This article will take a weekly look at players who are overvalued in a given week. Negative value is when a player offers more long-term value than he does for this week. The basis for this value will be the difference between the Top 200 forward, a look at the top 200 players with the whole season in mind, and the weekly rankings. Both of these are from the Footballguys.com subscriber content. An emphasis will be on the players with the largest differences between the season outlook and this week only. Also, a preference will be given to differences for the higher ranked players. Some of these differences will be due to injury, matchup of the week, or short-term situation. Now, let's take a look at this week's negative value players.
QUARTERBACK
- Top 200 ranking: 2
- Weekly ranking: 11
- Difference: -9
Rodgers and company pack up and travel to Denver this week for an epic matchup of unbeaten teams. This Broncos team is led by their defense, especially versus the pass, more than the offense. Denver has a strong defensive backfield. We expect Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips to have a solid game plan to slow down the high-flying Green Bay pass attack. This should be a great game for fans on Sunday Night Football.
- Top 200 ranking: 11
- Weekly ranking: 17
- Difference: -6
The Dolphins are 2-0 under new coach Dan Campbell. Those two victories were against the Titans and Texans. This week will be the true test as Miami travels North to face New England. We would not recommend Tannehill – even after his almost perfect game against Houston last week – in this divisional contest. New England will have a plan to slow down the Miami passing game and try to confuse the young passer.
RUNNING BACK
- Top 200 ranking: 7
- Weekly ranking: 16
- Difference: -9
Lewis missed the matchup against the Jets last week with an abdominal injury and is very questionable for the game against the Dolphins on Thursday night. The short week may lead the Patriots to give the effective runner another week to get healthy. We love Lewis' talent. The issue is health. The short week and decreased practice time will make the decision more difficult for fantasy owners.
- Top 200 ranking: 21
- Weekly ranking: 30
- Difference: -9
Lacy will be tough to start in fantasy lineups for a few reasons. He is still trying to get past an ankle injury which has slowed him in recent weeks. Secondly, coach McCarthy said before the bye that he wanted to get James Starks more involved in the offense. This is a bad combination for fantasy owners. The Denver rush defense is middle of the road in allowing fantasy points to opposing running backs so there is opportunity for either Lacy or Starks if either garners a full measure of the touches.
- Top 200 ranking: 11
- Weekly ranking: 26
- Difference: -15
Murray has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy owners. The Raiders much-improved offense has given Murray enough opportunities to be productive. However, the game against the Jets this week should inhibit Murray's chances of a big game. To show how mighty New York is against the run, New England did not even try to establish a running game last week. The Patriots handed off to the running backs a whopping five times in that contest. Also, a potential Jets lead early in the game should mean more pass attempts for quarterback Derek Carr and fewer carries for Murray.
WIDE RECEIVER
- Top 200 ranking: 3
- Weekly ranking: 8
- Difference: -5
Brown will welcome quarterback Ben Roethlisberger back to the lineup with open arms. We have concerns whether Roethlisberger will be fully healthy. In addition, the Steelers face a quality defense in the the division rival Bengals. Marvin Lewis will be looking to take Brown away and make the Pittsburgh offense flow a different direction.
- Top 200 ranking: 8
- Weekly ranking: 16
- Difference: -8
Sanders has been able to put up good fantasy numbers even with the slow decline of Peyton Manning. The game against Green Bay this week will be a tough matchup for both Sanders and Demaryius Thomas. We do not like the chances of either to top the 100-yard mark in the contest. This could end up as a low scoring game even with two teams known for their respective pass offenses. Sanders' shoulder injury from two weeks ago could still linger as well.
- Top 200 ranking: 4
- Weekly ranking: 10
- Difference: -6
Green has enjoyed just one great game this season, to go with several decent outings. We do not like his chances of a huge fantasy outcome against the Steelers. No, Pittsburgh does not have an outstanding pass defense. But, the games between these rivals are usually close and big plays are limited.
Tight End
- Top 200 ranking: 4
- Weekly ranking: 10
- Difference: -6
With the Cowboys hosting Seattle this week, we must temper expectations for the solid veteran. Having Matt Cassel line up under center only adds to the downgrade. We are fearful that the Seahawks defense is going to have their collective way with the Dallas passing game. This could get ugly.
- Top 200 ranking: 5
- Weekly ranking: 8
- Difference: -3
The Bears play the rival Vikings this week. With Chicago coming off a bye week, we expect Bennett to be fully healthy and ready to play. Minnesota has a good defense and will be focused on stopping Bennett and Alshon Jeffery. He still is a solid TE1 for Week 8.
Feel free to email me (Tefertiller@Footballguys.com) with feedback. Also, I am on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/JeffTefertiller), LinkedIn, and Google+, so you can ask me questions on one of these as well.
