Ian Allan answers your fantasy football question. This week: special tight ends edition. Where is the love for Jacob Tamme? And is it time to pull the plug on Antonio Gates? Plus: When (if ever) will T.J. Yeldon puts things together? And what roster strategies should be employed with Donte Moncrief?
Question 1
In your redrafter you moved Dennis Pitta (16 targets, 12 rec, 141 yards) to #9 PPR, while Jacob Tamme (16 targets, 11 rec, 126 yds, TD) is not in the top 21. Is there a reason you are so cold on Tamme?
Kenneth Jones (Aurora, CO)
A couple of readers have asked about Tamme. To be honest, I wasn’t thinking about him too much. He was pretty ordinary last year, averaging 44 yards per game, with one touchdown in 15 games. He was not a top-20 tight end. Then they drafted Austin Hooper, and they’ve been working him in some with the first-unit offense. So heading into the season, my expectation was that Tamme would be something less than what he was last year. (It was apparent in the preseason, however, that Hooper wouldn’t be replacing Tamme in the starting lineup anytime soon.) Now, in the first two games, Tamme had caught 6 and 5 passes, while Julio Jones hasn’t done much and Devonta Freeman hasn’t caught as many passes. In Week 2, Tamme got a touchdown, but the Falcons were playing against a defense that famously has problems covering tight ends. And Matt Ryan is averaging 365 passing yards per game. So what do we make of all this? I was thinking we were just on kind of hiccup. My expectation is that the Falcons will get back to running more and passing less, and when they do pass, we should see more of it going through Julio Jones. I also believe Mohamed Sanu is better than what they were getting out of that spot last year with Roddy White. But I will concede that Tamme looks a little low. I have perhaps unfairly penalized him for catching only 1 of the team’s 21 TD passes last year (I’ve got him slotted to catch only 8 percent of his team’s touchdown passes, which is the lowest of any starting tight end). It’s possible he’ll be a top-15 tight end, and that I have been a little too slow to see it.
Question 2
I have Antonio Gates. But Eifert was cut last week and I'm thinking of picking him up. Does he have better long-term prospects than Gates?
Rick Cwik (Lemont, IL)
I think Gates is done. He’s 36, and I don’t think he can run anymore. On most of his catches this year, it seems like he takes a couple of steps off the line, catches the ball and then hits the deck. It’s sad. Hard to believe this is the same guy who had a couple of seasons averaging over 15 yards per catch. He can’t cover that kind of ground anymore. He caught 3 passes for 20 yards in their first game, and 3 catches for 15 yards against Jacksonville. He averaged 57 yards per game last year, but I don’t think he looks likely to hit 30 yards this season. His only value, I think, is in TD-only formats, since I think they’ll continue to feature him on a healthy number of plays around the goal line. Eifert is practicing, so the correct move is to add him and dump Gates.
Question 3
Somewhat curious about your Week 3 ranking for Phillip Dorsett. Surely agree he will see more targets without Moncrief on the field, but San Diego has some very good corners. T.Y. Hilton plays mostly slot, doesn't he? That would mean Verrett on Dorsett primarily. Maybe one week too early for a top-10 ranking? Thanks in advance.
MIKE KOCIS (Jefferson Hills, PA)
I expect the Colts on Sunday will use mostly two tight ends and two wide receivers – Hilton, Dorsett, Allen and Doyle. I’m not sure how the matchups will play out, but Dorsett to me looks like a better, more confident receiver than he’s in the past. He wasn’t particularly good last week in Denver, catching only 1 of the 5 passes thrown his way (a 30-yarder, at least), but that’s a special defense. Dorsett caught 4 passes for 94 yards in the opener against the Lions, including a 54-yarder. I think this could be the same kind of shootout, and I don’t have any confidence in Indianapolis’ ability to score touchdowns on the ground.
Question 4
I’m interested in your thoughts on Jordan Matthews, whom you seem very low on. You have him ranked currently as a WR4, interchangeable with the likes of Crabtree and Tate. But my gut says he should really be 10 to 15 spots higher. Wentz seems legit, Matthews seems to be his favorite target, the Eagles will be playing from behind all year, and he ended last year on a roll. He’s one drop away from starting the year as a top 5 receiver. Do you think his numbers will really drop that much?
