Now, more than ever, we are feeling the burn of players who are letting us down. There’s still plenty of time for players to find their stride or falter even further, but halfway through the fantasy regular season, managers can’t afford to wait much longer. Here, we’re going through a few prominent names and whether it’s time to panic.
Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets
Panic Meter: Medium-High
The more things change, the more they stay the same. A new quarterback, a new coaching staff, but it’s the same old New York Jets in the big 2025. When healthy, Fields has typically been a boon for fantasy even if he struggled as a passer. So far this year, that’s typically been true, but when facing strong defenses, the floor has fallen out from under him.
The combined passing stats from the Bills and Broncos game are horrifying: 12/28, 72 yards, zero touchdowns, zero interceptions. His courtesy 30+ rushing yards weren’t close to salvaging his fantasy performances in these games.
More crucially, the Jets are 0-6. A majority of their offensive (and fantasy) production has come in garbage time, as they excel in the fourth quarter of non-competitive games and struggle mightily through the first three. It’s not an ideal place to live, but garbage time still counts as fantasy points equally.
However, I worry that the Jets don’t need to commit to Fields for the season. With each mounting loss, there’s less and less reason to maintain the status quo. Tyrod Taylor is a beloved veteran who the team would support fully. It seems like any game going forward, Fields is now a benching risk.
Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers
Panic Meter: Medium
After something of a breakout in 2024, many went back to Chuba Hubbard in drafts. After missing the last two weeks, we saw his backup, Rico Dowdle, go wild with back-to-back 200+ yard performances. With Hubbard set to return, how concerned are we that he lost his job?
It would be foolish not to be worried at all. However, it’s worth remembering that Hubbard also had several strong performances last year: seven games over 90 yards rushing, two of which went over 150 yards, and 10 total touchdowns. It seems less like a fluke and more like a result of Dave Canales’ offense and commitment to the run game.
The Carolina Panthers are one of the run-heaviest teams in the league, so there’s absolutely room for both to be viable starts. Will the involvement of both cap the ceiling of the other? Almost certainly. Unfortunately, that’s just the game we play.
However, Dowdle’s success came against two of the worst defenses in the league, with the added motivation of revenge against Dallas. I wouldn’t count on him suddenly becoming an elite player, but rather the beneficiary of a massive workload, good scheme, and ideal matchups. I’m more worried about Dowdle than Hubbard in the future, but neither is a safe option.
Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Panic Meter: Medium-High
It’s rare to see such a stark regression from a player in a talented offense without a notable injury holding him back. The case of Saquon Barkley’s struggles is multifaceted, but regardless of fault, the results have been quite bad.
Barkley is currently 22nd in rushing with 325 yards, just ahead of the Vikings’ Jordan Mason, who has played one less game. He’s one spot behind David Montgomery, who has had 30 fewer carries. Barkley’s current pace is for just 920 yards on the ground, though for around 10 touchdowns. My worry for Barkley was that he wouldn’t be able to stay healthy for a full season after his immense workload last season, but instead, he’s set to underwhelm even if he does play a full 17.
He doesn’t seem to have the same spark that helped him rip explosive plays all last year, but the fault is hardly his own. The offensive line isn’t healthy, Jalen Hurts has struggled, and the offensive scheme has been bland following the loss of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Can enough of these facets improve in time to let Barkley cook again? I’m skeptical.
There should still be an RB2 return here and the weekly upside of one of the best players in the league, but the Super Bowl hangover is very, very real.
Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Panic Meter: Medium-High
Xavier Worthy’s early injury masked the fact that he’s been a relative disappointment on the field as well. Had managers known that Patrick Mahomes would have a return to form without Rashee Rice on the field, it would be expected that Worthy would be the beneficiary. He’s been so-so, but now sees Rice return to the lineup.
Worthy was a non-factor against the Lions, but salvaged the day with a score. Despite facing a very beat-up Detroit secondary, Worthy only had two receptions and a rushing attempt. The game script was perfect for a breakout game, but it was quite a disappointment.
He at least saw eight and nine targets in the previous two games, but it’ll be hard to find consistent and significant work with Rice’s return. This was already a passing game that spread the ball out quite a bit, with five different receivers having 20+ targets on the season. But more worrisome is that it seems like Worthy isn’t a true WR yet, and still is mainly getting designed touches and spacing routes. His target share sits at just 16%, but more worrying is 11.15 yards per reception which ranks 96th in the league.
Rice’s gravity and a high-scoring offense won’t hurt Worthy’s upside, but the nature of his play style alludes to being big-play dependent. He’s going to be a hard player to trust every week. You’re likely to strike out with him in the lineup often, but cash in on big games if you stick with him.
Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions
Panic Meter: High
It was a slow start to his career for Jameson Williams, but there was considerable hype for him going into his fourth year. He broke out in 2024, so if he were to build off that success, he could’ve been the same ceiling play as Xavier Worthy but be a little more reliable weekly.
A week 5 win over the Bengals was as bad as it could get. Against one of the league’s worst defenses, Williams had one target and one catch for nine yards. That would mark the fourth straight game with two or fewer receptions. In the two games Detroit lost against the Packers and Chiefs, he saw his highest usage, with 10 catches in total.
Williams is a terrifying player to start right now, as the risk of his floor outweighs the reward of his ceiling. His scoring is going to have to regress in a big way to make him a viable play, as just two touchdowns thus far aren’t enough to make up for the lack of usage.
The Lions were expected to slightly come back down to Earth offensively, but they’re still 2nd in scoring. Even with that, their run-heavy approach doesn’t bode well for Williams. He’s still third on the team in targets, but even Jahmyr Gibbs is outpacing him in receiving yards. Ideally, you can add Williams as a trade piece and quietly move on.
