Upgrades/Downgrades For Roster Flex, Bench Depth, and Borderline Starters

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Upgrades

Ryan Tannehill Reggie Bush left and so did tackle Jake Long. Concerns that Tannehill would regress without a strong back and his blindside protection are murmurs that have been stomped. Tannehill can hold his own and even though he is getting sacked, he is making the right throws. He may not be a top ten fantasy quarterback yet, but his accuracy is in the top ten. His confidence seems to be blossoming and the team as a whole may be ready to rise with him. Philip Rivers In week one Jon Gruden showcased on Monday Night Football how Rivers is sliding better in the pocket and holding the football with two hands when under pressure. Ken Whisenhunt worked on the little things with Rivers for limiting his turnovers. A vast difference is the speed in which Rivers is getting the football out. Designed plays are called and Rivers is hitting his reads with acceleration. People forget that Rivers was the head of this division for years before Manning arrived. Jay Cutler The errors are still there by Cutler but you have to love the way he finds a way to shake them off. He had a critical fumble for a touchdown and another interception in the endzone off of a tipped pass Sunday. Besides those drives the Bears moved with tremendous ease. It’s happening because Cutler isn’t getting drilled and knocked down every pass play like he was the last four years. Cutler is back into the role of a viable backup instead of a questionable one. DeAngelo Williams If there was one sign of hope for the Panthers it was that Williams had a solid game on the ground against the Bills. He didn’t fumble and ran the ball over twenty times. Carolina gets to face off against the Giants in a rematch of last years Thursday blowout. All Carolina has to do is figure out how to finish games. After Knowshown Moreno ran wild on the Giants it may be Williams turn this week. Knowshown Moreno Moreno was drafted high a few years ago but the injury bag tagged him for a few years. Denver is a team that loves to run the football but with their crowded backfield it’ll be unlikely that Moreno gets a full time load like he did Sunday. Moreno is perfect trade bait for an owner wanting to sell him high. Especially if he follows up with another decent week. Michael Floyd Floyd is showing enough in the Cardinals passing attack to be considered an every week fantasy WR3. The Cardinals are going to have a bottom tier running game again this year, so that means more opportunities for the Cardinals receivers. Working with Larry Fitzgerald seems to have improved Floyd’s attitude and on the field performance. Chris Givens A majority of Givens success Sunday came in the second half when the Rams had to abandon the ground attack and attempt a comeback via the air. That’s when they found success with Givens who continues to flourish with his amazing yards per catch average. Last year’s sixteen yards a catch was not a fluke. The Rams just need to figure out how to proportion the offense to Givens with newcomers Jared Cook and Tavon Austin in the fold. James Jones It’s not a question of which of the three Green Bay receivers is going to excel on a given week. It’s a question on who is going to have an out of the world week over a solid week. This set of Green Bay receivers has been on the roster for quite some time in Green Bay. It’s crazy to say but this group is better than an old Donald Driver and Greg Jennings on it. All the receivers know they are going to get the football and seem to be thriving knowing that. A role that neither Jordy Nelson, Jones, or Randall Cobb were in on a weekly basis two years ago.

Downgrades

RG3 If people want to say he is giving them enough fantasy points with his arm so be it. The truth of the matter is that RG3 is a lost soul on the field right now. His mechanics are off and you can tell he does not want to be the pocket passer the Redskins are making him be. Unless the Redskins let him test out his legs it’s going to be a long year in which Griffin does not last on the field. Josh Freeman I had high hopes for Freeman being a fantasy relevant backup. After two games of watching the Buccaneers I’m ready to say I was wrong in that department. Freeman needs new life elsewhere and fast. It seems each time he steps on the field now his skills and the Buccaneers offense are deteriorating away like the decay just to the north of them in Jacksonville. Daniel Thomas Thomas’s trend from how he contributed as a rookie to last year and now is why rookie contracts exist. Thomas will play out the remainder of this year but has set himself up to make life for his agent difficult in the offseason. Most backs that are in a number two role for three years have an impact a handful of games a year. For Thomas that is not the case, as he is right up there with Mike Bush as a back that’s just there for relief to rest the starter for a few plays. Owners of Miller that handcuffed him with Thomas should rid themselves of a roster spot now and improve in another position. Mike Williams It looks like the boomerang success and failure of Williams may land hit it’s spin on a down year. It’s not going to be all his fault but anyone can see that the Buccaneers likely will be replacing Freeman as starter soon. That would input a quarterback in Glennon who is not ready in my mind to grab the role. High amounts of yards were never Williams asset in fantasy football. It’s his touchdown value. With the Buccaneers scoring just one touchdown in week one and two offensively, there is going to be limited opportunities for Williams. Aaron Dobson and Kembrell Thompkins New England has had an unusual knack of being able to plug players into their system. Enough so that everyone figured that Dobson and Thompkins would automatically have instant success in it. That has not been the case and both have to be downgraded to bench depth status or waiver wire drops if you have solid bench depth. Tom Brady will not put up with the drops and issues at hand. New England likely will be trying to pry for a new receiver if Danny Amendola stays off the field for a significant amount of time.