The T.J. Yeldon gravy train is coming to an end. Cleveland saw the writing on the wall (i.e. Nick Chubb is a better investment than Carlos Hyde is) and parted ways with their recent $15 million signee. While Hyde has been a solid starting running back when healthy throughout his 4+ year career, the fact that he netted only a 5th rounder from Jacksonville says what we need to know: this is a salary dump more than anything else. And the Jaguars now have a capable committee back with bellcow experience in case the injury-prone Leonard Fournette remains out longer than expected. And Jacksonville didn't need to give up more than a 5th rounder because Yeldon has been quite capable as a spot-starter. So it'll be quite interesting to see how this backfield shakes out both with and without Fournette in the mix.
By the way, does anyone else agree that the 2018 Jaguars are looking increasingly like the 2008 Giants? That Super Bowl team from 10 years ago had a three-man backfield, a stout defense, a capable-but-not-overwhelming quarterback, and a deep receiving corps where any of five receivers could step up on any given day.
Back to the trade: Nick Chubb is now in the RB3 picture with sure-fire RB2 upside -- though this week's matchup in Tampa Bay isn't as promising. As many of you know, I've been pushing Chubb over Hyde for some time. Thought he'd win the job competitively. But who cares how it happened: he now has a chance to become a franchise-caliber back.
Meanwhile, Marshawn Lynch's groin injury will sideline him at least a month, opening the door for Doug Martin and/or Jalen Richard to return streaming value. Of course, this is Oakland; Jon Gruden might just trade them both for a bag of Cheetos.
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Kicking off this weekend's bargains and busts is a guy I pushed hard earlier this week: Mitch Trubisky (consensus 16th ranked Week 7 fantasy QB). Even if Allen Robinson doesn't play, Trubisky has enough weapons (Taylor Gabriel, Trey Burton, Anthony Miller, Tarik Cohen, and perhaps even Jordan Howard) to rack up 300+ yards and at least a couple of scores. And while we might have already witnessed Brock Osweiler's (26th) best NFL game, the opposing Lions have one of the league's worst passing D's. And who knows? Maybe Osweiler will follow in Matt Moore's footsteps as a highly capable backup to Ryan Tannehill. As a matter of fact, during Tannehill's NFL tenure, Miami's never been top 16 in passing yards. Is Tannehill a backup QB disguised as a "franchise" QB? As strange as it sounds, Osweiler has a chance to spur a quarterback controversy.
On the flip side, why is Baker Mayfield (14th) ranked better than Trubisky? Cleveland's rookie QB simply will not be a top-14 option this week.
At RB, I'll wager that Chris Ivory will get enough attention against Indy to surpass his #51 ranking. And although Lamar Miller has been virtually unstartable, his #43 ranking assumes he'll take a backseat to Alfred Blue. I don't see that happening; Miller will comfortably exceed expectations as a fairly high-usage starter. And what happened to Javorius Allen last week? Only four touches? That'll change against the Saints, making Allen (40th) a bargain.
On the flip side, I'm putting the clamp on Sony Michel (11th), at least for one game. Chicago's run D is exceptional, and Michel's passing-game limitations mean he'll need to score to earn another RB1 performance. It probably won't happen. I'm also down on Carlos Hyde (12th), even if he nets as many as 15-20 touches (which he probably won't).
At WR, was Damion Ratley a Week 6 fluke? We might have to table that discussion until next week, because his upcoming matchup against a porous Tampa Bay pass D makes Ratley a fantastic flyer despite a pathetic #76 ranking. Kelvin Benjamin (61st) is a surprise entrant to this column, as a rusty Derek Anderson gives Benjamin more big-play potential than an inexperienced Josh Rosen. And I remain stubbornly in Robby Anderson's (42nd) corner, as he remains the Jets' most talented receiver.
On the flip side, Mike Evans hasn't looked the same since Jameis Winston replaced Ryan Fitzpatrick. Making matters tougher, this weekend's opposing Browns are holding quarterbacks to a 76.8 QB rating -- second lowest in the league. Evans' #9 ranking is too rich for me.
At TE, Evan Engram (16th) returns from a three-game absence against a sieve-like Falcons defense. He's now available in 30% of ESPN leagues and should produce TE1 numbers Monday night.
