Ian Allan answers your fantasy football question. Special mega-large preseason wrap-up issue. Why is Tyrell Williams ranked so low? Is there life after Cam Meredith in Chicago? Why is Marvin Jones zooming up draft boards? And should punters be incorporated into our little game?
Question 1
Tyrell Williams of the Chargers is bigger and more durable than Keenan Allen and has actually finished in the top 20 unlike Allen. To have him at 75 seems like a huge error to me.
Vernon Jones (Marriottsville, MD)
It does seem a little low, but there are a lot of other pass catchers in that offense. Allen catches a lot of balls and seems to be their go-to receiver. He was averaging over 8 catches per game two years ago until he got hurt. Travis Benjamin is healthy and will hit on some big plays – he caught long touchdowns in the preseason games against the Seahawks and Rams. I think they’ll do more with Hunter Henry, and they’ve still got Antonio Gates. They also drafted Mike Williams with a top-10 pick, and they’ll start working him into the offense in October. If you figure the Chargers are going pass for about 4,500 yards and 31 TDs and start divvying up that production, there’s not room for Williams to get enough to merit ranking in the top 50.
Question 2
8-man league where each player drafts 4 NFL teams. How would you each NFL team in terms of total fantasy impact?
Paul Buske (De Pere, WI)
Using standard scoring (6 for touchdowns and 1 for every 10 yards) I would rank them something like this …
| TEAM STAT PROJECTIONS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pass | TDP | Run | TDR |
| New England | 4,720 | 37.3 | 1,872 | 17.3 |
| New Orleans | 4,960 | 33.0 | 1,840 | 16.5 |
| Green Bay | 4,544 | 38.6 | 1,680 | 11.5 |
| Atlanta | 4,688 | 32.6 | 1,744 | 14.2 |
| Pittsburgh | 4,720 | 32.5 | 1,680 | 13.0 |
| Dallas | 4,048 | 26.1 | 2,208 | 18.1 |
| Seattle | 4,240 | 30.6 | 2,000 | 13.4 |
| Oakland | 4,240 | 29.8 | 1,856 | 14.6 |
| Tennessee | 3,840 | 27.5 | 2,000 | 15.5 |
| Arizona | 4,400 | 25.4 | 1,680 | 15.7 |
| LA Chargers | 4,480 | 30.9 | 1,568 | 9.9 |
| Carolina | 3,904 | 24.0 | 2,016 | 16.8 |
| Washington | 4,448 | 27.0 | 1,648 | 11.5 |
| Tampa Bay | 4,256 | 29.0 | 1,728 | 10.1 |
| Cincinnati | 4,192 | 24.6 | 1,840 | 13.8 |
| NY Giants | 4,352 | 30.6 | 1,632 | 7.7 |
| Detroit | 4,352 | 27.8 | 1,600 | 8.6 |
| Philadelphia | 3,952 | 21.3 | 1,808 | 15.7 |
| Miami | 3,840 | 24.5 | 1,840 | 12.3 |
| Indianapolis | 4,272 | 27.8 | 1,520 | 7.5 |
| Kansas City | 3,840 | 21.4 | 1,760 | 14.6 |
| Denver | 4,160 | 22.2 | 1,680 | 11.8 |
| Minnesota | 4,080 | 21.1 | 1,536 | 10.7 |
| Houston | 3,648 | 20.8 | 1,888 | 11.4 |
| Chicago | 3,680 | 19.0 | 1,920 | 11.8 |
| San Francisco | 3,760 | 20.8 | 1,600 | 10.7 |
| Baltimore | 4,000 | 20.5 | 1,520 | 9.6 |
| Buffalo | 3,280 | 16.8 | 2,000 | 14.1 |
| Cleveland | 3,360 | 17.6 | 1,968 | 12.8 |
| LA Rams | 3,600 | 19.2 | 1,632 | 11.2 |
| Jacksonville | 3,488 | 17.0 | 1,760 | 11.5 |
| NY Jets | 3,360 | 17.0 | 1,760 | 10.4 |
Question 3
What backs do you see cranking out the most 100-yard games in '17?
