September was unusual in the NFL this season. After a slow first two weeks, the level of play and game quality really stepped up from Week 3 onward. With a lot of teams and players starting slow, it is difficult to call everyone who has yet to live up to expectations a disappointment. Still, a few players have been absolute duds to start the season. Here are the biggest disappointments in fantasy for the first month of the NFL season.
Honourable Mention: David Johnson and Greg Olsen
It is difficult to fault a player for getting injured, but when they are highly ranked coming into the season and get hurt within the first four weeks, it is tough not to call them disappointments. There have been a few notable injuries this season, but none seem more significant than the ones suffered by David Johnson and Greg Olsen. Each player frequently ranked in the top three for their position coming into the season. Both should be back this season, but finding value to replace them in the meantime is a daunting task. Other injuries that hurt are Allen Robinson, Dalvin Cook (who at least started four weeks) and Tyler Eifert.
Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers
Week 4 notwithstanding, Cam Newton has not been great in fantasy this season. The former MVP struggled with turnovers, throwing five interceptions in his first four games. Excluding Week 4, Newton had done little to offset his poor passing numbers with his rushing abilities, averaging just 15 yards and scoring a touchdown before Week 4. His matchup in Week 4, when he looked like the old Cam Newton, was extremely favorable and could be just a flash in the pan, not an indicator of things to come.
Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders
Looking to take the step from good receiver to elite this season, Amari Cooper was ranked highly coming into the season but failed to live up to early expectations. Things for Cooper have gone for disappointing, through the first two games, to downright atrocious over the last two. Cooper has three catches for 15 yards over the previous two games and is on pace to end the season with less 500 yards and just four touchdowns. With Derek Carr sidelined for who knows how long, Cooper may continue to be a disappointment for the foreseeable future.
Jamison Crowder, WR, Washington Redskins
Fumbles and drops have killed Jamison Crowder this season, who came into 2017 looking to improve on his underrated 2016 season. Crowder has yet to score a touchdown this season, and posted negative receiving yardage in Week 4, his worth fantasy outing of his career. Washington’s offense is not the issue, so it will be up to Crowder to fix his problems. If he cannot, he will fall well short of the 847 yards and seven touchdowns he put up in 2016.
Adrian Peterson, RB, New Orleans Saints
Maybe Adrian Peterson’s fantasy value declining should have been expected, but few could have expected him to be as bad as he has been to start the season. Peterson has not topped 35 yards total in a game this season, and with zero touchdowns, Peterson is averaging only 2.1 fantasy points per game this season, in standard scoring leagues. Unless the New Orleans Saints opt to trade Peterson, it seems unlikely he does much at all this season.
Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
In a year where rookie running backs have been putting up record numbers, Joe Mixon has continually disappointed fantasy owners through the first month of the season. Joe Mixon is one of the least efficient rushers in the NFL, averaging just 2.6 yards per carry, the lowest number of any player with at least 50 carries. It seemed coming into the season, Mixon had a chance at becoming the lead back in Cincinnati, and though he has more touches than Bernard and Hill, he has fewer fantasy points than Bernard does and just 11.6 more fantasy points more than Hill on 34 more touches. We saw a bright spot from him in Week 3 when he 101 yards but he had just 29 yards on 17 carries against the Cleveland Browns last week. That’s disappointing.
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