Jonathan Walker

Dynasty Dilemma: Adam Thielen

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Dynasty Dilemma: Adam Thielen

By Jonathan Walker

 

Free agent receiver Adam Thielen has found a new home. Nine days after the Vikings released him, Thielen has agreed to terms with the Panthers. He announced the deal on Instagram just before the team did. The Panthers need to rebuild their receiving corps after trading DJ Moore to the Bears as part of the deal for the No. 1 overall pick. So where does this put Adam Thielen as far as fantasy football goes? I'm here to give you some things to consider when thinking about Thielen in your dynasty league.

 

 

For the last 3 season Adam has brought in north of 65 receptions, and over 700 yards and 6+ touchdowns every year. Now with him being in Carolina, will his numbers increase? If Carolina signs D.J Chark (which is still a FA), will Adam will go back to being nothing more than a flex play in fantasy? He may not produce the numbers to be a starting WR in fantasy, but he will score enough to be a solid flex player. Also with Carolina having the #1 overall pick, they will most likely bring in a rookie QB. Having a veteran like Thielen playing the slot position, it creates a nice safety blanket for a rookie who is trying to get use to playing in the NFL. Adam Thielen is a great red-zone threat due to his knowledge playing the slot position. As well as knowing where to find the open spot of the defense.

Reasons to buy Adam Thielen his buying price is very low, if you are in a draft he will most likely drop to the later rounds due to his age, and the amount of WR’s there are to draft. Thielen was ranked as the #66 WR last year. Another reason to buy is to fill your flex position. He will get his receptions and yards being a slot WR, and for a flex player that’s is all you are looking for. Who will get me points when I need them? Is the question most asked when looking for flex players.

Adam is your guy, if that is your question during the later rounds of the draft. He has been a great security blanket for his QB. Being able to read a defense and understand where the open spots are and knowing where to be to get the QB out of a bad spot. I feel that the biggest reason to buy Adam is due to the face that Carolina will most likely draft a rookie QB as stated before. Some rookies have a hard time adjusting to the NFL, players are a lot better than what they played in college. Defensives are smarter, and Offensives are hard to understand. Having a nice security blanket in Adam Thielen will help that Rookie QB get acclimated to the NFL.

 

 

If you have Adam should you trade him? Yes, because the ultimate question is do you want to win. If so Adam doesn’t have the production to win fantasy games, he has the production to loose you games. Adam is entering his 9th season in the NFL, so his age is of major concern. It is hard trying to keep up with the younger more fresh WR’s when you are 32 years old. Injuries start to sneak up on you, and you don’t recover as fast. Thielen has been pretty durable throughout his career, but this has to be considered.

Would you count on Adam Thielen as your weekly flex player? Maybe, but why would you draft Thielen for flex when you can draft another TE or RB (which are both deep positions in fantasy). IF you are starting a new startup do you draft Adam? No, there are other flex players that will produce more than Thielen that you can grab later in the draft. Then there is the biggest concern regarding the WR position in Carolina, what happens with DJ Chark? If Carolina signs DJ that means all the passing offense will primarily go through him, leaving Adam on the outside once again.

 

Am I buying or selling? That's the question. The only reason I'd pass on him is if I'm in a new startup dynasty. Otherwise, I'm buying Thielen. The bottom line is he can help you win each week. He can be a solid Flex that costs you pretty much nothing. I've seen him traded for a 3rd round rookie pick. I'd do that all day for a player who can contribute week 1. Thielen is low risk, and worth grabbing on the cheap.

 

Dynasty Dilemma: Lamar Jackson

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Dynasty Dilemma: Lamar Jackson

By Jonathan Walker

 

 

Since being drafted with the 32nd overall pick in 2018, Lamar Jackson has redefined how we look at the quarterback position. He would almost instantly be compared to former Falcon and Eagles QB Michael Vick, with the way he could run the ball and also throw it making him a true dual-threat player. Now, Lamar in his 6th season could be a dynasty dilemma because he is seeking a long-term fully guaranteed contract but the Ravens will not give him the contract. At the end of last season, we saw Lamar go down with a knee injury and sit out the rest of the season (5 games, including the postseason), even after reports said he was good to play but decided to rest. Some rumors around the NFL stated that Lamar was sitting out due to not reaching a new contract. Obviously with Lamar out for the remainder of the season fantasy football leagues took a massive hit.

With entering the 2023 season and still failing to reach agreements with a new contract the Ravens used the non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar, meaning he could still seek a trade but whatever team sends him an offer sheet the Ravens would have a chance to match them. The opposing team would also have to send two 1st round picks for Jackson and still pay him the new contract. So to bring it all back together, why is Lamar Jackson a dynasty dilemma? The answer to that question is if Lamar sat out the last 5 weeks of the 2022 season (including the postseason) due to not receiving a new contract. Why wouldn’t Lamar sit as many games as it takes to reach a new contract with the Ravens or to get traded?

 

 

Why should you draft/trade for Lamar Jackson? Lamar is ranked as the #4 QB in fantasy and even sitting out the last 5 games of the season last year he still had 2,242 Passing yards, and 17 passing TDs with a QBR of 59.1 (9TH in the NFL). Lamar also ran for 764 yards and 3 TDs. If Lamar would have played the final 5 games of the season he could have been in the same stat bracket as Jalen Hurts or any other dual-threat QB in the NFL.

 

Why trade Lamar Jackson? With Jackson potentially sitting out the remainder of the 2022 season due to not reaching a new contract, what would stop Lamar from sitting out as many games as it would take to either get a new contract or to be traded? Trading Lamar could bring in great value with draft picks and or top-tier players, possibly both. Drafting Lamar in the 1st round could ruin your fantasy season. Having a great QB is vital to a successful Fantasy and wasting a 1st round pick on a player who might not even play is not worth the risk.

 

If I had Lamar on my roster I would trade him in return for at least a 1st round pick and a top-tier WR or TE. With my 1st round pick I would draft a rookie QB or use it to trade for a veteran QB and with the other 1st round pick I would get a dynamic rookie player.
If I was starting a new league I would pass on Lamar Jackson in the 1st round. Instead, I would select either a top WR or TE due to those positions being important to a good fantasy season.

 

Dynasty Impact: Bears Trade 1.01 to Carolina

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Dynasty Impact: Bears Trade 1.01 to Carolina

By Johnathan Walker

 

Wow! The Chicago Bears have traded the 2023 #1 overall draft pick to the Carolina Panthers, who gave up an arm and a leg. Here's the full details:

 

What a haul for the Bears! With that being said, did the Bears just find their WR1 of the future? Maybe so.. DJ Moore is a young, very talented WR and has shown his talent in Carolina and he will give Justin Fields a suitable WR. Fields was able to showcase his running ability last year due to not having a WR1. Now with Chicago having a defined WR1, how will teams defend both the pass and Fields’ ability to run the ball? With north of $92 Million in cap space the Bears seem to be looking to make a deep playoff run this season. What moves will be made in free agency?

So what does this trade tell us about the Carolina Panthers? Do they believe they can find a new WR1 in free agency with approximately $23.5 Million in cap space? Carolina seems to be re-building the team around a rookie QB. 

CJ Stroud is now the frontrunner to be the #1 overall pick.  The former Buckeye QB has elite traits, but can he win without elite weapons around him?  At Ohio St, Stroud was surrounded with A1 WRs and RBs to go along with a very good OL.  Carolina currently has none of those.