Ian Allan answers your fantasy football questions. In this edition. Does Tony Pollard deserve a starting spot in a championship week lineup? Teams that might be resting players. Chase Brown's 2024 prospects. And more.
Question 1
Was hoping you could give me a justification for Pollard's 7th rank this week in PPR Cheat Sheet. Based on your write-up for him (and the Detroit DE he's facing), seems pretty high. Can you give me something to hang my championship hat on? Tempted to bench him but it's hard to bench anyone with such a high ranking.
George Tsakataras (Wilmington, DE)
I understand that Pollard has been a disappointment. And it’s easier to feel that pain when you hold the rights to the player. When a crappy performance costs you a game or two, you can swear off a player for good. I get it. With me, on the other hand, I’m working at a detached distance, just penciling in numbers for all the players. I don’t have the same emotional connection. With the Cowboys, they have that dynamic of hammering people at home. They’re not nearly the same team on the road. So I’m expecting a real nice team performance on Saturday. I expect them to score plenty of points against a Detroit defense that’s struggled in a lot of a game. While Pollard hasn’t really gotten in on the home-away joy ride (his numbers have been about the same on the road) he’s nonetheless the starting, featured running back on a team that’s going to put up big numbers. Additionally, I don’t think the projection I have on him is overly optimistic. Instead, it seems a little on the cautious side. If he plays just as we’ve drawn him up, this will be his 8th-best game. My gut tells me that will be a little low.
| TONY POLLARD'S GAME-BY-GAME NUMBERS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk | Opponent | Rushing | Receiving | Yds | TD | PPR |
| 12 | Washington | 13-79 | 6-24 | 103 | 1 | 22.3 |
| 1 | at NY Giants | 14-70 | 2-12 | 82 | 2 | 22.2 |
| 11 | at Carolina | 12-61 | 4-19 | 80 | 1 | 18.0 |
| 2 | NY Jets | 25-72 | 7-37 | 109 | 0 | 17.9 |
| 13 | Seattle | 20-68 | 3-15 | 83 | 1 | 17.3 |
| 6 | at LA Chargers | 15-30 | 6-80 | 110 | 0 | 17.0 |
| 14 | Philadelphia | 16-59 | 7-37 | 96 | 0 | 16.6 |
| 17 | Detroit | 14-56 | 4.1-25 | 81 | .67 | 16.2 |
| 3 | at Arizona | 23-122 | 3-(-1) | 121 | 0 | 15.1 |
| 5 | at San Francisco | 8-29 | 4-35 | 64 | 0 | 10.4 |
| 9 | at Philadelphia | 12-51 | 3-12 | 63 | 0 | 9.3 |
| 4 | New England | 11-47 | 3-13 | 60 | 0 | 9.0 |
| 15 | at Buffalo | 11-52 | 2-5 | 57 | 0 | 7.7 |
| 8 | LA Rams | 12-53 | 1-2 | 55 | 0 | 6.5 |
| 10 | NY Giants | 15-55 | 0-0 | 55 | 0 | 5.5 |
| 16 | at Miami | 12-38 | 1-5 | 43 | 0 | 5.3 |
Question 2
I play a full week 18 weeks total points league. Is there any players that you would suspect that would be some good stashes based on teams possibly sitting their starters?
Ryan Klein (Tinley Park, IL)
When teams starting resting players, I tend to get more interested not in those teams, but in the opponents they’ll be facing. The Baltimore Ravens, for one, will have everything on the AFC side sewn up if they can beat Miami. They’ve rested players before. But I wouldn’t envision Tyler Huntley stepping in and putting up good numbers. I would instead be more interested in Pittsburgh’s players in that game. Cleveland potentially could consider resting players. Amari Cooper (heel) I would like is a guy who might sit out Week 18 regardless. But I think the Browns would prefer to play at the AFC South winner rather than at Arrowhead. If losing in Week 18 might drop the Browns down to the second wild-card spot, I think they’ll play to win in Week 18. Miami looks like it will have to keep playing. If it wins this week, it will need to win again in Week 18 to secure the top seed in the AFC. Should the Dolphins lose, they likely will need to beat Buffalo to hold onto the AFC East championship. Kansas City will be locked in as the third seed on the AFC side if they win this week. It would make some sense for them to rest some players. But as poorly as that offense has played, they might feel like they need the work. Dallas with a win on Saturday (against Detroit) will have to keep playing. It wouldn’t rest players with the potential of winning the division if Philadelphia lost against the Giants (which looks like a decent possibility). If the Cowboys lose on Saturday, they potentially could be locked in as the top wild card on the NFC side, using Week 18 to rest up for a playoff opener against the NFC South champion. Philadelphia needs to win its final two games to capture the NFC East. It won’t be resting players. Detroit with a loss on Saturday would be locked into the No. 3 spot on the NFC side. They potentially could think about holding out some players in Week 18, resting up for a home playoff game. But I’m not sure their kneecap-biting head coach is wired that way. San Francisco probably won’t have the opportunity to rest players in Week 18. It will want to hold onto homefield advantage for the playoffs.
Question 3
What are the chances of Chase Brown being the starting RB for Cincinnati next year (or the year after?). I have him in my dynasty league but another GM is offering me his 2024 third-round pick for him. Should I accept it?
David Jung (San Francisco, CA)
I think when that third-round pick rolls around next year, you’ll like Chase Brown more than anyone else who’s available. He came on some at the end of his rookie year, carrying 9 times for 61 yards in that Monday night win in Jacksonville and turning a catch into a 54-yard touchdown the next week against Indianapolis. I think Brown will enter next season as the No. 2 back for the Bengals – he’ll play some, and I expect he’ll wind up starting some games at some point. I would rather have a back like Brown who’s been around for a year, rather than a comparable player who’s starting from scratch. At the same time, I can’t promise Brown will ever be a big-time player. He put up good measurables at the combine (including a 4.43 in the 40 and a 40-inch vertical) but he lasted until the fifth round. Since popping a few runs at Jacksonville, he’s carried 19 times for 62 yards; that’s 3.3 per attempt. He’s caught 8 passes for 116 yards in his last three games, with the 54-yard touchdown.
Question 4
With Lawrence questionable again I may have to find a fill in. A shame because they're playing Carolina. I could use Beathard or do you still like Stidham?
David Hogshire (Plymouth, MN)
Let’s be careful not to underestimate Carolina’s pass defense. That team is only 2-13, but it ranks 3rd in pass defense. Kirk Cousins passed for 139 yards against that defense. C.J. Stroud went for 140 yards, with no touchdowns. Dak Prescott, who’s been ripping it up pretty good, passed for only 204 yards and 2 TDs. I would not be excited about using Lawrence this week, even if he’s reasonably healthy.