Ian Allan answers your fantasy football questions. In this edition. What to make of Keaton Mitchell? Is it time to cut Tony Pollard loose? Putting the kibosh on streaming defenses. Trading away Justin Herbert. And more.
Question 1
Am I crazy? I'm in a keeper league with 4 slots for RBs. I have Pollard, Montgomery, Gibbs, Keaton Mitchell and now a returning Achane. I'm on the playoff bubble so I'm trying to win now, but am also thinking longer term. I've floated Pollard on the trade wire but no offers. I'm actually considering dropping him to see what I have in Mitchell - am I nuts for even considering this?
Sean Herman (Maple Ridge, BC)
Yes, you are crazy. The Dallas offense seems to be catching fire, and Pollard is definitely the starting running back there. He’s probably going to be your top back. I would not only keep him around, I would start him this week at Carolina. Keaton Mitchell, I guess, is the guy who gets chopped. I sure like that long touchdown last week against Cleveland; I don’t think most backs get outside and make that happen. But the Ravens have a bunch of other backs, and Gus Edwards is definitely the guy they like at the goal line. But I think you’re other four guys are better.
Question 2
I'm 4-5 in my 1-point PPR Auction Keeper League. Right now, I find myself RB heavy (Henry, Montgomery, Brian Robinson, Pacheco, Achane & Charbonnet) and WR "light" (Waddle, Pickens, Rice & Doubs). I'd like to swing a 2-for-1 trade after the Week 10 Bye since I've got 5 guys off this week. With Achane due to come off IR in Week 11, I'm going to have to drop an RB pending the aforementioned trade. What might be some reasonable proposals I can make next week to get myself another WR or TE (I already have Hockenson)?
Bryan Teegardin (Rochester, NY)
I think you’re set at tight end. With the way Joshua Dobbs has been peppering Hockenson, you don’t want to mess with that – there’s a connection there. And I wouldn’t want to get rid of Rashee Rice. He’s the top wide receiver in Kansas City, and I will continue to hold out hope he might develop into something special. How about Tee Higgins. He’s out with the hamstring injury, perhaps lowering his price tag. If he gets that leg right, he might be a top-15 receiver for the duration. Or maybe someone from those three NFC South contenders; they all have really easy closing schedules.
Question 3
In order to evaluate who REALLY is pretty good and/or lucky in fantasy football, do you prefer a longer draft (20-30 rounds) with no pickups or a shorter draft (16 rounds) with multiple pickups each week via the waiver wire? I ask because it seems most guys drop at least 6 or more players from their original draft of 16 or 18 and then play the waiver wire game. Especially Kickers and Defenses which I'd love to get rid of in our leagues. Any thoughts on this? And if you are the top team, you get the last waiver wire pickup which can be rough. I think you might be siding with going to an auction with waiver wire pickup and that might be something to try but I'm definitely open to hearing any suggestions. You can be in first place the first 2-3 weeks but this can definitely make the last place team much stronger going 1-1 or 0-2 if they have first pick in waivers.
Mike Gola (Trenton, NJ)
I don’t want a 30-round draft. I don’t have any friends I want to spend that much time with. And I think the waiver wire is a great part of the game, with everyone mulling over possible moves each week. If you want to dial back the amount of movement at the kicker and defense positions, with guys constantly being shuffled as owners try to play matchups, perhaps require each team to carry two players at each of those positions. That will greatly reduce the number available on the waiver wire, making it harder to play the streaming game.
Question 4
Now that CJ Stroud is in the MVP race, it’s time to rank his receivers (a few which might be still available). So for the stretch run, who do you think emerges as the most reliable between Dell, Collins and Brown, or is it too close to call? Thanks!
Robert Cummings (Los Angeles, CA)
I like Dell. He’s caught 6 passes in back-to-back games. With Collins, he’s cooled off, with 3-4 catches in four straight games. Early in the season, he had a couple of 7-catch games, where he was looking like a top-10 receivers, but it’s been over a month since we’ve seen that guy. And the calf injury scares me. Joe Burrow had problems with his calf, and I would think it’s physically harder to play wide receiver than quarterback. I’m not sure exactly what to make of Noah Brown. He was mostly a special teams player in his five years with Dallas. Now he’s caught 13 passes for 325 yards and a touchdown in two games? I will put him ahead of Robert Woods, but I’m not ready yet to move him higher.
Question 5
I read how the defenses are ahead of the of the offenses this year and that's why scoring is down. Then I read about all the #2 and rookie QB's starting throughout the league. Hmmm?
