Ian Allan answers your fantasy football questions. In this edition: identifying the best offenses and defenses. Are quarterbacks worth more in dynasty leagues? And how does it affect rankings when tight ends are given an extra half point per reception?
Question 1
Who do you see being the top five offenses this year? And the top five defenses?
John Wozniak (Lackawanna, NY)
I’ve got six offenses projecting to score more than 45 touchdowns: Patriots (5 TDs ahead of everyone else), Saints, Packers, Cowboys, Steelers and Falcons. For defenses, I’ve got five projecting to allow 21 or fewer points per game: Broncos, Seahawks, Ravens, Vikings and Cowboys.
Question 2
My first dynasty league (slow) draft starts this weekend so I can't get the magazine soon enough! This is the maiden draft for the dynasty league, so everyone is available. I have a general question about valuing QBs and TEs in a dynasty draft. For QBs, do you think the current popular thinking still applies in dynasty - that is, that there are more than enough QBs to go around so you might as well wait? Or in this format does a younger guy like Luck warrant a high pick? For TEs, this is one of those leagues that gives 1.5 PPR for the TE position (1 PPR for everyone else). You can also start up to 3 of them (1 required plus 2 flex). Any thoughts on how to value them relative to the other positions in this format? I generally wait on TEs even longer than QBs, but in this format it seems like a Kelce, Reed or Henry could be justified in even the 2nd or 3rd round. Any thoughts you have would be appreciated.
BILL REHOR (Culver City, CA)
With quarterbacks, if you can land a good one – like Luck or Winston – you’ve got them for 10-plus years. So makes sense to upgrade them some relative to the other position, where you’re cycling through more players through the years. But there’s still the supply-demand issues of there being plenty of good quarterbacks. Once you’ve got two (perhaps three), you can’t really afford to burn up roster spots carrying more of them. As for tight ends, the rule giving tight ends an extra half point for receptions really levels the playing field. Looking at just 2017, if you combine WR and TE into one position group, I don’t have any tight ends in my top 20, and just three make it into the top 30. With the extra half point per catch, I have eight in my top 30. In such a format, would be really nice to get one of those tight ends who’ll catch 80-plus balls (which is like a wide receiver catching 120).
| TOP-30 PASS CATCHERS ('17 season) | |
|---|---|
| PPR scoring | 1.5 for TE |
| Brown | Brown |
| Beckham | Beckham |
| J.Jones | J.Jones |
| Nelson | Nelson |
| Hilton | Hilton |
| Thomas | Thomas |
| Evans | Evans |
| Cooper | Reed |
| Fitzgerald | Cooper |
| T.Hill | Fitzgerald |
| Green | Ertz |
| Baldwin | T.Hill |
| Crabtree | Green |
| Thomas | Kelce |
| Bryant | Baldwin |
| Tate | Crabtree |
| Sanders | Thomas |
| Garcon | Olsen |
| Hopkins | Bryant |
| Adams | Tate |
| Landry | Sanders |
| Snead | Ebron |
| Reed | Rudolph |
| Matthews | Garcon |
| Pryor | Hopkins |
| Diggs | Adams |
| Robinson | Landry |
| Kelce | Gronkowski |
| Ertz | Graham |
| Shepard | Snead |
Question 3
I have used your magazine since the first year. In fact, I won an entry into the experts league . I have played since 1982. keep up the good work.
Kevin Kennedy ()
Congrats. You’ve been playing longer than almost everyone. That’s quite a run – 35 years.
Question 4
It's the end of the 5th round, you're picking back to back to open the 6th and ... 22 RBs, 25 WRs, 6 QBS and 6 TEs have been taken ... you've got: Nelson (12), Ajayi (13), Brees (36), Landry (37). According to your lists, who would you be taking at these 60/61 spots?
Vin Kmetz ()
I would be looking at which players had been overlooked. That is, is there are top-15 running back or wide receiver who hasn’t been selected? With 22 running backs chosen, I wouldn’t expect Ty Montgomery or Joe Mixon to still be sitting there, but maybe. More likely, perhaps Paul Perkins or Dalvin Cook. At wide receiver, maybe Michael Crabtree, Larry Fitzgerald or Emmanuel Sanders got overlooked. Most likely a running back and a wide receiver. If I were going for a tight end, Zach Ertz would be the good tight end most likely to not be one of the first six chosen.