Rolling through a few things this morning. First, reporter Josh Reed shared yesterday that Philly has asked Buffalo about LeSean McCoy. The Eagles clearly don't view their current backfield as Super Bowl worthy, as there's no evidence -- at least this year -- to suggest that McCoy can earn a bellcow role there. At the risk of sounding a bit off-kilter, this could also be a tactic to motivate Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement. Essentially, they need to earn a starting or co-starting job. If McCoy doesn't move by the weekend, I'm picking Smallwood or Clement to blow up vs. the Giants. ("Yeah, that'll show upper management . . .")
Evan Engram could return this week, which obviously would make Rhett Ellison droppable in deep leagues, while Eli Manning would get a marginal bump. That said, if you're leaning on Engram as a top-6 TE, stop leaning. Although I was too cowardly to knock him down my rankings this preseason, I did make the case that the rise of Saquon Barkley and the decline of Eli would hamper Engram's production. He also benefited somewhat last year after Week 5 decimated the Giants' receiver corps, propelling him to top-2 target status.
Continues to keep a close eye on Brandin Cooks' and Cooper Kupp's status. Josh Reynolds would be a sneaky flyer if he gets the starting nod.
The Jaguars signed Jamaal Charles to back up T.J. Yeldon, who's backing up Leonard Fournette. Except Fournette's still ailing and Charles is still old. So this has the makings of a non-story.
Like clockwork, Austin Seferian-Jenkins' season ends prematurely. He's failed to reach double-digit games in four of five seasons. My preseason 22nd ranked TE (wedged between similarly over-hyped TEs Ricky Seals-Jones and Tyler Eifert), ASJ joins a long list of reportedly talented tight ends who fall short of wildly unrealistic expectations. The more talented Niles Paul enters the top-16 TE picture with solid TE1 potential, assuming he earns starter's targets. I closely observed his 2014 breakout season and can attest it was no fluke. He had 21 catches for 313 yards in the first four games (that's right: four games) before suffering a concussion. Jordan Reed returned a couple weeks later, and that was that. Paul is a must-add in deep leagues and a nice dart throw in shallower leagues if you're lacking a top-8 option.
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Back to running backs: In my very, very deep league draft this preseason, I discussed using most of my late-round picks on 10 RB handcuffs: C.J. Anderson, D’Onta Foreman, Chris Ivory, T.J. Yeldon, Chase Edmonds, Spencer Ware, John Kelly, Justin Jackson, James Conner, and Samaje Perine in that order. Yes, I grabbed Conner in the 20th round.
Already this season we've witnessed Jerick McKinnon and Derrius Guice getting knocked out for the year, while a healthy Le'Veon Bell still hasn't played a snap. Jay Ajayi and Rex Burkhead (yes, he was the highest ranked New England back all summer) are lost for the year. Leonard Fournette, Devonta, Freeman, LeSean McCoy, Dalvin Cook, Lamar Miller, and Joe Mixon have missed time, with Fournette and Cook still on the mend. Did I miss any guys? The point is, this list will grow as the season progresses. Of my original 10 handcuffs one has been a weekly starter, and two others have found value as spot starters. Foreman looms large as a midseason fix in Houston, while Perine, Ware, and Edmonds remains high-upside backups if their starters go down.
The point to all this is, and remains, obvious: If you want to jump-start your team, don't settle for a WR3/4. For every bench spot you can use as a long-term stash, add a handcuff. We saw what Alfred Blue did last week. It can happen at any time to any RB.
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Finally, a word on scoring. Some of you are frustrated that it's harder to win this year because too many random guys are racking up fantasy points. I've felt it the past two weeks in my 50/50s. Having three elite scorers is not enough. 22 out of 32 NFL teams are averaging more points per game than they did last year. That's huge. Last year no team averaged more than 400 yards per game. This year, 10 teams do. That's impactful. We can't be content with a QB throwing for 300 yards and two scores. Most top-16 QBs are doing that.
So the way we view fantasy, at least this year, needs to shift. Finding diamonds in the rough -- especially during bye weeks -- is that much more essential.
Evan Engram could return this week, which obviously would make Rhett Ellison droppable in deep leagues, while Eli Manning would get a marginal bump. That said, if you're leaning on Engram as a top-6 TE, stop leaning. Although I was too cowardly to knock him down my rankings this preseason, I did make the case that the rise of Saquon Barkley and the decline of Eli would hamper Engram's production. He also benefited somewhat last year after Week 5 decimated the Giants' receiver corps, propelling him to top-2 target status.
Continues to keep a close eye on Brandin Cooks' and Cooper Kupp's status. Josh Reynolds would be a sneaky flyer if he gets the starting nod.
The Jaguars signed Jamaal Charles to back up T.J. Yeldon, who's backing up Leonard Fournette. Except Fournette's still ailing and Charles is still old. So this has the makings of a non-story.
Like clockwork, Austin Seferian-Jenkins' season ends prematurely. He's failed to reach double-digit games in four of five seasons. My preseason 22nd ranked TE (wedged between similarly over-hyped TEs Ricky Seals-Jones and Tyler Eifert), ASJ joins a long list of reportedly talented tight ends who fall short of wildly unrealistic expectations. The more talented Niles Paul enters the top-16 TE picture with solid TE1 potential, assuming he earns starter's targets. I closely observed his 2014 breakout season and can attest it was no fluke. He had 21 catches for 313 yards in the first four games (that's right: four games) before suffering a concussion. Jordan Reed returned a couple weeks later, and that was that. Paul is a must-add in deep leagues and a nice dart throw in shallower leagues if you're lacking a top-8 option.
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Back to running backs: In my very, very deep league draft this preseason, I discussed using most of my late-round picks on 10 RB handcuffs: C.J. Anderson, D’Onta Foreman, Chris Ivory, T.J. Yeldon, Chase Edmonds, Spencer Ware, John Kelly, Justin Jackson, James Conner, and Samaje Perine in that order. Yes, I grabbed Conner in the 20th round.
Already this season we've witnessed Jerick McKinnon and Derrius Guice getting knocked out for the year, while a healthy Le'Veon Bell still hasn't played a snap. Jay Ajayi and Rex Burkhead (yes, he was the highest ranked New England back all summer) are lost for the year. Leonard Fournette, Devonta, Freeman, LeSean McCoy, Dalvin Cook, Lamar Miller, and Joe Mixon have missed time, with Fournette and Cook still on the mend. Did I miss any guys? The point is, this list will grow as the season progresses. Of my original 10 handcuffs one has been a weekly starter, and two others have found value as spot starters. Foreman looms large as a midseason fix in Houston, while Perine, Ware, and Edmonds remains high-upside backups if their starters go down.
The point to all this is, and remains, obvious: If you want to jump-start your team, don't settle for a WR3/4. For every bench spot you can use as a long-term stash, add a handcuff. We saw what Alfred Blue did last week. It can happen at any time to any RB.
--
Finally, a word on scoring. Some of you are frustrated that it's harder to win this year because too many random guys are racking up fantasy points. I've felt it the past two weeks in my 50/50s. Having three elite scorers is not enough. 22 out of 32 NFL teams are averaging more points per game than they did last year. That's huge. Last year no team averaged more than 400 yards per game. This year, 10 teams do. That's impactful. We can't be content with a QB throwing for 300 yards and two scores. Most top-16 QBs are doing that.
So the way we view fantasy, at least this year, needs to shift. Finding diamonds in the rough -- especially during bye weeks -- is that much more essential.