It's hard to imagine a worse outing for a wide receiver than Karadius Toney had Thursday night. In addition to a net zero yards, he had a number of drops, with one pass bouncing off his hands and leading to a defensive touchdown. In a one-point game, it's not hard to point fingers. And enough people did that Toney deleted his Twitter (that’s what I’m calling it. You know what I mean) account in the days following the game. It seemed that everyone had already lost faith in him.
Well, everyone except for Patrick Mahomes. He said he still has trust in him. He's not giving up on a player after one bad game. So, the question is, will you?
To be clear, I'm not talking about Toney himself. If you want to give up on him, I won't really judge you. Even if he became a reliable target for Kansas City, it would still take me several games to put him in a starting lineup. I doubt he's a starter for many fantasy teams. He was probably just a flyer on draft day so if you want to keep a bench spot open for him, that's a judgment call based on your other options.
I'm talking about the other guys who came up short in week 1, and there were plenty of them. If you started one (or more), you might be tempted to give up on them already. But in most cases, Mahomes had the right idea. It's too early to give up on your guys.
Now, I don't take everything a player says at face value. Does Mahomes really, really trust Toney? I'm sure the two-time Super Bowl champion will feel better throwing passes to Travis Kelce instead. But he's thinking about long-term goals. At some point, he might need Toney to step up. He's saying the right things now because it might matter later. Maybe it will be late in the year, or a playoff game, or week 4. Or maybe someone else steps up and he doesn't need him at all. Either way, it doesn't serve him to kick his receiver when he's down. It's a long season, and it's just getting started.
And those are the exact reasons why you should still have trust in your guys. You can be disappointed, distrusting, and even looking for plans B, C and D. But if you're tempted to drop someone for the hot waiver wire pick of the week, be careful. If you really want someone, see if you have someone else to let go instead. If you ditch a player you were counting on after one game, you have no patience. And patience is an underappreciated trait in winning fantasy managers. The ability to think logically and objectively instead of emotionally is important if you want to navigate your team to victory more often than not.
Some of the disappointment can be attributed to game script, or fluke opportunities for someone else, or not being prepared to play the Dallas Cowboys. But if things changed a lot after one week, they can change right back the next. We're looking for trends, and one game isn't enough to make one.
That being said, I'm not feeling good about Cam Akers. It's clear that Kyren Williams has a role to play, and that role might just be "starter." He was on the field a lot more, and a lot more effective, too. Not sure why the Rams would just keep feeding Akers the ball if he's racking up a yard and change per carry. Sure, it was one game, but his teammate was more effective against the same defense. That's concerning. It might be a good idea to drop Akers outright.
Or, it might be a good idea to take my own advice and be more patient. It’s one game. Akers played poorly, but will have more opportunities. If you need one of your guys later, they can’t come through if you’ve already bailed on them. Just take a breather and see how things look in a couple days. Good luck this week.
Are you tempted to give up on anyone yet? Have you seen enough after one game? Any of your players testing your patience, but still have your trust? Share your thoughts below.