DLF’s Weekly Impact Events
The 2013 National Football League season is underway. You have to pay close attention to everything 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.
Trent Richardson, RB IND
In the biggest news of the week, and what will be one of the biggest stories of the season, the Cleveland Browns traded starting running back Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2014 first round pick. While the Browns continue their rebuild and acquire draft picks, the Colts have a great combination of youth and talent with Richardson, quarterback Andrew Luck and a solid group of pass catchers. The player who may be the most affected by the trade is veteran running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who was in line to be the Colts starter the rest of the season. He will now play behind Richardson and his dynasty value is decimated.
Dwayne Allen, TE IND
After missing the Colts’ week two matchup with Miami, it was revealed that starting tight end Dwayne Allen would require surgery to repair his injured hip and will miss the remainder of the season. Allen is a player that should be held on the injured reserve list in dynasty leagues, if that is an option. His value takes a slight hit due to his unavailability this season, but this is also an opportune time to acquire him as we look forward to the potent Colts offense for years to come. In his place, Coby Fleener gets a bump in value, especially coming off a strong week two performance.
Willis McGahee, RB CLE
As fallout from the Trent Richardson trade, the Cleveland Browns have signed veteran running back Willis McGahee, who will presumably take over as the team’s starter. McGahee joins Bobby Rainey and Chris Ogbonnaya as remaining running back following the surprising trade. McGahee had no value prior to the signing, so clearly he sees a gain in value in dynasty leagues, but don’t expect the Browns to run the ball much.
Da’Rick Rogers, WR IND
In another move made by the Colts, the team promoted rookie wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers from the practice squad onto the active roster. After going undrafted, Rogers was signed, and eventually waived by the Buffalo Bills. He then went unclaimed and was signed to the Colts practice squad. We likely won’t see Rogers in the next couple of weeks, but he has the talent to earn a spot. The only question about Rogers is his attitude. For now, Rogers is worth adding off the waiver wire as we wait to see if he gets a chance at playing time with the Colts.
Greg Little, WR CLE
With the return of wide receiver Josh Gordon from a two game suspension, the Browns have benched Greg Little, who continues to struggle to catch the ball. Little has three drops already this season. He’s becoming one of those players I call a “roster clogger.” Although he is not getting dropped in dynasty leagues, he also cannot be relied on as a starting option. Don’t be afraid to drop Little for a better option on the waiver wire.
Jordan Reed, TE WAS
One surprising player early in the season has been Redskins rookie tight end Jordan Reed. Although Reed was a favorite of many dynasty owners, few could have expected the solid early season production, mostly due to the presence of veteran tight end Fred Davis. Instead, Davis has struggled and was benched in the team’s week two loss to the Green Bay Packers. With Reed already breaking through, there’s no reason to expect him to lose playing time now. He should continue to have a role in the offense and is a great buy in dynasty leagues. Davis, on the other hand, can be dropped in shallow leagues.
Giovani Bernard, RB CIN
After a quiet opening week, Bengals running back Giovani Bernard enjoyed a break out in the team’s week two match up against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bernard totaled just sixty-six yards, but found the end zone twice. Since then, reports of a growing role for Bernard and a potential running-back-by-committee in Cincinnati have surfaced. This seems to be the beginning of an important role for Bernard and based on that game alone, his value is quickly rising. If there was a window to buy low on Bernard, it’s certainly gone now.
David Wilson, RB NYG
For the second consecutive week, Giants running back David Wilson mightily struggled. Though Wilson didn’t fumble in week two, he only managed seventeen yards on nine carries and participated in less than one-third of the offensive plays. For those who believed in Wilson’s talent this off-season, which was a majority of dynasty owners, now is the time to buy low. The Giants have few options in the running game and must simply force feed Wilson the ball.
Andre Ellington, RB ARZ
Rookie running back Andre Ellington had a nice game in week two as he gained sixty-two total yards and scored a touchdown. The Cardinals had what seemed like a crowded backfield including Ellington and fellow rookie Stepfan Taylor. It appeared during the pre-season that Taylor would be next in line for carries behind starter Rashard Mendenhall, but it’s Ellington who has earned the more prominent role. Ellington is a prime target to add from the waiver wire in shallow leagues and with Mendenhall already banged up, expect Ellington’s role to increase.
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