PPR

Dynasty Dilemma: Marquez Valdes-Scantling

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Dynasty Dilemma: Marquez Valdes-Scantling

By Tim Lazenby

 

As we wait eagerly for the NFL season to start anew, many have nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs.  We in the dynasty community, however, never rest in our quest for glory.  With the constant ebb and flow of the off season, many names have swapped teams, making their value change.  And while some players are easier to assess than others, there are a few that can be quite mind boggling to figure out their worth.  Moving from Aaron Rodgers to Patrick Mahomes, Marquez Valdes-Scantling is one of these.

 

Marquez Valdes-Scantling has been somewhat disappointing in dynasty to be honest.  Always having a chance to be the second choice for Aaron Rodgers, he never seemed to grasp the great opportunity given to him.  While he had been there longer and should have been more trusted, others always seemed to grab the low hanging fruit, leaving MVS owners frustrated and often cutting their losses.  With the move to Kansas City, can we really expect him to break this mold of perennial underachievement?

 

Never at the Top

Marquez Valdes-Scantling is heading into his fifth season and has never had more than 38 receptions in a season.  In case that didn’t sink in, his career equates to 30 receptions per season.  Add to that, he was catching balls from whom some consider the best quarterback in the game today, it’s a little tough to expect him to succeed now with a new offense and uncharted waters.  His touchdowns were also undesirable, at 13 in four seasons.  It’s possible that we’ve seen all he can do at the professional level.

 

Terrible Efficiency

If his stats weren’t appalling enough before, it’s even worse when you consider he only catches about half the balls thrown his way.  In four years, he’s yet to have a catch rate of 53% or better.  And it can’t be understated that he was catching balls from Aaron Rodgers.  We can forgive some stars who are receivers on terrible teams with less than accurate quarterbacks, but it’s hard to swallow these facts.  While it’s true his chances may change under Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, it’s tough to believe it.  If MVS is on your squad, it’s hard to trust him even in a best ball format, let alone a dynasty team.

 

Photo Swap by CameronWallaceDesigns

 

While it’s true that the National Football League hasn’t been too kind to MVS, it’s not like he isn’t talented.  After all, the number of players who make it are scarce and the number of players who can last even four seasons are even fewer.  In South Florida, MVS showed what he could do, scoring 7 touchdowns in 12 games and a respectable 73 yards per game.  In Green Bay, it didn’t go the best, but can he shine for the Chiefs?

 

Deep Threat Machine

Statistics can be deceiving.  Yards, touchdowns and even catch rate are only relevant if you understand the schemes and opportunities that spawned them.  Sure, Valdes-Scantling could have done better, but when you are a deep threat specialist, there is a higher probability of a missed catch than that of a slot receiver.  While he’s had drop issues in the past, it’s all more likely with a cornerback hanging over your shoulder.  It doesn’t hurt either that he led the league in yards per catch before and he’s now catching from who many consider the one of the best arms in the game today.

 

The True Opportunity

With Tyreek Hill no longer calling Kansas City home, one of the league’s biggest roles must be filled.  The Cheetah really could do it all and he did for Andy Reid, but one of the best parts to his game was his speed and deep threat ability.  While fellow new signing JuJu Smith-Schuster has been anointed by many as the replacement, he doesn’t have the deep threat ability that MVS does.  The scheme for the Chiefs is much more friendly to the style of game that Valdes-Scantling has than it was for the Packers.

 

 

In truth, before the off season, Marquez Valdes-Scantling had little to no dynasty value.  Only once Davonte Adams left did air be wooshed into the sails of MVS.  And now that he has moved on to Kansas City, you can argue that his value has never been higher.  I actually inherited a team recently with him on it.  And while I was wanting to hold him for a bit, I relented and rightfully so.  A package was made and a deal was done.

 

Although he should do much better, he’s never going to be that top tier talent, let alone a consistent WR3.  If there is a deal to be made when his value is at its best, you simply have to move on it before the season starts.  With all the excitement of possibly the busiest offseason ever, dynasty owners are more active than ever.  Now’s the time.

