Ian Allan answers your fantasy football questions. In this edition: Whatever happened to Marvin Harrison? Is now the perfect time to unload Mark Andrews? Holding out hope for J.J. McCarthy. And more.

Question 1

What is your take on Mark Andrews? Is he a sell high candidate with Isaiah Likely coming back? Or a guy you just roll the dice with? The owner of Zach Ertz has put him on the trade market. Ertz seems like a good guy to have in that offense when Daniels comes back especially. The 1 catch for 5 yard games from Andrews is concerning for me.

Brian Boyd (Maple Grove, MN)

There will be some miss games with Andrews, no doubt. But there’s a rapport between him and Lamar Jackson in the red zone that’s awfully appealing. When those two have both been playing over the years, Jackson has thrown 160 touchdowns, and Andrews has caught 46 of them. I think that’s still in place. He had the 2 TDs on Monday night, and I saw an end zone flip headed his way in the Cleveland game. Jackson looks like he might throw 40 touchdowns, and Andrews could catch about 10 of them. Andrews is at 2 of 9 so far. He caught 11 of the 41 last year, and he caught 11 of the 41 Jackson threw in the 2022-23 seasons.

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Question 2

What is wrong with Marvin Harrison Jr.? He doesn’t even look anything like the player he was in college dropping a crucial routine catch. Seems safe to label as an early bust at this point, certainly relative to Nabers. It’s almost like he has the yips, but I wonder how much is to blame on the OC and Kyler’s limitations from the pocket (certainly was on MHJ this week). Don’t even know if anyone would want to trade for him or if there is hope for him to turn it around in any meaningful way.

Mitchell Ross (Westport, CT)

The drop at San Francisco was remarkable. And there was a similar drop or two his rookie year (one at Buffalo, and I can’t which of his other 4 drops that year was of the clunker variety). You have to worry about his confidence right now. I think back to him playing his final game against Michigan, coming up with a downfield catch despite blatant pass interference; he’s not that guy right now. Harrison isn’t fast; that’s not going to change. He’s not making contested catches; perhaps there will be some improvement in that area. He doesn’t seem to have much of a rapport with Kyler Murray, but I’m not sure which guy is more at fault. Harrison was selected with a top-5 pick, creating the expectation he’d be a Chase-Jefferson-Julio kind of guy. The next Larry Fitzgerald. That’s not happening. With his first 20 pro games in the book, he’s been below-average in comparison with other wide receivers selected with top 10 picks. Not a disaster, though. After 20 games, he’s trailing Fitzgerald by 13 catches, 121 yards and 1 touchdown. I expect Harrison will round into form, becoming an above-average starting receiver, but I don’t think he’s ever going to be one of the top dozen at his position.

Statistics compiled using search tools at Pro-Football-Reference.com

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Question 3

James Conner wasn't that high on the last "Redrafter". Was that more because he was in a 60/40 committee, and do you envision Benson as more of an every-down back now, which could raise his value over what Conner was listed at?

Robert Cummings (Los Angeles, CA)

Exactly. It was a one-two punch with Conner. Now we’re more likely to see Benson in the kind of role that Conner has filled in the past. Benson’s numbers should be significantly better than what Conner was going to do. There is the slight issue, on the other hand, of the ground game so far not being nearly as good as in previous seasons. They’ve got to get that figured out. They lost their OL coach, Klayton Adams, which could be a contributing factor. With Adams, they ranked 4th and 7th in rushing; now they’ve dropped to 16th. Adams’ new team, on the other hand, is now running the ball a lot better, with Javonte Williams looking like a real back again.

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Question 4

TD-dependent Dynasty league question relating to my QB situation (no bench players). I drafted J.J. McCarthy who promptly got hurt but also looked lost for his short stint as starter. I used an IR move on and picked up Daniel Jones as a replacement. Jones stays as my QB pending J.J. returning. I have the option then of keeping Jones or J.J. With that said, I can also cut both J.J. and Jones and grab Jaxson Dart (assuming he finally starts). What do you feel is the best QB direction to go to?

