X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Football Mailbag – Trade Deadline Analysis

It's been a pretty crazy last few days in football land. Despite six teams on a bye week, half of this weekend's twelve games ended within one score, including the possible game of the year between Texans and Seahawks in Seattle.

And if Week 8 of football wasn't enough action, the last 48 hours have been a whirlwind thanks to an extremely active, and quite frankly uncharacteristic trade deadline. A date on the NFL calendar that usually comes and goes without much action, it's been anything but this time around.

This week's mailbag covers the fantasy impact of all the major moves that have been made over the last few days, plus the Zeke suspension version 3.0. This is also the space where I remind owners to make a move for players set to come off the PUP list, so if you are getting your team ready for the playoffs and have a roster spot to spare, think about scooping up Danny Woodhead or Greg Olsen if available, both set to return to their respective teams for Week 11. Don't force it if you need to prioritize winning now, but they could be the late season pickup that pushes you over the top come playoff time.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

Week 9 Mailbag - Q&A

As usual, thanks to everyone who reached out with questions for this week's mailbag! Please continue to direct any/all questions to me on Twitter @adamhhammer or by emailing [email protected].

 

Who is the back to own in Dallas between Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris?

With Ezekiel Elliott's suspension finally (probably) coming to fruition, the split in the Dallas backfield is one of the top storylines to follow entering Week 9. That said, Jerry Jones has straight up come out and said that Morris will act as the team's No. 1 back during Zeke's suspension. That would make sense given that he has been active over McFadden for most of the season, but I still expect McFadden (and probably even Rod Smith) to have a role. Morris is the back to own, but this is unlikely to be a workhorse scenario.

Is Kelvin Benjamin better or worse off in Buffalo?

The easy answer here is worse, and there are a few reasons for it. The most obvious reason is that Buffalo is a run-first team. They are one of just three teams in football this year that have run rushing plays on more than half of their total offensive plays, and there's no indication of that changing as they continue to ride LeSean McCoy. Part of that is likely because they don't fully trust Tyrod Taylor, which is reason number two. That's not to say that Cam Newton has been anything more than an above average passer this year, but he's better than Tyrod. Benjamin is still playable and startable on a weekly basis for now, though probably as just a WR2/3.

Sooo Devin Funchess is finally a weekly starter, right?

I'll admit that Funchess is not really my type of fantasy player. His boom-or-bust nature reminds me a lot of DeSean Jackson, who I don't think I have had a share of in years. Even this year, Funchess' targets and yards have fluctuated. Since racking up three touchdowns in weeks 4-5, he's averaged just three catches and under 30 yards receiving per game. He's coming off his worst game of the year with just 11 total yards, and Cam Newton (aforementioned) has looked anything but accurate. All of that said, being the #1 receiver for a potential playoff team means something. So is Funchess a starter? Sure. But is he anything more than a WR3 flier until further notice? Not at all. Christian McCaffrey is probably the biggest winner in Carolina from the Benjamin trade.

Is Jay Ajayi finally going to put it together in Philadelphia and be the RB1 I drafted him as?

This is undoubtedly a good landing spot for Ajayi. He finally gets to pair up with a good quarterback on a high-powered offense, and more importantly gets to run behind a much better offensive line. The difference in Philly though, is that he's not the only usable back. LeGarrette Blount isn't going anywhere, and Wendell Smallwood will probably stay (at least a little) involved. Don't play him this week – the Eagles have a Week 10 bye and would be wise to play Ajayi only sparingly against the vaunted Broncos defense – but I like his chances to take over as the first-choice RB for the Eagles and become a more consistent fantasy option.

 

More Weekly Lineup Prep




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Patrick Taylor Jr.29 mins ago

Goes Over 100 Yards In Week 18
Davante Adams52 mins ago

Finds The End Zone In Week 18 Win
Derek Carr54 mins ago

Looking Forward To Returning With Saints
Indianapolis Colts1 hour ago

Shane Steichen And Chris Ballard To Return In 2025
Aaron Rodgers1 hour ago

Throws Four TDs In Week 18 Win
Tyreek Hill2 hours ago

Done As A Dolphin?
Josh Downs2 hours ago

Productive On Large Target Share Sunday
Kayshon Boutte2 hours ago

Explodes Again Versus Buffalo
Geno Smith2 hours ago

Tosses Four Touchdowns In Statement Performance And Suffers Hip Injury
Joe Milton III3 hours ago