Dynasty Dilemma: JuJu Smith-Schuster 

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Dynasty Dilemma: JuJu Smith-Schuster 

By Tim Lazenby

 

When describing the rich smorgasbord that is dynasty fantasy football, there are many words that come to mind.  Thrilling, exciting and jaw-dropping can be easily surmised, but disappointing, soul crushing and depressing can be equally true.  All the same, we keep coming back for more.  One word that should be on the forefront is intriguing.  The game is truly intriguing because it comes with dilemmas and heart wrenching choices every year when managers need to run their team.  Since he’s come onto the scene, JuJu Smith-Schuster is one that most everyone has an opinion on.  The question is, which opinion should we have on him that will lead to success in the coming seasons?

 

JuJu Smith-Schuster not only did well his rookie season, he flat out dominated.  And the next year, he crushed it even more, as the 22 year old lit the league on fire.  Since then, he’s by all standards fallen out of his lofty perch, straight down to the depths of fantasy despair.  Not only did he miss most of the year last season, now he moves on to a new team with a new scheme.  Can he possibly do any better with the changes?

 

Continued Disappointments

From 2013-2017, Antonio Brown reigned supreme among fantasy wide receivers.  One of the best receivers of his generation, Brown won many titles for managers in all formats.  In 2018, Brown had little competition to start the year as Big Ben’s top option, save the appearance of an extremely green, wide eyed Smith-Schuster.  That year and the following, JuJu took enough focus off Brown to be a viable number one option, but that was the closest he’d get.  With many managers selling the farm at the chance to own him, he rewarded them with only 12 touchdowns in three years and not breaking 850 yards even once.  Needless to say, JuJu hasn’t instilled faith since 2018.

 

Andy Doesn’t Like the Second WR

Andy Reid is an amazing coach and that’s pretty much a fact to most.  When considering fantasy points, this could be argued differently.  In a bizarre fact, Andy Reid was the only coach since 1964 to have none of his wide receivers catch a touchdown all year.  It’s also insane when you look at how his “second” wide receiver has fared.  In his NFL career, even before the Chiefs, he has only had one second option at wide receiver to finish inside the top thirty in a fantasy season.  And, JuJu hasn’t even been technically named the second WR yet.  If history is an indicator, it doesn’t look good.

 

 

Above all, talent reigns supreme.  Among all the truthers and haters, most can agree that JuJu Smith-Schuster is talented.  With the size, speed and hands that you look for in a professional football wide receiver profile, the USC product has all the necessary tools to bounce back.  And while he hasn’t played the best lately, there weren’t too many success stories in the last couple years in Pittsburgh.  With the chance to begin anew and write new history for himself, the dynamic pass catcher is looking forward to blazing new trails of glory.  Will you be a part of his story moving forward?

 

Playing With the Best

I am one of the biggest Ben Roethlisberger fans out there.  When I rank the all time greats, he’s way up there and I consider it a privilege to have watched so many of his games.  That being said, for the last couple of years, his legacy became slightly tarnished with his poor vision and lack of arm strength.  While JuJu suffered in the past few seasons with Big Ben, he now moves on to who many consider the best in the game today, in Mahomes.  With the biggest upgrade you can get, it simply doesn’t seem possible for JuJu to fail.  Add to that, in Pittsburgh he was in a three headed monster of a wide receiver core.  In Kansas City, the competition for second fiddle is much lower.

 

He’s Been There Before

Listen, I know it was three seasons ago, but so many people have forgotten just how good JuJu was in 2018.  And if you ignore his injury riddled season last year, some of his stats were even better than his monster year.  And, if you are super sleuthy, you would notice his usage changed greatly.  In 2018, he was utilized much more for stretch plays and as an outside burner.  As Ben struggled to be himself, JuJu’s role was changed to a short flip play style of receiver and his fantasy points suffered.  It’s important to note that his drops and catch percentage both improved, despite the lack of usage for the plays that fantasy managers salivate to.

