The DLF Mailbag

Eric Hardter Posted On October 8, 2014

coughlin

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!

1. In a 10-team PPR league with ten keepers, who would be the better prospect going forward between Terrance West and Odell Beckham? – Joe in DC

Giants receiver Odell Beckham has caught a lot of flack amongst dynasty enthusiasts, with precious little of it actually warranted. First there were concerns about his height (5’11”), or lack thereof, which should have been negated by an otherworldly catch radius which ranks in the 94^th percentile of collegiate prospects. That more than half the current PPR top-25 receivers are 6’0” or shorter should also help to quell the ever-raging “height is right” inferno, rendering Beckham’s measureables as little more than a single data point.

Next, Beckham had the audacity to injure his hamstring during training camp, never getting quite right until this past Sunday. However, instead of noting his history of not missing time in college, antagonists begun shoveling dirt on his grave before he even turned 22. Given the marathon that is dynasty football, prematurely burying the #12 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft due to a soft tissue injury might have been a bit overdramatic.

Now healthy, OBJ showed us what he could do in week five, easily whipping the Falcons cornerbacks to the tune of four receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown (on five targets) despite playing only half the offensive snaps. He was wide open for another long touchdown, only to see quarterback Eli Manning overthrow him. Though I would be just as foolish as those I described above if I took one game and extrapolated a career out of it, it was glaringly obvious that Beckham has the skills to succeed at the NFL level.

Opportunity will have to be earned, especially with receiver Victor Cruz and tight end Larry Donnell entrenched in their respective roles. With that said, I believe Beckham can begin to push the wildly disappointing Rueben Randle for playing time, sending his atrocious 4.73 yards-per-target average and touchdown dependence into the role of third receiver. If and when that happens you’ll be glad to have him rostered, with Browns running back Terrance West merely an afterthought.

2. In my 12-man, half-PPR startup league we’re starting with five keepers, with an additional keeper added each year until we keep nine players each season. I’ve been offered Sammy Watkins for Jerick McKinnon. Thoughts? – Thomas in NY

There’s little left to say about Vikings running back Adrian Peterson other than his absence has opened up a wealth of opportunity for other players. Direct backup Matt Asiata has assumed the bulk of the responsibility, showing adeptness in both the passing game and on the goal line. However, his upside is limited by unimpressive physical traits (our own Leo Paciga has nicknamed him the “purple sloth”), lending possibility for another to ultimately step up.

The majority of the dynasty collective appears to want that guy to be first-year player Jerick McKinnon. Despite a position switch from quarterback limiting his current capability to be a complete ball carrier, owners are metaphorically salivating for the athletic freak to become “the guy” sooner rather than later. Boasting explosive athleticism, it’s not truly surprising – as alluded to in the question above, physical traits can often be the prime determinant when formulating one’s opinion about a player’s future.

Unfortunately for the relative value of McKinnon, he’s likely going to need to own up to every bit of his physicality if he’s to match the worth of Bills receiver Sammy Watkins. Both on the field and in the dynasty ether, it’s my belief Watkins’ value trumps that of every other 2014 rookie, and he’s already on his way to fulfilling his promise with a current standing as the PPR WR28. This is an instant, and easy “accept” for you.

3. What are your thoughts on Tre Mason? Despite rumors he might finally dress this week he was again an inactive. I liked his talent coming into the season and saw Zac Stacy as the type of starting back that could potentially be overtaken by the right back. I know it’s far too early to typically “give up” on someone, but we have very shallow rosters (just 18 players) so I want to make sure that I am rostering a player that does indeed have long term value. – Jeff in NJ

I agree with the latter portion of your question, in that it’s certainly too early to give up on a rookie you likely took in the first two rounds of your draft. It’s also my opinion there are multiple reasons why Rams running back Tre Mason has consistently been a healthy scratch thus far in the young season. Let’s first start with who’s currently ahead of him.

Zac Stacy is a household name in dynasty, even if his game hasn’t quite matched that moniker. Though his 4.2 YPC is up from 3.9 in his rookie year, and his receiving has also been more efficient, Stacy remains as a volume and touchdown dependent ball carrier. With that said, he has coach Jeff Fisher’s trust and can play all three downs, as a solid if unspectacular contributor.

Next on the depth chart is Benny Cunningham, who some have asserted is actually a better runner than Stacy. With a career 5.0 YPC average it’s easy to make that argument, although he doesn’t have nearly the volume as his fellow sophomore. However, he’s once again another player who can do it all on the field.

That, in essence, is the biggest reason why Mason can’t crack the lineup – he’s nowhere close to a jack of all trades. Put more simply, he blocks about as well as your or I can. In a Jeff Fisher offense you’re not going to see the field if you can’t protect the quarterback, and as of now inserting Mason into the lineup would be a dead giveaway to the design of the play.

So until that aspect of Mason’s game improves, I expect him to resume his place on the pine. But make no mistake about it, he’s a fantastic runner and absolutely deserves to remain on your roster. You just might have to wait a little longer to see the return.

4. In your opinion, was what Branden Oliver did against the Jets a fluke or could he put up similar production on weeks when he gets enough touches? Also, if someone were to offer me something for Oliver what would the offer need to look like for me to accept it? – Dylan in PA

There are definitively different ways to qualify something as fluky in nature. As to whether Sunday’s game was a good gauge of Chargers rookie running back Branden Oliver’s game, I don’t view it as a fluky performance. It was certainly better than what he showed in the preseason, but ultimately the numbers aligned fairly well to what he was able to do at the collegiate level.

On the other hand, bad as the New York Jets offense may be, I do qualify their week five performance as aberrant in nature. They only generated 151 total yards of offense (a mere 60 of which came through the air), failed to score and didn’t even cross into San Diego territory until the second half. This inept display, along with Philip Rivers’ quarterbacking clinic, caused irreparable damage to the possibility of an even game flow as the Chargers ran a whopping 42 plays in the first half, not including punts or kickoffs. Though the Jets had previously boasted one of the best run-stopping units in the league, being on the field for that long in the 100-degree San Diego heat can take it out of anyone.

What cannot be denied though is Oliver’s case to become a more integral part of the game plan. His performance, along with the concussion suffered by backfield mate Donald Brown, should ensure he’ll receive the lion’s share of the work this coming week against the woeful Raiders. With only journeyman Shaun Draughn competing for touches, it wouldn’t shock me to see a similar effort to what he did this past week.

It’s at that point that, if you still wanted to sell him, I’d attempt to do so. Given the ever-changing running back landscape, even the ability to catch lightning in a bottle carries value for the current season. I’d look to get back at least a future second round pick, and if you can’t make that happen, I’d be content seeing where it goes. Ryan Mathews is likely in his last season with the Bolts, making Oliver’s future potential worth vastly more than the lottery ticket you’d be receiving with a later round pick.

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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.