Ian Allan answers your fantasy football questions. In this edition: What can be expected from Melvin Gordon? Jeff Wilson: goal-line back. Is it time to dump Antonio Brown? New England's long-range plan with Damien Harris. And just how good is Daniel Jones?
Question 1
So what do you do if Antonio Brown is on your bench – and you need slots on your bench for potential bye week starters? When should I decide to cut bait and drop him?
Eric Hachlinski (Bloomfield Hills, MI)
I would release him. Roster spots are valuable, and I would rather use one on a handcuff running back. Wayne Gallman, for example, was available in multiple leagues I’m competing in at least week. You stack a bunch of Gallman-type guys on your bench, and you’re eventually going to get some starts. I don’t think Antonio Brown will play again this year. With three different teams having gotten rid of him in the past half year, I don’t think there’s anybody else out there who would be willing to take him on. Maybe I’m wrong. Brown is an amazingly talented player. Drew Rosenhaus says multiple teams have been in contact with him. But I just don’t see it happening.
Question 2
In the rankings for Daniel Jones going forward, don't you think he is set up for fantasy gold going forward, considering the Giants bad defense and that he'll be playing catchup and prevent defenses in most games? That's not even counting his rushing ability as well. Your thoughts on him?
Brian Boyd (Williston, VT)
He had the nice debut, but he’s not a guy I would be excited to put on my roster. In a 12-team league, he’s a below-average second option, I think. He’ll take his lumps in a lot of games. And while he scooted into the end zone for 2 TDs in his first game, I don’t consider his mobility to be a notable strength. I imagine he’ll score a touchdown here and there, but I don’t expect he’ll be one of the top dozen rushing quarterbacks at the end of the season. He ran for 837 yards and 10 TDs in his final 24 games at Duke. There have been 30 quarterbacks selected with first-round picks in the last 10 years. Over half of them finished with more rushing production in their final college season. That’s using 6 points for touchdowns and 1 for every 10 yards. (And note that colleges and pros unfortunately handle sacks different – in college, sacks are scored as negative rushing plays.)
| FIRST-ROUND QB: COLLEGE RUSHING | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Yards | TD | Points |
| 2018 | Lamar Jackson, Balt. | 1,601 | 18 | 268.1 |
| 2011 | Cam Newton, Car. | 1,473 | 20 | 267.3 |
| 2010 | Tim Tebow, Den. | 910 | 14 | 175.0 |
| 2019 | Kyler Murray, Ariz. | 1,001 | 12 | 172.1 |
| 2015 | Marcus Mariota, Tenn. | 770 | 15 | 167.0 |
| 2014 | Johnny Manziel, Clev. | 759 | 9 | 129.9 |
| 2012 | Robert Griffin III, Wash. | 699 | 10 | 129.9 |
| 2017 | Deshaun Watson, Hou. | 629 | 9 | 116.9 |
| 2017 | Patrick Mahomes, K.C. | 285 | 12 | 100.5 |
| 2011 | Jake Locker, Tenn. | 385 | 6 | 74.5 |
| 2016 | Carson Wentz, Phil. | 294 | 6 | 65.4 |
| 2014 | Blake Bortles, Jac. | 272 | 6 | 63.2 |
| 2018 | Baker Mayfield, Clev. | 311 | 5 | 61.1 |
| 2017 | Mitchell Trubisky, Chi. | 308 | 5 | 60.8 |
| 2013 | EJ Manuel, Buff. | 310 | 4 | 55.0 |
| 2012 | Ryan Tannehill, Mia. | 306 | 4 | 54.6 |
| 2011 | Blaine Gabbert, Jac. | 232 | 5 | 53.2 |
| 2019 | Daniel Jones, NYG | 325 | 3 | 50.5 |
| 2018 | Josh Allen, Buff. | 204 | 5 | 50.4 |
| 2011 | Christian Ponder, Minn. | 180 | 4 | 42.0 |
| 2018 | Sam Darnold, NYJ | 82 | 5 | 38.2 |
| 2016 | Paxton Lynch, Den. | 239 | 2 | 35.9 |
| 2019 | Dwayne Haskins, Wash. | 108 | 4 | 34.8 |
| 2012 | Andrew Luck, Ind. | 150 | 2 | 27.0 |
| 2015 | Jameis Winston, T.B. | 65 | 3 | 24.5 |
| 2014 | Teddy Bridgewater, Minn. | 78 | 1 | 13.8 |
| 2018 | Josh Rosen, Ariz. | -97 | 2 | 2.3 |
| 2016 | Jared Goff, LAR | -8 | 0 | -.8 |
| 2010 | Sam Bradford, St.L. | -18 | 0 | -1.8 |
| 2012 | Brandon Weeden, Clev. | -102 | 1 | -4.2 |
Question 3
I picked up Jeff Wilson on waivers two weeks ago. Your thoughts on how the return of Tevin Coleman will effect his goal-line carries going forward?