John Ruppe (Fort Myers, FL)
I don’t think that’s it. Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Patrick Mahomes. Those guys are putting up the kind of numbers you would expect.
Question 6
You have helped me in the past so here is another quick question, full PPR, who do you like going forward, Ridley or M Brown? Thanks for you help.
John Lesjack (Freedom, PA)
Hollywood Brown was disappointing on Sunday in his first game with Kyler Murray, with just 1 catch for 28 yards (3 other incompletions thrown his way). But that was a good combo last year, with Brown going for 6-plus catches in five of his seven games (with Murray). They’re running a new offense now, but I expect they’ll get it going. He’s definitely the best wide receiver there. They’ve got a Houston defense Sunday that’s given up a lot of passing production.
Question 7
I'm tied for 1st in my league. I have been offered Justin Jefferson for Puka, but we our keeper rule is any 3 players drafted after the 7th round can be kept. I took Puka in the 15th and would lose that pick next season. They are fairly close in the re-drafter for the rest of season points so I am hesitant to do it. What do you think?
RAYMOND HOEGEN (Danville, NH)
I would probably keep Puka. It would be tough finding three good keepers taken after the seventh round. Puka is definitely one of those guys. I think he’s going to be one of the first 20 wide receivers drafted next year. He might be as good as Jefferson for the remainder of this season. Jefferson might not play this week and has a bye in Week 13. Puka will be on the no-fly list in Weeks 13-14 (Browns, Ravens). I guess it might come down to whether you think there’s a key week where Jefferson might put you over the top. Nacua in Week 15 is at home against Washington; I sure like him in that one.
Question 8
Thanks for all you do. You guys (including Andy, Murillo, and any behind the scenes staff) not only have great info, you initiate great convo’s among your readers. Anyway, looking ahead to the “Return of JJ” (no, not a Good Times reboot), I’ll need to drop a player to activate him. I was fortunate enough to pick up Addison to replace him, so my dilemma is, do I drop Addison, or do I drop Ridley? Of course I’m not dropping either one until it’s clear that JJ will be back starting. Thanks for any thoughts you have on this.
Robert Cummings (Los Angeles, CA)
Thanks for the kind words. It would be weird to drop a player who’s scored 7 TDs, but Addison is the guy I would chop. He caught all of those touchdowns when Cousins was at quarterback. While Dobbs is the feel-good story of the season and has pulled out back-to-back games, he hasn’t connected much with his wide receivers. He seems to have a strong comfort level with T.J. Hockenson. Addison in two games with Dobbs has caught 8 passes for 121 yards, with no touchdowns. That was as their No. 1 guy. Now he’s moving down to more of a complementary role, playing third fiddle behind Jefferson-Hockenson (or perhaps Hockenson-Jefferson). I would rather cast my lot with the hope the Jaguars can get their crap together.
Question 9
Subscriber since 1989 and a HUGE Niners fan. 4-player keeper league with 10 teams, mostly scoring with some yardage. I have both Purdy and Herbert. I'm thinking of trading Herbert for either a stud WR or #1 or #2 draft pick, a 3rd at least. My WR's are all in crap offenses or have been injured (Adams, Higgins, Watson). I'm done with them. I'm thinking keep Purdy, get value for Herbert, and protect RBs Taylor, Walker and Robinson for 2024. My rationale besides being a Niners fan is Keenan Allen is old and injury prone (as is Williams), and I generally don't trust the Chargers to provide Herbert enough help. Quentin Johnston looks shaky. Purdy has a lower ceiling, but is pretty steady and SF is a better organization. Purdy also reminds me a bit of Drew Brees. Your thoughts?
Russell Pitts (Fallbrook, CA)
You sound like a clever, outside-the-box owner. Herbert just threw 4 TDs, so now could be a good time to move him. I would think you’ll be able to find somebody who’ll be interested in taking him on, figuring he’ll be their quarterback for years.
Question 10
I need a deep dive for a TE. I'm using Tremble out of desperation. 20 team league with over 40 TEs rostered. Slim pickens but I'm hoping you have some advice other than dude, you're screwed.
David Hogshire (Plymouth, MN)
If you’re taking the top 40 tight ends off the board than I suppose I would look first at Tanner Hudson. He’s caught 10 passes in his last two games. I think he’s the tight end in Cincinnati now. I think they like him more than Irv Smith. So it's either Hudson, or it's wait until the injury report comes out on Friday, hoping somebody gets hurt or suspended.