STEVE GOLDWYN (Weston, FL)
The days of running backs going over 100 yards are rapidly disappearing. Teams are moving away from trying to grind things out on the ground. Nowadays, more teams are building around the philosophy of spreading the field and working the ball down the field with short passing. In each of the last two years, there have been only 96 100-yard rushing games. That’s an average of only 3 per team. Back in the 2003-2006 seasons, there were 151, 179, 138 and 159 100-yard games. The game has changed. Only a handful of backs have any chance of going over 100 rushing yards in at least five games, and I would put the usual suspects in that group – Elliott, Bell, David Johnson, Gordon, Gurley, McCoy and Howard.
Question 4
So what happened when Meredith went down for Chicago? Did maybe/perhaps/just possibly Kevin White shift over into his spot? I imagine not, but I can get White dirt cheap. So if he runs a normal route tree even as a lousy #1 receiver on a lousy passing offense, he'd still be a real nice bargain for me.
Richard Loppnow (Ephrata, WA)
Bears would like to get more out of Kevin White. They badly need him to develop. But I’m not confident it will happen. I expect Kendall Wright, who’ll play out of the slot for them, to catch more passes.
Question 5
OK, our brilliant league owners have added punters/punting this year. I have not found a good punter rating source. Does Fantasy Index have a punter rating? REALLY PUNTERS?
CHRIS DOERING (Boca Raton, FL)
I like it. I have toyed around with trying to get the guys in our league to use them. Maybe just to break ties. But we’ve got a conservative group, and it’s hard to push legislation through. There’s also the additional hassle that it probably won’t be serviced by your league. So it will be back to 1989, when the commissioner was scoring the games by hand. One of the things I liked about punters was that it would force everyone to do their own research. There’s nobody publishing punter rankings, so each owner has to hit the web and figure out what might work best. I’m not sure how they would be scored. I suppose there could be bonuses for kicks inside the 10 or whatever. When I was toying around with it, I was thinking that 3 points would be awarded to the team that finished with the higher net average. I would guess teams with bad offenses would tend to finish with higher averages (since their punters more often are operating with plenty of grass in front of them). Let me know how it works out.
Question 6
When I use the Standard (12 Teams) scoring system and view auction values, the top 50 doesn't match the top 35 that you publish in your redrafter. What are you using to generate your top 35, because 18 QB, 44 RB, 50 WR, and 15 TE above $1 don't appear to align with your overall draft list.
Richard Muth (Richmond, VA)
The numbers at the website (which you quote above) are set up in July. I spend a few hours looking at each scoring system, deciding how many players are going to be selected at each position, and then setting those supply-demand baselines. The overall rankings you see on the pdf pages are crafted by hand and have more of a gut feel. The baselines are set in the approximate same area, but I then have the benefit of looking at the overall list and making adjustments as I see fit. A couple of times in recent weeks, I’ve had issues with too many tight ends showing up in the top 40, so I’ve changed the baselines. Or if there are too many quarterbacks up high, I’ll tweak them down. With the cooked-by-hand numbers, there’s the extra benefit of having an analyst look at and identify player tiers. I get to have the list right in front of me and decide whether it’s running back 39, 42 or 44 who looks like he’ll be available late. With the computer-generated numbers (for all the various scoring systems) there’s the advantage of knowing all of the player levels are dialed in exactly correctly – the league has 12 teams and each are selecting X number of players, so everything’s set up to be built around the exact specs of the league. With the rankings done by hand, I’m going more of what I feel is a typical league (which is reality sometimes involves starting 2 WRs and other teams has 3 starting WRs). But you get the idea of where I think the guys belong, and after the first couple of rounds, those third, fourth and fifth-round picks tend to be influenced by the players you’ve already chosen.
Question 7
I saw this yesterday and wanted to get your thoughts. Tom Brady completed just 59 of his passes with 12 TDs and 4 INTs while averaging 247 yards passing in 7 games without Edelman in 2015. When Edelman was healthy in 2015, Brady completed 68% of his passes with 24 TDs and 3 INTs while averaging 338 passing yards. In your opinion is this a fluke or a reason to downgrade Brady slightly?
