Ian Allan answers your fantasy football questions. In this edition. Is Tre Mason about to emerge in the St. Louis backfield? Whatever happened to Richard Rodgers? And is Arian Foster's touchdown celebration cool, thoughtful and clever (or is he just trying to shine the spotlight on himself)?
Question 1
Great advice about B. Oliver, he's definitely here to stay. After last night's loss to SF, is it time to re-think the St Louis backfield, and include Tre Mason as a possible waiver wire gem the remainder of the season? the only thing that can save Fisher's job now is a strong running game and big finish to the 2014 season. Mason looks every bit the part of a stud-rb in the making. neither guy ahead of him is the long-term solution.
Rob Dammers (Ringwood, NJ)
Neither Stacy nor Cunningham is anything special. I agree with you there. And Mason has some burst. That was a really nice 24-yard run he had against the 49ers. Stacy and Cunningham can’t make that kind of play. They’re not fast enough. So I think Mason will continue to be worked in going forward. But he’s not very good in the passing game and he’s a disaster in pass protection, so tough for me to envision him become a workhorse-type back who will be used in a full-time type role this year. For fantasy purposes, best to bring him in on a waiver wire claim. See what he does in the next few weeks. Maybe he develops to the point where you can get a few starts out of him.
Question 2
Richard Rodgers. I drafted him for his keeper value. Is there any? Does this guy ever become a receiving TE? I liked the 2 for 52 flash, but he's got 4 targets on the year.
MARTIN DONNELLY (Elmhurst, IL)
He’s got some potential. Maybe he grows into something some day. But I don’t think he’s doing anything this year. I think they’re comfortable with Andrew Quarless. Rodgers, by the way, to me looks more like an in-line traditional tight end. Quarless they can move around like a Dennis Pitta. On his game-winning touchdown at Miami, Quarless was split out as a wide receiver. That was a deal where Aaron Rodgers liked the matchup and was going to him the whole way. I saw Quarless used in the same way in a preseason game, I think against the Raiders. And when Quarless scored at Detroit, that was on a slant-type route out of the slot. Richard Rodgers, on the other hand, seems to be lining up only as a traditional tight end. When he caught those passes on the first two plays of the Chicago game, it was as a true tight end. And in the last few games, Quarless has been on the field a lot more than Rodgers.
Question 3
I can't believe how ignorant you are, blasting Arabian Foster’s TD celebration without first looking into what it actually means. You should chose your words and comments more carefully in the future. You just lost a listener and I will be spreading the word of your ignorance so that no one else wastes their time listening to anything you have to say! For your edification, since you were too lazy to do it yourself: NAMASTE is a customary greeting when individuals meet or farewell. It is a form of greeting commonly found among Hindus of South Asia, in some Southeast Asian countries, and diaspora from these regions. Namaste is spoken with a slight bow and hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. This gesture is called Añjali Mudrā or Pranamasana. In Hinduism it means "I bow to the divine in you." Namaste or namaskar is used as a respectful form of greeting, acknowledging and welcoming a relative, guest or stranger. It is used with good byes as well. It is typically spoken and simultaneously performed with palms touching gesture, but it may also be spoken without acting it out or performed wordlessly; all three carry the same meaning. This cultural practice of salutation and valediction originated in the Indian subcontinent.
Michael Sanchez ()
This is all fine. I appreciate the background. But you’ve still got to tie it all together. You’ve got to build the case that Foster is experiencing some kind of spiritual or religious moment, or that he’s trying to enlighten fans or whatever. I’m still working from the assumption that this is a scripted, “look at me” moment. It’s not genuine. To me, it’s from the same line of celebration as Santonio Holmes extending his arm and dropping the ball every time he makes a catch for a first down, or David Cumberland dancing around like a jackass last night after his touchdown catch against the Patriots (when the more natural and compelling celebration would have been for all of the guys to start rallying for the game-deciding 2-point attempt that would be coming a minute later). When Cumberland broke into his breakdance boogie against the Patriots, it sent the message to me, the viewer, that Cumberland cares more about scoring a touchdown for himself rather than about the team, which would be successful only if it could pull off the 2-point conversion). I don’t like guys like that. I don’t know Foster’s whole story. Maybe there’s more there than I realize. But it’s my belief he’s one of those “look at me” guys.
Question 4
It looks like the NE offense and Tom Brady is back to form (two weeks in a row of excellent production) and when that offense is clicking Tom is a top 5 QB. I am looking at the redraft and Tom is still only the 12 rated QB. Where is the love? Do you think he will revert back to his poor production going forward?
