Ian Allan answers your fantasy football questions. In this edition. Ranking Taysom Hill as a tight end. Pairing up on Rams receivers. Jahan Dotson's prospects in Philly. Why is Saquon Barkley rated so low? Backup running backs worth going after. And more.
Question 1
Maybe you’ve already covered this, but I couldn’t find it. Given the fact that Taysom Hill has looked even more involved with touches than his usual contributions, I’m curious as to why he only shows up in your QB ratings. My league treats him as a TE, but we give points for all production from any position a player produces from, which gives him a big boost as a TE.
Robert Cummings (Los Angeles, CA)
The Saints have been listing Hill has a quarterback for over a year. That makes him a quarterback in the vast majority of leagues. Some league operators are slower moving, out of respect for early drafts. That is, when a player switches positions in July or August, they don’t want those who have already selected said player to be at a disadvantage. That’s why Hill was eligible at tight end in many leagues last year. He was listed as a tight end during the 2022 season (I think switching to QB in July of last year). Regardless, if you want to use him at tight end, it’s your league. According to my projections, he would rank 7th among tight ends using standard scoring, and 15th PPR. In TD-only, he works his way all the way up to 4th.
Question 2
Love your product. I'm curious about the idea of both Puka and Kupp being ranked as top 10 WRs in fantasy this year, especially with an older quarterback. How many times have two top 10 fantasy WRs been on the same team? I feel like there are only so many targets to go around in this offense.
Tom Fini (Manhasset, NY)
The past 10 years, I see seven instances of two wide receivers on the same team finishing with top-10 numbers (using PPR scoring). I see another 13 instances of a team having two wide receivers in the top 15. It happened last year with the 49ers. The numbers were similar for the previous 10 years, with nine pairs in the top 10 and another 12 with two in the top 15.
| TEAMS WITH A PAIR TOP-15 RECEIVERS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Tm | Receiver #1 | PPR | Receiver #2 | PPR |
| 2023 | S.F. | Brandon Aiyuk | 14th | Deebo Samuel | 15th |
| 2022 | Sea. | Tyler Lockett | 13th | DK Metcalf | 14th |
| 2022 | Phil. | A.J. Brown | 5th | DeVonta Smith | 9th |
| 2022 | Mia. | Tyreek Hill | 2nd | Jaylen Waddle | 8th |
| 2021 | LAC | Keenan Allen | 11th | Mike Williams (Clemson) | 13th |
| 2021 | T.B. | Mike Evans | 9th | Chris Godwin | 14th |
| 2020 | Sea. | DK Metcalf | 7th | Tyler Lockett | 8th |
| 2020 | Min. | Justin Jefferson | 6th | Adam Thielen | 10th |
| 2019 | LAR | Cooper Kupp | 5th | Robert Woods | 14th |
| 2019 | T.B. | Chris Godwin | 2nd | Mike Evans | 15th |
| 2018 | LAR | Robert Woods | 11th | Brandin Cooks | 13th |
| 2018 | Min. | Adam Thielen | 7th | Stefon Diggs | 10th |
| 2018 | Pitt. | Antonio Brown | 5th | JuJu Smith-Schuster | 8th |
| 2017 | Det. | Golden Tate | 11th | Marvin Jones | 12th |
| 2016 | Oak. | Michael Crabtree | 12th | Amari Cooper | 15th |
| 2016 | N.O. | Michael Thomas | 7th | Brandin Cooks | 10th |
| 2016 | G.B. | Jordy Nelson | 2nd | Davante Adams | 9th |
| 2015 | NYJ | Brandon Marshall | 3rd | Eric Decker | 13th |
| 2014 | G.B. | Jordy Nelson | 3rd | Randall Cobb | 7th |
| 2014 | Den. | Demaryius Thomas | 2nd | Emmanuel Sanders | 5th |
Question 3
Why so low on Barkley? I am picking 12th in a half-PPR league. I am thinking Barkley, Henry or Taylor. You have Barkley ranked after Rachaad White. I respect your rankings, but seriously. Who is the better team, TB or Philly?