 

Verdict

Truthfully, this is somewhat of a sore subject.  I was one of those fools who sold the farm in 2019, just to be destroyed all season.  On top of that, in dynasty, the investment has even greater depth as you don’t get to hit the reset button as you do in redraft.  I can’t help but grit my teeth and yell into a pillow as I think back to that year.  However, that’s not what an unbiased writer should do, so I will avoid such things.

 

Before the signing in Kansas City, I was preaching the value of JuJu Smith-Schuster.  If he stayed in Pittsburgh, he’d do better while healthy and with an improved quarterback, or if he moved, it’d still be an improved quarterback.  He’s also only 25, so there’s still not much dirt on the tire.  Ultimately, now the setting is more desirable than ever.  But that’s the problem.  Virtually everyone will share the same sentiment.  If it’s possible to get him at the same price as before, it’s a no brainer.  You simply have to jump at the chance.  I, however, don’t see a world where everyone hasn’t increased the price on JuJu.  And for that reason, there’s only one logical decision to make for Smith-Schuster.

 

JC Johnson’s 2022 NFL Mock Draft

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JC Johnson's 2022 NFL Mock Draft

by JC Johnson

 

I’m going to preface this by saying I didn’t add any potential trades into the mix because it would become far too chaotic.

 

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Aidan Hutchinson, Edge, Michigan

When Jacksonville tagged Cam Robinson this week I was perplexed to say the least. I think Evan Neal is probably the safest prospect in this class in that we know he’s going to be a 10 year starter and play at a high level. Just take a look at his combine photo. With them tagging Robinson, I believe that means they want to beef up their DL and this class is loaded with those prospects. Hence selecting Hutchinson at #1. After a highly productive senior season that saw coach Harbaugh get over that hump, Hutchinson has done plenty to warrant #1 overall pick discussion.

2. Detroit Lions: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty

This is where the mock gets spicier than usual. The Goff experiment in Detroit has run its course. He won’t be the guy to make them competitive, to be fair neither did Matthew Stafford outside of one playoff appearance. I think Holmes and Dan Campbell have a vision for this team. They’ve built the OL to be a top 10 unit in football, they’ve got good backs in Swift and Jamaal Williams, they’ve got playmakers in TJ Hockenson and Amon-Ra St. Brown. They need a QB that can pull it all together. Willis has a very unique skill set and he can come into this season and not have to worry about playing. Let him sit for a year. Add another weapon in a deep WR class in this draft and another in 2023 and that offense is completely revamped, retooled, and ready to compete just as the Rodgers era in Green Bay is coming to an end.

3. Houston Texans: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Texans dealt Laremy Tunsil before the draft. The LT has expressed his displeasure with the organization and very well could be on the move. That would set up the Texans to not only accrue more draft capital to rebuild a depleted roster, but also adequately replace him with Evan Neal. The 6’7 337lb behemoth was carved out of marble. He’s as can’t miss as they come. An easy pick to make.

4. New York Jets: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon 

The popular pick is Ikem Ekwonu here but Robert Saleh comes from an organization that loves DL from Oregon. I wouldn’t be surprised if he watches thibodeaux’s tape and all of those warm fuzzy feelings come rushing back to him. KT also fills a hole in the jets defensive scheme and with him on one side and a healthy Lawson on the other, the AFC East would be on notice.

5. New York Giants: Derek Stingley, CB, LSU

Bradberry will be out of town soon. Sauce Gardner is the hot name now at the corner position but before Gardner received national acclaim, stingley was the 18 year old wunderkind starting in the SEC locking up Ceedee Lamb in the 2019 CFP for the eventual National Champion LSU Tigers. I think people are getting ahead of themselves. It happens every year that a prospect is so good that people suffer from prospect fatigue and want to talk about a new player. Stingley is just that guy though. Don’t think too much.

