Ian Allan answers your fantasy football questions. In this edition. Will a move to Philadelphia make Tate golden? Where should James Conner go in a dynasty draft? Is DeVante Parker about to revive his career? And more.
Question 1
With Golden Tate going to Philadelphia, will he produce even better now? I think this is a big upgrade for him.
Bruce Sadler (Lakeland, FL)
I don’t see it. In Detroit, Tate was the No. 1 option in that passing game. The busiest receiver, anyway, with 69 targets – 22 more than anyone else on the roster. They used him on short routes, with Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones running more of the high-payoff routes downfield. Now you’re transplanting him into a new offense, and I think he’s going to be their No. 3 guy. Zach Ertz is the main pass catcher in that offense. Alshon Jeffery is their best downfield guy. With his size, he’s a lot better on those routes than Tate – you want taller receivers when you’re running vertical routes. Tate comes in, and I think he’s a better version of Nelson Agholor – tougher and better once the ball is in his hands. But they’ve still got Agholor, and they’ll probably also still get Jordan Matthews on the field some. For stat purposes, I think it’s a downgrade for Tate.
Question 2
In a dynasty PPR format, how do you view James Conner and how do you rank him?
Edmond Dantes ()
I think we can assume LeVeon Bell won’t be in Pittsburgh in 2019. Conner will head into that season as a top-5 running back in PPR formats. Assuming he can take the physical pounding and avoid a serious injury, he’ll probably also be a top-5 back heading into 2020. Conner maybe isn’t quite as talented as backs like Saquon Barkley, Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott, but he’s shown he can do the job. The Steelers have one of the league’s best offensive lines and rely heavily on their running back. As for Bell, if he doesn’t show up by November 13 (the Tuesday after Week 10) he won’t be allowed to play for anyone in 2018. If he shows up by that deadline, he’s essentially guaranteed to be an unrestricted free agent in the spring – to retain him, the Steelers would then have to pay him at the quarterback level. But I don’t think it’s a certainty Bell will show. If he simply sat out the entire season, I don’t think the Steelers would be interested in trying to tag him again.
Question 3
I'm in a super deep league and I need a RB to emerge for the second half of the season. I have Rashaad Penny, Ronald Jones and D’Onta Foreman on my bench. Do you think any of these might do anything without an injury ahead of them? Also, I'll likely have to drop one of them to fill in some bye weeks coming up. Seattle is running the ball very well, so I've been reluctant to drop Penny. I thought Foreman would be back Week 7, but now there is little word on him. Any hidden gems for a league everyone is taken? Elijah McGuire?
Paul Bakalars (La Crescent, MN)
McGuire has been activated, and I expect he’ll be the No. 2 running back for the Jets the rest of the way. If Isaiah Crowell gets hurt, you’ll have something. I think he’s pretty good – I thought McGuire as a rookie seemed to be just as good as their other backs (Bilal Powell, Matt Forte). If we were drafting today, I would select McGuire before any of those other three. Penny maybe develops into something late in the year, but he’s their No. 3 back right now. Jones might be out for a month with a hamstring injury. Foreman is on the PUP list; he hasn’t played or practiced since last year. Bill O’Brien says Foreman might begin practicing prior to their Week 11 game; they would then have 21 days to either activate him or place him on season-ending injured reserve.
Question 4
I've held Marlon Mack all season and have been reaping the rewards. Is he a sell high player at this point? Keep hearing how he's injury prone and his upcoming schedule isn't the easiest.
Bill Petilli (Harrison, NY)
I don’t have Mack flagged as injury prone. He had a hamstring injury for the first half of the season. Those take time to heal. He missed two games with a shoulder injury as a rookie. At South Florida, he played in 36 of 38 games, putting up over 4,100 combined yards. I don’t see him as an injury waiting to happen. The schedule is a little worrying. Putting together a strength of schedule chart earlier in the week, I noticed that the Colts have the hardest upcoming schedule in the league. Their next six games are against defenses allowing, on average, just over 2 TDs per game. That’s the lowest in the league. But it’s not as bad for rushing as passing. Two of those games are against Jacksonville, which currently ranks No. 1 against the pass but is bottom-10 against the run. I’ve got Mack on a team, and I’m going to hope I can continue to ride him.