Mike Erickson (Bluffdale, UT)
Someone in Tampa Bay might remind you that these teams played in the playoffs last year, with the Bucs winning 32-9. For our fantasy purposes, we’re probably better off focusing on the statistical categories. White, I believe is a safe choice to finish with better receiving numbers. He caught 64 passes last year, while Jalen Hurts hasn’t tended to throw much to running backs. I think even a Barkley fan like yourself would concede that White is better in the passing game. He caught 91 percent of the passes thrown his way last year, No. 1 among all running backs. Barkley has caught 72 percent of the passes thrown his way over the last three years, next-to-last among running backs with at least 100 targets. I like White more as a goal-line back. He’ll be Tampa Bay’s primary runner in that part of the field. With the Eagles, I think Hurts might score more rushing touchdowns than Barkley.
Question 4
Long-time regular. 25 years now. Appreciate you guys, Ian. In a keeper league, I'm keeping QB Watson due to cheap salary and upside. I've researched Nix, Daniels and Williams. I can draft any one of those. Chicago has easiest schedule. I'm leaning Nix due to his coach
Cal Hoskison (Houston, TX)
I’m very comfortable with Caleb Williams. I think he’s going to be a good quarterback for a lot of years. He’s the real deal. Talent-level, he looks like he’s way ahead of Nix. I think Jayden Daniels will run more, perhaps providing for more success early, but I’m not confident that kind of ball is sustainable.
Question 5
Don't call me old, but I have been successfully using your information since the days when you only had the preseason magazine! My annual question is what RBs to take a flyer on that could become top 15 due to a key injury?
Randy Newland (Sunrise, FL)
I assume by “flyer” we’re looking for backups being selected in the late rounds. I will put Jordan Mason at the top of the list. I’m not confidant that McCaffrey can stay healthy. That injury should happen at some point, and I think Mason will be their guy. I don’t think Guerendo is ready, and Mitchell is spending the year on IR. Other No. 2 running backs that I like include Ray Davis (Bills), Trey Benson (Cardinals), Blake Corum (Rams). I can’t promise Cam Akers will be the No. 2 back in Houston behind Joe Mixon, but I think he will be. And some mention should be made of Jaylen Wright. I was very impressed by a couple of his carries in the preseason, wondering if and when he might muscle his way to the top of the depth chart in Miami.
Question 6
Hi Ian. Appreciate the help as always. With the trade to Philadelphia, does Jahan Dotson move up in the overall WR rankings?
MICHAEL HAMER (Springfield, PA)
No. He moves down. I think he’s a nice player. I remember early in his rookie season, wondering whether he was going to be better than Terry McLaurin. I don’t consider him to be a blown first-round pick. But I don’t think he’s going to get enough opportunities if those other receivers are healthy. Now if A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith goes down with an injury, I’m interested. If Dotson were to fill in for Smith for half a season, Philadelphia’s offense might be just as good.
Question 7
Keepers have been submitted in a PPR keeper league (48 players total). I'm looking at grabbing a WR with my third pick of the draft. Available to begin with are: Rice, Pittman, Cooper, DJ Moore along with the rookies: Harrison, Nabers and Odunze. If Rice didn't have his issues hanging over him I would have ranked 1-3 as Harrison / Rice / Pittman. Your ranking 1-3?
Jeff Zwiers (Bellingham, WA)
Cooper, Pittman, those guys aren’t even considerations in my opinion. Cooper is 30, and he’s tied to the Deshaun Watson mystery. With Pittman, I’m not sure he’ll be quite the go-to guy he’s been in the past. Rice, Harrison, Nabers. I think those are your top 3 guys. Nabers sure looked good in that preseason game at Houston – he’s definitely going to be the Giants’ No. 1 receiver for a number of years, and he’s athletic and dynamic. I don’t see a scenario where he busts. With Rice, I would plan on a 2025 suspension. That would be part of the calculation. With Harrison, it’s kind of sight unseen. He didn’t run or interview at the combine, he didn’t have a Pro Day, and he didn’t play in the preseason. He’s not as fast as Nabers. And he’s involved in this weird legal dispute with Fanatics.
