The DLF Mailbag

Eric Hardter

dlfmailbag

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!

*Editor’s Note – For total team evaluations, please be sure to use the DLF Newsletter Team Advice Form!*

  1. I’ve been offered a trade where I get either AJ Green or Kelvin Benjamin and a late first round pick for Le’Veon Bell.  I have a serious need for a WR1 so I’m looking to acquire those types of receivers., however this seems a bit too steep for me.  At running back I’d be left with Lamar Miller, Jonathan Stewart and Jeremy Hill as my main starters.  I will also have pick 1.02 in the upcoming draft.  Perhaps I’m overvaluing running backs, so should I pass or counter with something more in my favor? – Nathaniel in MN

It’s nearly impossible to argue against Le’Veon Bell’s candidacy for the title elite dynasty asset. In fact, despite the recent whirlwind of fantasy goodness provided by rookie runner Todd Gurley, I still view Bell as my overall RB1. Yes, he’s succumbed to injury the past two years running, but it’s nothing substantial enough to lead me to believe he’s injury prone, or likely to lose any of his trademark shiftiness.

But now it’s time for the other shoe to drop. As I discussed on this week’s DLF Podcast, though I prefer our ball carriers to be those who monopolize touches, I still prefer to build around wide receivers. And though he seems to disappear more often than I’d prefer for top-echelon pass catcher, AJ Green is still the PPR WR8 on the year, and has already surpassed 1,100 receiving yards with three games left to play. To me, this puts him essentially on equal footing, if not a tick ahead of Bell.

Adding in the first round pick is the deal-winner. You’re clearly worried about your running back corps (I wouldn’t be, as I’m high on both Lamar Miller and Jonathan Stewart), but there’s a good chance you could flip the pick (when you’re on the clock, so as to maximize value) for a guy like Matt Forte, LeSean McCoy, Chris Ivory or perhaps even Eddie Lacy depending on his owner’s viewpoint. Given this potential for acquiring two starters for one, while retaining an elite asset in the process, I’d advise you to take the deal.

  1. I’m thinking ahead to the off-season. In a salary cap league ($1000) where I can keep anyone I want (but at 20% inflation), which of my current tight end crop should hold on to: Martellus Bennett ($30), Eric Ebron ($11), Coby Fleener ($6), Ladarius Green ($9) or Austin Seferian-Jenkins ($11)? I’m leaning towards the last three. For what it’s worth, free agency will be fairly weak at the position. – Tommy in London

Truth be told, unless you have massive issues with your salary cap I could make the case for you keeping all of the above, excepting Coby Fleener. Though he’s slowed down lately, Eric Ebron has made tangible progress in his second year, and it’s possible further changes to the Lions’ underwhelming coaching staff could spark him to potentially unlock his upside. Ladarius Green showed flashes of what he could do while Antonio Gates was suspended in the season’s first four weeks, but much of his value moving forward will be tied to his future locale – nevertheless, he’s definitively worth a stack. Austin Seferian-Jenkins might have the highest ceiling of the group, as the Tampa offense is clearly moving in the right direction and ASJ figures to be a big part of it. Even Martellus Bennett, despite the fact he’ll more than likely be moving onto a different team, has shown more than enough over the past few years for me to believe he can function as a TE1 in 2016.

So ultimately I think it’ll come down to your cap and roster situation. Even with the inflation, that quartet of players above will only account for $73 of your $1000 limit, meaning you should have more than enough left to lock up more of your current roster, or sign the top tier of free agents. You’ll also be able to essentially play matchups at the position, which will come in handy if you’re not able to obtain a weekly difference maker via trade or free agency. Unless you really can’t support that many players, I have no issue with going for quantity over quality here.

  1. My current group of running backs includes Eddie Lacy, Doug Martin, Lamar Miller, CJ Anderson, Antonio Andrews and Andre Ellington. I want to add a piece for next year to solidify my running back situation, and was wondering if I should stand pat, or is there a guy (Todd Gurley?) that I should target? What would you give up, if anything? – Chucksters in SC

I truthfully think you’re fine. The trio of Eddie Lacy, Doug Martin and Lamar Miller should represent a grouping of mid-to-high end RB1s for 2016 and beyond, as all are talented and none are particularly old. CJ Anderson has also played much better as of late, and there’s a more than reasonable chance he could re-assert himself in the Denver backfield. Even Andre Ellington has played some of the best ball of his young career this season, albeit in a diminished role. Long story short, the cupboard is stocked both with proven studs and upside players.

With that said, if you’re looking to upgrade to Gurley, I don’t have an issue with that. There are probably only seven or eight players I wouldn’t trade straight up to acquire the Rams sublime rookie at the current moment in time, so talks could get expensive – but if you include Lacy as a starting point, that should go a reasonable distance towards bridging the gap. Perhaps adding on a player like Martavis Bryant or Michael Floyd could get you the rest of the way there, not depleting your wide receivers while also elevating your starting lineup. But again, it’s not necessary – you should be fine as is.

  1. I know the opinions on Josh Gordon vary amongst the DLF community, but I was wondering what you would value him going into this season.  I have the opportunity to acquire him for my first round pick, which will most likely be the 1.12.  After doing research and a little scouting, I feel like he has a higher upside and about the same risk as any other player I could get that late in a rookie draft.  Is this a good trade or am I undervaluing my first round pick? – David in MD

I’d make the deal. With every passing day where erstwhile Browns receiver Josh Gordon isn’t making headlines for the wrong reasons, it’s a tiny boost to his value. And with players we currently have rostered not necessarily helping us anymore (there are only so many playoff teams left, with only so many starting-caliber players, after all), Gordon’s zeroes the rest of the way mean significantly less than they did earlier in the season.

Yes, the risk remains that Gordon will bottom out, or perhaps not even return as the same type of player he was before. But honestly, the tail end of the first round isn’t any sort of guarantee either – the pick in and of itself is a fine asset, but utilizing it as a trade chip makes a lot of sense due to the sometimes uncertain nature of rookie prognostication. So given the totality of these circumstances, I’d have no problem acquiring the services of the guy who I now consider to be my dynasty WR23 (and rising) – fortune favors the bold, and a strong move like this could have you picking in the 1.12 range again next year.

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eric hardter