Ian Allan's Mailbag
Posted Nov. 16 at 03:08 PM
Publisher Ian Allan fields your questions on strategy, how to run your league, player ratings -- and whatever else you think of. Updated every Friday during the season; Tuesdays and Fridays during the last two months of the preseason. You must be registered and signed-in to submit a mailbag question. After you sign in at the top of the page, the link to submit a mailbag question will become visible.
Question 1:
Can you give us a top 50 list for a PPR keeper league?
steve heroshii [beverly hills, CA]
A:
If I were drafting today, I'd go with something like this ...
QUARTERBACKS
1 Tom Brady
2 Peyton Manning
3 Tony Romo
4 Carson Palmer
5 Ben Roethlisberger
6 Eli Manning
7 Drew Brees
8 Jay Cutler
9 Vince Young
10 Matt Hasselbeck
11 Matt Leinart
12 Derek Anderson
13 Philip Rivers
14 Marc Bulger
15 Donovan McNabb
16 Brett Favre
17 JaMarcus Russell
18 Jon Kitna
19 Matt Schaub
20 Jason Campbell
21 David Garrard
22 Brady Quinn
23 Byron Leftwich
RUNNING BACKS
1 Adrian Peterson
2 LaDainian Tomlinson
3 Joseph Addai
4 Steven Jackson
5 Willie Parker
6 Marshawn Lynch
7 Brian Westbrook
8 Larry Johnson
9 Marion Barber
10 Maurice Jones-Drew
11 Reggie Bush
12 Frank Gore
13 Clinton Portis
14 Michael Turner
15 Willis McGahee
16 Ronnie Brown
17 Rudi Johnson
18 Laurence Maroney
19 Brandon Jacobs
20 Edgerrin James
21 Kevin Jones
22 LenDale White
TIGHT ENDS
1 Antonio Gates
2 Kellen Winslow
3 Jeremy Shockey
4 Chris Cooley
5 Jason Witten
6 Dallas Clark
7 Heath Miller
8 Vernon Davis
9 Benjamin Watson
10 Todd Heap
11 Greg Olsen
12 Owen Daniels
13 L.J. Smith
14 Tony Gonzalez
15 Alge Crumpler
WIDE RECEIVERS
1 Randy Moss
2 Reggie Wayne
3 Braylon Edwards
4 Steve Smith
5 Larry Fitzgerald
6 T.J. Houshmandzadeh
7 Andre Johnson
8 Plaxico Burress
9 Greg Jennings
10 Santonio Holmes
11 Wes Welker
12 Torry Holt
13 Lee Evans
14 Roy Williams
15 Dwayne Bowe
16 Terrell Owens
17 Chad Johnson
18 Brandon Marshall
19 Calvin Johnson
20 Marques Colston
21 Anquan Boldin
22 Deion Branch
23 Javon Walker
24 Donald Driver
25 Marvin Harrison
26 Roddy White
27 Bernard Berrian
28 Laveranues Coles
29 Hines Ward
30 Jerricho Cotchery
31 Anthony Gonzalez
32 Sidney Rice
33 Ronald Curry
34 Kevin Curtis
KICKERS
1 Stephen Gostkowski
2 Jeff Reed
3 Nick Folk
4 Adam Vinatieri
5 Nate Kaeding
6 Josh Brown
7 Rob Bironas
8 Robbie Gould
9 Mason Crosby
10 Josh Scobee
Question 2:
My backfield has not had a healthy No. 2 for weeks. With both LJ and Purple Jesus out for indefinite periods of time, I need a 2nd RB to carry my first-place team through the playoffs. Is Chester Taylor a smart move, as he'll get bulk carries until Peterson returns, or should I go in another direction with Ryan Grant or Kevin Jones? Playoffs occur in weeks 15 and 16, and I've all but clinched an appearance.
Rob Holub [CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH]
A:
Taylor should be a nice fill-in this week against an Oakland defense that's running on fumes. For the long run, though, Ryan Grant would be your guy. The Packers may rank last in rushing, but they're coming around. They were under 50 rushing yards in three of their first four games, but now they've gone for at least 105 yards in three of their last five. They went for 120 on Sunday against a very good Minnesota defense. There's nothing wrong with their offensive line, and they'll need to run the ball more as the weather becomes more of an issue. And this is a good team. There's a strong correlation between rushing production and winning games -- winning teams tend to score about 50 percent more rushing touchdowns -- and I think the Packers are going to roll to the NFC North title. Looking at their remaining seven games, I see five wins, one loss (at Dallas) and one game (at Detroit) that could go either way. Grant.
Question 3:
HELP! With three games left in our season, I'm on the bubble at 4-6, and I have Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. Do I ride out the three games with Taylor (I also have Westbrook), or trade Peterson to a sure playoff team for immediate help? What could I expect for Peterson - S. Young, J. Chatman, J. Lewis?
MICHAEL HAMER [SPRINGFIELD, PA]
A:
Peterson definitely is injured. He's got a sprained knee, which involves torn ligaments. He'll miss at least two games, and he could be out much longer. So I would consider moving him. I would have to get something of value in return, however -- something a lot better than Jesse Chatman or Jamal Lewis. There's a chance that Peterson will be back on the field in week 13. And if it goes down that way, I'd hate to go down in league history as the guy who gave the final piece of the puzzle to the team that won the championship.
Question 4:
Hey Ian! Just checking in with a keeper question for next year. I am in a $100 auction league that allows 3 keepers. I have Parker for $9, Gore for $7 and am looking to add one of the following - as I'm out of the race. Maroney for $10, M.Barber for $10, Turner for $8 or Jacobs for $7. Please rank in order or preference for next year and any analysis would be greatly appreciated As always thanks for you expertise!
