DLF’s Weekly Impact Events

Ryan McDowell Posted On July 12, 2013

blackmon

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:

Justin Blackmon, WR JAX

On top of his four game suspension due to a violation of the substance abuse policy, we have now learned that Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon also underwent groin surgery and his availability for training camp is unknown. Blackmon’s value has taken a hit, unlike wide receiver Josh Gordon who has actually climbed the ADP list since his June suspension. Blackmon has seen his ADP drop from a high of 44 down to 59 in June. He offers high upside and good value, but also comes with a high risk level.

Marshawn Lynch, RB SEA

The court date for Marshawn Lynch related to his DUI arrest over a year ago was delayed until November. This is great news for Lynch and his dynasty owners. It was expected Lynch would be suspended for the early part of the season, but that won’t happen now. It is likely any suspension would not take effect until the 2014 season. Lynch remains a solid value in the second round of dynasty startups.

Shane Vereen, RB NE

One of the players gaining the most value this off-season is Patriots running back Shane Vereen and some reports from OTAs even have Vereen lining up as a wide receiver. With Stevan Ridley expected to get the bulk of the carries on first and second down, this is great news for Vereen’s dynasty value. Even with the off-season hype, Vereen can still be had at the end of the seventh round in many dynasty startup drafts.

Michael Vick, QB PHI

We told you last week that Eagles beat writers considered Nick Foles the leader in the battle for the starting quarterback job, and this week came even more Michael Vick related news. Beat writer Geoff Mosher now suggests that if Foles does indeed win the job, Vick could be a cap cut, despite the guaranteed money in his contract. At his age and with his injury history, it’s difficult to envision any team signing Vick as their starter.

Hakeem Nicks, WR NYG

Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks is reportedly unsure about re-signing with the Giants after preliminary contract talks “went nowhere.” It also can’t help the situation that the Giants have now locked up fellow wide receiver Victor Cruz to a long-term deal. It was the assumption of many the Giants would only be able to re-sign one of their top wide receivers. A parallel can also be drawn to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who after breaking off talks with Mike Wallace, signed Antonio Brown to a long-term deal, which ultimately led to Wallace leaving town. Could Nicks be the next wide receiver to leave?

Julian Edelman, WR NE

Beat writer Mike Reiss tabbed injured wide receiver Julian Edelman as his choice to win the second wide receiver job for the Patriots. Edelman is still dealing with a foot injury, but is one of the few receivers with experience in the New England offense. Tom Brady has proven in the past he can turn relative afterthoughts into pivotal playmakers and he already has experience playing with Edelman, who could slide right into the Wes Welker role. Edelman offers a lot of upside at a very inexpensive price. In fact, he is likely on the waiver wire of many dynasty leagues.

Rob Housler, TE ARI

The Arizona Cardinals official website has pegged tight end Rob Housler as the team’s most likely breakout candidate. Beat writer Darren Urban expects Housler to post as many as sixty receptions. That would likely put him in the TE1 range in typical twelve team leagues. Housler’s value has been on the rise all off-season with a June ADP of 149, but he is still only being drafted as the TE17.

Matthew Stafford, QB DET

The Lions and quarterback Matthew Stafford agreed to a three year contract extension, which will pay him $53 million and keep him in a Lions uniform until 2017. Stafford will only be 29 years old by the end of this deal, so there is no reason to think Stafford will not see this deal to its completion. Expect Stafford to continue to post monster passing numbers and remain a solid starting quarterback in dynasty formats.

Mark Sanchez, QB NYJ

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez declared this week that he would win the starting job for the Jets. While this is likely true, it means very little for Jets fans and even less for dynasty players. At this point, Sanchez has no value and it is obvious that rookie Geno Smith will take over sooner rather than later. The Jets offense is a disaster and Smith, new running back Chris Ivory and second year wideout Stephen Hill are the most valuable Jets in dynasty leagues.

Jonathan Stewart, RB CAR

Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart is said to be progressing well in his recovery from off-season surgery on both ankles, according to head coach Ron Rivera. Despite the good news about his rehabilitation, it is still questionable if Stewart will be ready for training camp. With quarterback Cam Newton dominating goal line carries, and Stewart banged up yet again, this is looking like a situation to avoid altogether. Veterans DeAngelo Williams and Mike Tolbert offer little to no long-term upside in dynasty leagues, though Tolbert would be worth adding if it looks like Stewart will miss regular season action

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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.