DLF’s Weekly Impact Events
The 2013 fantasy football off-season is in full swing and dynasty drafts are in progress. 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!
Now that we’ve entered the off-season and have completed the NFL Draft, the next few months will be filled with rumors. Much of the “news” will be speculation about the futures of individual players. While this can be important, it can also be a challenge to determine the validity of certain reports. I will include many of these reports and share my opinion about how the player’s value might be affected, for better or worse.
Here is a quick look at the events of the past week and how they impact players on your team:
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB JAX
Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew was involved in an incident in a club earlier this week which resulted in him allegedly punching and knocking out a security guard. It is still being decided if there will be any charges filed against Jones-Drew. Considering he has no other run ins with the law or the league front office, it is unlikely this incident will result in any type of league imposed suspension. One thing dynasty owners should be concerned with is Jones-Drew’s appearance in photos leaked from the club. The running back is still not back to full strength from the injury that cost him most of the 2012 season and is visibly overweight and out of shape. With this negative news, it is not the time to sell Jones-Drew, but dynasty owners have to consider this when planning for the upcoming season.
Mike James, RB TB
Beat writers out of Tampa Bay expect rookie Mike James to win the backup running back job behind Doug Martin. It was a position the Buccaneers had little faith in last season and clearly needed to upgrade. It is questionable if James will be that upgrade, but most backup running backs have dynasty value due to the possibility of injury to the starter. James is worth grabbing in a deep league, especially if you own Martin.
Joseph Morgan, WR NO
Saints wide receiver Joseph Morgan was arrested and charged with driving under the influence this past weekend. It’s the first known offense for Morgan, who is expected to compete for the Saints third wide receiver behind veteran Marques Colston and Lance Moore. Although he has shown big play ability with an outrageous 38 yards per catch last season, Morgan has yet to show he can be a consistent multi-dimensional wide receiver.
Arian Foster, RB HOU
Texans running back Arian Foster suffered a strained calf and will be out of action until training camp. Though this sounds like a minor injury, it is one experts say can linger if not given time to fully heal. In the meantime, backup running back Ben Tate is drawing praise from the coaching staff. It will be difficult to sell Foster or buy Tate in dynasty leagues over the next few weeks, so the best most owners can do now is sit back and monitor the situation.
Rob Gronkowski, TE NE
It was made official this week that Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski would indeed undergo back surgery in the coming weeks. That report first surfaced recently when news of Gronkowski’s fourth arm surgery was made public. There are a variety of reports on the severity and recovery period of the upcoming back surgery, but even the most conservative estimates have the stud tight end in danger of missing the season opener. If you are a gambler, now is a great time to make some trade offers for Gronkowski. The Saints Jimmy Graham is now clearly the top tight end in dynasty leagues.
Coby Fleener, TE IND
Colts head coach Chuck Pagano expects tight end Coby Fleener to double his reception total in his second year. Fleener’s dynasty value has taken a big hit after a disappointing rookie year, and he is becoming underrated as a result. One positive for Fleener is the addition of offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, who served in the same role during Fleener’s time at Stanford. Expect Fleener to spend less time blocking and more time running pass routes in the 2013 season.
Joel Dreessen, TE DEN
Broncos tight end Joel Dreessen underwent knee surgery recently that will keep him out of action until training camp. Although the Broncos have some depth at tight end, none of them have stepped up to become fantasy viable. This injury may open the door for Virgil Green and Julius Thomas to finally show what they can do. With so many receiving options in Denver, there may not be enough receptions and targets left to go around.
Aldrick Robinson, WR WAS
Redskins coach Mike Shanahan has pointed out the impressive camp enjoyed by third year wide receiver Aldrick Robinson. Despite two relatively quiet seasons with Washington, Robinson is drawing a lot of buzz, not only from Shanahan, but in the fantasy football circles as well. With the lack of depth at the wide receiver position for Washington, anyone drawing praise will garner attention from dynasty owners. In deep leagues, Robinson is worth a stash.
Rueben Randle, WR NYG
Second year wide receiver Rueben Randle has drawn early praise from head coach Tom Coughlin. Coughlin noted the major improvement shown by Randle, saying he has a chance to step up his game. With Domenik Hixon now in Carolina, Randle is expected to claim the third wide receiver role and with both starters Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks embattled in contract disputes with the team, there is potential for Randle to earn a starting job in 2014. Now is the time to add Randle to your dynasty team.
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