However, positioning yourself for good fortune in Weeks 15 through 17 should be a key piece of your strategy if you're in line to make the bracket. Fantasy players still have time to trade for […]


Bo Nix - Fantasy Football Rankings, QB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

The King's Week 12 Lineup Rankings and Analysis (Premium Content)

RotoBaller senior writer Scott "The King" Engel shares his Week 12 fantasy football lineup rankings for PPR, half PPR, and standard scoring league participants. He also provides an analysis of the rankings at every skill position. Regular starting options are included to highlight that some of your must-start players have a good chance of supplying […]


Courtland Sutton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 12 DraftKings NFL DFS Picks - Main Slate (2024): Anthony Richardson, Brian Robinson Jr., Courtland Sutton, and more

How's it going, RotoBallers? Welcome back to our DraftKings Main Slate article. Known around the fantasy football world as "Bye-Mageddon," Week 12 certainly offers up some unique challenges from a DFS perspective. Don't worry, we'll work through those difficulties to find the best plays we can on this slate. These DraftKings lineup recommendations are based […]


Brian Robinson Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings Running Backs, Waiver Wire Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football Week 12: Tua Tagovailoa, Rhamondre Stevenson, Brian Robinson Jr., Ladd McConkey, Will Dissly

Week 12 is here, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Tua Tagovailoa, Rhamondre Stevenson, Brian Robinson Jr., Ladd McConkey, and Will Dissly. Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely […]


Ladd McConkey - Fantasy Football Rankings, Rookies, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 12 Lineups Include Tua Tagovailoa, J.K. Dobbins, Ladd McConkey

Week 11 was pretty kind to us in this space. We correctly labeled Justin Herbert as a boom pick. He threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 65 yards on the ground. It culminated with a QB8 finish. We also nailed Kirk Cousins and Tony Pollard as busts. Cousins and the Falcons […]


Chuba Hubbard - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 12 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include D'Andre Swift, JK Dobbins, Tank Dell, Chuba Hubbard, Mark Andrews, Jakobi Meyers

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Week 12 fantasy football busts, or players who may disappoint for fantasy lineups this week. It's a strange week in the NFL with six teams taking their bye week. That could mean lineups are gridlocked and fantasy managers don't have the luxury of analyzing matchups to decide their starters. Potential […]