The DLF Mailbag

Eric Hardter Posted On November 5, 2014

sanchez

Welcome to the latest edition of the weekly mailbag.

Send me your questions using the DLF Mailbag Form and I’ll include the best in future articles. Remember the guidelines to have the best chance at seeing your question get posted:

1.) Dynasty questions only, no start/sit questions

2.) Help me help you by providing sufficient information about your league (e.g. line-up requirements/PPR or non-PPR/etc.), and include your first name and where you’re from.

3.) Your chance of getting your question answered is inversely proportional to the length of the question.

Let’s get to it!

How do you feel Mark Sanchez will do for the Eagles? It seems he’s in a prime spot for fantasy production, but I don’t want to be the butt (fumble) of any jokes if I pick him up. Is he a worthy roster stash? – Jim in WA

[inlinead]As I posted on Twitter the other day, it’s crazy to think in the span of a year, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles could conceivably traverse the entirety of the Wally Pipp spectrum. For those who don’t know or remember, Pipp played for the Yankees in the 1920’s when, despite his stellar play, he lost his spot to future superstar Lou Gehrig upon getting injured – this event was so famous that whenever a player, no matter the sport, loses his spot due to injury (as well as his backup playing lights out) it’s known as getting “Pipp’d.” Bringing this back to Foles, he’s now come full circle from initially unseating Michael Vick (hamstring) last year to breaking his collarbone this past Sunday and potentially being “Pipp’d” himself by QB2 Mark Sanchez.

As can be discerned in the tone of the question, relying on Sanchez for, well, anything outside of comedic gold is more than likely an impetus to guzzle Pepto Bismol. However, in the course of just a year and a half, Eagles coach Chip Kelly has already established himself as one of the best offensive minds in the game. Seemingly everything he touches turns to gold, as even Sanchez was able to come in cold and still put forward a robust line (15/22, 202-2-2) in only three quarters of action.

While it should always be taken with a glacier-sized grain of salt, this performance follows up an impressive preseason where Sanchez completed 25-of-31 passes for 281 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. While in its totality it represents a small sample size, the fact both Foles and Vick experienced success in Kelly’s system speaks to the likelihood of Sanchez following suit – simply put, he’s not in New York anymore. If you have the room or the need, Sanchez makes an excellent stash.

What do you make of the Cleveland running back situation? It seems there’s a new “it” player every week. Is this a case where when you have three running backs, you really don’t have any? – Clint in NJ

As it stands for the 2014 season, the Browns running back is likely to be unpredictable on a weekly basis. In fact, on the year the Browns have had three different leading rushers in the eight games they’ve played – Ben Tate (four), Terrance West (three) and Isaiah Crowell (one). Digging deeper, within the past four weeks both West and Crowell have each gone carry-less at least once – it’s the true definition of a timeshare.

With that said, this conundrum could be a one-year thing. Tate was signed relatively cheaply in the off-season, with only $2.5 million of his contract guaranteed ($1.5 million of which came in the form of a signing bonus). Combining that with his recent decline in play and it’s fair to wonder if he’ll be leaving his collar at the Dawg Pound come 2015.

As such, I’d want to own both West and Crowell for 2015 and beyond. Each has flashed talent, with Crowell the more naturally talented runner but West more trusted with both pass protection and ball security. It still might play out as a timeshare next year, but in this case less is more – we should have some semblance of clarity in a year’s time.

My PPR league’s trading deadline is coming up in just a few days. Which veteran players do you see as prime buy candidates for the stretch run? – Dan in RI

I see no reason to bury the lead here:

Brandon Marshall, WR CHI – Apart from a three-touchdown game in week two and a 113-yard effort against Atlanta, Marshall has been largely invisible this year. With that said, he should be fully healthy coming off the bye, and apart from two games against Detroit the schedule eases up. I expect him to return to WR1 status.

Vincent Jackson, WR TB – V-Jax has received at least seven targets in all but one game this season, including double-digit looks in four of the Bucs’ last five contests. Continuing, apart from a skirmish with the Lions, Tampa’s future opponents are relatively toothless. Impressive rookie Mike Evans will likely siphon looks, but I expect Jackson to nevertheless remain a focal point of the passing offense.

Adrian Peterson, RB MIN – As I’ve mentioned numerous times, I’m concerned with a player’s fantasy impact, not the morality of the situation. And whether you think it’s right or wrong, with AP accepting a plea deal this week he’s expected back this season. We know who he is by now and should he be reinstated, I’d expect RB1-level output the rest of the way.

Fred Jackson, RB BUF – We don’t know exactly when he’ll return (it could be as soon as this week), but when he does he’ll be the unquestioned lead back due to CJ Spiller’s injury. Jackson was already averaging 12.6 touches per game, and it’s logical to expect that figure to receive a healthy bump. Still efficient in his age-33 season, F-Jax could be a PPR RB2 for the stretch run.

Delanie Walker, TE TEN – Still the PPR TE7 despite having already had his bye, we have a rough approximation of what Walker can do. More importantly, and even though it’s just a one-game sample size, rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger peppered Walker with nine targets (a 22% share) in his week eight start. Given the mediocrity at the position after the Big Three, Walker’s high floor and scoring potential could and should go a long way for those with championship aspirations.

I really want to get Todd Gurley in the upcoming rookie draft for my 12-team PPR league and I know he’s going to go at pick 1.01. Since we can start 2-3 running backs, where is the real cut-off in terms of players you’d trade to get that pick? Where would you draw the line? – George in MD

One of the more recent trends in dynasty football is the devaluation at the running back position. This is largely due to an amalgamation of factors, including but not limited to the longevity of ball carriers, along with the recent talent influx at other positions relative to that of the young running backs. With that said, no matter your team needs it often pays to simply take the best player available in a rookie draft, and this year there’s no doubt that player is Georgia running back Todd Gurley.

Simply put, he’s the total package, and instead of listing the reasons why I’d advise you to read this June 2014 piece by our own Russell Clay. He’s more than likely going to be the first running back selected in the 2015 NFL Draft, and should break the two-year drought of first-round ball carriers. And as DLF’s Ryan McDowell previously detailed, there’s no shortage of teams in need of his services.

Given that, and full-well knowing even the most hyped rookies can fizzle out (I’m looking at you, Trent Richardson), I’d slot Gurley in as my dynasty PPR RB6, behind only Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy, DeMarco Murray, Le’Veon Bell and Andre Ellington. While the dynasty landscape is littered with a multitude of other start-able running backs, it’s my belief they all have at least a wart or two, be it age, workload, pass-catching ability or just overall talent. Coupling this with Gurley’s abilities, I don’t believe it’s unreasonable to bestow upon him this type of immediate value.

Moving through the other positions, I’d take Gurley over any quarterback, as well as any tight end not named Graham or Gronkowski. Receiver is a bit dicier given the depth and preeminence of the position, so I’ll keep it vague and assert there are at least 12-15 pass catchers I’d rather roster. All told this places Gurley as a top-25 dynasty asset in my book, so if you can get him for anyone starting with #26 or below, you’ve done well.

Follow me on Twitter @EDH_27

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Eric Hardter

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

Eric is a Boston College chemistry grad school survivor with a minor in dynasty football. He prefers to utilize both statistics and sarcasm whenever possible, believes in process over results and thinks "Hot Takes" are the scourge of the fantasy landscape.