6. Carolina Panthers: Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State

This is one of the easier picks to make thus far. Want to help out the passing game? Establish a good run game. This guy is a road grader. He throws bodies around and will immediately impact the Carolina offense.

7. New York Giants: Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

Cross is an extremely polished, and smooth prospect, he perfectly fills in for a giants OL that can use help keeping the edge. He probably slots in as their RT but with most premier pass rushers moving over to that side of the ball, he’s a guy ready made for battle.

8. Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame

Hamilton is the #2 prospect on my board. He’s a complete unicorn at the position and when you have as many holes as Atlanta does you take the best player. People want to give them a WR here and there’s a lot of good ones. When you have the chance to draft a unicorn you take it though. Just like they did with another Kyle last season. These are building block players for a franchise.

9. Seattle Seahawks: Travon Walker, Edge, Georgia

The first player of the vaunted Georgia defense comes off the board. Seattle is looking to add speed, athleticism, youth and impact to their defense and they can do all of that in one selection with Travon Walker, 6’4 270 and he ran 4.51. That is a big big man moving.

10. New York Jets: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa

Penning is the fourth OT off the board, the Jets were in a similar situation when they selected Mekhi Becton. Penning is a far superior athlete that plays with a mean streak. He may not be ready made like Cross, Ekky, or Neal, but he’s a good player at a position they need help at. Douglas builds through the trenches and they continue to do so with this pick.

11. Washington Commanders: Drake London, WR, USC

When you go out and Carson Wentz you are essentially making the bet that if he fails, you’re out of a job. Ron Rivera and company need to do whatever it takes to make Wentz successful. That means giving him weapons to work with. We saw him have pretty good rapport with Michael Pittman and that is a very similar player to Drake London. London profiles as the big body contested catch receiver to let Terry Mclaurin take the top off and Curtis Samuel to be worked in as the gadget player they want to use him as in Scott Turner’s offense.

12. Minnesota Vikings: Sauce Gardner, CB, Cincinnati 

With Peterson probably not returning to the fold, the best corner on the roster is Kris Boyd. This is an easy pick for a new front office that is going to look to acquire the best talent available. Sauce is just that. Don’t think just pick.

13. Cleveland Browns: Jermaine Johnson Jr, EDGE, Florida State

For a team that just acquired Amari Cooper, WR isn’t going to be the pick here. Instead, with Clowney’s return uncertain, they go with the best player on their board and allow Johnson to pin his ears back on the opposite side of Garrett and get to the QB.

14. Baltimore Ravens: Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa

I know the Ravens fans will freak out when this pick isn’t one of Sauce or Stingley but they’re both too good to be here at 14. Honestly, Linderbaum is my #3 overall player on my board. He’s too good to be here too. The Ravens have a need at center with Bozeman hitting free agency and Linderbaum is just an unbelievable player. He gets out in front and pulls from the center position and will only add depth to an already potent rushing attack when Dobbins and Edwards return.

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Andrew Booth Jr, CB, Clemson

This corner class is stacked and adding Booth to pair with Slay is too enticing to pass up on. He’s an instant playmaker at the NFL level.

16. Philadelphia Eagles: David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan

An incredible value on an edge rusher the Eagles are getting Ojabo here. Speed off the edge is how I would describe him. He may need to work on run defense but this guy can get to the QB.

17. Los Angeles Chargers: Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia

This is the easiest pick in the entire draft so far. Simply put Davis is an absolute freak. At 6’6 341 and a 4.78 40 time, I’m not sure the NFL has ever seen someone this big with that athleticism since probably Larry Allen. He immediately fixes the run defense and will clog up the middle for Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.

18. New Orleans Saints: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pitt

What do you do for a QB with small hands? Put him in a dome and let him play in a division with another dome and warm weather. Pickett can operate fairly well in this timing offense of that NOLA operates and will be able to step in day 1 and play. 