Excellent In NFL Debut
Blake Corum3 hours ago

Suffers A Fractured Forearm
DJ Moore3 hours ago

Goes For Big Touchdown Against Packers
Tari Eason4 hours ago

Out On Sunday
Miles Sanders4 hours ago

Takes On Large Role In Overtime Win Sunday
Gabe Vincent4 hours ago

Remains Sidelined Versus Rockets
Blake Corum4 hours ago

Questionable To Return On Sunday
Anthony Davis4 hours ago

Cleared For Action Sunday
LeBron James4 hours ago

Good To Go Against Houston
Baker Mayfield4 hours ago

Leads Impressive Comeback To Clinch Division Title
Jayden Daniels4 hours ago

Experiences Leg Soreness On Sunday
Jonathan Kuminga4 hours ago

To Miss Time With "Significant" Ankle Sprain
Stephen Curry4 hours ago

Available Sunday
Christian Watson4 hours ago

May Not Be Healthy To Start The Postseason
Kris Letang5 hours ago

Returns To Penguins Lineup
William Carrier5 hours ago

Misses Sunday's Game With A Lower-Body Injury
Jonathan Taylor5 hours ago

Tallies 177 Yards In Regular-Season Finale
Jauan Jennings5 hours ago

Ejected In Week 18
Aaron Ekblad5 hours ago

Sits Out Sunday's Practice
Mike Evans5 hours ago

Posts 11th Straight 1,000-Yard Campaign
Travis Hamonic5 hours ago

To Miss Up To Four Weeks
Bilal Coulibaly5 hours ago

Ruled Out Sunday Against New Orleans
New England Patriots5 hours ago

Patriots Fire Head Coach Jerod Mayo
Jordan Poole5 hours ago

Out Sunday Against New Orleans
Linus Ullmark5 hours ago

Out Week-To-Week
Dejounte Murray5 hours ago

Available Sunday In Washington
Frank Vatrano5 hours ago

Signs Three-Year Extension With Ducks
Brandon Miller5 hours ago

Will Be Back In Action On Sunday
LaMelo Ball6 hours ago

Will Play Sunday Against Cleveland
Karl-Anthony Towns6 hours ago

Avoids Serious Injury
Keegan Murray6 hours ago

Will Play On Sunday
De'Aaron Fox7 hours ago

Ruled Out On Sunday
Jordan Clarkson7 hours ago

Sitting Out On Sunday
John Collins7 hours ago

Unavailable On Sunday
Lauri Markkanen7 hours ago

Ruled Out On Sunday
Jaylen Brown7 hours ago

Available Versus OKC
Bogdan Bogdanovic1 day ago

Ruled Out For Saturday
Jalen Johnson1 day ago

Unavailable On Saturday
Trae Young1 day ago

To Play On Saturday
Clayton Kershaw1 day ago

Intends To Pitch In 2025, Expected To Return To Los Angeles
Thatcher Demko1 day ago

Joining Team For Five-Game Road Trip
Pyotr Kochetkov1 day ago

Starts Against Wild On Saturday
Joseph Woll1 day ago

In Maple Leafs Net On Saturday
Scott Wedgewood1 day ago

Unavailable On Saturday
Jack Drury1 day ago

Back For Hurricanes Saturday
Auston Matthews1 day ago

Returns To Action On Saturday
Jordan Binnington2 days ago

Shuts Out Senators
Brandon Saad2 days ago

Ends Goal Drought With A Hat Trick
Mike Matheson2 days ago

Records Two Assists Friday
Nick Foligno2 days ago

Pots Two Goals In Friday's Win
Juuse Saros2 days ago

Logs Fourth Shutout Of The Season
Leon Draisaitl2 days ago

Nets Game-Winner On Friday
Charlie Morton2 days ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Baltimore
Jared Spurgeon2 days ago

To Miss 2-3 Weeks
Oskar Sundqvist2 days ago

Unavailable Friday
Justin Faulk2 days ago

Iffy For Friday's Action
Pete Alonso3 days ago

Angels "Looking At" Pete Alonso
Xander Schauffele4 days ago

Hoping To Find Success Again At Majors In 2025
Chris Kirk4 days ago

Starts 2025 Defending The Sentry Title
Max Homa4 days ago

Hopes To Rebound After Disappointing 2024 Season
Nick Dunlap4 days ago

Looks To Build On Impressive Rookie Season
Collin Morikawa4 days ago

Heads To The Sentry After Excellent 2024 Season
PGA4 days ago

Sungjae Im Hoping To Start 2025 Season Strongly At The Sentry
Russell Henley4 days ago

Closes Out 2024 Season Strong
Jason Day4 days ago

Looks Ahead To 2025 Season At The Sentry
Akshay Bhatia4 days ago

To Repeat Last Year’s Sentry Performance?
Ludvig Aberg4 days ago

Returns To The Sentry
Jesús Luzardo4 days ago

Jesus Luzardo Feeling 100 Percent
Maverick McNealy4 days ago

Making First Career Start At Kapalua
Corey Conners4 days ago

Making Third Consecutive Start At Kapalua
Viktor Hovland4 days ago

A Gametime Decision For Year's First Event
Tony Finau4 days ago

Making Sixth Start At Kapalua After Rumor-Filled Offseason
Justin Thomas4 days ago

Looks To Get Off To Fast Start In 2025 At Kapalua
Patrick Cantlay5 days ago

Looks For Hot Start In 2025
Sam Burns5 days ago

In Top Form Ahead of Kapalua
Cameron Young6 days ago

Needs To Avoid Bad Rounds In Hawaii
Sahith Theegala6 days ago

Looking For Big 2025 Start In Hawaii
Hideki Matsuyama6 days ago

Always A Threat In Hawaii
Billy Horschel6 days ago

Seeks To Build Off Great 2024 Campaign
Jack Flaherty6 days ago

Orioles Interested In Reunion With Jack Flaherty

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP