ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: What was the offseason's most interesting coaching hire?
SAM HENDRICKS
My vote is L.A. Rams (that is still hard to say) Head Coach Sean McVay. The 30-year old brings youth and excitement to a Rams team that has plenty of young potential (Jared Goff and a proven running back in Todd Gurley). They needed someone completely opposite of Jeff Fisher and they got him. The Rams are close they just need some help and McVay should be able to work his magic from the start with a fresh look and a youthful mindset.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 25 year fantasy football veteran who participates in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He is drafting live in the FFPC in Vegas this year. He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013. Follow him at his web site, www.ffguidebook.com.
IAN ALLAN
Kyle Shanahan (assuming he takes over in San Francisco) has the most long-term sizzle, but I think there will be some growing pains there. He’s inheriting a lesser roster, and a lot of the holdovers won’t fit his system. Recall that in Shanahan’s first year in Atlanta, the offense didn’t click. That team ranked 20th in rushing, and Matt Ryan threw only 21 TD passes. So for 2017, I am more intrigued by continuity and personnel level I see in San Diego, where Anthony Lynn is wisely choosing to keep Ken Whisenhunt and the offense in place. Melvin Gordon and Keenan Allen will be back to full strength, Hunter Henry could be ready to emerge as one of the top handful of tight ends in the league, and that might be a top-10 offense. I don’t see that kind of upside with any of the other teams with new head coaches.
Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index. He's been in that role since 1987, generating most of the player rankings and analysis for that publication. His work can be seen in Fantasy Football Index magazine, and also at www.fantasyindex.com.
ALAN SATTERLEE
Sean McVay in Los Angeles has to be the "most interesting," as if nothing else he is the youngest head coach in NFL history (since the Super Bowl era) and he would be the first Gen Y head coach as well I would have to assume. McVay has been an NFL prodigy and it will be interesting to see what he can do in Los Angeles after working wonders at Washington as offensive coordinator. It will be interesting to see how he can develop Jared Goff as last year's first overall pick and how he uses Todd Gurley. With more of a downfield attack, Tavon Austin could be more of a sleeper next year. As a former tight end coach and the way he McVay used that position at Washington, now 2nd-year tight end Tyler Higbee is big-time on my dynasty sleeper list (as he was last year). Higbee has the talent to turn into the next Travis Kelce potentially and should be targeted in dynasty leagues now on the cheap.
Satterlee is a co-owner and senior writer for Dynasty Football Warehouse. DFW is comprehensive site covering dynasty, redraft, IDP and Daily formats. DFW has a large writing crew with many people from the DFW community contributing to the insights and discussion. He is also the Fantasy Football Insider for the Charlotte Observer and is syndicated in a few other newspapers in the southeast.
ANDY RICHARDSON
It's a given that the 49ers are going to hire Kyle Shanahan. Unfortunately for the 49ers he can't bring Matt Ryan with him, but he has a lot of credibility in crafting an offensive scheme and game plan, and if he needs help with the running game maybe he can call his Dad for a few ideas. In any case, Shanahan certainly got the best out of a couple of young running backs and then a cast-off wide receiver in Taylor Gabriel, so maybe he can do the same for Carlos Hyde and whatever players the team brings in at quarterback and wide receiver (where almost anything would be an upgrade).
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.