Ian Allan answers your fantasy football questions. In this edition. Shuffled backup running backs after the NFL trade deadline. Weighing the merits of George Pickens versus Kadarius Toney. What to do with Jonathan Taylor. And more.
Question 1
Which backup running back is more valuable for the rest of the season? Jeff Wilson or Elijah Mitchell?
Jason Minke (New London, MN)
Their situations were both clarified with that trade deadline deal with Miami. They’re both clean, clearly defined No. 2 backs now. (Mitchell has been out since Week 1 following a knee surgery, but I saw a story that indicates he’ll be practicing as they come out of their bye.) If either Christian McCaffrey or Raheem Mostert gets hurts, those guys will become starters and put up viable numbers. Neither of those backs has been very durable in the past. I would think Wilson has a slightly better chance of starting some games, while Mitchell perhaps just a little more upside should he get on the field. For fantasy purposes, two of the top half-dozen insurance-policy backup running backs in the league – similar to Alexander Mattison.
Question 2
Dynasty league. I have Mahomes. My receivers are Davante Adams and George Pickens. Would you replace Pickens with Kadarius Toney? Chiefs have a prolific offense plus better QB play.
Howie Fishman (Hermosa Beach, CA)
I understand the allure. Toney is a great talent – arguably or probably better than the receivers currently on that roster. If everything falls into place, maybe he develops into one of the key guys for Kansas City next year. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman are in contract years, while the team could move on from Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Second-rounder Skyy Moore hasn’t done much of anything. And as a bonus, Travis Kelce is 33. But Pickens isn’t chopped liver. He might be the best of the rookie receivers. He’s made two of the very most impressive catches of the season (the touchdown at Miami and the Beckham catch at Cleveland). And the Steelers just dished off Chase Claypool, cleaning up their receiving situation – pretty clear that Pickens, Diontae Johnson and Pat Freiermuth will be the main options for the foreseeable future. I like Pickens more than Toney.
Question 3
How will the situation in New England pan out with Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson for next year?
John Brower (Chapel Hill, NC)
Harris will be a free agent at the end of the season. I’m sure some team will sign him to be one of their ball carriers. You get a couple of guys like Harris, and you’ve got a serviceable backfield. But he’s not special. I don’t think anybody will break the bank for him. Cordarrelle Patterson and Rashaad Penny both signed contracts averaging just over $5 million last year. With the cap rising, I would think $4 million is the basement for Harris, with about $6 million the ceiling. Typically with backs like Harris, teams prefer to draft them, then move on to somebody else after four years.
Stevenson is better than Harris, I think. They seem pretty comparable as runners, but Stevenson offers a lot more as a pass catcher. He’ll be their starting heading into next year, with his rookie contract running through the 2024 season. If the Patriots can’t get Harris back at a price they like, they’ll move onto to other backups. They drafted a pair. They drafted Pierre Strong in the fourth round; I think they’re hoping he can develop into another Shane Vereen or James White. And they used a sixth-round pick on Kevin Harris, who’s currently on the practice squad. When I saw Kevin Harris in the preseason, I thought he looked a lot like Damien Harris – could be ready to move up the depth chart next year.
Question 4
With DEN on a bye, which DST would you pick up: GB (@ DET), CIN (vs CAR), MIA (@ CHI), or SEA (@ AZ)?
Dave Cole (Grand Blanc, MI)
I will take the Dolphins. Justin Fields has been playing better of late, but he still has issues with identifying where pressure is coming from. He’s taken at least 4 sacks in five of his last six games. He’s also fumbled 11 times (though he’s actually lost only 1 of them).
Question 5
Been Enjoying Your Work Since 1989. I think I'm done with Jonathan Taylor until AFTER he has a breakout game. I've been keeping him in my lineup, but because of injury and the Colts ineptness it's been virtually nada since week #1. It's killing me without anything close to his regular output. My other backs are all on bad teams, but not as bad as Indy -- Pierce, Etienne and Stevenson. Am I off base keeping him benched until he and the Colts can get their running game going?
Russell Pitts (Fallbrook, CA)
Thanks for being part of our fantasy football community for over 30 years; I appreciated. In regards to Taylor, I don’t think you’re going to have the choice. Taylor aggravated the ankle injury that sidelined him for two games. He hasn’t practiced the last two days, so I don’t think there’s any way he’ll be active on Sunday. They’ll be doing with Deon Jackson as their starter, probably with Phillip Lindsay or Zack Moss getting a few touches off the bench. Looking at the upcoming schedule, it’s looking pretty spartan for Taylor. They’ve got the Raiders next week; I imagine he’ll be iffy for that one – playing at less than full strength if he’s even active. Then they’ve got the Eagles, who should dominate the line of scrimmage. In Week 12 they’ll host Pittsburgh, which looks like a decent enough matchup, but then they’re down at Dallas. The Colts have a bye in Week 14.
Question 6
Back to the Jonathan Taylor topic. How much more patience should one have? If I can rid myself of him, who would be a good target at RB?
Sherif Elmazi (Hong Kong)
Houston has the worst run defense in the league – by far. Four different running backs (including Taylor) have had games with over 140 rushing yards against them. It hurts that Taylor’s second Houston game doesn’t come until Week 18 (in typical fantasy leagues, things are shut down at that time). He does, however, have a Week 16 game at home against the Chargers, who have been almost as bad defensive. If you still have Taylor at that time (and if he’s healthy) he could be a difference maker in that matchup. I expect it will be Deon Jackson starting in place of Taylor on Sunday, and Jackson might be the best back available on the waiver wire in a lot of leagues.
Question 7
Would you trade Cooper Kupp for Alvin Kamara and Terry McLaurin?
Jeff Hornstein (Miami, FL)
I think it makes some sense. Kupp suffered an ankle injury late in the San Francisco game. They say they’re hopeful it’s not too bad, but I don’t think it’s a given that Kupp is playing this week. And if he’s playing, it’s reasonable to wonder if he’ll be less effective than usual. He didn’t practice at all on Wednesday. And I’m not optimistic about that team in general – I don’t think they’re getting up off the canvas. Here you’ve got the opportunity to wash your hands of those issues, pivoting to Kamara and McLaurin. I would be inclined to grab that deal while it’s still available.
Question 8
I am 7-1 in my dynasty with IDP league thanks to FFI! I have been offered Sauce Gardner and a sixth-round pick for Chase Claypool. What do you think is his long-term potential with Fields? Do you think Gardner is the real deal? And on the other extreme, could he end up being too good that QBs avoid him and he doesn’t score well in fantasy?
David Jung (San Francisco, CA)
Gardner looks legit – like he’s going to become one of the league’s top half-dozen cover guys in short order. In the Green Bay game, he was all over Allen Lazard and Romeo Doubs – they couldn’t get open against him. But in typical IDP leagues, cornerbacks don’t really have any value. You’re better looking for safeties who rack up a bunch of tackles. So I would be inclined to stick with Claypool, hoping he can develop into Chicago’s leading receiver next year. I expect Darnell Mooney will be Chicago’s leading pass catcher for the duration of this season, but Claypool is a bigger, more talented receiver, and I imagine he’ll be a key part of their plans heading into next year.