ERIC SCOLNICK (Redmond, WA)
After all those complaints I got about ranking Brady too high a few weeks back, I can’t believe I’m fielding a letter now arguing that I’ve got him too low. Times change. The offense appears to be growing. Brandon LaFell seems to be developing into a viable second receiver. Gronkowski looks healthy. And they don’t run the ball well, so the bulk of their touchdowns should come through the air. The schedule looks problematic. They host Chicago next week, then they’ve got Denver. Coming out of their bye, three of their next four are on the road, and I think they’ll be an underdog in all of them – Colts, Packers and Chargers. There’s also a home game in there against Detroit, which has been good defensively. That’s a tough stretch of games.
Question 5
Looking for your opinion on a league rule interpretation that came up this week. Currently our rules state that you can place a player on IR if he is listed as Suspended, Out, Doubtful, or Questionable. You do not have to reactivate him until he actually returns to action (plays). So for example, the owner of Mark Ingram has had him on IR the past few weeks. Ingram is now listed as Probable, but the owner does not have to reactivate him until he sees him actually play this week. Now here's the catch. Let's say Ingram plays, then gets nicked up, and come next Monday is listed as Questionable. Do you think his owner should be forced to reactivate him since he played, or should he be able to keep him on IR since he is once again Questionable? A gray area for sure in our rules, which has never come up. Just curious as to your opinion.
Matt Tinker (Orleans, VT)
We used to have a similar rule. If a guy was doubtful or out, then you could put him on injured reserve. Problem is, would be on injured reserve, then when it’s time for them to be re-activated, it puts the commissioner in the position of having to track down owners, leaving messages and whatnot, to try to get the paperwork handled. Best to toss that. If you want Kyle Rudolph (who’s out for a few more weeks) it’s going to cost you a roster spot. If you don’t think he’s worth a roster spot, then cut him. Simple. And if you really want to stick with your existing rule (allowing for IR designations) there needs to be a deadline worked in, where eligible players would have to be added back onto fantasy rosters before the start of their NFL game. With Ingram, for example, everybody knows he’s going to play. Your fantasy team would have to add him to its roster before the start of that game on Sunday.
Question 6
10 team PPR league. Start 1 QB, 1 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 2 Flex (RB/WR/TE) I am thin at TE since Rudolph went down. I have Wright from NE and Reed from the Skins. I am good at RB with Murray, McCoy, Bradshaw, Vereen, Thomas. If I trade for Donnell which RB would be a fair trade as he needs RB help since he had A.P. Just don't want to weaken my team but need TE help. Or Should I offer McCoy for Graham to this other team who needs RB?
BRAULIO SANCHEZ (Norwalk, CT)
You’re fine at tight end. Jordan Reed is healthy again, and he caught 8 passes for 92 yards in his first game game. In a PPR format, Reed should be better than Donnell the rest of the way. So you negotiate from a position of strength. You’re fine at tight end, and you have the nice stable of backs to work from. Jimmy Graham might miss a couple of games, so now could be a good time to move in and get him relatively cheaply.
Question 7
I am in a keeper league and I'm having an off year. We can keep three, standard scoring with no draft order penalty. Start 2 RB & 2 WR. I have Golden Tate, Steve Smith, Emmanuel Sanders, Alshon Jeffery and Antonio Brown as my WRs. My RB are Vereen, Martin, Gerhart and Shonn Greene. I have an offer of Golden Tate for Carlos Hyde from one owner & Jeffery for Forte with another. Should I pull the trigger? My anticipated keepers for next year are Hyde, Brown & Forte. Your opinion.
BARRY ST PETER (Pittsfield, MA)
I see the wisdom in trading for Carlos Hyde. He’s been largely a disappointment; since that first game in Dallas, I believe he’s averaging under 3 yards per carry. But he’s clearly the future there, and he’s going to be a good back. We’ve seen the talent – he’s got the size and speed, and we’ve seen him pop a few runs in the preseason. I would feel good about trading away Golden Tate to bring in Hyde. Tate will be better for the remainder for the 2014 season, but you have other wide receivers. Assuming Hyde progresses like we think he will, he’ll be a viable keeper next summer. I don’t, however, think I’d be interested in moving Jeffery for Forte. Jeffery is a young, productive wide receiver who’s only getting better. He’s in a good offense. So I think Jeffery will be one of your keepers next summer. Forte, on the other end, could be nearing the end of the road. He’ll be 29 in December. Maybe he’ll be one of the top half-dozen running backs again in 2015, but he could suffer a knee or ankle injury in the second half of this season that kind of sends his career into a spiral. Or maybe they start getting more out of KaDeem Carey late this year or at camp next summer. I prefer Jeffery over Forte right now.