Question 5
Based on what I saw in the Houston game, DeVante Parker looks like he can still get it done. Am I right to be interested in him for the rest of the way or is his strained relationship with management, his bad attitude, and questionable team too much to overcome?
Jason Brater (Ann Arbor, MI)
He looked very good against the Texans. Had the Dolphins wanted to move him, I’m sure there would have been teams that were interested. That they chose to keep him around tells me they’re still holding out a flicker of hope he might turn into something. I see him as a viable Week 9 fill in option. The Dolphins are playing at home, and they’re going against a Jets defense that has allowed multiple touchdown passes five weeks in a row. Kenny Stills (groin) hasn’t been practicing, so I’m assuming for now that he’s out. I just wish that Parker was a little bit more of a go-to option. They’ll play mostly three wide receivers, and I don’t think Parker is a whole bunch more likely to catch a touchdown than their other two wide receivers. Danny Amendola has caught a team-high 35 passes and has been a good red zone option. Jakeem Grant to me looks like a poor man’s version of Tyreek Hill; he’s scored 2 TDs on kick returns and is their best option on those cheap shovel pass plays that everyone is running nowadays. But I have no problem with you taking a flyer on Parker this week.
Question 6
Losing Fuller was a crushing blow. He was a perfect WR2 behind Adams in this league's TD-based scoring format (five points for over 100 yards receiving). There are some good options on the waiver wire: Baldwin, Ridley, T. Williams, Goodwin, Gabriel, M. Jones. How do you rank them in order?
Richard Weber (Fort Myers, FL)
Those are all nice options. Ridley has been catching a lot of touchdowns for Atlanta – benefitting, perhaps, from defenses being more worried about Julio Jones. I’d probably put Marvin Jones at the top of the list. With the Lions moving Golden Tate, I think that will translate into them using Jones and Kenny Golladay more.
Question 7
Is Ingram an ideal starting running back with Kamara doing well? Would you start him over Jalen Richard or an Alex Collins?
Dominic Tating ()
Richard is catching lots of passes, making him a nice option in PPR formats. But in general, I think Ingram is the best of those three backs. The Saints have relied more on Kamara the last two games, but I don’t think they’re kicking Ingram to the curb. I expect he’ll have plenty of good games for them. He doesn’t catch it like Kamara, but Ingram is also a dual-threat back. He averaged 26 receiving yards per game last year.
Question 8
Based on contracts, team systems, coaches, and talent, would you please evaluate these players for the next few years: TE J Doyle. WR: J Gordon, Callaway, Gabriel, RB: Hyde and Lewis. QB: L Jackson and Trubisky. A dynasty league with standard scoring.
mark meyer ()
Callaway looks like the best of those players. He’s got the measurables to develop into a No. 1 receiver. He’s just got to put in the work and get it down. He was open for a long touchdown against the Jets, but Tyrod Taylor underthrew it. I was putting together a goal-line receiving chart earlier in the week (posted on Wednesday) and noticed that he’s scored on 3 of his 5 targets inside the 10. That’s fine – he’s coming along. With your quarterbacks, they both are active runners, which tends to be richly rewarded in a lot of fantasy scoring systems. But neither has gotten over the hump yet as a passer. They’re missing too many throws. At Carolina, Lamar Jackson came in on a third down, had Willie Snead open, and threw the ball into the ground – those throws get a lot harder when he’s scrambling around, not setting his feet, and unsure whether he’s going to be running or passing.
Question 9
New w/ you folks: Wk 9 starters--Goff; Hill; Woods; Gurley; White; Burton; Zuerlein; Caroline-----Bench: Wilson; Kupp; Golladay; J. Brown; Thompson; Gostkowski. Week 12 problems, thought trading Kupp or Woods with Thompson for an equal WR and another RB. I just need some help before play offs. Yahoo Flex. Thanks Dennis
Dennis Burke (Mesa, AZ)
I would be nervous about giving away Kupp. He has a nice rapport with Goff in the red zone. I was tabulating stats for receiving inside the 10 on Thursday. Even though Kupp has missed about three and half games, he’s had as many targets in that part of the field (7) as Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods combined.