Ian Allan answers your fantasy football questions. Special George Pickens edition. What the heck is wrong with Pittsburgh's receiver? An outside-the-box idea for a new Redrafter. Taysom Hill is a QB and a TE. Roster adjustments. And more.
Question 1
Is George Pickens going to be a non-factor now that Diontae Johnson is back? The first week Johnson was back Pickens caught 5 passes, but the last two weeks a total of 4 receptions for 21 yards, only salvaged by a TD.
John Ruppe (Fort Myers, FL)
Pickens also had a near-touchdown against the Titans, neglecting to tap his second foot down in the end zone. He’s a playmaker. He’ll catch some long balls, and he’ll be their primary guy in the red zone. He’s caught 3 of their 7 TD passes, and he’s averaged at least 18.8 yards per catch in over half of his games. I don’t think you should be giving up on Pickens.
Question 2
In a TD-dependent Dynasty league and have George Pickens. Have exercised patience due to his talent and waiting on Pickett/Canada to make plays. However, Christian Watson is available so thinking of cutting Pickens for him. Love has twice as many TD scores than Pickett though concern is Watson’s nagging injuries. Thoughts?
Howie Fishman (Hermosa Beach, CA)
I would play the squeaky wheel angle this week. George Pickens has been underused the last two weeks, and I think they’ll make an effort to get him the ball. He’s been grumbling. Watson, meanwhile, got knocked out of the Rams game. I expected he’ll play, but I don’t think he’ll be 100 percent healthy. That’s the short-term view. I see the word “Dynasty” in the question and am wondering why both of these guys aren’t rosters. They’re both second-year players, and they’ve both shown signs of being really good players for a long time. If we were going a startup draft, I would think they’d both be among the first 20 wide receivers picked.
Question 3
Why not rank the Redrafter by averages per game? The explanation that to rank those with byes a little higher or lower is very confusing and doesn’t allow us to make decisions on players that are ranked close Together - this is significant with trades and guillotine leagues.
Peter Wohler (Minneapolis, MN)
I think a lot more people are interested in looking at a listing of the players that factors in both per-game production and the amount of time they’ll spend on the field. But it's possible for you to look at a Wohler version of the Redrafter. Each week there’s an Excel file that goes out with the Redrafter, with projected stats for all of the relevant categories. Those are audited and adjusted each week. In that Excel file, there are three tabs. One that shows per-game projections, one that shows totals for the remaining games, and one that shows totals if the player were to perform in his usual role for 17 games (basically, the first tab with every number multiplied by 17). You can open that Excel file, click on the first tab, and re-order the players by projected per game points. I’ve got it in front of me, and I can share the first notable names/changes at each position. At quarterback, I see Jacoby Brissett as the 16th quarterback, and I see Jaren Hall at 19th. (Those guys, after all, would be really good if they happened to get on the field.) At running back, I see Kyren Williams (who’s hurt and coming back in Week 12) as the No. 9 back. Zach Charbonnet is 13th , Elijah Mitchell is 15th, Tank Bigsby is 20th and Tyjae Spears is 23rd. I don’t see anything too crazy at tight end or wide receiver.
Question 4
Why is Taysom Hill the 3rd-rated TE this week? Isn’t Carr starting?
Anthony Beard (Cleveland, OH)
A few readers have pointed out that Hill is eligible to be used as a tight end in their league. Hill is a quarterback on the team’s roster, but he was a tight end last year, and some league services are leaving him eligible at that spot. With that mind, I’m making more of an effort to double list Hill. He appears on the list of quarterbacks (down there with the lowest-ranked starters). But I’m trying to also plug those projected numbers in an alternate Taysom who appears in the tight end list (the projected stats are the same at each spot).
Question 5
Crunch time with 4 weeks left. 1 game out of the playoffs (started 0-3 thanks to Joshua Kelley rank), but should I stay the course with a loaded lineup? Who is a realistic upgrade that I should target in Half PPR? Feels like Walker should be moved with Achane due to return but he plays Washington this week. QB: Mahomes, Geno (for Mahomes bye), RB: CMC, Walker, Pacheco, Achane, Henderson, Singletary WR: Diggs, Aiyuk, Watson, J.Williams, Osborn TE: Goedert (Heading to IR spot), Schultz
Mitchell Ross (Westport, CT)
Sean McVay says Kyren Williams will be back in Week 12, so Henderson can go. K.J. Osborn as well. He’s not playing this week, and it looks like Justin Jefferson will be coming back. If there’s something cool on the waiver wire, I also wouldn’t be opposed to giving up on the Jameson Williams project. In general, I would be looking to make minor tweaks via the waiver wire rather than trying to put together some kind of blockbuster trade.
Question 6
I'm 7-1 and 6-2 in my leagues this year. Mostly drafted right off your cheat sheets so thank you FFI. My question is do you not mess with a good thing? It's hard to find anyone that would be better than the ones I already have. Good record means I'm last in waiver wire order.
Patrick LaMendola (Penfield, NY)
If you're winning 75-plus percent of your games, I wouldn't mess with that much. Looks like you've got yourself a couple of contenders. Good luck.
Question 7
Thinking about starting TE Dalton Kincaid over PPR league, 1 point per catch, 1 for every 25 yds. Considering starting Dalton Kincaid over Mike Evans in Week 10. I have LaPorta, Lamb and Allen going already, think Kincaid offers more upside vs Broncos. The custom scoring on your site shows a push between the two. What do you think? Would rarely consider a TE over a WR, but Kincaid is the real deal.
Scott MacDoniels (Chesterfield, MO)
Kincaid is catching a ton of balls right now, so it can be considered. (But Evans isn't chopped liver either, as the projected stats indicate.) Good luck.