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

Players Sending Warning Signals Heading Into NFL Week 5

With a quarter of the season already complete, it is time to take a hard look at some of the players you have been holding on to hoping for a change. The season is still young, but with byes kicking off this week and 25% of your fantasy season in the books, we are quickly heading towards the point when continuing to hold on to underperforming players does more harm than good. We still aren’t quite at the point where it might be time to bail on your big name studs, but fantasy owner’s patience is undoubtedly wearing pretty thin.

This week we will take a look at four players that have been struggling mightily in their efforts to repeat their success from a year ago, and as always we will check back in on some of the problematic players from last week.

Let's get right to it.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

Heed the Warning Signs

Ben Roethlisberger (QB, PIT) – Medium Concern

So far this season, Ben Roethlisberger has yet to record a 300-yard passing game, and has only thrown multiple touchdowns in two of his four matchups. The Pittsburgh Steelers offense has been stuck in the mud to start the season, and for some reason they have not been in the end zone nearly as much as they should be to this point. Not only have Roethlisberger’s road stats been as bad as advertised, but his numbers in the Steelers’ lone home game against the Vikings weren’t overwhelming either. The Steelers are also undergoing a period of in-house disorder that has played out pretty publicly. One can’t help but wonder if the lack of unity that seems to have overtaken this group is causing them to underperform, and even if the dominance of their “big three” will soon be coming to an end.

Whatever the case may be, the chances of Roethlisberger completely turning it around aren’t dead yet. He has quite a few favorable matchups left on the schedule, and he is an elite quarterback that has arguably the best skill players in the league surrounding him. However, for owners that are so concerned about his home and road splits that they will only play Roethlisberger at Heinz Field, a schedule that offers only two back-to-back home game stretches this season isn’t the best news. With Le’Veon Bell finally gaining his traction, he will begin dominating entire games and will see many 30+ touch outings as well. Roethlisberger will take on the Jaguars next, which could be a surprisingly difficult matchup for him, but here’s hoping that returning home cures what ails the Steelers passing offense.

Jay Ajayi (RB, MIA) – High Concern

The worry here isn’t necessarily with Jay Ajayi and his individual play; he has looked fine with a modest amount of touches and doesn’t appear to be slowed down by his knee issues. Unfortunately, though, there has been so much drama surrounding the Miami Dolphins to start the season, they haven’t quite been able to gain their footing on the field. After having their schedule rearranged due to the hurricane, they have spent very little time in Miami and have opened the season on the road for three straight weeks, with a “home” game in London. All of the upheaval the team has experienced so far does perhaps explain why the offense has looked so sluggish in the first few weeks. The Dolphins have surprisingly been playing from behind in the majority of their games this year, and with Ajayi gradually losing third down work his volume has been severely capped. With Jay Cutler not performing up to expectations so far either, the likelihood that Ajayi will have to face more and more stacked fronts is increasing as well.

Perhaps even more concerning is the fact that Ajayi will have no bye week for the rest of the season. If he has anything that lingers he won’t have an opportunity to rest it, and owners might not have an Ajayi that is 100% for the rest of the year. We will have to keep a close eye on the Miami offense as a whole over the next couple of weeks, but if they continue to look ragged and get behind early, Ajayi will not have the opportunity to wear teams down in the same way that he did last season.

Amari Cooper (WR, OAK) – High Concern

Through four games this season Amari Cooper has scored just once and gained only 110 yards, with well over half of that yardage total coming in Week 1. On top of his already dreary performance, the prospects for improvement aren’t looking much better with quarterback Derek Carr expected to miss anywhere between 2-6 weeks with a back injury. The Oakland Raiders offense has looked very average as a whole this season, and so far the offensive line has not been able to replicate their top-five success from a year ago. But even with all of the issues the Raiders offense has had as a unit, Cooper has been independently unproductive, and has continued to play second fiddle to both the efficiency and fantasy production of Michael Crabtree.

There are two schools of thought about how Cooper will perform over the next few weeks without Derek Carr under center. With EJ Manuel at the helm, Cooper is looking at an opportunity to have a “fresh start” of sorts with another quarterback, and might be able to testablish a rhythm for himself that continues when Carr returns. On the other hand, his production could sink even further, which is a very real possibility when considering his output so far. If Cooper is going to start trending upward, he will have to find a way to eliminate the drops and be more efficient in general with the volume that he has seen so far this season.