Question 8
Which Denver RB will be Peyton's Darren Sproles and PPR GOLD?
Robert McKinlay (Belews Creek, NC)
I don’t think there’s going to be a Sproles clone, but if form holds, Payton’s offense will rank among the leaders in completions to running backs, likely with 120-plus receptions. Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin should be leading the way, with both undervalued in PPR formats.
Question 9
Everyone thought Rashee Rice would be suspended. Now that it doesn't look like he will be, or at least much later in the season, how does this effect your thoughts on the Chiefs? I got Rice in the 7th round in standard and now I'm thinking that might have been a steal?
Mark Rapley (Rosemount, MN)
Agreed. If he plays in all 17 games (and I think he will) you could be sitting on a top-10 receiver. He averaged 6.9 catches for 78 yards in his final 10 games last year, with 4 TDs. (That’s a top-10 rate in a PPR format.)
Question 10
I have the 6th draft position in two 10-team leagues. I definitely want a WR with that pick. How do I differentiate between St. Brown and Jefferson? Who has the higher ceiling? And should I be happy if I get the same player in both drafts?
Jeffrey Traczewski (Nashville, TN)
I would take Jefferson. He’s definitely the better, more talented player. But I think the difference-making dimension is Kevin O’Connell. I believe in his ability to scheme up a passing game. I think Sam Darnold is going to be just fine running that offense (maybe finishing with above-average passing numbers) and if he can’t do it, they’ve got a couple of other guys with some ability to put up numbers. I’m not sure they can win with Nick Mullens at quarterback, but he had those two games late last year where he threw for almost 400 yards. And Jaren Hall in his last two preseason games completed 21 of 30, with 4 TDs and no interceptions.
Question 11
I have the #10 spot in a 10-team standard scoring league (we start 3 WRs and a flex). I don't see as many sure-fire elite WRs this year. After the top 5, I have the next dozen pretty much in the same tier. What would you think of a strategy of nailing two elite RBs at the first turn (out of Taylor, Henry, Gibbs)?
Richard Weber (Fort Myers, FL)
If we’re operating under the assumption that you must select 2 RB and 2 WR in the first four rounds, we can compare the drifted paths using ADP data. Via the results of MyFantasyLeague drafts, the option of picking a RB-WR with both of those first two pairs of picks, you will come out slightly ahead of picking RB-RB followed by WR-WR, and well ahead of starting with a pair of WR and then picking a pair of running backs. But you can’t really lock into a strategy, because it’s all dependent on what the other owners do.
Question 12
Long-time subscriber. I really like JJ and GW and have the 3rd pick. Is it crazy thought to draft one that high? Both will see a ton of targets. And Wilson now has Rodgers throwing him the ball. I am also higher on Darnold than most. He has had some great games in his career and was saddled with Adam Gase and Matt Rhule for 3 years.
Mike Conway (Nanuet, NY)
No. 3 overall. That’s too high for Wilson, in my opinion. In a PPR format, Justin Jefferson can be discussed. Unlike Lamb and Chase, he got in substantial practice this summer. (Good news: he’s had more time to jell with his quarterback; Bad news: his quarterback is Sam Darnold.)
Question 13
Thanks to Fantasy Index, I've drafted a pretty strong team across the board, but I believe that I'm a lacking in WR depth. I have Ja’Marr Chase, Drake London, Rashee Rice, Tyler Lockett and Josh Palmer in the fold. The remaining WRs available (I can grab up to 3) include: Darnell Mooney, D. Robinson, Tim Patrick, Rashid Shaheed and W Robinson of the Giants. I'd like to grab someone with the potential for an eventual upside. Anyone look worth taking?
