Ian Allan answers your fantasy football questions. In this edition. What will Dion Lewis do (if anything) in the second half of the season? Is Devontae Booker for real? Who will be the top running back in Chicago? And much, much more.
Question 1
Your thoughts on Dion Lewis?
GEORGE HORSTMANN (Folsom, LA)
I think he’s shiftier than James White – better lateral ability and better vision. Lewis is definitely a better runner. They don’t seem to trust White much on draws and delays. He’s been in that third-down back role for 17 games, and he’s run for under 20 yards in all but one of those games. He’s run for 15-plus yards in only 3 of those 17 games. So when Lewis is ready to play, I expect they’ll start working him in, with those two backs kind of sharing the third-down role. If roster restrictions allow them to have only one of those players active, then I believe it will be Lewis in that third-down role when he is 100 percent healthy.
Question 2
With C.J. Anderson's health up in the air. I am pondering a trade. Blount and Gillislee for Booker and Rawls. I am leaning yes especially because I can keep Booker for a 7th-round pick next year. However I want to win the title this year so really it's Blount vs. Booker. I think Booker can outproduce or be close to Blount the rest of the year. It's a standard 14-team league.
Chris Winder (San Ramon, CA)
I expect Booker will have some big games in these next few weeks. I expect I’ll have him graded as a top-5 back in Weeks 8-10. He should be successful in the second half of the season, and I think that will make him Denver’s clear No. 1 tailback entering 2017. At that point he’ll have a much better grasp of the offense, and he’s way more physically talented than Anderson. I would do the deal. Blount doesn’t contribute as a pass catcher, and I don’t believe he’ll help you much in your fantasy playoffs this year. In Weeks 14-16, the Patriots have a road game at Denver and two home games against teams with really good run defenses (Ravens, Jets). Often when the Patriots are playing against big defenses that are tough to run against, they opt to spread the field and go to their short, quick passing game.
Question 3
Does Langford regain the starting spot in a few weeks or is Howard the guy?
Phil Eichorn (Rocky River, OH)
I expect the Bears will use all three of their tailbacks, including KaDeem Carey. Those three guys will compete in practice, and they’ll compete in games. In all of Chicago’s remaining games, I think, at least two backs will get a half-dozen touches, with the most effective player then getting the most work. The hot hand approach. I don’t see a big difference between the three. Don’t know that any of those three will save many fantasy seasons.
Question 4
I am enjoying Christine Michael's performance and now have a brief window to grab Thomas Rawls before he gets healthy. Is it worth it to pick up Rawls now, or will Michael carry the Seattle main RB duties for the remainder of the year, making Rawls irrelevant?
JEFF POWERS (Coral Springs, FL)
Rawls is running, and the Seahawks say he’ll play in their Week 9 game against Buffalo. They like him. They apparently feel he has a little something that Michael does not. Recall, for example, that Michael played well all through the preseason. Rawls came back for Week 2 and they immediately put him in the starting lineup. He might have a little more juice as a runner. It’s my belief that for Weeks 10-17, this will be a one-two punch, with the hotter back tending to get a few more carries. “There is no question that we have missed Thomas’ factor, just the style of play and all of that and to give a real one-two punch would be a nice accent,” says Carroll. With Seattle having offensive line problems, I’m not real excited about either one of them. That team currently ranks 27th in rushing. And neither is much of a pass catcher (they’ll work in C.J. Prosise in obvious passing situations).
Question 5
In a dynasty league, I have the opportunity to trade Bortles and Ajayi for Ryan and McKinnon. I think Miami's schedule gets tougher as the season progresses, and I am tired of Bortles' lack of production. Should I make this trade?
mark meyer ()
Bortles finished with 337 yards and 3 TDs last year, but it was garbage-time production. He was pretty terrible, just like the previous week in the loss to the Raiders (when his only touchdown came in the dying seconds). He looks remarkably inept right now, with poor decisions and inaccurate throws. He’s got the necessary pieces around him and is entering his third year, so this was supposed to be the season it happened. The Jaguars were supposed to win 9-10 games and maybe win the AFC South. But it just hasn’t happened. Gus Bradley will be fired, and they’ll be bringing in a new coach. Maybe that new person can get the offense going, but maybe he also wants a new quarterback. I have lost a lot of confidence in Bortles, and it would be nice to unload him in a dynasty league. Would be nice to upgrade from Bortles to Ryan. That’s a step up. But I would not be willing to finance that by giving away Jay Ajayi. Ajayi’s got some good games left in him; they’ve got that offensive line clicking right now. McKinnon, meanwhile, is hardly worth a roster spot. The Vikings have lost both of their offensive tackles and can’t do much of anything right now. Matt Asiata has outplayed McKinnon two weeks in a row, and I don’t know there were will any games this year where McKinnon is used in a featured role.
