Ian Allan answers your fantasy football questions. In this edition. Is it time to cut the cord on Pierre Garcon and Cordarrelle Patterson? What does the future hold for Donte Moncrief? Is the PPR scoring format now obsolete? And why do we keep drafting running backs in the first and second rounds?
Question 1
Is Pierre Garcon droppable in a 10-team standard league? He's still a top 25 WR in points, and I know I'm supposed to believe in the return of Griffin, but these past few games I just kept finding myself saying, "I think I drafted the wrong Redskins WR." My other WR are currently Julio, Josh Gordon, Lafell, Beckham and Cordarrelle. I need to drop one of those guys to carry me thru the bye week at RB. Garcon, Patterson and Lafell are all on bye next weekend, so I guess, which 2 of those 3 do I start this week, and which one is expendable? I wanted it to be Cordarrelle, but now that they actively targeted him in a game I have hope, and Lafell looks like he's earned Brady's trust. Do I really drop Garcon?
Drew Bankston (Tyler, TX)
I would hang onto Garcon. He’s been a disappointment, no doubt, but RG3 is coming back and in the one game those guys played together, Garcon caught 10 passes. There could be kind of a rapport there. Beckham is just a roll-of-the-dice guy. You hope that with him being plugged into the starting lineup and Victor Cruz being out, there’s some kind of spark there. Beckham caught 2 TDs in his last game, so I guess he stays for a trial. He’ll be working on Monday against an Indianapolis secondary that sure looked suspect last week. So maybe Cordarrelle is the guy who gets chopped. I’ve been trying to make sense of what he’s all about. I’ve re-watched all of the passes thrown his way the last two weeks. At Buffalo, recall, he was hardly used. At Tampa Bay, he had 12 passes thrown his way, plus 2 others that were negated by penalties. Of those 14 balls, 10 were short throws (under 10 yards). Three were medium range (about 15 yards). And there was just one long throw, which was a 28-yarder Patterson stopped and caught on the sideline. The more I watch Teddy Bridgewater, the more I get the feeling that he’s simply not going to be the long-term answer at quarterback for them. He doesn’t have the arm strength, I think. With Norv Turner, I believe they want to be jacking up deep balls, and Bridgewater can’t do that. We saw him miss Patterson on what should have been a long touchdown at Buffalo. At Tampa Bay, Charles Johnson rotated in and blew past the Bucs secondary; he was 5 yards behind the defensive backs. Bridgewater saw it, had time to throw, and tried to hit it, but he simply didn’t have the arm strength. The ball traveled about 52 yards. Johnson had to stop, come back, and stop the defensive back from picking it off. Anyway, you’re set with your franchise-type receivers. You’ve got Julio, LaFell and Gordon (coming back in Week 12). For this week, I think it’s Garcon and Beckham.
Question 2
With the NFL's attention to an increase in passing and, by extension, receiving numbers (and following up on your Ask the Experts question from this week), does it make sense to eliminate PPR scoring (or explore other ideas?)? I recall in my leagues that the big reason for moving to PPR was to create more balance between WRs and RBs in terms of value. I wonder if the pendulum has shifted too far now.
Moishe Steigmann (Glendale, WI)
That’s a good observation. If fantasy football’s founding fathers were sitting down today, the idea of a PPR format would never come up. It’s always bugged me that it doesn’t really make sense. It’s not a fair system. If a running back runs for 100 yards (no catches, no touchdowns) that’s worth 10 points. But if a running back catches 6 dumpoff balls for 50 yards (with no using), that’s worth 11. That doesn’t seem fair to me. I’m far more impressed with the 100-yard rusher. On the other hand, I will concede that the PPR format seems to play better. For me, it’s easier to identify and start players who’ll catch passes. They’re more consistent. So rather than hoping a running back will punch in a touchdown from the 1-2 yard line or hoping a big-play receiver will catch a long touchdown, you can field a lineup of chain-movers who’ll plunk away with a steady 5-6 catches per game. Each guy gives you another oar in the water, and you can piece together a solid lineup. I’ve tended to be more successful, I think, in PPR leagues than in TD-only or standard scoring.
Question 3
Adrian Peterson. LeSean McCoy. Eddie Lacy, yawn. Marshawn Lynch, sigh. Montee Ball, good lord. After the RB bloodbath of the last 2 years, can we officially declare the end of the "RB-RB Draft Strategy Era"? Almost all of my teams' Week 9 starting RBs are guys picked up via waivers. I'm not joking!