19. Philadelphia Eagles: Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas

The Eagles need to give Hurts more playmakers if they want to truly see what he is. Devonta Smith is great and Dallas Goedert is no slouch, but their next best option is Quez Watkins. Burks is lightning in the bottle and can do a lot with very little if you get him the ball. He’s the perfect asset for a QB that struggles to push the ball to intermediate and deep routes.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Zion Johnson, OL, Boston College

The Steelers need offensive line help. I think Johnson’s skillset will entice them as a guy who can play multiple positions and allow them to move Kendrick Green over to RG where he was more successful during the latter part of 2021.

21. New England Patriots: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah

Lloyd is a Belichick kind of player. He’s smart, big at 6’3 225 in the make of a Donta Hightower and he's an instinctive player who can read underneath passing lanes as well as zone scheme run assignments.

22. Las Vegas Raiders: Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma

The popular pick here is a WR to replace Henry Ruggs but the best DT on the roster is Kendal Vickers at the present moment. This WR class is deep, but Perrion Winfrey has repeatedly stolen the show in the pre draft process from the senior bowl to the combine interviews. He’s got the charisma of a leader and the play on the field to back up a 1st round selection. He hasn’t been a 1st in a lot of mocks, I expect that to change as the draft gets closer.

23. Arizona Cardinals: Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State

I think Garrett Wilson is the best WR in this class. He’s fast, runs every route in the tree and can jump out of the gym. He’s such an upgrade over Christian Kirk it’s almost laughable.

24. Dallas Cowboys: Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia

The rich get richer. The 3rd member of the Georgia defense goes in round 1. This isn’t the sexiest name of the first round but he’s a good football player. The Cowboys can use him to beef up the interior.

25. Buffalo Bills: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington

The idea of giving the Bills another WR is enticing but they need to play better defense if they want to advance in the playoffs. McDuffie can lock down the other side of Tre'davious White when he returns from injury.

26. Tennessee Titans: Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida

With Caleb Farley already injured and having suffered multiple injuries before reaching the NFL, the Titans need to double down at the position. Elam is great in press, physical and has incredible tape against Jameson Williams in this class.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss

I love Corral’s moxie. In a mock where there aren’t any trades this is the best landing spot I could pick for him. He’s got weapons galore on the perimeter and has the arm to air it out in Bruce Arians system. He’s also athletic enough to run the ball when he gets in some sticky situations which he most likely will with Ali Marpet unexpectedly retiring this off-season.

28. Green Bay Packers: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio Sate

I’m doing it, I’m giving Rodgers his first 1st round WR. My head and history says give them Nakobe Dean but my heart tells me that if the Packers are going to shell out 50 mill a season for a guy, they should probably do whatever they have to do to make him happy and successful.

29. Miami Dolphins: Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia

Dean plays with incredible instinct and speed. People are a little concerned about his size but in today’s NFL you need a MLB that can cover the TE and slot if called upon. Gone are the days where these guys weigh 240 and are slamming into fullbacks in the hole. I think he’s an incredible value at 29.

30. Kansas City Chiefs: Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama

Sometimes, people just want to watch the world burn. What do you give to the guy who has everything? Speed. More speed. This would make the chiefs offense go nuclear. I think it’s possible he slips with the ACL injury and to team philosophy with other WRs going before him that have demonstrated an ability to do different things. 

31. Cincinnati Bengals: Kenyon Green, OG, Texas A&M

We know what the Bengals need to do. Every single pick of theirs should go into keeping Joe Burrow alive.

32. Detroit Lions: George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue

It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he went higher than this. People are concerned about his athleticism and the rumor mill is saying he didn’t interview well. I believe he’s too talented to be here at 32 but sometimes, good people get nice things.

Dynasty Dilemma: Courtland Sutton

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Dynasty Dilemma: Courtland Sutton

by JC Johnson

 

Courtland Sutton is such an interesting player from a dynasty perspective. He’s received the valuable 2nd contract. He’s also disappeared in his career when Jerry Jeudy has been on the field. Sutton the former 2nd round pick out of SMU is a 6’4 target who can go deep and haul in contested balls. He will be playing with undeniably the best QB talent of his career. The question that needs to be posed now is, are we buying or selling Courtland Sutton?

