5 players trending down (week 7)

Featuring Bo Nix, Travis Etienne, and more

October 16, 2025

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When you get the Sleeper notification that CeeDee is back without limitations this week:

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Enough small talk. Let’s get to our 5 players trending down heading into week 7.

Giddy up.

Going to bring back a condensed version of this section each day, shouting out some great content in the industry:

WR - Travis Hunter (JAX)

  • Travis Hunter slid to WR27 amid a cold start: no games over 9.4 fantasy points and a 6.6 points per game average, with only 256 offensive snaps and 40th in routes run among wideouts through six weeks cited as red flags.

  • One analyst remained bullish long term, noting he skipped wide receiver meetings at Colorado and is learning on the fly; usage ticked up with a route on roughly 83% of dropbacks last week, fueling a buy-the-talent stance despite early struggles.

  • Our take: I share this take because it’s easy to forget he’s still so raw at the position. There’s likely more growing pains ahead, but he seems like the perfect target for rebuilders who can afford to be patient this year. 

RB - Travis Etienne Jr. (JAX)

  • Travis Etienne's fantasy outlook has taken a concerning turn after starting strong as fantasy's overall RB10 through the quarter-pole of the season. His usage has notably declined in the past two games, with multiple touches per game being reduced.

  • A particularly worrying sign for Etienne is his decreased involvement in the Jaguars' high-value two-minute offense. The article notes that having three options in one backfield is a major red flag for his fantasy value.

  • Etienne faces a challenging matchup against the Rams' run defense, which has been extremely effective, holding elite running backs like Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, and Derrick Henry to just 3.0 yards per attempt combined over four straight contests.

  • Our take: I wasn’t particularly high on Etienne coming into the year and felt foolish for thinking that early on this season. He might be coming back down to earth a bit now. It’s really hard to tell what his future outlook is, but I’d treat him like a mid-to-low RB2.

RB - Tony Pollard (TEN)

  • Pollard has been struggling significantly this season, currently ranking as RB27 with an average of just 10.5 PPR fantasy points per game. His performance showed a stark contrast between periods with and without Tyjae Spears - in the first month without Spears, Pollard averaged 18.5 touches for 79 scrimmage yards per game while playing at least 86% of snaps.

  • Since Spears' return to the lineup, Pollard's production has declined notably, averaging only 14.5 touches for 62.5 scrimmage yards per game over the past two weeks, with his snap percentage dropping to 58.6%. In their most recent game, Spears actually out-snapped Pollard (36 vs. 26) and outscored him in fantasy points (9.0 vs. 6.7).

  • The matchup against the Patriots presents another significant challenge for Pollard, as New England has been particularly strong against running backs, holding them to 62.2 rushing yards and 17.9 fantasy points per game, ranking as the sixth-fewest in the NFL. Their defense has been especially effective against notable running backs, limiting them to under 50 yards.

  • Our take: It’s easy to forget, but Tyjae was getting a lot of hype heading into this year. And he’s quickly eating into Pollard’s workload. With not much to play for, it’d make sense for the Titans to give their younger RB more work to see what they really have for the future.

TE - Travis Kelce (KC)

  • Kelce's target share has dropped to a career-low 16.9%, despite ranking 10th among tight ends this season. His route participation has also declined, with two of his smallest route rates coming in the three games since Xavier Worthy's return, including a season-low 58% in Week 6.

  • The impending return of Rashee Rice could further impact Kelce's opportunities. Historical data shows Rice previously outpaced Kelce in targets, garnering 56 targets to Kelce's 40 over the final six regular-season games of 2023, though Kelce did regain the edge in the playoffs.

  • Noah Gray's increased involvement in the offense signals a potential shift in tight end usage, with Gray seeing a season-high snap share last week and maintaining an increased season snap share compared to previous years, while reducing his special teams involvement.

  • Our take: Kelce seems like he should be the #3 option in this offense moving forward. It’s hard to put up meaningful TE numbers when you’re not a top-2 option in your offense. I’d be selling to anybody who still believes in the brand name.

QB - Bo Nix (DEN)

  • Bo Nix's performance this season has shown a decline in efficiency compared to his rookie year, though the article notes he hasn't been terrible overall. His recent performance against the Jets' defense, which has been described as lackluster at best, was particularly rough.

  • Despite leading the Broncos offense, Nix has struggled to generate consistent scoring, with the team putting up less than 21 points in half of their games against defenses that were considered weaker than their upcoming opponent.

  • The article suggests Nix's current level of play is notably different from when he was an Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate, indicating a concerning trend in his development that could impact the upcoming game against the Giants.

  • Our take: The Broncos defense is elite which probably leads to more game scripts that favor stout defense and offensive game management. Dobbins has also been solid in the run game. I don’t think I’d be too concerned about Nix long-term, but I’ll be paying closer attention to this situation moving forward.

Yesterday’s poll results:

🥇 Best subscriber comment (Cam Ward): “Superflex gimme the QB all day long. Skattebo was tempting but his physical style won't give him long shelf life I'm afraid.”

Our take: This is about what I expected from this poll. Recency bias skews heavily in favor of Skattebo. But longer-term, I think I’d still lean on the QB. Exercises like these remind me that you can’t value players in a vacuum. Public perception matters. In theory, these guys should all be equal value on paper based on consensus rankings. But recent performance and position scarcity will almost always impact perceived trade value.

Today’s poll:

Do you view Bo Nix as a top-12 dynasty QB?

(Vote to see live results)

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That’s all for today!

See ya pizza,

Joe

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