Ian Allan answers your fantasy football questions. In this edition. Will a shift to a rookie quarterback derail Miami's passing game? Players to pick up in dynasty leagues. Can Sam Darnold be trusted in a starting lineup? And more.
Question 1
How much are you downgrading Waddle after Tua’s benching and announcement they are starting Quinn Ewers?
Rich Nadler (Aurora, IL)
Who said I was downgrading him? I wonder if the offense might be BETTER with Ewers at quarterback. Maybe he gives them a spark of sorts. He’s bigger and more mobile, and with a stronger arm. (Admittedly, that sounds strange, with Ewers have below-average size, arm strength and mobility, but he’s well above Tua in all of those categories.) There’s a Ewers Highlights Package on YouTube. Look at the downfield connection to Dee Eskridge at Cleveland. Tua can’t make that throw. And look at all the inside throws from the preseason. He’s pushing the ball a little further downfield than Tua does. Not to suggest he’s going to light things up or that we all should be expecting a big uptick from Waddle. But if you were planning on Monday to start Waddle, I think you should still be starting Waddle. (I’m in this group, in fact; I’m in a league where I used my first three picks on running backs.) I don’t imagine they’ll be asking Ewers to do a ton. They’ve really got their running game rolling right now, and I expect they’ll be sticking to that approach. Prior to the Monday night meltdown, they had run for 164-plus yards in four straight games. Tua passed for fewer than 175 yards in all four of those games. Ewers can do that. They’re playing the Bengals this week, who rank last against the run. I imagine we’ll be seeing huge rushing numbers from DeVon Achane, and Ewers will be mixing in some completions. They’ll keep it easy on him, I think. Tua was good at lobbing up high throws for Darren Waller in the red zone. Perhaps that changes some. But Ewers has more ability to get outside the pocket, buying time to wait for somebody to get open. Maybe Malik Washington gets downfield a little. I would say passing game will be a little different but not necessary worse.
Question 2
I ask you the same question every year. I'm in numerous leagues where we keep about a dozen players – most of our team, just as in the NFL. That means we can carry a player we believe in while they develop. Are there any players likely available for a last minute pickup that you think have a high potential to become week-in and week-out fantasy starter? I'm looking at players like Shough, P.Bryant, A.Mitchell, Dike, Coker, Vele, Flournoy, Tre Harris, P.Washington, and I.Bond. With your help I have 4 teams in the final four of their respective leagues.
JOHN BENNETT (Chino, CA)
“High potential to become a week-in and week-out fantasy starter.” That’s a high bar. Pretty much all those guys are already on rosters, right? But Bryant makes a lot of sense. He’s had a decent rookie season, catching 12 passes in his last two and half games before suffering a hamstring injury. I think it’s possibly that a year from now, he’ll be Denver’s leading receiver. Similarly, Tre Harris seems to be on schedule. He’s been playing plenty the last two months. I would think that when the Chargers come back next year, Keenan Allen will be gone, and Harris will be a more notable piece of that offense, possibly outperforming Quentin Johnston. The Raiders drafted Jack Bech in the same range as Harris and Bryant. They’re looking at him more in these final games. He could be a starter for them next year (but I think we’re thinking about a different coach, offense and quarterback, making the crystal ball pretty murky). Shough has played well enough that I expect he’ll be starting for the Saints next year. Isaiah Bond has shown the ability to get downfield, with 52-, 47- and 42-yard receptions in his last three games. I would guess he’ll be a second or third receiver for the Browns next year. For whatever that’s worth. Kaleb Johnson has hardly played for the Steelers, but he’ll possibly lead them in rushing next year. Joe Mixon is 29 years old, with an unspecified injury that has kept him out all year. He possibly will re-surface as a starting running back. There are a couple of second-round tight ends who haven’t done much but have a lot of talent – Terrance Ferguson and Elijah Arroyo. They seem like guys who should be rostered. Tank Dell had a really good rookie season; he’ll be back. But the Texans are overstocked with other wide receivers. Injured running backs to perhaps consider, in approximate order: Cam Skattebo, Trey Benson, James Conner, Kendre Miller, Najee Harris, Jonathan Brooks.
