Welcome to Week 13 of the 2023 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.
This week's roundtable features these four topics:
- Playoff Heroes
- RB Roulette: Whose Recent Emergence Is Sustainable
- Playoff Losers (see below)
- WR Perception Game
Let's roll.
Playoff Losers: Starters Who Could Disappoint in the Fantasy Playoffs
Matt Waldman: Share two players who you believe have a strong chance of not delivering starter production during the fantasy playoffs. These players must be performing as a top-12 QB, top-36 RB, top-36 WR, or top-12 TE since Week 6.
Corey Spala: I think Breece Hall (RB15, RB14 since Week 6) will have a tough chance to deliver production in the fantasy playoffs. Over the last five weeks, he has averaged 11.6 carries for 28.6 yards and has zero rushing touchdowns. However, he has averaged 6.2 targets and 5.0 receptions with 2 touchdowns salvaging his fantasy performances. Hall will have tough matchups against Miami (Week 15) and Cleveland (Week 17) in the playoffs; each team is in the Top-5 worst matchups for running backs.
Joseph Haggan: One pauper will be this year's rookie darling Puka Nacua. He started out absolutely on fire with 752 receiving yards over his first seven games. He has cooled off drastically, with just 172 receiving yards over his last four games, topping 70 yards just once. Add the fact that he has just three touchdowns on the season, and his outlook for the remainder of the season looks grim.
Phil Alexander: Gus Edwards may be why your team is in position for the playoffs, but he may also be the reason for your early exit. Running backs don't usually score a touchdown on 7.1% of their carries, especially when their quarterback has five rushing touchdowns of his own through 12 games.
Our Cecil Lammey often talks about capturing a player's limited window of success during the season and not getting too upset about moving on when you see that window closing. Besides the touchdown regression Edwards is due, his more explosive backfield mate, Keaton Mitchell, recorded a season-high in snaps headed into Baltimore's bye. Throw in tough rushing matchups in the fantasy playoffs against the 49ers and Jaguars, and it's fair to wonder if Edwards' 2023 window has already slammed shut.