Week #9 Round Table

Week 9 of the NFL season is here and with it comes crunch time for fantasy owners trying to make their league’s playoffs. As the NFL season continues to rumble along we are here to provide you insights into the league from some of our favorite brands and analysts. Joining our staff Audra and David today are special guests:

Dr. Kevin Murray of Fantasy Football Unlimited 

Chris McConnell of Roto Bros 

The Fantasy Football Fellas 

1. What are your thoughts on the T.J. Hockenson trade? Give us a breakdown of the aftermath for fantasy production. 

Kevin: Hockenson is a great fit in the Minnesota offense. Unfortunately it may take a few weeks to get in the groove. I think he would be a better fantasy asset in 2022 if he had just stayed in Detroit.

Chris: I think TJH is a perfect fit and I think it was an awesome trade and from a fancy perspective I think he's back to being a top flight fantasy tight end. I think it pretty much kills KJ Osborn's value or any that he had left, and it's definitely not a great thing for Adam thielen. 

Fantasy Football Fellas: For us the Hockenson move feels like a slight upgrade for Amon-Ra and D’Andre Swift, however the biggest benefactor has to be Josh Reynolds. 

On the Vikings side obviously Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook’s outlooks don’t change. We may see a small down tick from Adam Thielen and a slight uptick from Kirk but we’re not expecting much change. The only person really feeling the effects is KJ Osborn, who’s currently rostered in only 13% of leagues so not many people are feeling the effects. 

David: I like this trade for both sides, which is super rare. I liked Hockenson coming out of college, but he just never seemed like a solid fit in Detroit. Unloading him for some earlier draft picks was a smart move for a rebuilding team like the Lions. On the Vikings side, they feel like they are in win now mode and with the loss of Irv Smith Jr for the year, the move made sense. With better pass-catchers around him, Hockenson should be able to take on more of a receiving load then he did in Detroit. It also picks up a solid pass blocking TE to help keep Cousins fresh for the playoff push.

Audra: Alright so I don't really see a whole lot to break down. As far as fantasy goes I think he retains his value, we may even see a boost. The Vikings are an upgraded offense over the Lions, and Hockenson is also an upgrade over Smith that I see them utilizing.

2. Is there a player that is currently outside the top 20 in points at his position that you see sky rocketing into the top 10 in the second half of the season? 

Kevin: 

I love Kenneth Walker III for the 2nd half of the season. Seattle has proven that they’ll be competitive and when a favorable game script is present they will run the ball as much as anyone. Limited competition in the backfield & game breaking talent makes Walker fantasy gold.

 

Chris: Yeah, I think there are several answers to this. At RB, I think Kenneth Walker at RB22 and Jonathan Taylor at RB33 are two guys that I would look for to finish in or around that top 10 area. It wouldn't surprise me if the same story occurred with Swift if he can stay healthy. At WR, it's easily DeAndre Hopkins and Chris Godwin. 

Fantasy Football Fellas: The two obvious answers for us are Amon Ra and Jonathan Taylor who have missed time due to injury and should be good to go the rest of the season. As for someone who is more of a long shot we are looking at

David: I'd like to say Kenneth Walker III has a good chance, but Seattle has a terrible track record lately of keeping their RB's healthy. I think Amon-Ra would be a likely candidate if he hadn't missed time already and seems very glass cannon to me. DJ Moore has a possibility, but I just don't see the QB carousel over in Carolina utilizing him enough over an entire season. I'll look at TE and DST for my picks. Dalton Schultz has Dak back finally and could make a push up the rankings if he is used as much as we know Dak likes to use him. Defense wise, the Steelers are ready to welcome back the reigning DPOY T.J. Watt! This man is a game changing player and I fully expect the Steelers defense to look completely different with him back in the lineup.

Audra: I think Amon-Ra St Brown has that potential if he stays healthy the second half. Especially with Hockeson leaving and Goff heating up a little. 

3. Who ya got winning the NFC West this year? 

Kevin: I’ve got SF winning the NFC West division however there is no doubt the Seahawks will continue to overachieve as their coaching and culture just breeds competition.

 

Chris: 49ers win the NFC West. I have them winning the Super Bowl if they stay healthy. 

Fantasy Football Fellas: We love the story that is the Seattle Seahawks, however we can’t deny what the 49ers have going on the defensive side of the ball when healthy and now on offense with the addition of CMC, they feel like easy favorites. We just don’t know how teams are going to stop both Deebo and CMC with a guy like Kyle Shannahan calling plays, and that’s not even to mention Kittle.

David: This is a simple answer IMO. The Cardinals just can't seem to get everything clicking for Papa Smurf (Kyler). The Rams can't get out of their own way. My pick is the 49ers if they can get and stay healthy, with Seattle taking the division if San Fran can't. Sadly, because I love CMC and the 49ers as a whole this year, the Niners haven't been great at staying healthy over the last several years. That's why I'm leaning Seattle's way for the West

Audra: The 49ers have a real good chance. They have a few easier matchups ahead and the leading Seahawks have some tougher matchups. I think we will start to see the West for what it really is soon.