PETE DEBIASE (Havertown, PA)
It’s reasonable to downgrade him a little, but the Patriots were awfully thin at wide receiver back in 2015. They were starting Keshawn Martin in a lot of games. Brandon LaFell was a starter for them, but his play really tailed off (relative to 2014) in part because of an offseason surgery. I remember when they lost up at Mile High, they not only were missing Edelman, but also Danny Amendola, and Gronkowski got hurt. He was down to throwing to Scott Chandler and I think they were using Brandon Bolden as a wide receiver. This time around, the receiving group is still very good even without Edelman. They’ve got three running backs who are really good out of the backfield (White, Lewis, Burkhead). They’ve got Gronk. And they’ve got four wide receivers that I like (Hogan, Cooks, Amendola, Mitchell). If they do a reasonable job of avoiding injuries, I think Brady will be really good.
Question 8
With all the Week 4 preseason games played on Thursday, is there any chance you could make the cheat sheet available on Saturday or Sunday for the many of us who have drafts this weekend?
Paul Owers (Lake Worth, FL)
Sounds reasonable. Cuts are being made on Saturday (rather than on Sunday, as it’s been for years). So plan is to send out revised rankings on Saturday afternoon. I imagine there will be a couple of sort-of significant backs and receivers who are released. More notably, there are a half dozen teams that are carrying multiple kickers, and some of those teams have a good chance of finishing above-average at that position – Carolina, Minnesota, Houston, Cincinnati. If you are a regular subscriber or if you purchased the most recent update (Aug. 28 or Aug. 31) you will receive the updated version of the rankings via email before 5 p.m. eastern time on Saturday.
Question 9
I noticed a large jump for Detroit's Marvin Jones in the last cheat update, up to the 18th rated WR in the standard format. Can you explain your reasoning? This is way higher than his current ADP.
Mike Kocis (Jefferson Hills, PA)
Jones has moved up on my board. Going back a month or two, I was expecting Eric Ebron to play a big role. I think it’s safe to say at this point that’s not going to happen. Ebron has long been plagued by drops, and he’s missed most of the last month. They also have the rookie receiver, Kenny Golladay, who caught a couple of touchdowns on contested balls in the opener at Indianapolis. But in the next two games, Golladay got to play some with the first unit, and it’s apparent he’s not up there yet with Golden Tate and Marvin Jones. Those guys have the experience, and they’ve worked with Matthew Stafford. Jones caught my eye in those games, with 8 catches and 2 TDs, so I’ve been moving him up my board. Last year he faded badly after an early-season 200-yard game at Green Bay. I’m thinking he’s moving in the right direction. I’m not sure if it will be Jones or Tate who’s the best pass catcher on that team, but those are the guys it should be built around.
Question 10
I need help. I'm in a league that is primarily run by a crew of guys that have a lot of old, family money. These guys are just really irritating and obnoxious, but they aren't really unfair or anything. I love the league, but I hate these guys. What can I do?
Ryan Peterson (Phoenix, AZ)
Probably best to be sure to draft a team. If you’re going to be tied to a bunch of guys you don’t like for four months, at least make sure you’re winning.
Question 11
I would appreciate your thoughts on the recent Vance McDonald trade to the Steelers. I waited on TE and took Jesse James. I've since moved away from Pitt but have some friends who watched camp and they said James looked good and was getting a decent amount of looks from Ben. Should I be worried?
CRAIG BOLGER (Sun City, AZ)
I believe James will be their starter and main tight end. I liked that Roethlisberger tried to jam a ball into him in the red zone last week, even though James was well covered. Roethlisberger noticed that the linebacker had his back turned, so he threw the ball anyway, and James nearly made a really tough catch. McDonald, on the other hand, has long struggled with catching the ball – 12 drops versus only 56 catches over the last three years (arguably the worst drop rate in the entire league). But I can’t guarantee James will be their starter and a viable option. He didn’t make much of an impact last year. McDonald is a lot faster. They’ve also got Xavier Grimble, and I suppose we can’t entirely rule him out. Grimble made a really impressive one-handed catch for a touchdown last week. He also caught a touchdown against the Giants that was negated by a penalty.
Question 12
I see Carson Wentz having a breakout season this year similar to what Carr did last year. Is there a reason why the Eagles pass catchers are not getting much love in your rankings this year?
J.T. Stewart (Waynesboro, VA)
If you think Wentz is this year’s Carr, then the logical progression is to select those wide receivers. I don’t have that confidence level. In his final 12 games last year, Wentz averaged 237 passing yards, with 9 TDs and 13 interceptions.
