Midseason Assessment of the Emerging Stars and Disappointing Investments

With Week 8 in the books, it is the perfect time to conduct a mid-season review of players’ performance in relation to their average draft position. I won’t penalize players on this list because of injuries, but I will reward players that had stepped in and showed out.

Insufficient Funds

Swing and a miss. It’s okay, we can’t always draft the right player, but these have not lived up to their draft position.

Position	Player	ADP	Draft As	Playing As	Overall in Scoring	Rostered
QB	Lamar Jackson	17.2	QB2	QB13	23	100%
	Drew Brees	72.9	QB9	QB16	30	87%
RB	Kenyan Drake	18.1	RB11	RB25	88	92%
	Cam Akers	64.6	RB24	RB81	296	31%
	Le’Veon Bell	49	RB21	RB73	272	93%
WR	JuJu Smith-Schuster	36.7	WR12	WR29	76	96%
	T.Y. Hilton	72.6	WR26	WR84	187	64%
	A.J. Green	91.3	WR32	WR65	146	74%
TE	Tyler Higbee	61.7	TE5	TE16	142	61%

If you are one of the managers still holding on to these underachievers, I commend your commitment to the process. Although they may have had rough outings thus far, some still positive outlooks moving forward. The Kansas City Chiefs seem determined to get Bell involved in their offense and Brees has a favorable stretch of games coming up in a few weeks. Jackson might be the toughest to evaluate midseason because he has shown glimpses of fantasy stardom this year, but he has not been without the dreadful lows. At this point, you may want to explore the possibility of moving on from Drake, Akers, Hilton, and Green.

Diamonds in the Rough

These are the players that you drafted and are currently making you appear as if you could take Mel Kiper Jr.’s job.

Position	Player	ADP	Drafted As	Playing As	Overall in Scoring	Rostered
QB	Kyler Murray	52.1	QB5	QB3	4	100%
	Josh Allen	70.9	QB8	QB4	5	99%
RB	Ronald Jones II	83.2	RB30	RB13	58	97%
	Darrell Henderson Jr.	123.5	RB54	RB21	81	93%
	Antonio Gibson	109.4	RB42	RB19	78	89%
WR	Tyler Lockett	50.4	WR18	WR1	14	99%
	Calvin Ridley	51.3	WR19	WR2	15	99%
	Robby Anderson	122.8	WR48	WR11	37	95%
	Justin Jefferson	126.1	WR54	WR22	60	92%
	Brandon Aiyuk	130.2	WR63	WR28	75	81%
TE	Jonnu Smith	129.3	TE23	TE8	104	90%

This is where fantasy football leagues are won. Getting a player this late in the draft wasn’t going to hurt you, but if you hit on them you feel like you just won the jackpot. Now, that’s not saying you need to hold on to them because these are prime sell-high candidates as you look to round out your roster for the playoffs. Jones II and Henderson Jr. might be the easiest to move on from not because of their ability, but because of who else is in their backfield. Smith has put up back-to-back disappointing games in favorable matchups.

Undrafted Breakouts

Sometimes you wish you would’ve known. These players all appear as if they should have been drafted but instead, they were left to be picked up on waivers over the last eight weeks.

Position	Player	Playing as	Overall in Scoring	Rostered
QB	Ryan Fitzpatrick	QB21	43	10%
	Justin Herbert	QB12	16	86%
RB	James Robinson	RB5	29	93%
	Mike Davis	RB8	45	91%
	Myles Gaskin	RB17	70	87%
WR	Chase Claypool	WR24	64	86%
	Travis Fulgham	WR26	73	82%
TE	Robert Tonyan	TE5	90	66%

Now, these players weren’t expected to carry your team into a deep playoff run, otherwise, they would have been drafted. So we assumed any success they had was most likely temporary. Fitzpatrick has been replaced as the starter and Davis is getting every yard he can before Christian McCaffery returns from IR. The ones that will continue to have starting appeal for the rest of the season are Herbert, Robinson, Gaskin, Claypool, and Fulgham.