Eric Burgess (Scarborough, ME)
Shaheed, Mooney, Demarcus Robinson: those are all guys with the potential for top-50 numbers. Not up there with those top 3 of yours, but guys who should be rostered.
Question 14
I'm a subscriber to the Cheat Sheet and have been for many years. In a 10-team PPR draft I was in spot 10 and took Puka Nacua and Jonathan Taylor at the first-second turn. At the third-fourth turn Cooper Kupp was available and I took him. Now I have Nakua and Kupp. Did I make a mistake taking the Rams top TWO receivers? Should I seek out a trade?
DANIEL LATHROPE (Moraga, CA)
I think you’ll be just fine with those guys. Your production, in fact, might be more consistent, in that if there’s a week where Nacua posts monster numbers, Kupp presumably will be a little down. And if an opponent slows down Nacua, it likely will mean more action for Kupp. The Rams will have a great passing offense, we know that. In the second half of last year, 24 wide receivers played in at least six games and averaged at least 13 points per week (using PPR scoring). The teams were the only team with three of those 24 receivers.
| RECEIVING, SECOND HALF OF LAST YEAR | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | St | No | Rec | Run | TD | PPR |
| CeeDee Lamb, Dall. | 9 | 78 | 925 | 80 | 11 | 27.4 |
| Tyreek Hill, Mia. | 7 | 50 | 723 | -2 | 5 | 21.7 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown, Det. | 9 | 62 | 850 | 20 | 7 | 21.2 |
| Deebo Samuel, S.F. | 8 | 38 | 569 | 119 | 10 | 20.9 |
| Nico Collins, Hou. | 7 | 44 | 666 | 7 | 4 | 19.6 |
| • Puka Nacua, LAR | 8 | 41 | 659 | 85 | 4 | 17.4 |
| Davante Adams, L.V. | 8 | 52 | 571 | 0 | 5 | 17.4 |
| Jayden Reed, G.B. | 8 | 41 | 460 | 100 | 7 | 17.4 |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 9 | 42 | 661 | 0 | 8 | 17.3 |
| Rashee Rice, K.C. | 7 | 47 | 560 | 0 | 3 | 17.3 |
| DJ Moore, Chi. | 8 | 49 | 629 | 21 | 4 | 17.3 |
| Amari Cooper, Cle. | 7 | 37 | 633 | 0 | 3 | 17.2 |
| Brandon Aiyuk, S.F. | 8 | 37 | 697 | 0 | 5 | 17.1 |
| Michael Pittman, Ind. | 7 | 51 | 559 | 0 | 1 | 16.4 |
| Chris Olave, N.O. | 7 | 37 | 560 | 0 | 3 | 16.1 |
| DeVonta Smith, Phi. | 7 | 39 | 533 | 0 | 3 | 15.8 |
| DK Metcalf, Sea. | 9 | 38 | 660 | 0 | 6 | 15.6 |
| Calvin Ridley, Jac. | 9 | 43 | 565 | 13 | 6 | 15.4 |
| Zay Flowers, Balt. | 7 | 32 | 386 | 44 | 5 | 15.3 |
| Jaylen Waddle, Mia. | 6 | 32 | 492 | 2 | 1 | 14.6 |
| Brandin Cooks, Dall. | 9 | 37 | 492 | 12 | 6 | 13.9 |
| • Cooper Kupp, LAR | 7 | 36 | 373 | -3 | 4 | 13.9 |
| • Demarcus Robinson, LAR | 6 | 23 | 332 | 23 | 4 | 13.8 |
| JaMarr Chase, Cin. | 8 | 36 | 519 | 0 | 3 | 13.2 |
Question 15
I play in a 12 team PPR with 1 QB, 2 RB's, 2 WR's, 1 TE, 2 Flex (RB, WR, TE) 1 DEF, 1 K and 6 bench spots. The league limits are 5 RB's and 6 WR's. We have $200 FAAB for free agent bids. I generally like to wait on drafting my QB and TE in rounds 9 or later. My question is do you feel in a league setup like this it is good or bad to handcuff your top RB's like Bijan Robinson or are you betting against yourself by doing so and not drafting lottery tickets guys like Rico Dowdle and Ty Chandler in favor of Allgeier?