Question 13
Do you have one certain, potentially undervalued player you're targeting for most of your teams? In years past you touted and were ahead of the curve on players like Steve Smith coming off injury and Arian Foster before most were aware and these picks paid off well. Seems like Tyreek Hill could be that player.
Terence Piasecny (New Prt Rchy, FL)
If I were drafting today, I would expect Dalvin Cook and Kareem Hunt would be on a lot of my teams. I think those guys will be involved both as runners and pass catchers.
Question 14
Tyreek Hill helped out big last year but he wasn't a 5th round pick. I've been watching his stock continue to drop with the Index and it's starting to remind me of another player who was a magical rookie every time that he touched the ball. Wasn't it Cordarrelle Patterson who was in a similar position a few years back and couldn't live up to the hype? What do you think of the comparison? Would you still be targeting Hill in all your drafts?
Adam Bjork (Waunakee, WI)
I like Hill’s potential, but he’s got an awfully limited background at the position. In each of the last two preseason games I’ve seen, he’s had a glaring drop on an early play. So not really realistic, I think, to expect him to step in and hang with the likes of A.J. Green and Julio Jones. He’s not on that level yet. That’s why you’ve seen him moving down on my board.
Question 15
In a dynasty PPR format, who would be your first 12 picks?
Treavor Phipps (Salem, IN)
I would focus on wide receivers and running backs. You need to balance the here and now against the future value. Of my top 9 wide receivers, four are “older” guys who are 28 or 29 years old. Brown, Green, Dez, Julio. Those guys don’t have as many difference-making seasons left. So I would put Evans and Beckham ahead of them. Cooper, Thomas and Cooks would be mixed in. I would include seven running backs in the conversation. Ezekiel Elliott would be my No. 1 player overall. He’s 3 years younger than David Johnson and Bell. Gordon, Gurley, Freeman and Dalvin Cook get in the conversation. (The oldest of those backs, by the way, is 25 years old.)
Question 16
Long time subscriber am I. I would like the best scoop you have on Andrew Luck. The Colts aren't drafting another QB so that tells me they think he's close but all the information is, at best, nebulous – but trending negative. What is your best scoop?
MATT LACAPRA (Cold Spg Hbr, NY)
I don’t have any inside info on Luck. I’m just going off the same information as everyone else. Looks like there’s no way he’s playing in Week 1, and I would be surprised if he plays in Week 2. I’m not promising Week 3. For fantasy purposes, he’s not a top-15 QB on my board. I’m hoping by that time, somebody will have taken on that gamble.
Question 17
Thanks as always for the good info. Yesterday at my draft I grabbed Deshaun Watson as my second QB. Is their any chance that he could put up similar numbers to what Cam Newton did for the first half of his rookie season? I checked Newton’s preseason passing stats for 2011 and they were lousy. He of course roared out of the gate and caught us off guard that year.
Scott Denham (buford, GA)
I imagine Watson will get in the starting lineup at some point. Not sure if that’s October, November or even December, but I think they’ll turn to him this season. When that happens, Watson might surprise us with top-15 quarterbacking numbers. He’s not nearly as athletic as Newton but he’s willing to scrambling. He’ll run in some touchdowns on his own, and he’ll use that mobility to set up some good pass plays. But he’s also looked pretty wild at times. Not a guy I would want to be counting on to be my No. 2 quarterback.
Question 18
The Packer's are one of the higher-scoring teams but I'm confused as to why you project more than a 3:1 ratio of passing TDs to rushing TDs for their offense. What is the historical trend/reasoning as far as this ratio and is there any chance they'll let RBs like Montgomery punch it in more.
Drew Paterson (Ferndale, WA)
My projection for Green Bay’s offense is very much in line with how that offense has typically operated. Inside the red zone, they tend to pass more than other teams. Note in the chart below that Aaron Rodgers missed half of the season n 2013.
| GREEN BAY SCORING SINCE 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Pass | Run | Total |
| 2012 | 40 | 9 | 49 |
| 2013 | 25 | 17 | 43 |
| 2014 | 38 | 14 | 52 |
| 2015 | 31 | 8 | 40 |
| 2016 | 40 | 11 | 51 |
| 2017 | 38.6 | 11.5 | 50.1 |
Question 19
In a standard fantasy football league, Kirk Cousins or Jameis Winston?
