Fantasy Football: 4 Things We Learned From Week 5
Matt Forte's Early Season Success May Have Been a Mirage
Matt Forte was another running back who jumped out of the gate with force in Weeks 1 and 2. Offseason worries about Bilal Powell's re-signing with the New York Jets seemed overblown, as he out-carried Powell 52 to 5 and out-targeted him 10 to 6 through the first two weeks.
Indeed, Forte was looking like one of the great mid-round steals in fantasy football drafts.
But Forte's usage has come crashing back to earth in the past three weeks, and it's reflecting in his fantasy football output.
Bilal Powell has now outscored Matt Forte (PPR) in each of the Jets' last three games.
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) October 9, 2016
Powell's averaged nearly eight targets per game compared to Forte's average of three per game over the last three weeks. And Forte's carries per game average has sunk from 26 over the first two weeks to just shy of 14 in Weeks 3 through 5.
Part of Forte's recent troubles have certainly been game script related. The Jets have faced formidable foes in the Chiefs, Seahawks, and Steelers, all of whom jumped out to early leads, forcing the Jets to throw the ball more.
But it's clear after Week 5 that in those troubling scenarios, the Jets want Powell to be getting more targets through the air than Forte, which will continue to cap his upside.
