With Week 10 of the NFL and Fantasy Football season already here, fans and fantasy managers are still recuperating from a wild Week 9 of unlikely outcomes and constant changes to the fantasy landscape. A number of highly-rostered key players had a tough outing in Week 9 and while they're more than capable of bouncing back in Week 10, their latest performances could spell trouble for the rest of the season.
Looking ahead to Week 10, we'll take a look at some of the latest Fantasy Football bad beats and what the future may hold for these key players.
Concerning Fantasy Bad Beats – Week 10
Seahawks' RB Kenneth Walker III struggles to find the end zone this season
Kenneth Walker III is a massive talent at running back and the Seattle Seahawks owe a ton of their success this season to his ability in sustaining drives and picking up first downs. However, Walker III has just three rushing touchdowns this season and hasn't been able to find the end zone since Week 3. His backfield mate, RB Zach Charbonnet, has five total touchdowns this season and just 26 fewer carries than the Seahawks' workhorse.
It was clear from the beginning of the season that Seattle would implement both backs with Walker as the speedy, more elusive option and Charbonnet as the bruising back in between the tackles. In terms of red zone opportunities, Charbonnet has gotten much more work inside the 10 and 20-yard markers, continually hurting Walker's chances at reaching the end zone once again.
This all comes while the Seattle Seahawks are 6-2 and first in the NFC West, so there may not be much incentive to change their game plan considering their success this season. The team could also be saving Kenneth Walker III for later in the season knowing they'll have a chance at entering the playoffs at this pace. Either way, Walker has now recorded four-straight games of 10.0 or fewer fantasy points, so managers are understandably growing frustrated.
Commanders' WR Deebo Samuel's situation won't improve without QB Jayden Daniels
In games this season where Jayden Daniels was healthy and started at QB for the Commanders, Deebo Samuel has posted PPR fantasy scoring totals of 22.6 (WK1), 17.4 (WK2), 20.1 (WK4), 23.6 (WK5). However, in missing Week 7 against Dallas and having Jayden Daniels injured throughout much of the last few weeks, Samuel has posted fantasy totals of 5.4 (WK6), 4.2 (WK8), 9.4 (WK9). The offense has seriously struggled without Daniels this season and following his latest elbow injury, they could see another dip in scoring production and moving the ball down field.
Sharing the targets with TE Zach Ertz while also getting rookie RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt involved in the passing game, the target share for Samuel could become even more scarce given their limited ceiling at quarterback. Marcus Mariota is their signal caller as of now and the Commanders didn't make a move at the NFL trade deadline for a quarterback, so it'll be interesting to see how Mariota is able to run this offense for what could be the rest of the season.
Given his usage as a running back and all-purpose offensive weapon in the past, using Samuel as such in Washington could help add to his usage as a playmaker. For now, however, the future doesn't look too promising for Deebo Samuel as long as Jayden Daniels is out.
Was Chargers' RB Kimani Vidal just a one-hit wonder?
With Chargers' rookie RB Omarion Hampton hitting injured reserve, second-year man Kimani Vidal broke through with 124 rushing yards in Week 6 against Miami, earning the starting job over RB Hassan Haskins. Vidal had yet another breakthrough performance in Week 8 against Minnesota with 117 yards rushing and a touchdown in the win. In Weeks 7 and 9, Vidal has just 50 combined rushing yards and has been wildly inconsistent for fantasy football managers banking on him in their starting lineups.
While Hampton doesn't show promising signs of returning any time soon, the backfield should be Vidal's for the taking. However, fellow running back Jaret Patterson accounted for nine carries in the Chargers' latest game, right up there with Vidal's 12 attempts on the day. This could be another situation where head coach Jim Harbaugh employs both running backs and feeds the hot hand throughout the game.
Either way, Vidal's chances at having a big game are about the same of him putting forth a lackluster performance. To add, the Chargers passing game has been humming the last few weeks behind quarterback Justin Herbert, so they may revert to a west coast style of passing to better utilize Herbert's arm. Vidal is still worthy of the fantasy start, but managers should be well aware of his boom/bust potential in any given week.