Anuj Agarwal ()
I’ve got Winston slightly higher on my board. Cousins has thrown for more yards in each of the last two years – 284 per game – but they’re trying to work in some new pieces, with DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon gone. It could take some time, I fear, to get everyone on the same page. Winston isn’t perfect either, but I’m more comfortable with him.
Question 20
You had described Marcus Mariota as not being a top 10 QB this summer, but in just about every major league, he is top 10 based on your numbers. Applying your cheat sheet to the formats of ESPN, NFL.com, CBS, Yahoo, Fanduel, and CDM all put Mariota as a top 8 QB because of the 25 yards passing equaling 1 pt compared to 20. Your standard league numbers are set with 1 pt for every 20 yards passing, but is that really "standard" now? Seems like 1 pt for 25 is more of a standard given the scoring of the major websites (this also jives with my personal experience).
Don Schroeder (Edina, MN)
OK. Point taken. As we make passing yards worth less (relative to rushing yards) Mariota moves up a little. He’s also pretty careful with the ball (just 9 interceptions in 15 games last year), so he’s also helped if we’re deducting points for turnovers. But you get the idea. I think Mariota is a good, acceptable quarterback, but I don’t think he’s headed for a dominating bust-out year.
Question 21
Of the rookie RBs who is most likely to catch 60 passes? And who is second?
BOB MCKINLAY (Casselberry, FL)
McCaffrey, Cook, Hunt. Those are the three I’d be looking at, with Kamara and Mixon next in line. Sleeper: if Danny Woodhead breaks down, the Ravens will plug Taquan Mizzell into that role, and I think he would catch a ton of balls.
Question 22
I don't recall a year with as many running back by committee situations. I think it makes those few three down backs more valuable than they have been in almost any other year. The number of full-time backs on teams that won't stink (and thus can run the ball all game instead of having to pass to play catchup) is really small – like maybe 8-10 guys. Some talented workhorse backs like Gurley and McCoy look like they will be stuck on teams that really struggle, cutting their production. To my mind, the need to draft 1 or 2 of those top few backs has never been greater in the 15 years I've been using your product. In contrast, the WR pool seems really deep meaning I can take backs early and wait on WR. Not sure I remember a year with this level of imbalance. Thoughts?
Gavin Domm (San Francisco, CA)
I don’t see 8-10 backs that I like. I see David Johnson and LeVeon Bell, and then it really tails off. If you went into last year’s draft locked in on the idea of selecting running backs with your first two picks, there’s a good chance at least one of those selections would have been used on Todd Gurley, Adrian Peterson, Lamar Miller, Jamaal Charles, Eddie Lacy, Doug Martin, Mark Ingram, Thomas Rawls, Matt Forte or Carlos Hyde. Those backs represent two thirds of the top 15 running backs in the Experts Poll in the magazine last year.
Question 23
What are your projections for individual pass receptions this year? In PPR I always want 90-100 plus catch guys in the first rounds as your strategy has paid off well for me over the years
JOHN RUPPE (Fort Myers, FL)
Guys with the best chance of catching 90-plus passes: Brown, Allen, Thomas, Beckham, Fitzgerald, Julio, Green, Evans, Baldwin, Tate, Garcon.
Question 24
12 team PPR, 2 QB auction league with right to have two keepers for the first time. $200 budget. I can keep David Johnson who won the league for me last year (thanks for that) at $69, Derek Carr at $6 or Tyreek Hill for $1. Which two should I pick? I think David Johnson probably goes above $75 in the open market in this league.
David Barenborg (Mercer Island, WA)
Johnson is the No. 1 player overall – he’s the guy you would select first in a draft – but Hill and Carr make a lot more sense to protect, given the salaries you have them trapped at. Hill will dramatically outperform his $1.00 contract. It would probably cost you $25-plus to re-sign him. And with it being a double-quarterback league, Carr might be the best value of all. In that kind of format, everyone wants to have two good quarterbacks, and there are only about 17 such players available. In that sort of system, even lesser quarterbacks like Alex Smith, Joe Flacco, Brian Hoyer and Sam Bradford will go for more than the $1.00 mininum, since teams will want them as a third quarterback with at least some fill-in ability. In that sort of a format, I have Carr as a top-15 overall player on my board. To see his exact value, you would need to go to the custom rankings area of the site and plug in your league’s parameters.