Brian Boyd (Maple Grove, MN)
I tend to make an effort to obtain the real-life backups to my key running backs. It’s hard to stay healthy at that position, and if and when those injuries occur, it syncs up if you’re holding the matching backup. While it’s nice to be holding Tyler Allgeier or Ty Chandler the week that they get promoted into the starting lineup, the payoff isn’t substantial if they’re still stuck behind your two regular starters. If I’m going after unaffiliated backup running backs, they should be guys with the potential of putting up top-10 numbers.
Question 16
Ian, will you rank K. Shakir, R. Doubs, R. Shaheed, B. Cooks, and C. Kirk from top to bottom and give me your thoughts on each.
Craig Leedy (Sacramento, CA)
I like Shakir a lot more than all of those other guys. I pretty confident he’s going to be the leading wide receiver in Buffalo.
Question 17
Been a subscriber for so long, I still remember using football cards and going to the library to look up microfiche of USA Today stats for research. Curious why the big jump in the ranking of Javonte Williams. He is a beast physically, but was there something you guys saw to move him up a lot since preseason?
Brian Boucher (West Chester, PA)
The Broncos released Samaje Perine. With that move in the books, I think it’s pretty clear Williams (and Jaleel McLaughlin) will be catching a lot of passes. Sean Payton’s offenses tend to rank near the top in completions to running backs every year.
Question 18
Should I keep Jake Ferguson in round 11 or Jayden Reed in round 16? We lose that round pick for this year. This is PPR but TE gets 1.5 PPR. I already have kept Love (12) and Puka (15).
RAYMOND HOEGEN (Danville, NH)
I’ve got them both finishing with about 210 points. In a draft, I think they’d both be selected in the 5th or 6th round. So I guess Reed is the choice (since an 11th-round pick is worth a lot more than a 16th).
Question 19
I'll have that first pick and then I won't have another one until #25. My nephew who introduced me to Fantasy back in 1996 and mentored me afterwards suggests that I take the top QB. Of course, the Index has McCaffrey as the top overall pick. If you were in the same boat, which way would you row?
Paul Desimone (Hayward, CA)
It can depend on scoring system. In most formats, quarterbacks aren’t a consideration. If I’m in a catch-driving league, I think the decision is whether to go with Lamb or McCaffrey. If you’ve got the time and energy to put together a trade, it might make sense to put together a blockbuster deal, letting somebody else take on the risk of a 28-year-old running back. I could be talked into the merits of having Bijan Robinson or Breece Hall plus extra picks, rather than McCaffrey.
Question 20
I appreciate the knowledge you and the rest of the FI staff deliver every day. In a TD=6, 85yd=3, 1QB,2RB,2WR,1TE,1FLEX, do you think duos, Gibbs/Monty or Harris/ Warren, can be played together on a weekly basis?
mark meyer (Ocean Park, WA)
With the Detroit tandem, we’ve already seen the proof of concept. They were a great duo last year. Should you go that route, there’s the nice bonus of injuries being softened. (That is, if Gibbs is to miss a couple of games, you can be sure Montgomery will be putting up some of his best numbers). With the Steelers, it’s a lesser offense and Warren is already hurt, with the chance of not really being at top speed until late September.
Question 21
Yahoo added TE eligibility to Taysom Hill - Where would you have him ranked in half PPR? Higher or lower than the likes of Schultz and Kmet?
Chase Grainger (Weston, FL)
Hill would be the No. 13 tight end on my board – right between those guys.