Question 8
Hi again Ian. Another burning question: At RB - I must select from: Zac Stacy, Brandon Bolden and Mark Ingram or dropping one of these to pick up Jonathan Stewart. What advice do you offer, oh sage of the fantasy gridiron?
MICHAEL HAMER (Springfield, PA)
I like Ingram long-term; I liked the way he was running early in the season. He looks like he might be on a contract drive. But best to give him a week to work his way back into your good graces. Saints are playing at Detroit this week, and the Lions have been really good against the run. So for Week 7, I’d probably role with Stewart. I think he’ll be pretty much a full-time back, and the Panthers are playing a Green Bay defense ranked last against the run.
Question 9
Ok Ian. I really need your advice. PPR league. Amongst our roster spots, we are allowed 3 RB and 2 TE. Start 2 RB and 1 TE. I have J. Charles, G. Bernard and Lamar Miller. I most likely will be starting Charles and Bernard the rest of the year barring injury. My TE is O.Daniels. I've been offered Jordan Reed for Lamar Miller. I realize the sudden value of L.Miller but I really need TE production. Daniels just isn't doing it. Is the trade worth it? The rest of my team is solid. R.Wilson/Kaepernick, A.Brown/Edelman/Brandin Cooks, Gostkowski, Buffalo.
Johnny Bazzano (Santa Rosa, CA)
Washington has been sending a shocking number of balls to the tight end position. Niles Paul was great, and now it looks like Reed will be that guy going forward. He caught 8 passes on Sunday. In a PPR format, it’s great to have players who’ll consistently punch out 6-plus catches per game. But Reed has had a lot of injuries, and how will that offense change (maybe decline) when RG3 is back in the lineup. Lamar Miller might be a top-10 back going forward. It would be hard for me to part with him.
Question 10
Love the Fantasy index and reading your mailbag. My question is would you trade Eddie Lacy and Dez Bryant for LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson. Can you please provide both scenarios if it was for just this season or if it was for a keeper league.
BRIAN ROWELL (Saint Johns, MI)
For this season, I’ve got Bryant worth 2 more points (per game) than Jackson, and McCoy worth 3 more points than Lacy. So overall, the McCoy-Jackson package beats the Lacy-Bryant combo by a point per week. In Green Bay, there’s been the issue where James Starks has been the more effective runner, which is a concern. McCoy, on the other hand, I think will improve as they work through their offensive line issues. So I’d hang my hat on McCoy-Jackson. If you’re switching to a dynasty-type deal, then I think I’d lean towards Lacy-Bryant, who are both two years younger. I think Bryant will be a great NFL receiver long after Jackson’s career is over.
Question 11
Standard league. My team is rich at QB1, RB1 and WR1, but poor elsewhere. I have a potential offer of Eddie Lacy and Jeremy Maclin for Julio. Now, under normal circumstances I'd have pulled the trigger in my sleep, but I worry that Lacy might be broken, although probably not any more broken than my current RB crop behind Forte (Joique and Sankey) . Is this worth the risk? FWIW, this would leave me with Garcon, Rueben, Cordarrelle, Josh Gordon and Maclin at WR.
Drew Bankston (Tyler, TX)
Julio Jones looks awfully strong right now. I think I’d stick with him and just hope the rest of the guys came around. With Forte and Joique Bell, I think you have what you need at running back.
Question 12
Are the Steelers as embarrassed and p*ssed off after their performance at Cleveland last week as the Patriots were after their loss at Kansas City in week 4? The Patriots were at home in prime time in week 5 and crushed the Bengals. Pittsburgh is home in prime time this week against Houston. Could we/should we expect similar results?
PHIL KEIL (Pottsville, PA)
It’s an advantage for teams to play at home. Sometimes it seems like it’s even more of an advantage when a team is playing at home in prime time. For this particularly game, the Steelers don’t seem like they’re anything special, but they’re at home and playing against a lesser opponent – Houston ain’t much either. I expect Pittsburgh will win this one, but I don’t see it putting up pinball numbers.
