The Ezekiel Elliott saga isn't going away. With the six-game suspension upheld, a temporary restraining order is now being considered, reportedly to be ruled on sometime Friday. Purely from a fantasy perspective, Zeke continues to be a risk-reward draft pick. I've been pushing him as a third rounder. Some of you have told me you landed him in the second or even the first. It all comes down to what you're willing to invest in an elite talent who's more likely than not to miss six games.
The fantasy danger--and I've been pushing this for some time--is that the suspension could go into effect near the end of the season. In other words, there's a chance this early-round investment will help you throughout the fantasy regular season, but not at all during the fantasy playoffs. While certainly a slim possibility given all the variables at play, it's why I can't promote him as a top 20 pick.
Other fairly big news is that the Bucs-Dolphins game could be postponed because of Hurricane Irma, to be made up during each team's Week 11 bye. Given each team's presumed objection to playing 16 straight weeks, a likely scenario would move this contest to a neutral site further north. This would have a mostly negligible impact on player performance, despite Miami losing a home game in the process. A decision should come soon.
---
The fantasy playoffs are months away. Some of you need to still draft a team. All of us will need to field competitive enough lineups to even qualify for the postseason. Bye weeks, injuries, depth chart shifts, and so on could derail our best-laid plans at any time.
And yet, the fantasy playoffs loom. It doesn't matter if we're 12-0 with a first-round bye. Bad timing--often in the form of brutal matchups--can take down any team.
The high-flying (when healthy) Steelers jump out as one team that could slow down in weeks 14-16. Faceoffs against the Ravens, Patriots, and Texans should concern anyone hoping for top 12 stats out of Big Ben (remember, Ben was on pace for top 6 QB production last year if he'd played all 16 games). Though he also doesn't have the easiest early-season schedule, if Ben starts big this season, you'd be wise to trade him at peak value.
Andrew Luck is another QB with an unfavorable late-season schedule. He and the Colts will see the Bills, Broncos, and Ravens--two of the three on the road. Luck's stock has been dropping for weeks with concerns about his availability early-season availability, as well as his health outlook for the rest of the season. With midseason games in Seattle and in Houston, along with some other tough games, he's now undraftable in 12-team leagues, as you're looking at most at 8-9 games where you can safely start a healthy Luck--if he returns to 100% form quickly. Meanwhile, the odds the 34-years-old Frank Gore makes it to December keep dropping every year. While he's positioned to lead this team for as long as he can muster the workload, Gore is one of those guys you trade to an RB-needy team in Week 8--and preferably to someone you're facing Week 11, when Indy's on a bye.
Kirk Cousins and the Redskins also face trouble in the fantasy playoffs with matchups against the Chargers, Cardinals, and Broncos. If the franchise is NFL playoff-bound, also watch out for Jordan Reed, compounding the challenges of an already difficult schedule. A 10-4 Redskins squad might not throw a 75% healthy Reed onto the field Week 16; they're more likely to keep their fragile tight end under wraps for when they need him most in January.
On the flip side, the Broncos and Patriots have relatively smooth sailing during weeks 14-16. But I wouldn't recommend drafting Trevor Siemian or starting him in one-QB leagues, and the Patriots . . . well, they'll probably be gunning for 16-0 by then, so have at it.
The fantasy danger--and I've been pushing this for some time--is that the suspension could go into effect near the end of the season. In other words, there's a chance this early-round investment will help you throughout the fantasy regular season, but not at all during the fantasy playoffs. While certainly a slim possibility given all the variables at play, it's why I can't promote him as a top 20 pick.
Other fairly big news is that the Bucs-Dolphins game could be postponed because of Hurricane Irma, to be made up during each team's Week 11 bye. Given each team's presumed objection to playing 16 straight weeks, a likely scenario would move this contest to a neutral site further north. This would have a mostly negligible impact on player performance, despite Miami losing a home game in the process. A decision should come soon.
---
The fantasy playoffs are months away. Some of you need to still draft a team. All of us will need to field competitive enough lineups to even qualify for the postseason. Bye weeks, injuries, depth chart shifts, and so on could derail our best-laid plans at any time.
And yet, the fantasy playoffs loom. It doesn't matter if we're 12-0 with a first-round bye. Bad timing--often in the form of brutal matchups--can take down any team.
The high-flying (when healthy) Steelers jump out as one team that could slow down in weeks 14-16. Faceoffs against the Ravens, Patriots, and Texans should concern anyone hoping for top 12 stats out of Big Ben (remember, Ben was on pace for top 6 QB production last year if he'd played all 16 games). Though he also doesn't have the easiest early-season schedule, if Ben starts big this season, you'd be wise to trade him at peak value.
Andrew Luck is another QB with an unfavorable late-season schedule. He and the Colts will see the Bills, Broncos, and Ravens--two of the three on the road. Luck's stock has been dropping for weeks with concerns about his availability early-season availability, as well as his health outlook for the rest of the season. With midseason games in Seattle and in Houston, along with some other tough games, he's now undraftable in 12-team leagues, as you're looking at most at 8-9 games where you can safely start a healthy Luck--if he returns to 100% form quickly. Meanwhile, the odds the 34-years-old Frank Gore makes it to December keep dropping every year. While he's positioned to lead this team for as long as he can muster the workload, Gore is one of those guys you trade to an RB-needy team in Week 8--and preferably to someone you're facing Week 11, when Indy's on a bye.
Kirk Cousins and the Redskins also face trouble in the fantasy playoffs with matchups against the Chargers, Cardinals, and Broncos. If the franchise is NFL playoff-bound, also watch out for Jordan Reed, compounding the challenges of an already difficult schedule. A 10-4 Redskins squad might not throw a 75% healthy Reed onto the field Week 16; they're more likely to keep their fragile tight end under wraps for when they need him most in January.
On the flip side, the Broncos and Patriots have relatively smooth sailing during weeks 14-16. But I wouldn't recommend drafting Trevor Siemian or starting him in one-QB leagues, and the Patriots . . . well, they'll probably be gunning for 16-0 by then, so have at it.