Fantasy Football Panic Meter After Week 4: D.J. Moore, Derrick Henry and More

We just went over the fantasy football breakout or fluke story for the week, and now will go into the panic meter series.

We'll offer up a panic meter ranking from 1-10 to let you know how worried you should be about certain guys - 10 is the highest level of concern.

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Running Backs

Derrick Henry (yet again) and Chuba Hubbard are the two backs I want to discuss after week 4.

Henry had just 42 rushing yards, although it only took his eight carries to get there. He caught two of his three targets for an additional 16 yards.

He lost work to Justice Hill, who was featured in the breakout or fluke story, and only played 56.9% of the team's snaps. That was actually the second-highest percentage of snaps he's played this season, so this has been a season-long trend really.

He opened the year by getting 19 touches, but hasn't been over 13 in any of the three games since. He's fumbled a couple times as well, so it's about as poor of a start to the season as imaginable for Henry.

His panic meter was at a 3 last week, and now I'm raising that to a 6. Again, it probably should be higher than that, but I still believe in Henry.

His fantasy value is way down, so you likely aren't getting nearly as much value in return as where you drafted him before the season. It's an even better time to buy low on Henry if you still believe in him. 

Again, while I'm down and worried about Henry, I still believe he'll bounce back and deliver good fantasy results going forward. I'd be in favor of either holding him (if I drafted him), or buying low on him in a trade.

Hubbard was listed as questionable coming into week 4, and he only ended up getting 13 touches in the team's lopsided loss to the Patriots. He had 69 total yards on 10 carries and three receptions, but failed to reach the end zone, so it was an underwhelming fantasy outing for him. 

His 13 touches were a new season-low total. Hubbard's previous low was 15, and in the other games, he was at 19 touches. The injury and lopsided score probably played a role in things, so I'm only putting his panic meter at a 3.

His injury status will be something to keep in mind for the time being, but most weeks, I'm going to be comfortable starting Hubbard in an RB or flex spot.

Now would be a good time to buy low on him, although he probably didn't cost an arm and a leg before his down week 4 showing.

Wide Receivers

Chris Olave and D.J. Moore are the two wide receivers we will discuss this week.

Olave salvaged a poor fantasy showing in week 4 with a touchdown. He only had 20 yards on three catches and six targets otherwise. Oh, and Olave threw an interception too, so that probably docked him a couple points.

He either had 54 or 57 receiving yards in each of the first three games, but his targets and production dropped way down in week 4. Oddly enough, it came in a fairly tight game, where the Saints would have needed to throw plenty.

Olave is still the top pass-catching option for the Saints, but I think more of these random down performances are possible moving forward. Most weeks, I'm still going to like starting him, but in tougher matchups, I'd probably try to look elsewhere.

I'd put his panic meter at a 3 as well. It's just one down performance in four tries, so hopefully he's able to bounce back in his next game.

Moore has been overtaken by Rome Odunze as the team's top pass catcher.

Moore only had 38 yards on four catches and five targets this past week. He had just 21 yards, but scored, on four grabs and five targets in week 3. Moore had 46 yards on five receptions and six targets in week 2, while tallying 68 yards on three catches and five targets in week 1.

He's still playing most of the team's offensive snaps, but he's definitely not the top option right now. You aren't going to get nearly the value you drafted him at, unless he fell a few rounds past his ADP.

I'd still look to trade him away, as I don't see better days ahead. Look to take a flier on another wideout, or a player at a position of need. I'd rather try others over Moore at this point, and his name might be big enough to get you a pretty decent return yet.

I'm putting Moore's panic meter all the way at a 7. It might really be higher than that, but since he's remained pretty involved every week, I was a little lenient on his panic meter rating.

If he doesn't get things going soon though, he's going to be droppable in standard leagues, and just startable in some deeper formats. Bail on him before that happens.

Tight Ends

Brock Bowers and Sam LaPorta are the two tight ends we will discuss after week 4.

Bowers tallied 46 yards on five catches and six targets in week 4. That was his best outing since week 1, when he had 103 yards. 

With 225 yards on 19 catches and 27 targets on the season, Bowers still has provided some fantasy value. However, he's nowhere near his draft value right now, and he might continue to trend downward unless the Raiders get more consistent QB/offensive play.

A lot of fantasy owners still believe in him, but if you don't, now might be the time to bail. He still has some good value based on his rookie season alone, so see if anyone expects him to bounce back - you'll probably get a weekly starting option in return (if you don't, just hang on to Bowers).

My panic meter for him is at a 5 already, and it could continue to jump a couple marks each week he doesn't produce. 

LaPorta is in a similar boat to Bowers. He had 79 yards in week 1, but hasn't topped 40 yards in a game since. LaPorta had 39 yards on three grabs and four targets this past week.

There's plenty of pass-catching options, and offensive playmakers, to go around in Detroit, so it's easy to see why he can be an inconsistent fantasy asset. It's been happening for the past year-plus now, so that factors into my panic meter rating for him.

LaPorta's mark is at a 6, and it'd be higher if he was drafted earlier this season. He's not a locked-in starter at TE anymore, and his value might never get back to where it started in draft season.

I'd be more inclined to trade LaPorta away than I would be to buy low on him. I just don't see him consistently producing in this offense.

Quarterbacks

Daniel Jones and Justin Herbert are the two quarterbacks we will discuss.

This really isn't fair to add Jones after he was great in weeks 1-3, but it is what it is. He was 24-of-33 passing for 262 yards, a score and two picks on Sunday. Jones didn't add anything on the ground either.

He is still QB8 on the season overall, but after one down showing, many are wondering if we'll see more of the same from past seasons from Jones.

I don't want to bail on him after one down showing, but I'm definitely concerned. I'd put his panic meter at a 4. Again, that might not be super fair, but based on his past, I think it's right.

We'll see how he responds in his next game.

Herbert is just a couple spots behind Jones, so he too had been good to start the season. 

He had 203 passing yards, a score and two picks on Sunday in the team's surprising loss to the Giants. He had a TD and pick in the game before that, but against a much better Broncos' defense.

I really think Herbert has improved in his age-27 season, and I'm not as concerned about him as I am with Jones.

I'd still put Herbert's panic meter at a 3, just because he did struggle against a bit weaker defense, and had been exceeding expectations before that. Like with Jones, let's see if Herbert bounces back in his next game.