DLF’s Weekly Impact Events

Ryan McDowell Posted On November 7, 2015

parker

It was a huge week of news in the NFL and unfortunately, most of it wasn’t good for our dynasty teams. Let’s take a look at which players are involved and how the news affects their value.

Jeremy Langford, RB CHI

One of the hottest names amongst dynasty owners this week has been that of rookie running Jeremy Langford, who will start for the Bears this week in place of the injured Matt Forte. The severity of Forte’s knee injury is not known, but he has been ruled out for this week and is expected to miss a minimum of two weeks. Langford won the top backup spot pretty quickly, overcoming Ka’Deem Carey and Jacquizz Rodgers on the depth chart. His value has spiked as a result of this opportunity alone, so if he performs well, his value will really increase.

DeVante Parker, WR MIA

One of the injuries that was not discussed much was the foot injury suffered by rookie DeVante Parker. While Parker will sit out Miami’s week nine contest, this injury doesn’t sound serious as x-rays came back negative. The main concern dates back over a year to Parker’s time at Louisville, when he suffered a broken bone in the same foot and missed nearly half of his senior season. Considering Parker was already sparingly used and Parker’s injury history, this becomes a major worry which could impact Parker’s value in the coming months.

Percy Harvin, WR BUF

Veteran receiver Percy Harvin has once again been ruled out of action for this week and the Bills general manager now admits Harvin could land on the team’s injured reserve list. Harvin was reportedly so frustrated with his injury issues that he contemplated retirement and while that does not appear to be an option at this time, he likely won’t be a factor again this season. Harvin’s value is nearly gone, even in deep dynasty leagues.

Antonio Andrews, RB TEN

[inlinead]The Tennessee Titans made a coaching change this week, relieving Ken Whisenhunt of his duties and naming Mike Mularkey the interim head coach. Mularkey was quick to focus on the running game, noting that bruiser Antonio Andrews would be the team’s workhorse back and starter for the remainder of the season. That sounds like great news for Andrews and his dynasty value, but the reality is that he is not that talented and has not been on the dynasty radar despite being the team’s leading rusher the past few weeks. It is bad news for both Terrance West and Bishop Sankey though, considering Andrews has overtaken both on the depth chart. I understand if dynasty owners want to hang onto Sankey and his draft capital spent, but West can be dropped in most dynasty formats.

Colin Kaepernick, QB SF

This week, 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula decided to bench the struggling Colin Kaepernick in favor of the former first round bust Blaine Gabbert. Kaepernick was once regarded as one of the top fantasy quarterbacks in the game, but has steadily declined over the past couple of seasons. Unless Gabbert has greatly improved since his time with Jacksonville, he won’t fare any better, which means the team could ultimately turn back to Kaepernick. I’m still a believer, so I’m taking this opportunity to buy low on Kaepernick in hopes he gets a chance for a fresh start with another team, or maybe just a new coaching staff.

Steve Smith, WR BAL

In a week of many disappointing stories, this one was among the toughest. Wide receiver Steve Smith, who announced prior to the season that this would be his last, suffered a torn Achilles and will miss the rest of the season. At first glance, while a frustrating injury for Smith and Ravens’ fans, this seems like an easy situation for dynasty owners to manage, as he would be dropped in all formats. There has already been speculation though that Smith could change his mind considering the circumstances and return for one more season. Even if he does though, he’s still a 36-year-old wide receiver with a serious leg injury. It would be difficult for any player to return at full strength from that injury, so there are some fair doubts about Smith’s future, even if he does opt to return. If you have a free injured reserve spot, I’d suggest using it for Smith, but otherwise, sending him to the waiver wire might be the best option.

Le’Veon Bell, RB PIT

The biggest story of the week involves one of the best players in the game, Le’Veon Bell, and yet another injury. Bell suffered a torn MCL in the Steelers’ week eight loss and will miss the remainder of the season. For fantasy players, there is no real way to replace Bell, who was widely considered the top back in the game. The Steelers will turn to veteran DeAngelo Williams, who excelled in the season’ first two weeks. While Williams should be a very valuable asset down the stretch, he still has very little long-term value, as Bell should be back at full strength in time for training camp. With such a large gap from the top tier of running backs to the second tier, Bell won’t fall far in running back rankings, likely dropping to the RB2 behind rookie Todd Gurley.

Reggie Bush, RB SF

It looked as if veteran running back Reggie Bush was going to get one more shot at a starting job with Carlos Hyde dealing with a stress fracture in his foot, but Bush himself suffered an injury in week eight and a torn ACL will end Bush’s season and possibly his 49ers’ career. Bush has little or no dynasty value left and can be dropped in most leagues. In fact, I know he was already sitting on many waiver wires before he was elevated to starter about a week ago.

Keenan Allen, WR SD

In most weeks, the loss of one of the top receivers in the game would be the biggest story by far, but this week, the injury suffered by Chargers’ wide receiver Keenan Allen was just another blip on the radar. Allen missed much of the week eight game, but it didn’t seem to be a major concern. It was later reported Allen had suffered a lacerated kidney and Allen would be done for the season. Allen’s loss will be devastating to the Chargers and dynasty owners, but it appears as if he will be able to fully recover and return to the field in the future. Allen makes a great buy low target if you can flip a lower ranked wideout.

Joseph Randle, RB FA

The Dallas Cowboys finally made the tough decision and waived troubled running back Joseph Randle, who was dealing with reported personal issues after being benched and facing a league imposed suspension. Randle cleared waivers and is free to sign with another team, which is a long-shot given all he has dealt with the past couple of weeks. I’m hanging onto Randle if I have room, but would not hesitate to release him if I find a player who can help me on the waiver wire.

Vernon Davis, TE DEN

With this week marking the NFL trade deadline, the only deal was one that could have some fantasy impact as the 49ers shipped veteran tight end Vernon Davis to the Denver Broncos, who have been using a combination of Virgil Green and Owen Daniels with little success. Davis could become a relevant fantasy option down the stretch, but sadly, the Broncos’ offense has not been much better than the 49ers this season. Davis gets a slight value bump, but I would take this opportunity to sell him for a future rookie pick, if possible.

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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.