Roundtable Week 7: Going Nuclear? Candidates for a Second-Half Surge

Matt Waldman's Roundtable Week 7: Going Nuclear? Candidates for a Second-Half Surge Matt Waldman Published 10/20/2022

Welcome to Week 7 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:

Going Nuclear? Candidates for A Second-Half Surge

Matt Waldman: Name two players you believe are about to go nuclear in the second half of the fantasy season. Or to tone down the clickbait, at least have a notable surge in production.

Adam Harstad: For my answer, basically just pick any two rookies at random. Rookies are the only class of player that consistently scores more points in the second half of the season than the first. I don’t know about “go nuclear” but if you want a “notable surge in production” you can basically just throw darts at the 2022 draft class. (At a list of their names; I would strongly discourage throwing darts at actual NFL players.)

Waldman: Thanks for the PSA on the darts, Adam. Who are you considering, Wilde?

Adam Wilde: We still have no timetable for Jameson Williams, but Dan Campbell expects him to play this year. With some speculation, I doubt the Lions suit him up too late into the season as they will likely be out of playoff contention. This feels like he will be ready sometime mid-season. He will join the red-hot Lions offense, ranking seventh in passing and third in points per game.

While I haven’t been the biggest believer in Brian Robinson as a talent, his opportunity is going to be undeniable. In his first week back from injury reserve he played 29% of the snaps and was present on crucial downs. In his second week back he played 47% of the snaps and handled 17 carries. Now the Commanders will be without Carson Wentz for an extended period. Expect Washington to lean on the run game, and specifically, Robinson.

Craig Laikins: Jonathan Taylor feels like an easy answer, but after a strong Week 1, Taylor's production has sputtered. He's currently sitting as the RB40. Given the time to heal from the injury that has forced him to miss the last two games, he's going to return to his late 2021 form.

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