Dan McCormick [Oak Park, IL]
A:
Barber for $10 would be my No. 1. Julius Jones should be gone there next year, so Barber's workload should increase. Probably Maroney No. 2; he's the starting tailback on the team that has the league's best offense. Doesn't catch many passes or get used consistently at the goal line, but there's a lot of production to tap into in New England. Michael Turner looks very good as well; he'll be starting somewhere next year, and he's a talented guy. I like Jacobs, but I think it's always going to be a struggle for him to stay healthy. At 6-foot-4, he's too tall to play running back.
Question 5:
I am in a keeper league and must drop 2 of the following RBs for next year at year-end: Kenny Watson, Deuce McAllister, Michael Bush, and Selvin Young. Which 2 would you keep. My starters going into next year should be Tomlinson and Parker.
DENNIS RUEBEL [GREEN BAY, WI]
A:
I'm not particularly excited about either, but I'd go with McAllister and Young. Maybe McAllister can make it back from reconstructive knee surgery and be part of a running back tandem -- either with New Orleans or elsewhere. And maybe Young can play his way into consideration for Denver's starting job by performing well down the stretch.
Question 6:
How much faith do you have in Willie Parker? Would you send Addai/Keith, Harrison and Reggie Brown for Parker, Boldin and Owen Daniels? Essentially, is the 2.5 ppg boost at WR worth losing Addai over?
Andrew Taylor [GROSSE POINTE PARK, MI]
A:
I sure like Pittsburgh's remaining schedule. Next three games are against the Jets, Dolphins and Bengals. All rank in the bottom 6 in run defense. He might (probably will) go over 100 yards in all three of those games. Then the Steelers have an unfavorable matchup at New England, followed by a so-so game against Jacksonville (which has a good run defense, but at least the game is at Heinz Field). Parker should be very good in week 16 at St. Louis, against another lesser defense. Week 17 is against Baltimore, but you're probably not playing at that point.
Question 7:
Ian, What is your take on Deion Branch the rest of the year. He was out AGAIN against Seattle on Monday night. Will he be playing, and helpful weeks 14 - 16 (playoffs for us) or should I cut him loose?
Benjamin BRUNAUGH [LITTLETON, CO]
A:
He's practicing now without limitations. He'll play on Sunday against the Bears. The Seahawks have a favorable schedule down the stretch and are passing the ball a lot -- they've pretty much given up on the run -- so I think Branch could be pretty good. They do, however, spread things around, and they have a bunch of other wide receivers who will be involved -- Bobby Engram, D.J. Hackett and Nate Burleson.
Question 8:
In my league Chester Taylor, Frank Gore and L. Maroney are all available to be picked up this week. I am in first and am looking to make a strong playoff run, so who do you think would be the best back out of the 3 to go after.
JEFFREY DEITER [LUMBERTON, NJ]
A:
Since you're sitting in first place, I assume you're looking for guys who can give you some pop down the road. Gore might help you in week 15, when the 49ers are at home against the Bengals. But that's about all that Gore will do for you (I don't see him doing much in weeks 14 and 16 against the Vikings and Bucs). With Maroney, you've got more of a part-time guy, but he's got two very nice matchups late in the year -- the Jets and Dolphins in weeks 15 and 16.
Question 9:
We just added a franchise player to our league this season and I am beginning to think about who I might keep (can keep one player, twice max) for next season. The options I have at this point are the following: Brandon Jacobs, Michael Turner, or Tony Romo. All three would cost me $30 out of a $200 cap next year ($50 for 2009 if I choose to keep the last year).
Jason Kurvers [Eau Claire, WI]
A:
I'd go with Romo. Maybe I'll change my mind when I see where Turner signs. But today, it's Romo.
Question 10:
Need some of your advice. I have 5 RBs - Brian Westbrook, Cedric Benson, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and Selvin Young. Chester Taylor is currently available. I want to add him to my roster, but my only option would be to drop one of my current RBs. Benson has been awful this year, but he consistently gets 20-25 carries a game, which is great in our scoring format. Lewis has been OK, not great, but decent. I'd like the Denver RB situation to figure itself out so that I don't have to carry both Henry and Young. What are your thoughts?
GRANT HUBBARD [ROCHESTER HILLS, MI]
A:
I would release Henry. There's at least a 90 percent chance that at this time next week, he'll be suspended for a year. And I don't see Henry helping you in week 11. Tennessee is rock-solid against the run, and Henry may be in a time-share situation anyway -- he's not 100 percent, and Young played very well at Kansas City.
Question 11:
Do I trade jamal lewis and favre for brady at this point? Our league scoring is based solely on TDs and 100- and 300- yard threshholds. Would leave my RBs as jacobs, lynch, tjones, kjones, benson but I could trade.
STEVE GOLDWYN [Florida]
A:
Brady might be the player of the year. He's putting up 3-4 TDs and 280-plus yards every week. He might put your team over the top. It might be tough for you to patch together a running game. Benson and Thomas Jones have almost no value at this point. Kevin Jones is shaky, and Lynch and Jacobs have injury issues -- Lynch might miss three games (he'll definitely sit out this week), and Jacobs is an injury waiting to happen. So in that respect, it would be nice to hang onto Lewis, who's got five favorable matchups left on this schedule. But he's hardly a franchise-type back. I'd do the deal and take my chances.
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Question 1: Can you give us a...
Posted by BRYAN BERTSCH | Nov. 16 at 06:21 PM
I'd probably pass on Ronnie Brown at #16, but...
Question 1: Can you give us a...
Posted by Brian Smith | Nov. 21 at 02:56 PM
Are my eyes deceving me or did I see T.O ranked as the 16th best WR. I don't care if its just a ppr league he's got to be in the top 2!!!!