The DLF Mailbag

Eric Hardter Posted On June 8, 2015

jeffery

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!

I have a dynasty rules and ethics question. I sent an offer to another owner via our league site to see if I could get Alshon Jeffery from him. He rejected my first offer, so I emailed him directly to see if we could negotiate. After a couple back and forth emails, he finally emailed me the following trade: CJ Spiller, Cordarrelle Patterson and my 2015 rookie 2.04 draft pick for Jeffery and Isaiah Crowell. I emailed him back “let’s do it” and also sent him the proposal via the league site at the same time, which he would then have to confirm at his end before approval by the commissioner. He accepted the proposal and the commish approved the deal. One week later, I got an email from the same owner saying he just realized that the trade was for pick 2.04 and not pick 1.04, and that he would have never done the deal for the 2.04. Keep in mind that he emailed me this offer exactly the way it was processed, and even approved again when I sent him the exact same deal proposal via the league site. Now he wants me to reverse this trade or switch back the 2.04 pick for my 1.04 if the deal stands. I feel like he is completely at fault here, if he made the mistake when he sent me the initial offer and then approved it again, the deal should stand as is. What are your thoughts? – JD in Parts Unknown

[inlinead]Yes, your league-mate is at fault here – as you mentioned he had multiple opportunities to get the trade right, and even after that it took him a full week to “realize” his mistake. I try not to be the suspicious sort, especially when it comes to a hobby that’s supposed to bring us enjoyment, but this, at least partially, reeks of seller’s remorse. Piling on, it’s also certainly fair to argue that voluntarily going back on the deal could set a bad precedent for the league and other owners could then claim ignorance and attempt to renege on bargains that were seemingly struck.

So no, I won’t advise you to give into your trade partner’s newfound sentiments, but would instead caution you to consider the potential ramifications of moving forward with your procuring of Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery. You’d likely be losing a trade partner for good and depending on how the other owners view the way the deal went down, the harmony of the league could be severely disrupted. I’m not saying you should give in for the “greater good” of the league, but these potential consequences are worth noting – again, by no stretch of the imagination are you in the wrong, but there definitively will be downstream effects of being right.

Our league uses salary caps that automatically accelerate so keeping players becomes prohibitive. I’m on the cusp of a championship and would like to pick up Adrian Peterson. His current status in our league dictates I’ll have him for two seasons at most before his contract grows to the point I’d have to cut him. What is fair compensation under these terms? Is Melvin Gordon too much? Are Ameer Abdullah and Joique Bell too little? – John in NM

No matter the scenario, I’d find it tough to ship off Chargers rookie running back Melvin Gordon for veteran star Adrian Peterson – sure, Peterson is likely to play (and play quite well) for the next couple of years, but we’re still talking about a 30-year old running back versus a first round rookie who went to what is arguably the best location out of any of the freshman ball carriers. I also agree that the combination of Ameer Abdullah and Joique Bell probably isn’t enough, but if your trade partner is rebuilding, you have a chance. If you can add a future pick or another small piece to the equation, I think you’ll be able to get it done.

What should be my tight end strategy in a league with small, 17-man rosters? I only have Eric Ebron at the moment, and guys like Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Josh Hill, Owen Daniels and Maxx Williams, to name a few, are available. Is it worth it to carry two tight ends to avoid having to drop Ebron as a prospect? – dcr1984 in PA

Don’t get me wrong, 17-man rosters are incredibly small, but I definitely think you should roster two tight ends. Detroit tight end Eric Ebron, to put it kindly, wasn’t very good as a rookie, constantly fighting the ball en route to an inefficient season. Don’t get me wrong, rookie tight ends never contribute, but things aren’t looking great for the Lions’ third target as he enters his sophomore season. I think you absolutely have to pick up another player at the position, and would look to snag Denver’s Owen Daniels so that you have someone who will actually contribute on a weekly basis.

I noticed a lot of spikes and drops in dynasty rankings across many sites after the draft. It’s been my philosophy that you’re drafting the player, not the offensive scheme, so I tend not to fluctuate my rankings as much considering a long-term approach. What percentage versus talent would you say you consider situation? In that vein, where does Brock Osweiler rank compared to Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston? Keep up the great work! This is the best site for dynasty and daily by far. – Sean in CO

Personal rankings are certainly important, but it’s my belief two other factors should also be strong considerations in the post-draft world – landing spot and draft status. To the latter, the simple fact is not only are NFL personnel generally better at scouting than Joe Sixpack, teams can devote a lot more resources towards getting it right. Yes, there will always be misses for a variety of reasons, but to me, the lower a player was drafted means all 32 teams had a chance to pass on him multiple times – that says something, and is certainly worth taking into account.

As for landing spot, it’s hard to say it doesn’t matter, although I’m with you to a point that talent should trump all. However, some situations are simply terrible (i.e. Duke Johnson in Cleveland) and need to be accounted for, especially when it comes to the positions of lesser longevity. Sure, this is dynasty football so we have all the theoretical time in the world for our players to develop, but at the end of the day we want guys who are scoring points.

So ultimately, I’d assign the following percentages when making my draft picks – 50% personal belief, 25% situation and 25% draft status. I’ll always go with my gut when I’m on the fence, but again, the external factors matter. This is exactly why Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota going 1-2 in the draft, versus Denver’s Brock Osweiler in the second round a few years back, would have me rank them comfortably ahead of the Denver backup.

In my 10-team half-PPR league, I have a pretty deep but young and unproven team. I’m struggling to decide which four of these players to cut before our rookie draft: Russell Wilson, Ryan Tannehill, Doug Martin, Mark Ingram, Andre Ellington, CJ Spiller, Shane Vereen, Christine Michael, Odell Beckham, Mike Evans, Randall Cobb, Keenan Allen, Cordarrelle Patterson, Martavis Bryant, John Brown, Rueben Randle, Percy Harvin, Josh Gordon, Julius Thomas, Eric Ebron, Ladarius Green and Jace Amaro. I have been trying to pull off a two-for-one trade or a pick plus a player to move up in the draft, but unfortunately my league-mates hate trading. – Jacob in FL

This is an inordinately strong team (even for a 10-team league) so you have some tough decisions. Here are my choices, with a quick rationale added:

Christine Michael – Simply put, he’s the least valuable running back on your roster, and it doesn’t appear he’s getting his shot anytime soon.

Rueben Randle – He’s not a good football player, and I’d much rather take my chances on a post-injury Victor Cruz.

Ladarius Green – He’s basically the amalgamation of Michael and Randle, but at the tight end position.

Ryan Tannehill – I would almost never recommend this course of action, but it’s a 10-team 1QB league and you already have Russell Wilson. If you’re loath to part with this emerging asset, however, I could see giving Percy Harvin the chop instead.

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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.