Twitter Observations: Julio Jones, Josh Gordon and Dez Bryant
After, quite literally, the longest fantasy week ever, it’ll be nice to get back into a routine. It’ll be needed since the fantasy playoffs, and the unpredictability that comes with them, are just around the corner. So, for playoff teams, they’ll be focused on the now. But for those already out of it, they can start looking at next year. Below are a few tweets that focus on some studs – and former studs – and what to do with them as 2020 comes to an end.
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
Here We Go Again
Scoopage: NFL reinstating Josh Gordon from suspension, eligible to return for last 2 games @@NFLONFOX
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) December 3, 2020
You must hand it to Josh Gordon. He easily could have walked away from his profession and the demons that have followed him throughout his career. But he’s continued to push through, looking for yet another chance to stay in the league. Granted, it also helps that NFL teams will take talent over personal issues which has allowed Gordon multiple chances, but commitment is a two-way street and Gordon has it.
This reinstatement won’t matter for most fantasy or dynasty leagues as he’ll only be able to play in the last three weeks of the regular season when most teams have been eliminated from their respective playoffs. But it will give everyone a chance to evaluate Gordon and if he can still produce after such a long absence. Fantasy stats aside, we should all root for him to succeed.
Dynasty Impact: With more suspensions over the last seven years than touchdowns, Gordon has been an afterthought when it comes to dynasty teams as evidenced by his dynasty value. 
But our ears always perk up when he pops up on Twitter as we wistfully remember his 1,600+ yard campaign in 2013 (for comparison, DK Metcalf was in high school). And for Gordon dynasty owners – if they still exist – they are banking on him replicating even a fraction of that production.
So, what do you do with him if you do have him? He’ll be entering his age-30 season in 2021 and while he certainly has more tread on his tires than other 30-year old’s, it’s still 30. There’s also the matter of the offense he’ll be in. If he stays with Seattle, he’ll be well behind current Seahawk receivers Tyler Lockett and Metcalf. And should he sign with another team, it’s not as if that team will make Gordon a priority of the offense thanks to his unreliability off the field. If you get no offers for him, he’s a hold. If you do get an offer, I’d take it.
Here We Go Again, Part II
Robert Griffin III warming up for a Wednesday afternoon game and throwing to Dez Bryant. This is 2020.
(via @Ravens) pic.twitter.com/qpbeCAr7Tq
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 2, 2020
After more than two seasons out of the NFL, Dez Bryant made his triumphant return a month ago to provide a veteran presence in the Ravens’ receiver room. He hasn’t done much but, then again, the Ravens don’t exactly pass it much, ranking last in pass attempts this season with just 27-per-game. In the three games he’s seen action, Bryant has four receptions for 28 yards. That will probably be the trend as the Ravens finish out the season.
Dynasty Impact: To be clear, Bryant will and has little dynasty value. He’s 32 and hasn’t looked anywhere near as explosive as his prime time in Dallas. What’s more concerning is the Ravens feeling like they need Bryant right now.
Baltimore used a first-round pick on Marquise Brown just last year, yet he has yet to take control of the passing game. He failed to average more than 50 yards per game last year and isn’t so far this year. Brown also likes to tease his dynasty owners with his only 100-yard games in only the season openers of his two-year career while never doing it again the rest of either season.
This lack of production can explain why Brown’s value is starting to dip while Bryant’s, as far away as he is from catching Brown, is slowly creeping up. In short, this is a situation to avoid until the Ravens figure out what they’re doing in the passing game.
Keeping Up with the Jones’
Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley have played six full games together this season. Both are top-4 fantasy WRs those weeks.
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) December 4, 2020
For years, Julio Jones has been staving off Father Time. And for years, owners have been waiting for the shoe to drop on his dynasty value. It hasn’t happened as Julio continued to put up monster numbers, never totaling less than 1,394 yards since 2013! He’s the definition of elite and consistent when it comes to fantasy scoring and was rightly considered a top receiver his entire career.
But all good things must come to an end and we might be there with Julio’s elite fantasy production. To be fair, Julio is still averaging a healthy 85 yards per game and has three 100-yard games this season. But he’s also missed a few due to injury and is still dealing with a hamstring injury that could hinder him this week.
Dynasty Impact: The Falcons are lucky to have not one, but two, elite options at receiver. Many thought Calvin Ridley was drafted to replace Jones but instead, they’ve worked well together, as shown in the tweet above. This is good news since the chances of Julio being cut thanks to his extension last year are small. It does not preclude a trade, however, which would result in the Falcons saving a ton of cap space, but they’d also have to convince a team to take on that massive contract. It puts the Falcons in a quandary since Ridley will be due an extension after the 2021 season himself.
Back to Julio – while his value has steadily declined in recent years, he’s still considered a low-end WR1 or WR2. He should continue to be treated as such as this season appears to be an outlier when it comes to his injury history and he doesn’t appear to be leaving Atlanta anytime soon.
From Wentz You Came
Some alarming stats on #Eagles QB Carson Wentz, via @NFLResearch… including having one of the biggest dropoffs in NFL history compared to his passer ratings from the previous 3 years pic.twitter.com/grIH7nZJ8G
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 1, 2020
Yikes. That tweet above summarizes just how far of a drop off Carson Wentz has had this season. Other troubling stats include a career-low completion percentage (58.1%), a yards-per-attempt (6.0) almost a yard below his career average (6.8) and more interceptions through 11 games (16) than he’s had in any season of his career. For fantasy owners, those numbers wouldn’t be so hard to swallow if it weren’t for Wentz also throwing for a career-low in average yards and only throwing 16 touchdowns so far. On the season, he’s just a low-end QB2 in fantasy scoring.
Dynasty Impact: It’s fair to say that in one-QB leagues, Wentz can easily be tossed aside in favor of many other options between the veterans in front of him plus the incoming rookie class that could include two more quarterbacks ahead of him.
But his value in superflex leagues is trickier. Currently, ranking as a fringe QB1 has value equating to a first-round rookie pick. I don’t know anyone that would spend that in the off-season while banking on a rebound. And if you’re a Wentz owner who does receive such an offer, I would take it.
A second-round pick would be a different story. If you’re the Wentz owner in this trade scenario, I’d hold on to him. Because of his albatross of a contract, he will be playing for the foreseeable future whether it’s in Philadelphia or not. But if you can acquire him for a second, I would pull that trigger. It’s a decent price for him but not so prohibitive that you miss out on a stud rookie in the first round.
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