Twitter Observations: Week 14
For dynasty teams in the playoffs, the stakes are obvious. It’s all about the present and living week-to-week in search of fantasy glory. But even for those who missed their playoffs, it doesn’t mean these final games of 2019 are meaningless. Sure, they can get a head start on evaluating their roster and rookie drafts. It’s also a good time to check out those young players getting playing time or veterans to see if they have anything left for next year. Below are some players on both ends of their careers who might or might not contribute to your dynasty teams playoff push next year.
A reminder: This space will be dedicated to an assortment of things we find on Twitter and what it means for our dynasty teams. Most fantasy tweets undoubtedly have a redraft slant to them but we’re here to talk about the dynasty implications.
Lockett Management
If you take away Tyler Lockett's 2 highest-scoring games, he'd rank outside of the top-50 WRs in fantasy points per game, behind names such as:
– Darius Slayton (11.8)
– Preston Williams (11.4)
– Larry Fitzgerald, WR47 (11.3)
– Randall Cobb, WR52 (10.73)– Tyler Lockett (10.66)
— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) December 9, 2019
Ever since Tyler Lockett’s biggest game of 2019 five weeks ago (13-152-2), he’s fallen off the fantasy radar. In the four games since then, he’s failed to clear four catches or 43 yards and has seen just 15 targets total. Granted, Russell Wilson hasn’t set the world on fire in that span either (he hasn’t cleared 250 passing yards in that span) but he has thrown four touchdowns, none of which made their way to Lockett. Meanwhile, rookie DK Metcalf has seen 29 targets over the last month or nearly double what Lockett is seeing.
Dynasty Impact: Lockett’s current dynasty ADP is on the WR1/2 line but that’s reflective of his value before the slump and is sure to drop over the off-season as DK Metcalf’s value grows. Remember, the Seattle offense just doesn‘t pass a lot. They were dead last in the league last season in pass attempts and are just ninth-worst this year. Lockett will be in dynasty purgatory after the season as teams will want a return package based on his season-long stats which will most likely seem him finish with 1,000 yards and a half dozen touchdowns. But his future outlook doesn’t look nearly as bright in that offense and the ascension of Metcalf. He’s a hold/avoid player right now.
Sky Robby
Robby Anderson is going boom at the right time. He has 18 receptions, 303 receiving yards, and 2 TDs over the last three games. Anderson leads all WRs with 459 air yards over that time frame. #FantasyFootball pic.twitter.com/oXXpKuqX6e
— Moody (@EricNMoody) December 9, 2019
Here we go again. At the end of last season, Robby Anderson had at least 75 yards and a touchdown in three of the Jets’ last four games. There was optimism that he and rookie quarterback Sam Darnold were developing a rapport heading into the 2019 season. But that rapport didn’t carry over as Anderson cleared more than 50 yards just twice through the Jets’ first ten games this season and his ADP bottomed out at 41st among dynasty receivers. But just like last season, Anderson has salvaged his season by averaging 100 yards his last three games and scoring twice to give his dynasty owners a glimmer of hope heading into the off-season.
Dynasty Impact: Anderson is a free agent after the season and it’s debatable whether he goes back to New York. If he does, the question for dynasty owners is why don’t they feed Anderson earlier and more consistently? It’s obvious that on an offense led by Sam Darnold, Anderson can produce. It may actually be better for his dynasty value to find a new home, one that makes a commitment with their cap space. At least then we’d know that Anderson is a priority for some team. Wherever he lands, he should be valued only slightly better than he is now, despite the last season surge. He could top out as an ideal WR3 on your dynasty team next year but nothing more.
Raheem Measures
Raheem Mostert is the overall RB3 during the last 3 games. Could he be the guy in SF in 2020?
— Nick Whalen (@_NickWhalen) December 9, 2019
Just two weeks ago in this space we covered the relative value of another 49ers’ running back, Tevin Coleman. At the time, he was seen as the lead dog of a crowded 49ers backfield on an offense that is among the most run-heavy in the league. Raheem Mostert, while seeing limited action, was still an afterthought. But you can’t say that anymore after Mostert led 49er running backs in touches against the Saints, despite the return of Matt Breida, and clearly looked like the best option. He ran it ten times for 69 yards and a score plus caught two more balls for 40 yards and another score. As the tweet mentions above, he’s not only been the best 49er running back in fantasy but he’s been among the best in the league.
Dynasty Impact: While Mostert has certainly earned more snaps, the impact of his ascension is more about solidifying the lack of a workhorse in San Francisco rather than identifying one. None of the 49ers’ backs have seen the field consistently, whether its due to injuries or coaching, which has made it a fantasy nightmare. That nightmare will likely continue in 2020 as all are signed to cheap deals which makes them easier to bring back. Until the front office shows a clear preference to one of the backs (by signing a costly extension) or drafting one super high (unlikely after San Francisco traded picks in the second, third, and fourth rounds already), this is a situation to avoid. If you do inquire about a 49ers’ running back for your dynasty team this off-season, treat that player as your backup and not a stud.
Noah’s (Season) Arc
I know Noah Fant had a bog day and all.
But this isn't a great look is it…#BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/xWX2oNF06u— T͓̽o͓̽m͓̽ ͓̽K͓̽i͓̽s͓̽l͓̽i͓̽n͓̽g͓̽b͓̽u͓̽r͓̽y͓̽ (@TomKislingbury) December 9, 2019
Finally. Finally! We were headed for a massive Noah Fant breakout game. Through just one half, he had caught four balls for 114 yards and a touchdown. That was until an injury knocked him out of the game which robbed all of us of more fantasy points as evidenced by his backup, Jeff Heuerman, scoring a touchdown. Regardless, it was nice to see Fant have a good rapport with rookie Drew Lock especially after Fant hadn’t totaled more than 80 yards combined in his previous three games.
Dynasty Impact: The injury may be a blessing in disguise for prospective dynasty owners of Fant. After being drafted in the first round of this year’s real NFL draft, his dynasty ADP was on the TE1/2 line. It’s still there and should remain there this off-season thanks to the lack of a full breakout to end this season. But make no mistake, Fant will eventually be ranked higher thanks to his draft capital and the talent around him. And if quarterback Drew Lock can continue to be as good as he was in week 14, Fant will be one of the best.
