Roundtable: Their Demise Is Greatly Exaggerated

Photo: Junfu Han, USA Today Sports

Welcome to Week 14 of the 2022 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. Topics are now split into separate features.

This week's roundtable features these four topics:

• Their Demise Is Greatly Exaggerated (see below)
• Fantasy Playoff Heroes And Zeros
• 2022's Most Shocking Developments
• Fantasy Fill in the Blank

Their Demise Is Greatly Exaggerated

Matt Waldman: Two years ago, many thought James Conner was cooked as a fantasy starter, and Chase Edmonds would be the back to have. After the Hall of Fame Game, there was a strong sentiment that Josh Jacobs would be giving away to Zamir White by mid-year, latest.

Who is a player whose recent demise (this year or the past year or two) has been greatly exaggerated?

Ryan Weisse: It seems that the fantasy world has turned on D'Andre Swift, and I look forward to the value he'll provide next season. Between battling injuries and battling the best vulture in football, it has been a disappointing season for Swift, especially for those that drafted him at the end of the first round of fantasy drafts, but it's not all bad. In just nine games, he is still a top-25 fantasy running back and top-20 in points per game.

His 5.5 yards per carry ranks fifth among backs with at least 50 carries and shows he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. He's also just 23 years old and far from falling off any fantasy cliff. This was simply Jamaal William's year, but rather than be discouraged, I see the 20 touchdowns the two have combined as a positive sign for next season. If that pie gets split evenly next year, Swift will rocket back up the fantasy ranks, just with a cheaper price tag.

Dave Kluge: Damien Harris is not dead, no matter what Rhamondre Stevenson’s fans may try telling you. Still just 25 years old, Harris will hit free agency with a surprisingly low amount of career touches. Health has unfortunately been a concern with Harris for some time. But we have often seen players shake their injury-prone labels.