John Brower (Chapel Hill, NC)
Wilson has been San Francisco’s primary goal-line back the last two weeks. They’ve had 7 running plays inside the 6-yard line, and he’s carried it on all but one of them, scoring 3 TDs and generally being effective (4, 2, 4, 0, 1 and 4 yards – that’s very good for goal-line work). They’ve used Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert for most of their other tailback work, and then they’ve brought in Wilson to punch in the touchdowns. He hasn’t been so awesome in that part of the field, however, that I’m confident he’ll continue to hold that role for the final 14 weeks. They’ve got Tevin Coleman coming back, maybe even for their next game, and I think he’s probably the frontrunner for those carries in the final three months of the season. They’ve got Breida and Mostert. It would be unusual if all four were active for games; most teams don’t dress four tailbacks. And Wilson is definitely the fourth guy. He didn’t make the team originally, recall; he was added to the roster after Coleman sprained his ankle. As I was looking into this, I notice that Wilson’s size varies at different spots of the internet. At the team’s website and in the NFL Record and Fact book, he is listed at 6-0 and 194 – a relatively small back. That’s the size he was listed at coming out of North Texas. But NFL.com has him listed at 6-0 and 213, so some chance he’s put on close to 20 pounds. I just glanced at the highlights of him scoring against Pittsburgh, and I can’t tell which is accurate. Mostert (5-10, 197) and Breida (5-10, 190) are smaller backs. Coleman (6-1, 210) doesn’t have an idea build for running between the tackles either – he weighs more but is taller (built more like a wide receiver). For the remainder of the season, I think we’ll see Coleman or Wilson scoring most of the short rushing touchdowns.
Question 4
Does the recent re-drafter reflect that Melvin Gordon is potentially playing in week 5? I know it wasn't official yet, but would he project higher than Kerryon Johnson going forward?
Bill Petilli (Harrison, NY)
Gordon showed up at the team facility today. He won’t play at Miami. I imagine he’ll play in some capacity in Week 5, and then move into more of his usual role in Week 6. When the next redrafter comes out, he’ll be listed as one of the top 10 running backs.
Question 5
What do you believe the plan is for Damien Harris? I have him in a league where rookies picked late in the draft and kept on the fantasy roster have value for 3 years.
TOM LAUER (Holts Summit, MO)
He seems to be redshirting for now. He hasn’t been active for any games. But I wouldn’t be thinking about giving up on him. He seemed to be running just fine in the preseason, punching out 88 yards on 16 carries – that’s 5.5 per attempt. You’ve got him signed for 45 more games, and I imagine he’ll be productive in a lot of those games. He could become their primary rusher and short-yardage goal-line back at some point. I assume he’s working on his game and waiting his turn. Sony Michel has had a lot of knee issues, and Rex Burkhead has had problems staying healthy.