 

Reasons to Buy

Courtland Sutton just got paid this year signing a 4/60 extension to stay in mile high. He’s a part of the long term plans or the front office led by George Paton and company. The 26 year old is now over a year off an ACL injury and came back and performed admirably. I think he projects as a very good deep threat sort of playing the Marquez Valdes-Scantling role in this new Nathaniel Hackett offense. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know Sutton is more talented than MVS, I’m more so stating where he slates in to this offense. Russell Wilson has one of the prettiest deep balls in the game, often referred to as a “moon ball”. Whether it’s been Tyler Lockett, Javon Kearse, David Moore, DK Metcalf, Russ loves the long ball, probably something he picked up from his baseball playing days. I think that’s where Sutton slots into this offense. Sutton also projects as the best red zone target in this offense given his size and high point ability. 

 

 

Reasons to Sell

When Jerry Jeudy is on the field, Sutton disappears. During weeks 2-8 of 2021 Courtland Sutton averaged 16.9 ppg with Jeudy out from a high ankle sprain injury. Following Jeudy’s return in week 9, Courtland Sutton finished as the WR90 in PPR for weeks 9-18. He scored 40.3 total points. I believe Jeudy is the most logical choice to take the Adams type role in the offense and because of that, he’s going to soak up targets. Sutton will get some deep balls and he’ll be great in bestball, I just question the consistency he’ll present even with Russell Wilson at QB. 

 

Verdict

I would sell Courtland Sutton while the price is at its peak. You weren’t getting anything for Sutton 48 hours ago. Like I said, I’m a bestball league he definitely has value because of his homerun ability, but given the RB talent and other WRs in this offense including Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and KJ Hamler returning from an ACL injury, and fan favorite Albert O, there’s just simply a lot of mouths' to feed. I would capitalize on Sutton’s new increased value and sell. Some names being valued around the same as Sutton after this move are Mike Williams, Brandin Cooks, Hunter Renfrow. I’d rather have all of those guys than Sutton.

 

Question the Rankings

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Question the Rankings

by Kevyn Godwin

 

Every season we start the same cycle. We look at rankings, read a few articles, then draft our teams. Often ending that cycle by blaming the rankings guy for your performance. Better yet, we bully the rankings before we do any research ourselves as if we need to be spoon-fed the key to a championship but hate everything that’s put on our plate. I simply ask why.

 

Question The Rankings

First, you should question the rankings. How are they put together? Does it only show the top 10? Is there a statistical trend?

When looking for positional rankings, you always want to look for a list based on your league size. For example, in a 12 team league, the top 12 WR become WR1. Then 13-24 are WR2.  You use this method to know where a player should be drafted and how strong your roster is.

The next part is stats. Do the rankings look at how the player actually finished last year vs this year’s projection? Take Stefan Diggs. Statistically finished In the top three for 2020 and  9th best WR in 2021. If a rankings list has him outside of the top 12 for 2022, do they explain the reason for projecting a continued drop vs a bounce back?

 

Question The Source

Everyone can write, and we all have opinions we want heard. But is the source of your rankings giving you unbiased information or just another way to package his agenda?

We as the reader and fantasy player have to take into consideration that the person making the rankings also have fantasy teams. They probably have favorite teams and players too. In the rankings, does it pass the eye test? Is there an out-of-place player because that’s the writer's hometown hero? On the opposite end, is a player left off the rankings because he busted the writer's championship hopes.

They could also be downplaying a player as a strategy for trade. Rank a player low just so they can trade less to get them on their own team.

 

Question Yourself

Just as we know a writer can have bias, so do we as a reader looking at the rankings. We need to ask ourselves the same questions. Do you disagree with a ranking just because your favorite player is too low? Did you take CMC two years in a row just to be disappointed? So now you have the 10th RB overall. Who is on your trade list that you wanna get cheap this year? I bet you told your buddy that he stinks and is a bust at some point to drop his value.