Bradley Contento (Tucson, AZ)
Matthews looks good to me. In that offense, I think they have a good feel for how to get the ball in the hands of their main receiver. Doug Pederson was in Kansas City last year, and they were doing the same thing with Jeremy Maclin. And Wentz looks really good. But we’re still talking about a rookie quarterback and a lesser team. I think that will be more apparent after the game against the Steelers. And there are a lot of really good receivers out there. Tate and Crabtree, for example, both caught 85-plus passes last year. I can’t say with confidence that Matthews will be better than those guys.
Question 5
Is T.J. Yeldon droppable? I've got him in a couple leagues and I'm trying to picture a scenario where he is started in my lineup again. You've been right about running games taking weeks to get up and running. But is he just a guy? Last season I dropped Doug Martin after three rough weeks and not being able to get anything going against New Orleans. But bye weeks are coming up and will need roster space soon.
Adam Bjork (Waunakee, WI)
Absolutely not. Speaking on behalf of the hundreds out there who are shifting through the likes of Cameron Artis-Payne, Jerick McKinnon, Jay Ajayi and Dexter McCluster, we would love for you to release T.J. Yeldon. You need to give the Jaguars a little time. They can’t be this bad. Yeldon had a couple of flashes as a rookie, and I thought he generally looked very good in the preseason. He will have some good games before this thing is over. Yeldon got shut down in Week 1, but I will give some of the credit there to the Packers, who appear to be very good against the run this year. In Week 2 at San Diego, Yeldon didn’t run all that badly, they just fell way behind, making him a non-factor (7 carries, 28 yards). They’re playing the Colts in Week 4. If he can’t run worth a hoot against that defense, then you can start thinking about cutting him loose.
Question 6
With Jamaal Charles coming back, what do you think of Ware for the rest of the year? Have the opportunity to trade Ware for Diggs, but don’t have much depth at running back. Just feel Diggs has more upside, though I don’t trust Bradford at all.
ERIC FEINGOLD (Garden City, NY)
Diggs looks awfully special right now – like we’re seeing a new Antonio Brown or Steve Smith emerge in front of our eyes. Would be very nice to bring him into the fold, and if you wait much longer, that deal won’t be there.
Question 7
Unfortunately, I drafted Jeremy Langford in two of my PPR leagues this year. Looking at his numbers, I just don't think he's any good. What are your thoughts on Langford and what do you think one could reasonably expect to get in return for Langford at the running back position? I was thinking about targeting other struggling/injured backs like Jeremy Hill and Chris Ivory or maybe a guy like Kenneth Dixon. I've also been picking up Jordan Howard all over the place as I think he may end up being the lead back there by week 5 or 6. As always, thanks for the advice.
MATT MAYNARD (Port Ludlow, WA)
Hill, Ivory, Howard. None of those backs can catch worth a hoot, and you’re in a PPR format. As poorly as Langford has played, I think the correct move is to just stay the course. The team will get better; it can’t be as bad as what we saw on Monday night. And Langford, I think, is a talented guy. I saw a couple of carries in the preseason where it appeared to me that he looked like an up-and-coming back who was ready to make the jump.
Question 8
What to do with Donte Moncrief? I hate having injured players take up room on my bench. But I really like Moncrief. Can't decide if I should cut him loose or hang on to him. My specifics: 10-team league, my other receivers are Hopkins, AJ Green, Baldwin, Shepard. Best available WRs on the wire are Tyrell Williams, Sanu, Markus Wheaton, Kevin White.
kevin tschetter (Sandy, UT)
I have him on most of my teams, and I haven’t cut him yet. I wouldn’t release him to bring in just a body – like the guys you mention. None of those guys would ever start ahead of Hopkins, Green or Baldwin. I would release Moncrief only if I were confident the player coming in would be very good.
Question 9
In years past we did not have so many really good WRs. Why so good this year? The answer is the maturation of the WR core of the 2014 draft. It was touted as the best class of WR to come along "ever". Looking back they were right. Even undrafted Willie Snead came from that class. Maybe you guys could do an article about that class.