Howie Fishman (Venice, FL)

I started to jot out an answer about keeping the bird in hand (Danny Dimes) rather than trying to pivot to a youngster in hopes of him becoming what you already have. Then I re-read the question and saw the word “dynasty”. I believe in Kevin O’Connell, and I love that Jefferson-Addison receiver combo. I believe O’Connell will get McCarthy up and running. I’m confident that McCarthy will be looking real nice heading into the 2026 season. I will take that over Jones (who should be better this season). With Dart, I expect he’ll be taking some lumps this year, with a new coach coming in January.

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Question 5

When is Tyjae Spears due back from injury? Do you think he is worth picking up?

Jerry Grafton (Ford City, PA)

He’s eligible to return on Monday, and I expect that will happen. He suffered a high-ankle sprain on August 9, so he should be about ready. He’ll be the No. 2 back in Tennessee, operating as a change of pace. I doubt that Tony Pollard will last the entire season, so I expect Spears will be starting a few games at some point. Less upside, however, than most other No. 2 back. If and when the Pollard injury occurs, Spears won’t generate the same anticipation we’re seeing now from Trey Benson. On the list of backup running backs, I’m more interested in the high-upside guys – Blake Corum, Brian Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Bhayshul Tuten.

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Question 6

In my dynasty league someone offered me Baker Mayfield and Brian Thomas for DJ Moore, Tucker Kraft, a 2027 2nd Rd pick, and 2028 1st Rd pick. My other tight end is Kincaid and I’m a Burrow owner. Is Brian Thomas still an elite dynasty prospect?

Graham Ginn (Ocean View, NJ)

There’s too many significant pieces on the scale here to make a meaningful guess. Mayfield is playing good ball right now. Kraft is an up-and-coming tight end. And there’s a future first-round pick (if the league is still operating in 2028). Thomas has shown he can be a true No. 1 wide receiver. He caught 41 passes in his final five games last year. And double-digit touchdowns. He was good enough late last year, that I expect they’ll figure out a way to get him back on track.

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Question 7

Montgomery or Benson? Monte really came through for me last week but the Browns DEF has been tough. Both are ranked similarly with Benson just a bit higher in both my custom and tour standard scoring. TD heavy league with yardage bonuses not starting until 50 yards.

David Hogshire (Plymouth, MN)

I think you've got it scoped out about right. Montgomery more proven, but playing against a really good defense. (On the other hand, when Cleveland had a similarly awesome defense two years ago, it was never quite as great on the road.) Benson more of a full-time back, but Cardinals haven't quite got their ground game dialed in yet. This is one of those red zone situations where you've going to have to stand in the pocket and make a throw. Keep in mind with these tight, 50-50 type decisions, that you'll be missing on about half of them. That's the curse of having a good team; there are far more weeks where you're left second-guessing lineup decisions. You'd be better off mentally if you released one of those backs, replacing him with Rico Dowdle. Then there would be no regrets on Monday.

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Question 8

Fed up, Dynasty 6 potential keeper for a fee...i traded for Marvin Harrison Jr before season and drafted Ashton Jeanty #1 overall... They are killing ne. 1-2 on season...Is it time to cut bait, both their offenses and coaches suck. Offered them to another team for Trey Benson and JSN

Cal Hoskison (Houston, TX)

I'm in for Smith-Njigba for Harrison-Enigma. But I would be inclined to hold out up that Jeanty will come around, having a better career than Benson. (I guess if we're bundling players, Benson-JSN would slot ahead of Jeanty-Harrison.)

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Question 9

Is it just me or are field goals more prevalent on these European games? Seems like the long road trip or neutral site or whatever has resulted in kicker friendly games.

Matt Morse (Glennallen, AK)

I like the theory. These are the kind of angles we can exploit as we try to find every little edge for our franchises. Not, however, supported by any real-life data. There have been 25 games played in England in the last 10 years. The 50 kickers in those games averaged 7.0 points. That’s actually a tenth less than games played in the U.S. of A. Of those 50 playing across the pond, I see 12 scoring double-digit points (I’ve got them in bold). But I see 22 scoring 5 points or less (black dots).

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