Scott Anderson (Lakewood, CO)
There are 32 teams. Look at the first running back selected (in a fantasy draft) for each of those teams. Then consider who would be the first running backs drafted today. If you take those 32 original No. 1 running backs, there aren’t many that you would go anywhere near with a top-25 pick in a fantasy league. LeVeon Bell, Arian Foster, Jamaal Charles, DeMarco Murray, Eddie Lacy, Marshawn Lynch, Matt Forte and Andre Ellington. Those guys definitely make the cut. That’s eight guys. Dropping down just a little, we can add in Gio Bernard, Shane Vereen, LeSean McCoy and Alfred Morris. In a ballpark sense, if you take the 32 identified No. 1 running backs in August, about a third of those guys will end up being worthy of being selected in the first or second round.
Question 4
How much do you like Moncrief going forward after his big game? Is it time to hit the panic button with Edelman?
David Kennedy (Steamburg, NY)
I think we have to like Donte Moncrief. He’s the future there. They’ve got T.Y. Hilton, who’s great, but they need another receiver. Reggie Wayne can’t go on forever. Hakeem Nicks can’t play anymore. That’s weird to say, given that Nicks is only 26, but so far this year, Luck has gone only 18 of 39 when passing to Nicks, for just 169. That works out to 4.3 yards per pass attempt. If you look at wide receiver last who had at least 30 targets and averaged under 5 yards per attempt, every one of them is either on a new team or not even in the league. Greg Little, Davone Bess, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Kevin Ogletree, Darius Johnson, Kenny Britt. As for Julian Edelman, there has to be some concern. He dropped 2 balls against the Jets, and then he dropped another 2 passes against Chicago. After his second dropped (in the third quarter) he appeared to be benched for the final possession that the first-unit was out there. It was Danny Amendola as their slot guy. Brandon LaFell, meanwhile, has been coming on. So there has to be some concern. It would not surprise me, however, if Edelman bounced back this week to some degree. The Broncos have Aqib Talib, who’s a good shutdown corner. I expect they’ll probably stick Talib on either LaFell or Rob Gronkowski, and that should result in more balls getting thrown to Edelman. He’s a good player; he’s tough in the slot. He was very productive in both Denver games last year.
Question 5
Which running back in New England, besides Vereen, do you think will emerge now that Ridley is out for the year. Jonas Gray, James White or Brandon Bolden . I am in a PPR league and am desperate for a running back.
DAVID BOZZELLI (Indianapolis, IN)
Vereen is a run-catch guy. Kevin Faulk and Danny Woodhead have filled that role for the Patriots in the past, and now he’s got it. He’ll run for 30-50 yards in a lot of games, and he’ll be a big part of their passing game, catching 4-5 passes per game. He’s fast enough (and his hands are good enough) that he flex outside and run downfield routes. So for PPR purposes, he’s definitely No. 1. James White, I think, is cut from the same cloth. If anything happens to Vereen, they’ll plug White into that kind of role. And Jonas Gray seems to be their between-the-tackles running back. Gray might not catch a pass all year, but they’ll slam him up the gut for some physical yards. When the ball is on the 1-yard line, he’s the guy who should usually slam it in. Should run for 40-60 yards in most games. For Gray to get on the field in a PPR league, the Patriots need to be playing against a lesser defense, and an opponent they can score against. If the weather is going to be lousy, that’s a plus for him.
Question 6
Is it time to drop Montee Ball? Isn't it pretty clear Ronnie Hillman will keep that job?
Paul Owers (West Palm Beach, FL)
I think Ball at this point is just a handcuff guy. You can keep him around to cover the possibility that either Hillman starts fumbling or gets banged up. But I think it will be Hillman the rest of the way. The season is half over, so it’s getting late in the game to hope for injuries and lineup changes.
Question 7
Hello Ian, I have a tough choice to make this week (if A.J. GGreen sits again ). We are only allowed to carry 3 WRs and start 2. I have Sanders and G. Tate, but Tate has a bye this week. Do I keep what I have and take a 0 for one of my WR spots or drop Green or Tate for a WR that is active and hope I can pick them up again next week? LaFell is the best available. Watkins is also available, but he's on a bye too, so he's no help this week. Thanks.
Roy Sherman (Columbia, TN)
Looks like Green is practicing, so you’re fine for this week. Sanders and Green are a good pair. Going forward, Watkins is too good to leave sitting on the waiver wire. As well as Golden Tate has played, Watkins should be better in the second half of the season.