4. Serious question: If you came into possession of the Raiders organization today, what would be the first thing on your to do list to improve the team? 

Kevin: As for the Raiders, they just need to blow it up. Especially in the AFC, their current roster just won’t get it done. Trade assets and start building from ground up. 

 

Chris: If I took over the team tomorrow I would trade Josh Jacobs for as many draft picks as possible, and I would replace Derek Carr at QB. I've always believed Derek Carr is the middle of the road QB, and not somebody who is ever going to get his team into Super Bowl contention. 

I would want to move on from Derek Carr and find that franchise-altering QB. I think a guy like Drake Maye in the 2024 draft, who was currently my number one QB in that class, would be the perfect player to do that. Drake is also, in my opinion, the best all-around QB in the entire country as we speak today. But most people aren't ready for that conversation haha. 

Other than that, I would trade Davante Adams again, for more draft picks. He's a great wide receiver. Yes, but the NFL game mirrors the college game more than ever nowadays, and because of that we are seeing wide receivers transition to the NFL with an incredible amount of ease and a very small learning curve. So it's significantly easier compared to 10 or 15 years ago, to draft a receiver and hit on them.

Fantasy Football Fellas: Give Davante Adams 10+ targets each game. They just don’t consistently rely on the guy they mortgaged their future for and when Mac Hollins is out targeting him in games it’s no wonder you get shut out. We’d also move on from Derrek Carr, you know who he is at this point and he is definitely not the guy to get them over the hump.

David: Why'd you have to start this with "Serious Question"? This could have been such a fun answer! Honestly, I'd pray for more losses and/or trade up in next year's draft. As underrated as Carr is, he obviously isn't the answer either. It's been the same question every offseason and they seem scared to make the change. IMO, they should have sent him to a QB needy team at the deadline and looked forward to next year!

Audra: Acquire a new QB and some weapons for him. With all of the changes around the organization over the years...changes in the office, new location of the team. Blockbuster trades. Just one thing has remained the same, Derek Carr, he just isn't the guy. I'd clean house and start over. 

5. What is your advice to Najee Harris dynasty owners? “Don’t cry” is an acceptable answer but we’re looking for more.

Kevin: For dynasty players that have Najee Harris, his play is provoking PTSD for those that used to roster Trent Richardson. It’s been rough and I would certainly be looking to move him in dynasty. Unfortunately, if your league mates are savvy and his value is as low as it gets, I’d actually hold him in case his value jumps temporarily and then make the move to trade him at that time.

 

Chris: As for Najee Harris, my advice would be to pray to whatever deity you worship that they find an offensive line. Because until this team can properly run block, Najee isn't going to be effective between the tackles. He was never this amazing running back prospect to begin with, and every ounce of his fantasy value relied on all of the volume that he was going to get. And that's the biggest reason why this year he was widely regarded as a first round pick. But we are seeing right now, that Harris is unable to create anything on his own, and because his offensive line is so bad, it's really giving him a hard time. In addition to that, they are working with a rookie QB who quite frankly doesn't look like a starting caliber QB. In redraft, you're not going to be able to get barely anything for Harris right now. You probably could still scrounge up some things in dynasty for Harris, and that's what I would be doing. If someone is willing to give you a first round pick in 2023 for him, you do it in a heartbeat because this running back draft class in 2023 is the best running back draft class we've ever seen, on paper.

Fantasy Football Fellas: At this point you sell if you can get someone who believes in him to pay up 80% of what his value was at the beginning of the year and if you can’t, you hold. We wouldn’t be buying Najee right now unless it’s for a player like a David Montgomery.

David: I'm newer to dynasty still, but I'd say be patient. The Steelers are historically a smashmouth football team that likes to run the ball. He has pass catching ability which also makes him a lovely fantasy option. He came into the season already banged up with a foot injury, has an offensive line that may be one of the worst in the history of the game, and now has to deal with Warren stealing some of his touches. However, the Steelers have very rarely been a RBBC type of team, and have coached up some of the best lines ever. Be patient, ride out the storm, and he will be fine moving forward. 

P.S. If you can get a good haul for him, trade him. I'm not saying he's going to be the next coming of Christ when he is back to being solid, if you're in win now mode and can trade him to a team who is willing to give up some pieces to help you get the Chip, do it!

Audra: I'd be happy to have him! Might not be looking like a good year for him but we are talking dynasty and he is a young, and an RB1 caliber player. It's fantasy football, you never know what's going to happen. Hang on to the dude. It's going to be alright.

If you have a question you’d like answered on next week’s Round Table discussion just drop it in the comments section down below!

Thanks for reading and as always, stay true!