Question 25
Who would be your top targets for a late-round RB that could turn into a top 10 or 15 guy under the right circumstances?
Randy Newland (Villa Hills, KY)
Late round, so I’m assuming all starting running backs have been chosen. You’re looking for somebody who’s a No. 2 right now who might become good at some point. Perhaps Wendell Smallwood, Marlon Mack, Jonathan Williams, D’Onta Foreman, Branden Oliver, James Conner.
Question 26
I only mention this because I want you to be as great as possible, but "in regards to" is not idiomatic to English. In India perhaps, New Jersey maybe, but English not.
MARTIN DONNELLY (Elmhurst, IL)
I was not aware of this. It won’t happen again; thanks.
Question 27
Dilemma. Where I am sitting in my keeper draft I am looking at Devonta Freeman or LeSean McCoy? Who would be your choice and why?? Thanks.
Pete Kelly (Evergreen Park, IL)
McCoy is on a really bad team. That scares me.
Question 28
I'm in a 10-team half-point PPR keeper league, where you lose the draft pick for the keepers' draft position from the previous year. I am picking eighth, and can keep Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell and lose my first and second round picks, or keep LeVeon Bell and Michael Thomas and lose my second and fourteenth round picks. We can only keep a player for three years, and this would be the last year that I can keep Brown, but I would still have two more years to keep Bell and three years to keep Thomas.
JAMES DIERSING (Okeana, OH)
I’d keep Bell and Thomas. If you’re picking 8th, I believe you’ll wind up with either Freeman or Gordon. Brown is worth about 40 more points than those guys. So that’s a loss, no doubt about it. But you’re picking up Michael Thomas, and I’ve got him as the 11th-best player on the board. If we assume that with your 14th-round pick, you’ll be able to select the 100th-best overall player on your board, Thomas should be worth about 80 more points than that guy. You’re picking up value overall, and you’re also building a deeper roster.
Question 29
Looking at your TD-only rankings: How can you have Ezekiel Elliott as the 4th RB? Are the others so awful that a back that's out almost half of the year is still better than all but 3 other backs?
Timothy Wodke (Milwaukee, WI)
He’s awfully productive, punching in touchdowns every week. I’m in a long-standing TD-only league, and that’s how you win in that format – you’ve got to latch onto that player who’s got the hot hand. While there are lots of other good backs in the top 10 – guys like Jordan Howard, Todd Gurley, etc. – they don’t have that same ability to be consistent, dominant touchdown scorers. More so with TD-only than in performance scoring systems, I like the idea of selecting Elliott – it’s easier in that kind of a league to plug in replacement players. Those who select Elliott also might come out as big winners if he ends up not having to serve a six-game suspension – they will have gotten the best touchdown scorer on the board at a considerable discount. Elliott filed a lawsuit against the league today, so there’s some potential (I think) that this will turn into another StarCaps situation, with the suspension being put on hold while it’s argued in court.
Question 30
Got offered a trade. Give away Stefon Diggs, DeSean Jackson, and Tevin Coleman. Receive Carlos Hyde, Donte Moncrief, Hunter Henry, Corey Coleman. Should I do this trade?
Zachary Thompson (Columbus, OH)
Definitely. As well as Hyde and Coleman played in the third week of the preseason, it looks like you could come out way ahead.
Question 31
I have no idea if you guys have the answer to this or know where to get it, but I can't find any info about it searching online. Do you have any idea why Kenneth Dixon has not been placed on IR? I have him in two different dynasty leagues, where my roster is maxed out and have an IR spot I can put him in, but not until he's officially on IR in the NFL. It's been driving me crazy that he's not. Is there some benefit to waiting to IR him? Thanks.
Rocky Petrella (Philadelphia, PA)
I hadn’t noticed that. Crockett Gillmore also suffered a knee injury – a few days after Dixon – and he’s been placed on injured reserve. I’ll take that as evidence there’s some chance that the Ravens believe Dixon might get back on the field in 2017. Apparently they’re not ready to rule him out. But I’ll bet that he winds up on injured reserve before the deadline to reduce to 53 players on Saturday. And if there’s a choice free agent sitting out there, I would be comfortable releasing Dixon. He’s undergone three knee surgeries in the last year, and I’m not sure how good he is anyway. I’m pretty sure the Ravens will take somebody to training camp next year that will make Dixon obsolete.
