DLF’s Weekly Impact Events

Ryan McDowell Posted On December 7, 2012

michael vick

The 2012 fantasy football playoffs are underway. You have to pay close attention to everything in order to stay on top of your dynasty league. For most of us, we do well to steal some time away from our families and jobs to watch the games on Sunday. It becomes difficult to monitor the daily happenings around the league and even more demanding to process how that news affects your dynasty team.

That’s why we’re here!

Each week there are many news items that are important and helpful in the day-to-day managing of your fantasy team, yet have little affect on the dynasty value of players. Because of this, I will not be mentioning those here.

Here is a quick look at the events of the past week and how they impact the players on your team:

Michael Vick, QB PHI

Eagles head coach Andy Reid announced this week that quarterback Michael Vick has been benched for rookie Nick Foles, even if he is medically cleared to return to action following his concussion. It’s another sign that Vick will be looking for a new team this off-season. His value has been steadily falling as he has struggled throughout the season, but he has a chance to regain some of that, depending on where he lands once free agency begins. Foles has been inconsistent as the team’s starter, which is typical for a rookie. With weapons like running backs LeSean McCoy and Bryce Brown and wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson, Foles has the chance to put up some huge fantasy numbers if he keeps the starting job in 2013.

Matt Cassel, QB KC

Local reports out of Kansas City this week were that quarterback Matt Cassel will not be back with the Chiefs in 2013. Considering his high price tag and the disappointing performance of the team this season, this should come as no surprise. There is very little chance Cassel would draw interest on the open market as a starting quarterback, and he has no dynasty value.

Mohamed Sanu, WR CIN

We mentioned the recent strong performance of Bengals rookie wide receiver Mohamed Sanu last week, and soon after it was announced that Sanu had injured his foot in practice and would undergo season ending surgery. Considering the lack of consistent production behind star wide receiver AJ Green, Sanu should be able to step back into a starting wide receiver role in 2013. He’s a strong buy candidate this off-season.

Titus Young, WR DET

The drama in Detroit surrounding second year wideout Titus Young continued this week. First, he was blasted by teammates for his recent behavior. Even with the injury to rookie wide receiver Ryan Broyles, Young will not be given a chance to rejoin the team. After being sent away from the team yet again, he was placed on the injured reserve list and Young will require surgery. It is almost a certainty that Young will never play for the Lions again. Even with the poor attitude he has displayed, he will get another shot somewhere. Young’s attitude has destroyed his dynasty value.

Bernard Pierce, RB BAL

Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh recently highlighted backup running back Bernard Pierce as a player he hoped to get more involved in the team’s offense. Pierce has been impressive in a limited role this season. As the off-season nears, Ray Rice owners should make it a priority to acquire Pierce.

Ryan Broyles, WR DET

As mentioned above, Lions rookie wide receiver Ryan Broyles suffered a torn ACL in week 13 and has been placed on the season ending injured reserve list. Similar to Sanu, the injury hits Broyles just as he was breaking out from a quiet early season. It’s the second torn ACL for Broyles, who missed much of his final season at Oklahoma due to the same injury, on the opposite leg. Broyles too makes a good buy candidate, though the knee injuries are a concern.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB PIT

Running back Rashard Mendenhall has been benched by the Steelers in favor of Jonathan Dwyer. In week 13, Mendenhall was not even active for the team, also falling behind Isaac Redman. Mendenhall is a free agent at the end of the season and it is now clear that he will likely not be back in Pittsburgh.

Percy Harvin, WR MIN

The Vikings placed their best wide receiver, Percy Harvin, on the injured reserve list due to the nagging ankle injury. Harvin had been sidelined the past month, but it is now evident that the injury was worse than first feared. Even with the injury costing Harvin half of the season, his dynasty value remains very high.

Ryan Grant, RB GB

The Packers are desperate for help at running back, so they turned to old friend Ryan Grant to replace the injured James Starks. For all the success the Packers have had recently, their running game has just not been effective. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is the vintage Grant – if it was, he would have been somewhere other than his couch all season. Alex Green looks to remain the starter, but Grant may pick up some carries in the short term. In the end, the Packers just don’t run enough to make either of these two players worth considering for the rest of the season.

John Skelton, QB ARI

The Ryan Lindley experiment has mercifully come to an end as John Skelton will find himself back under center for the Cardinals this week. It goes without saying that Lindley’s name won’t be mentioned in the same breath as Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III or Russell Wilson when talk of the rookie quarterback class goes on this off-season. Lindley was downright awful, but was also thrown into a tough situation. With that being said, there really isn’t a quarterback on the Cardinals roster worth owning in a shallow dynasty league. You have to feel for Larry Fitzgerald at this point.

Brandon Bolden, RB NE

Bolden returned from his four game suspension this week and began practicing for the Patriots. While he has new competition for the change of pace duties behind Stevan Ridley with Shane Vereen healthy again, he’s worthy of a pickup if a careless owner dropped him. Bolden showed some real promise this season and the Patriots running back situation seems to always be in flux.

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Ryan McDowell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

In addition to his senior leadership role here at DLF, Ryan is also a husband, father of three and PE teacher. Ryan is the commissioner of multiple dynasty leagues, most notably the Kitchen Sink Dynasty Leagues. Here at DLF, Ryan’s focus is on identifying, monitoring and analyzing player value.