After weeks of hoping more will come, D’Andre Swift belongs on fantasy benches against the Giants in Week 11.
Since missing three games with ankle and shoulder issues, Detroit Lions running back D’Andre Swift has scored a touchdown in two of three games with nine catches on 12 total targets in those three games. He was off the final injury report last week, which yielded 19 snaps, seven touches, 12 total yards and a rushing touchdown in Week 10. Justin Jackson played just two fewer snaps, and also had six touches.
This play from Week 10 against the Bears reflects the frustration with Swift, probably all the way up to the coaching staff.
this D'Andre Swift screen only gained 8 yards
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) November 15, 2022
zero clue why he cut it back inside
go straight! the blocks were there pic.twitter.com/00h9ytlxOd
Kyle Dvorchak of NBC Sports, in his “32 Fantasy Stats That Defined Week 10” column, had this about Swift.
"He has 13 carries and 12 targets in his previous three games. Justin Jackson has eight carries and three targets in that span. Jamaal Williams is miles ahead of both backs in carries, though Swift is still the leader on passing downs. Until his role moves in the right direction, Swift has been turned into discount J.D. McKissic."
The “discount J.D. McKissic” thing rings harshly true. And with that, it’s getting harder and harder for Swift’s fantasy managers to put him in their lineups with any confidence.
D’Andre Swift is firmly fantasy bench material in Week 11
In Week 11, the Lions face the New York Giants. The Giants are allowing the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs (18.2 per game, Yahoo!, 0.5-point PPR). More directly as it relates to Swift, they have allowed the fewest receptions (2.5 per game) to the position and it’s not particularly close.
Swift doesn’t need a lot of touches to wind up worthy of being in fantasy lineups, which is good because he’s not getting many touches and snaps. He is touchdown and passing game role dependent, and a bit of the latter went away in Week 10.
Based on his potential, it’s hard to just bench Swift in fantasy without a second thought. It may mean just having him in a flex spot and accepting the risk as usual.
But Swift finally has a bad matchup this week, with a path to passing game production looking especially troublesome. For Week 11 the upside is just not here, and he should be on fantasy benches if at all possible.