Question 32
Long time subscriber and fan of the Index. I am in a 14 team league and we have an 8th-round keeper pick. I could keep the player for next season for a 7th round draft pick. We had a destination draft in Austin, TX so we had to leave early due to Harvey and only completed half the draft. I have the 3rd keeper pick and also have Rodgers at QB. Options at QB are Rivers and Stafford. RB options include Jamaal Charles, Forte, Mack, Kamara, Perine, Smallwood, DeAngelo Henderson. The available WRs are Diggs, Shepard, Coleman, Corey Davis, Garcon, Zay Jones.
Vincent Parker (Littleton, CO)
Rivers and Stafford are fine, but how much better are they than the quarterback you might select in the seventh round next year (if you don’t protect anyone)? I’d be more interested in choosing somebody who migh be really good. I’ve seen Marlon Mack hit a couple of explosive runs for the Colts. He’s definitely a consideration. And I liked the look of Corey Coleman in the exhibition game at Tampa Bay; he was flying around making difficult catches. Those are the two I would most be looking at. Corey Davis, I suppose, should also be in the conversation, but you have to take him sight unseen. Is he even one of the top 2 wide receivers on his own team? Taywan Taylor looks very good to me, and I like the way Rishard Matthews plays.
Question 33
I'm in a 20-team league and teams can carry over two players. I am trying to decide between Abdullah and Crabtree. I noticed Abdullah shot way up your last rankings. We combine rush/rec yards with 1 point after 50 yards and 1 after every 25 thereafter. They seem to be ranked about even with my custom scoring system. I am leaning towards Abdullah but worry about his injury history. Your thoughts?
David Hogshire (Plymouth, MN)
Crabtree I suppose is the safer choice, if you’re looking for a savings-bond type player who’s going to be out there, catching 75-plus balls. But Abdullah has some upside. I think he might be the league’s most explosive running back, and he’ll contribute both as a runner and a pass catcher.
Question 34
Who should keep in my PPR league between Jordan Howard and Adam Thielen?
Tony Falvo (Toronto, ON)
I actually liked the way Thielen looked in the Sunday night game against the 49ers. They’ve moved him into the slot, and it looks like he’ll catch a lot more balls this year – running shorter routes. But Howard is the guy – possible top-10 back.
Question 35
I traded bell/decker for montgomery/lynch/hogan. Thoughts ?
Joseph Devito ()
Bell’s a great player, of course, but I’m not sure Eric Decker is even worth a roster spot. So it’s a three-for-one deal. You’re getting both Ty Montgomery and Marshawn Lynch, and I actually think Chris Hogan will be really good for the Patriots.
Question 36
I am in a 12 team keeper league. Three players can be kept (or a 4th at the cost of your first round pick) for up to 3 years each. The players I have to choose from are: Tom Brady (thru 2018), Dak Prescott (2018), Mark Ingram (2018), Amari Cooper (2019), Willie Snead (2018), or Keenan Allen (2018). Which three players should I protect, especially given the uncertain status of Elliot's suspension?
Tim Schadelbauer (Farmingville, NY)
Brady and Cooper for sure. For the final spot, I think I’d go with Allen. He looks fine to me, and I think he’s going to be the go-to target in that passing offense. Rivers completed 6 passes early against the Rams, and 4 of them went to Allen. Not a big red-zone option, though, and he won’t hit on any long plays.
Question 37
I have both Hogan and Lewis in a 10-team PPR with only 4 bench spots (standard lineup). Who is the safer player as a backup flex option on my bench, since I can't afford to keep both of them.
Eric Booser (Bethlehem, PA)
I like Hogan a lot. The Patriots have three other capable wide receivers – Cooks, Amendola, Mitchell – but I think Hogan will be more productive than those guys. Cooks is a remarkable talent, but he’s still trying to learn the offense and build a rapport with Tom Brady. I’m not sure how extensively they’re going to use him. So while it sounds strange and might look really stupid eight weeks from now, today I would rather have Hogan than Cooks on my team.
Question 38
In a 3-year keeper league, what top 3 QBs in order would you pick?
BEN HOGEVOLL (Siletz, OR)
Rodgers would be No. 1. I’m not confident Brady and Brees will still be playing at a high level in 2018 and 2019.