Hunter Henry (TE, LAC) – Medium – High Concern

The thought process for the owners that took a shot on Hunter Henry was that as soon as fellow San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates made his way into the record books, the production and volume would start swinging towards the second year prospect. Unfortunately, not only has this not happened, but this offense seems to have gone away from the tight end position in general. Both of the Chargers’ tight ends combined have only seen 17 of Phillip Rivers’ 150 pass attempts go their way, and in two of his four games Henry actually went without a target altogether.

The good news is that Henry has caught all but one of his 10 targets so far this year. The bad news is that he only has 10 targets so far this year. The offensive line has had more struggles than anticipated, and Henry has been asked to block a lot more than last year. Additionally, Keenan Allen has started the year playing incredibly motivated, Tyrell Williams is showing that his production last year was no fluke, and highly touted rookie Mike Williams will soon be back in the fold as well. Even after head coach Anthony Lynn plainly stated ahead of their Week 4 matchup that Henry needed to be more involved, he still only saw 3 targets, and owners were fortunate enough to have the fantasy day saved by a touchdown that came late in the fourth quarter. Henry could still have some decent outings, but the chances of this happening aren’t great. With his complete lack of involvement in the passing attack for whole games at a time, he likely won’t be a reliable start at many spots during the season even with a favorable matchup.

 

Updates From Last Week

Cam Newton (QB, CAR) – Same Warning Level as Last Week

Cam Newton boomed against the New England Patriots in Week 4, but owners should still be weary of where his production will go from here. While this game was clearly a step in the right direction for Newton, don’t be sold that he has turned the corner just yet. In digesting Newton’s performance, it would be neglectful to not mention the fact that the Patriots are running one of their worse defensive units since Bill Belichick arrived 18 seasons ago. The arrow indeed looks like it could soon be pointing up for Newton, but approach the next few weeks with caution to see if this version of Newton is here to stay.

C.J. Anderson (RB, DEN) – Lower Warning Level Than Last Week

It appears that even with all three backs in the mix, C.J. Anderson will be the lead guy in Denver most weeks. Devonta Booker, who is admittedly still working his way back, saw only 3 carries. Jamaal Charles was also out-touched by Anderson by a wide margin at 24-6. In the Broncos three wire-to-wire wins, Anderson has had 20, 25, and 20 carries, and has comfortably controlled the snap counts as well. As long as the Broncos’ defense dominates and allows the offense to play with a lead, Anderson will be a key cog in the team’s game plan.

Eric Decker (WR, TEN) – Higher Warning Level Than Last Week

Eric Decker again had a very quiet outing tallying just 13 yards on two catches, and still hasn’t shown fantasy owners much of anything through four weeks. Even more concerning is the fact that Marcus Mariota could potentially miss time and the Titans’ could be forced to roll with Matt Cassel as the starter for a couple of games. This could cause Decker’s already putrid production to drop even lower, if that’s even possible. For those that still have faith, Decker is best-suited on your bench, and could certainly be considered a prime drop candidate over the next couple of weeks if not sooner.

Martellus Bennett (TE, GB) – Same Warning Level as Last Week

Despite seeing seven more targets in Week 4 and nearly getting in the end zone for the first time this season, Bennett’s fantasy output has not changed. It is worth mentioning again that Bennett will definitely have some huge games, and his increasing efficiency with his targets over the past two weeks has been encouraging. However, continuing to play the guessing game with his production is not a favorable spot for fantasy owners. He is still a valuable weapon on a high-octane offense so keeping him on your team makes all the sense in the world, but he should be left on the bench until he is able to string together something meaningful for a couple of weeks.

 

More Week 5 Lineup Prep




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

Jerami Grant13 mins ago

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Cam York19 mins ago

Expected To Return Saturday
Al Horford21 mins ago

Unavailable On Friday
San Francisco 49ers24 mins ago

Nick Bosa Won't Play Against Packers
Mason McTavish26 mins ago

Remains Out On Friday
Brock Purdy31 mins ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Tage Thompson33 mins ago

Continues To Sit On Friday
Kevin Hayes39 mins ago

A Game-Time Call Friday
Kris Letang43 mins ago

Might Return On Friday
Ladd McConkey58 mins ago

Returns To Practice On Friday
CeeDee Lamb1 hour ago

Cleared To Play In Week 12
Sam LaPorta1 hour ago

Off The Injury Report, Cleared For Week 12
Jake Ferguson2 hours ago

Ruled Out With Concussion
DeVonta Smith2 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Brock Purdy2 hours ago