On the flip side, is Gronk still elite? Is that even a fair question to ask? The future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer has been merely adequate since his dominating Week 1 performance. Ranked 4th this week against the Bears, he's as risky as he's been in a long time when healthy. That said, I'd buy low on him after this week, as he's a fairly good bet for top-3 production the rest of the way. And while C.J. Uzomah (10th) looks like a nice flyer on paper (facing a bad Chiefs defense), he remains entirely TD-dependent -- too risky at his TE1 perch.
By the way, does anyone else agree that the 2018 Jaguars are looking increasingly like the 2008 Giants? That Super Bowl team from 10 years ago had a three-man backfield, a stout defense, a capable-but-not-overwhelming quarterback, and a deep receiving corps where any of five receivers could step up on any given day.
Back to the trade: Nick Chubb is now in the RB3 picture with sure-fire RB2 upside -- though this week's matchup in Tampa Bay isn't as promising. As many of you know, I've been pushing Chubb over Hyde for some time. Thought he'd win the job competitively. But who cares how it happened: he now has a chance to become a franchise-caliber back.
Meanwhile, Marshawn Lynch's groin injury will sideline him at least a month, opening the door for Doug Martin and/or Jalen Richard to return streaming value. Of course, this is Oakland; Jon Gruden might just trade them both for a bag of Cheetos.
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Kicking off this weekend's bargains and busts is a guy I pushed hard earlier this week: Mitch Trubisky (consensus 16th ranked Week 7 fantasy QB). Even if Allen Robinson doesn't play, Trubisky has enough weapons (Taylor Gabriel, Trey Burton, Anthony Miller, Tarik Cohen, and perhaps even Jordan Howard) to rack up 300+ yards and at least a couple of scores. And while we might have already witnessed Brock Osweiler's (26th) best NFL game, the opposing Lions have one of the league's worst passing D's. And who knows? Maybe Osweiler will follow in Matt Moore's footsteps as a highly capable backup to Ryan Tannehill. As a matter of fact, during Tannehill's NFL tenure, Miami's never been top 16 in passing yards. Is Tannehill a backup QB disguised as a "franchise" QB? As strange as it sounds, Osweiler has a chance to spur a quarterback controversy.
On the flip side, why is Baker Mayfield (14th) ranked better than Trubisky? Cleveland's rookie QB simply will not be a top-14 option this week.
At RB, I'll wager that Chris Ivory will get enough attention against Indy to surpass his #51 ranking. And although Lamar Miller has been virtually unstartable, his #43 ranking assumes he'll take a backseat to Alfred Blue. I don't see that happening; Miller will comfortably exceed expectations as a fairly high-usage starter. And what happened to Javorius Allen last week? Only four touches? That'll change against the Saints, making Allen (40th) a bargain.
On the flip side, I'm putting the clamp on Sony Michel (11th), at least for one game. Chicago's run D is exceptional, and Michel's passing-game limitations mean he'll need to score to earn another RB1 performance. It probably won't happen. I'm also down on Carlos Hyde (12th), even if he nets as many as 15-20 touches (which he probably won't).
At WR, was Damion Ratley a Week 6 fluke? We might have to table that discussion until next week, because his upcoming matchup against a porous Tampa Bay pass D makes Ratley a fantastic flyer despite a pathetic #76 ranking. Kelvin Benjamin (61st) is a surprise entrant to this column, as a rusty Derek Anderson gives Benjamin more big-play potential than an inexperienced Josh Rosen. And I remain stubbornly in Robby Anderson's (42nd) corner, as he remains the Jets' most talented receiver.
On the flip side, Mike Evans hasn't looked the same since Jameis Winston replaced Ryan Fitzpatrick. Making matters tougher, this weekend's opposing Browns are holding quarterbacks to a 76.8 QB rating -- second lowest in the league. Evans' #9 ranking is too rich for me.
At TE, Evan Engram (16th) returns from a three-game absence against a sieve-like Falcons defense. He's now available in 30% of ESPN leagues and should produce TE1 numbers Monday night.
On the flip side, is Gronk still elite? Is that even a fair question to ask? The future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer has been merely adequate since his dominating Week 1 performance. Ranked 4th this week against the Bears, he's as risky as he's been in a long time when healthy. That said, I'd buy low on him after this week, as he's a fairly good bet for top-3 production the rest of the way. And while C.J. Uzomah (10th) looks like a nice flyer on paper (facing a bad Chiefs defense), he remains entirely TD-dependent -- too risky at his TE1 perch.