Jim Backstrom (Henderson, NV)
Beckham, Evans, Cooks and others – lots of great receivers in that group. To put a number on it, I took the top 10 receivers from each draft class since 2000. Then I looked at the total catches, yards and touchdowns for those groups after their first two seasons. After two years, 2014 has almost 4,000 more yards and 35 more touchdowns than any other group.
| DRAFT CLASSES, RECEIVING PRODUCTION | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Rec | Yards | TD | Points |
| 2014 | 669 | 19,182 | 152 | 2,830.2 |
| 2009 | 524 | 15,284 | 117 | 2,230.4 |
| 2011 | 460 | 14,598 | 106 | 2,095.8 |
| 2012 | 451 | 15,332 | 85 | 2,043.2 |
| 2013 | 476 | 11,928 | 87 | 1,714.8 |
| 2001 | 307 | 11,853 | 69 | 1,599.3 |
| 2004 | 389 | 10,537 | 76 | 1,509.7 |
| 2007 | 349 | 10,678 | 66 | 1,463.8 |
| 2010 | 305 | 10,409 | 69 | 1,454.9 |
| 2002 | 391 | 10,280 | 70 | 1,448.0 |
| 2005 | 309 | 9,737 | 75 | 1,423.7 |
| 2003 | 342 | 9,937 | 57 | 1,335.7 |
| 2008 | 311 | 9,496 | 59 | 1,303.6 |
| 2006 | 258 | 8,765 | 64 | 1,260.5 |
| 2000 | 319 | 9,377 | 53 | 1,255.7 |
Question 10
Unbelievably I have Charles and Ivory for my top 2 RBs (yes - I'm cursed). It seemed I read everywhere Charles was on schedule for Week 1 prior to my draft. Now he's doubtful every week. Do you hear anything on him? Reid typically runs one RB into the ground. Do you think Charles is actually going to return and get significant touches? Also, any word on Ivory? Why all the secretiveness? I assume he'll be the GL back at least when he finally returns if he doesn't mysteriously go on IR.
Paul Bakalars (La Crescent, MN)
Charles is supposedly getting closer. I haven’t seen the injury report yet, but there’s a chance he might get on the field some this week. Initially I think they’ll bring him in as a change-of-pace behind Spencer Ware. As for Ivory, I think he’s ready to roll. I believe he’ll split time pretty evenly with T.J. Yeldon.
Question 11
Hey Ian, while you are the leader of the pack when it comes to spotting breakout players before most other analysts, it's unavoidable that there are some whiffs here and there. Sometimes you might stick with your bold prediction a little too long for a player, where there are signs that things are not going according to plan. Are there any players that you've planted your flag on this year that you are legitimately concerned about, here in the early going?
Scott Anderson (Lakewood, CO)
I’m like everyone else. When a player hasn’t done anything for a couple of games, I start getting nervous. We all tend to overreact, giving up too soon on players who haven’t yet delivered the big numbers. But about a quarter of the players in the league right now fit that description. Kirk Cousins is probably the clubhouse leader. While I don’t think as highly of Cousins as I did prior to their opener, I still think they can get things turned around, with Cousins perhaps being a top-10 quarterback going forward.
Question 12
I am in a TD-heavy keeper league. I currently have DeVante Parker and Doug Baldwin. I have the opportunity to pick up Jarvis Landry. Would you pick up Landry and cut Baldwin? If I do that it gives me two Dolphins on my team. I see many garbage TDs in my future. Your thoughts?
HOWIE FISHMAN (Hermosa Beach, CA)
Baldwin is definitely the best of those wide receivers. There’s a rapport there between him and Russell Wilson; they’ve combined for 13 touchdowns in their last 11 games. Landry is more developed, polished and knowledgeable than Parker, so I would put him No. 2.
Question 13
Dez is giving me pause as he's always an injury risk and even if he did catch 2 TDs in preseason, I'm not sold on Romo ever coming back to full health. If he comes back this year he'll be injured shortly thereafter so it's Dak to Dez in my opinion. If I wanted to bail on Dez due to injury risk and/or QB concerns, is Dez for Baldwin Straight up about right?
HOWARD SPIELER (Fanwood, NJ)
Baldwin is a good player, so if you want out, that would be a reasonable way to go. But I think Bryant will come around. I like his ability to win on contested balls, and I like the way they utilize him as a finisher – throwing him lobs in the end zone. He hasn’t scored yet, but he’s come close on a couple. Dak Prescott can make those throws. There is an injury risk with Bryant that isn’t there with most other receivers, but I would stick with him.
Question 14
Recently traded for Andrew Luck, and still have Philip Rivers. Going forward, should I try to trade Luck for skill positions and just chalk up last week’s clunker to playing Denver? Or do you see San Diego regressing further now without Woodhead?
Anthony Cillis (Lagrangeville, NY)
You might need them both. The value of each has declined since opening day – they’ve both lost weapons, and they’re both on lesser teams. If you trade one of them, you’ll need to add another quality backup to bolster the position.