Not Seen At Friday's Practice
T.J. Hockenson2 hours ago

Expects To Be More Involved In Week 12
Alexander Mattison2 hours ago

Zamir White Doubtful To Face Broncos
Nico Collins2 hours ago

Set For Increased Workload Against Titans
Mike Evans3 hours ago

Officially Listed As Questionable
Malik Nabers3 hours ago

Questionable For Week 12, Intends To Play
Coby White3 hours ago

Listed As Probable On Friday
Jordan Hawkins3 hours ago

Set To Return On Friday
Sam Darnold3 hours ago

Cleared For Sunday
Brandon Ingram3 hours ago

Available On Friday
Stephen Curry3 hours ago

Probable On Friday Against Pelicans
D'Andre Swift3 hours ago

Gets Questionable Tag For Week 12
Keenan Allen3 hours ago

Lands On Injury Report, Questionable For Week 12
Isiah Pacheco4 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
CeeDee Lamb4 hours ago

Practices Friday, Expected To Play Sunday
Tyjae Spears4 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Mike Evans4 hours ago

Will Return In Week 12
Jalen Hurts5 hours ago

"Good To Go" For Week 12, Remains A Must-Start QB
Cam Thomas5 hours ago

Available Against 76ers
Shohei Ohtani5 hours ago

In Early Stages Of Recovery From Shoulder Surgery
Joel Embiid5 hours ago

Added To Injury Report On Friday
Tabatha Ricci5 hours ago

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Yan Xiaonan5 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Nicolas Claxton5 hours ago

Now Listed As Probable Against 76ers
Dorian Finney-Smith6 hours ago

Upgraded To Probable On Friday
Muslim Salikhov6 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Chris Sale6 hours ago

To Have Normal Offseason
Garrett Crochet6 hours ago

Drawing Plenty Of Interest
Song Kenan6 hours ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Zhang Mingyang6 hours ago

Set For His Second UFC Fight
Ozzy Diaz6 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Macau
MacKenzie Weegar9 hours ago

Notches Three Assists Against Rangers
Macklin Celebrini9 hours ago

Tallies Two Assists In Thursday's Loss
Nikita Kucherov9 hours ago

Comes Up With Three Assists Versus Blue Jackets
Sean Monahan9 hours ago

Finishes Thursday's Win With Four Points
Zach Werenski9 hours ago

Enjoys Career Night With Five Points Against Lightning
Jack Hughes10 hours ago

Posts Three Assists Versus Hurricanes
Joonas Korpisalo10 hours ago

Records 21-Save Shutout Versus Utah
Wendell Carter Jr.20 hours ago

Out Against Lakers
Anthony Davis20 hours ago

Available Versus Magic On Thursday
Rui Hachimura21 hours ago

Unavailable Thursday
Carlos Ulberg21 hours ago

Looking To Cement Himself As A Title Contender At UFC Macau
Volkan Oezdemir21 hours ago

Eyes Another Knockout At UFC Macau
Gabriella Fernandes21 hours ago

A Big Underdog At UFC Macau
MMA21 hours ago

Cong Wang Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC Macau
Deiveson Figueiredo21 hours ago

Looks To Extend Win Streak At UFC Macau
Petr Yan21 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Yves Missi22 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
CJ McCollum22 hours ago

Not Likely To Play Friday
Brandon Ingram22 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Shohei Ohtani22 hours ago

Named National League MVP In 2024
Aaron Judge22 hours ago

Wins American League MVP Award
Ja'Kobe Walter22 hours ago

Ready To Go Thursday
Donte DiVincenzo23 hours ago

Available Thursday
Mike Conley23 hours ago

Will Not Play Thursday
Jordan Clarkson23 hours ago

Sits Out Thursday's Game
Ausar Thompson23 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
Alex Ovechkin24 hours ago

To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Fractured Fibula
Zach Hyman24 hours 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
TB1 day ago

Nicholas Paul Will Miss Thursday's Game
Frederik Andersen1 day ago

To Miss 8-12 Weeks
Cody Bellinger1 day ago

Cubs Looking To Trade Cody Bellinger?
1 day ago

Blake Snell Has Met With Red Sox, Dodgers
Chandler Stephenson1 day ago

Registers Three Assists Versus Predators
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
Paul Skenes4 days ago

Named 2024 NL Rookie Of The Year
Brady Singer4 days ago

Reds, Royals Discussing Jonathan India, Brady Singer
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

 

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 […]


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

PrizePicks NFL DFS Prop Picks - Over/Under Props for Week 12 (Sunday Main Slate)

Hello everybody, and welcome to our PrizePicks NFL DFS prop picks for Week 12 - Sunday Main Slate! The 2024 NFL season is now past the midpoint, and our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great DFS plays we can look to take advantage of. Our partners at PrizePicks offer some of the […]