Question 3
Baker Mayfield, CJ Stroud or Sam Darnold at QB?
Jorge Gonzalez (Miami, FL)
I would not start Darnold. I think the Rams have to have a good feel for how to rattle him. They harassed him into 4 interceptions in the earlier meeting, and they went 2-0 against him last year, with the 9-sack game in the playoffs. Seattle’s offensive line hasn’t been playing well, and they’ll be going without their left tackle. Stroud, I think, is your guy. The Texans seem to be heating up. He went for 260 yards and 3 TDs against the Cardinals last week. They’ve got another lesser opponent on Sunday, and again at home, where they play better. No, Mayfield is getting his working his receivers back in. But I don’t like the way he’s been playing. The whole team, really. He’s passed for fewer than 200 yards in five of his last seven games. He went for 194 yards and a touchdown against that Arizona defense that Stroud ripped up. He somehow passed for 122 yards in a home game against the Saints. He went for 277 against Atlanta, but with 5 sacks.
Question 4
It's semifinals this week, and I think Rashee Rice isn't a good start w/o Mahomes but my options are Justin Jefferson, Rashid Shaheed and Jaylen Warren. Idk what to think about Jefferson anymore but it's the Giants. I finally gave up on Lamar and started Brissett over him the last 2 weeks and it's working. Do I do the same w JJ and just go Rice (hoping Minshew throws his way underneath a lot) and Warren (who also is on a downward spiral)? Or gamble on Shaheed and pair him w my WR1 JSN?
Edward Shin (Tustin, CA)
Rice is in the concussion protocol; he didn’t practice Wednesday. I’m not confident he’ll be playing. If he is, I would want him in my lineup, figuring he’ll be catching some short balls underneath. He has some similarities to Michael Pittman, and I remember Pittman playing well with Minshew Mania in Indianapolis. Shaheed has heated up recently, with a kickoff return touchdown at Atlanta, three key plays on the game-winning drive Sunday – a kickoff return and 2 catches. He was open for a touchdown in the earlier Rams game, but the throw was short and intercepted. I wouldn’t start him. I would think Jefferson. He’s had a dreadful year, but he’s still a supremely talented guy, and I would think they’re very interested in getting the ball in his hands. They’ve got a friendly opponent this year (the Giants have allowed an average of 239 passing yards in their last 10 games, with 19 TD passes). And I would be open to using Jaylen Warren. Detroit at the start of the year appeared to have a top-5 run defense. They held 4 of their first 5 opponents to 85 yards or less. But they’ve slipped of late, allowing an average of 129 rushing yards in their last five games.
Question 5
In regards to your weekly dynasty rankings, I’d find it helpful if you assigned a rating to each player, realizing the rating would be very subjective. But it would allow some idea on your level of conviction. For last week’s TEs for example: 1 Bowers 100, 2 McBride 98, 3 Warren 90 … 28 Likely 52. Is this something you would consider?
Frank Read (Cranberry Twp, PA)
Dynasty rankings are tricky, because we’re trying to do various things at the same time. It’s a mashup. We’re trying to weigh in where a player is at right now. (And at this point in the season, I suppose “right now” is more the 2026 season than the remaining games of 2025.) And you’re also trying to factor in, to some degree, how much other relevant ball the player has left – what he might do in 2027, 2028 and 2029. We’re looking at different kinds of players. Mason Taylor, as an example, looks like a guy with limited upside, but he looks very likely to punch out a bunch of 17-start seasons. At least he’ll be out there. Jared Wiley, on the other hand, might never start an NFL game, but there’s some chance he’ll replace Travis Kelce. If that were to happen, you’d have something. (And then there’s Kelce himself, who’s probably playing his final three games but is a top-10 player at the position.) It would be tough to assign numerical grades to the players. I think we took a step in the right direction a few weeks back, adding the component of showing how much the player has moved since the last version of the list.