Question 6
I play in a two-QB league. We can only roster two as well. I currently have Stafford and Tannehill. With Tannehill on bye this week, I was thinking about dropping him and riding a different second QB for the rest of the season so I'm really only looking at guys who are past their own byes which gives me the following available (that I'd even consider): Prescott, Wentz, and Bradford. Am I nuts? Should I flex another player and just bench Tannehill this week? Should I pick up someone else just for the week and hope I can get him back or someone better?
Carrie Bagwell ()
I would release Tannehill. In his last four games, he’s thrown for more than 204 yards only once, and he’s thrown only 2 TDs. Now that they’ve got their running game going, I don’t expect there will be many games where he’s throwing it all over the place, putting up 250-plus yards and multiple touchdowns. For Week 8, you may want to look into Ryan Fitzpatrick. He’s probably available, and he’s playing against a Cleveland defense that’s allowed multiple touchdown passes in every game.
Question 7
In following pre-draft rankings and all the in-season writeups Isaiah Crowell is pretty high on your rankings, yet in much of the writeups there's not much positive talk. He's had a few solid games, but then a few duds. I know he is pretty much the main guy and Hue Jackson sticks with the run, but is he really someone to rely on? He's also very tough to trade because regardless of how well he's doing other owners still see him as a mid-lower tier RB. From a trade perspective who is someone at RB or WR that are his equal? I just traded Christine Michael for Alshon Jeffery since the redrafter had him much lower, with Rawls as the reason.
Bill Petilli (Harrison, NY)
I think you’re probably best to stick with Crowell. He’s a good player. He has some talent, and he runs hard. They’ve got a nice scheme (just cross your fingers and hope the Browns don’t trade away Joe Thomas before Tuesday’s trade deadline). There will be some weeks where you’ll be leery of starting him (against the Jets, for example, this Sunday). But the Browns at least have played five of their first seven on the road. They play five of their next six at home, and that should help that offense some.
Question 8
Thoughts on a PPR trade: Ebron and Michael for Fleener and Baldwin. I have Brees and I'd like a piece of his passing game. I also have Golden Tate and I don't want too much of the Lions. I noticed where you think Rawls and Michael are going to be in a timeshare when Rawls comes back (based on Pete Carroll's comments to that effect). Is now the time to pull the trigger? How much difference is there between Ebron and Fleener and does it really matter whether or not I have too much of the same passing game, particularly when it's a good passing game?
James Smith (Troy, MI)
I will take the Fleener-Baldwin side. I’m not a huge Fleener fan, but I think he’s a little better than Ebron (that’s when Ebron is back to full strength). And Baldwin is definitely the best of the four players involved in the deal. Baldwin is a big-time receiver, and there’s a trust and rapport there that Russell Wilson doesn’t have with his other receivers.
Question 9
My league does something different: A mid-season draft after Week 7. We keep 5 players. Need help in deciding my final two keepers: Am for certain keeping D Murray, T.Y. Hilton and C Michael (will aim to draft T Rawls). My other two keepers will come from among M Stafford, J Hill, J White and J Reed. Scoring system is TD-heavy, with rushing TDs worth 2/3 more than passing or receiving TDs.
eric pryne (Vashon, WA)
I’m not crazy about Michael and Rawls. You’re get using two roster spots to try to secure Seattle’s running game, and I’m not confident there will be a lot of good games between those guys. Jordan Reed and Jeremy Hill, I think, come in ahead of those guys. Stafford is throwing it around pretty well. In New England, Dion Lewis is practicing. I imagine he’ll be activated before long, and will be tough at that point to trust James White.
Question 10
I'm in an auction contract league with a $200 cap and my team is probably going to miss the playoffs. I was just offered a trade and I would get Mike Evans, 2-yr $1 and Latavius Murray, 2-year $14 for LeVeon Bell, 1-yr $1 and Julian Edelman, 2-year $16. We do have restricted FA's each year during the auction so I would be able to keep the rights to Bell if I don't make the trade.
Ryan Logan (Minneapolis, MN)
I don’t understand the dollar figures. You say it’s a $200 cap, yet you have Evans and Bell listed at $1, when they’re all clearly worth a lot more than that. So I can answer only in a general sense. Murray and Edelman are the lesser pieces; I don’t know that Murray would even be on your roster a year from now. Edelman is an older receiver whose body doesn’t seem to hold up very well to the kind of pounding he takes – also might not be worth what he’s supposed to be paid. The drivers here are Bell and Evans. They’re both super-elite players who are top-5 guys at their position. Evans is 23. Bell turns 25 in February. Bell plays the more valuable, harder-to-fill position. Evans will be a great player for longer; he might be a top-10 receiver for much of the next 10 years. With running backs, they take a pounding and get hurt. Bell has had some injuries. And with Bell, you also have to factor in that he’s been suspended multiple times. There’s an increased probability that in the future he turns into another Josh Gordon.