Question 6
Are there any players from the first few weeks you've seen that you or we should be targeting to trade for?
Brian Boyd (Williston, VT)
Running back is a demanding position. Guys get hurt – most recently Saquon Barkley. So as we enter the bye weeks, with more fantasy teams adjusting their rosters to acquire fill-ins and replacements, we should be keeping our eyes open for handcuff backs who are an injury away from being relevant players. Jaylen Samuels, Chase Edmonds, Gus Edwards, Giovani Bernard, Jordan Wilkins and Ty Montgomery, for example, to me look like players with a good chance of starting some games.
Question 7
With Damien Williams out, and little information on when he's due back, I'm looking for a backup RB with some upside in a TD-heavy League. I could pick up Darrel Williams off waivers or choose from Mostert, Jeff Wilson, or Burkhead who are also available. Mostert and Wilson will get their bye out of the way this week and Burkhead seems to be outplaying Michel with the Patriots, but is due to get injured soon. Should I figure one of the Williams backs will emerge as the lead guy in Kansas City, and outplay McCoy for the rest of the season?
Drew Paterson (Ferndale, WA)
Burkhead is playing really well. He’s more versatile than Michel – a much better pass catcher. In the unlikely event that something happens to James White, than Burkhead becomes that guy in the New England offense, probably putting up the best receiving numbers of any running back in the league. And he’s got some running ability; he was their goal-line back a few years ago. You mention TD-heavy, so Jeff Wilson needs to be part of the discussion. The 49ers have had 7 rushing plays inside the 6-yard line the last two weeks, and he’s handled the ball on all but one of them. He’s a bigger, more rugged banger than either Breida or Mostert. But Kyle Shanahan says Tevin Coleman might return to practice next week, and he could be considered for some of those carries. Darrel Williams surprised me on Sunday. Darwin Thompson played really well in the preseason, so I figured that Thompson was their third back. But Williams played really well in the second half of that Ravens game, not only as a runner but also catching 5 passes. He definitely should be rostered, with McCoy being an older back with a bad ankle, and Damien Williams having not been able to get things going yet.
Question 8
Would you start Sony Michel or Miles Sanders Week 4?
Dominic Tating ()
Probably not. Michel doesn’t catch the ball at all (a considerable flaw in his game) so I would want to use him only in layup type games where I was confident the Patriots would be winning easily, marching the ball up and down the field and scoring touchdowns. If you play him, it’s with the hope he’ll score on a 1- or 2-yard touchdown. I don’t think that’s the case this week at Buffalo. Sanders has struggled thus far but at least came on some Sunday against the Lions; they snuck him downfield for a couple of long completions. They want him to be their main back, so they’ve been starting him every week. Green Bay’s defense has been very good, but I was surprised how much success Denver had running against them on Sunday, with the Lindsay-Freeman combo platter putting up 149 yards and 2 TDs.
Question 9
What are your thoughts of trading Baker Mayfield for either Devonta Freeman or David Montgomery? It's PPR and I have Brady at QB, with Mixon, Kerryon Johnson, Gore, and a bunch of handcuffs as RBs.
JOHN LESJACK (Freedom, PA)
Running back is the more coveted position, so I would rather have Freeman or Montgomery. I don’t think either can be called a franchise-type every-week running back, but both are capable of having some very good stretches left this year. They’re both definitely going to have some productive games. Mayfield may get things turned around at some point, but you see to have the quarterback position handled.
Question 10
I was offered Kelce and Golladay for Hopkins and Lindsay in a ppr league. My other RBs are Cook, Carson, Jones, Williams and Singletary. WRs are Adams, Boyd, Watkins, Samuel. Andrews is my TE.
Nicholas Heuton (Carroll, IA)
You’ve already got Andrews at tight end. What happens to him if Kelce is added to the roster? On my board, I have the Hopkins-Lindsay pair scoring about 27 more points than Kelce-Golladay in the final 14 weeks of the season.