 

The Answer

It's simple but overlooked. Question everything! Ask yourself, is this source reputable? Do I see an agenda within their work? Are there others that use this source for rankings?

Am I reviewing the rankings with an open mind? Do I check my own rankings against stats before judging others? Is the way I rank players line up with proper tiers?

Finally, the best advice I can give is to do the work! Look at multiple rankings. Review multiple sources. Make sure the historical stats meet your upcoming seasons' expectations. Know ahead of time that not all rankings are created equal, so you need to do the research to level the playing field.

Dynasty Dilemma: Jerry Jeudy

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Dynasty Dilemma: Jerry Jeudy

by JC Johnson

 

Jerry Jeudy was the 15th pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of Alabama. He was the #1 player on my big board coming out. I thought he was going to be the next great PPR fantasy star. He was then drafted by the Denver Broncos, where all young fantasy pass catchers go to die. Destined to waste away their prime in the NFL’s version of a Russian gulag. This article will discuss if you should be cutting your losses with Jeudy, or if rostering him will save his soul from eternal damnation. Dynasty Dilemma: Buy or Sell Jerry Jeudy?

 

Reasons to Sell

Outside of stating the obvious, Jeudy hasn’t done anything in his first two NFL seasons. His first year was largely wasted by incompetent QB play. His second season saw him miss 6 games with a high ankle sprain after getting off to a good start vs. the G-Men. He never seemed to fully ingratiate himself back into the offense once he returned, and Tim Patrick really stepped up and became that safety blanket to Teddy B that so many of us in the fantasy community thought Jeudy would be for ole Teddy Two Gloves.

 

Another reason to sell is the competition he has for targets in let’s face it, a very limited passing attack. Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick just received extensions, Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam soak up targets in the flats, and Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon have shown they are more than capable of catching the ball out of the backfield. All of this with speedster KJ Hamler set to re-enter the fold after tearing his ACL at the beginning of the 2021 preseason. 

 

Jeudy recorded the 2nd highest drop percentage in the NFL his rookie season (although we know drops don’t necessarily correlate to reduced fantasy production) and has also failed to top 10 PPR PPG in either of his two seasons in the NFL. So he hasn’t even really been a solid flex option for your lineup on a weekly basis.

 

 

Reasons to Buy

The talent is so blatantly there. It has been shown over the back half of the season that Jeudy is the alpha WR in this offense. You can see it in Sutton’s production. He’s relevant when and only when Jeudy is not on the field. Jeudy is routinely recognized by his peers,

including all pro WR Davante Adams as one of the best route runners in the NFL.

 

Jeudy as a rookie saw the highest percentage of uncatchable targets in the NFL. It’s every game essentially you see him continuously win his route and he cannot get an accurate pass to be thrown his way. 

 

With a new offensive regime coming into Denver with head coach Nathaniel Hackett, I believe Jeudy will be used in a Davante Adams type role. One where they get him in the slot and give him a lot of field to work with and truly utilize his extremely balanced repertoire of route running skills to win and move the ball down the field. 

 

The Verdict

I think you’re at the point in Jeudy’s career where he’s at his absolute floor value wise. He’s in the basement, he’s in the bin of $1 movies that used to line the main aisle of Target’s electronics department. Jeudy is so out of style you go to Goodwill and shop

for him ironically. You wear him around like you’re a hipster in Williamsburg, Brooklyn drinking an IPA at your favorite artisanal mustard shoppe. Jeudy is being drafted after Chase Claypool, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Brandon Aiyuk, Amari Cooper, and Rashod Bateman. Give me Jeudy over all of them. What I hope happens is Denver finally gets a competent QB. The worst case scenario which is entirely possible is they keep playing with a mediocre QB, but Hackett finally does what Shurmur was incapable of doing. They use Jeudy creatively and get the ball in his hands.