FootballDiehards Weekly Facebook Chat Recap week 4 2016

By Evan Tarracciano
Evan Tarracciano Each Tuesday evening, I host a question & answer video chat over on the Football Diehards Facebook page where I review the past week’s action and provide input on submissions that I’ve received. In case you aren’t already following the page, I’d highly recommend checking it out here:

https://www.facebook.com/FootballDieHards/

As a supplement to the weekly video discussion, I’ll be covering some of the hot topics more in-depth during this weekly article, along with providing several waiver-wire suggestions that I’m high on moving forwards in the weeks to come. I hope that you folks enjoy the additional content, and I look forward to seeing everyone Tuesday nights! To submit questions for my review, send them via Twitter: (@Roto_Wizard), or post them during the live chat.

Q: Through three weeks, Matt Ryan has been the best quarterback in Fantasy Football. Will he continue things at this pace? Or what should owners expect moving forward?
A: No questioning that Ryan has looked fantastic through the first three games so far, as he had averaged 323 passing yards and over two touchdowns per game. Perhaps most striking, Ryan has dramatically cut down on turning the ball over, his Achilles heel the past two seasons. That aside, there are two factors which make me feel that this level of production (or anything close to it) will continue moving forward.

First, take a look at the schedule for the Atlanta Falcons. Ryan has carved up the woeful defenses of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders and New Orleans Saints, all of which are ranked 20th or worse in terms of pass defense (with the Raiders ranked dead last). The next three weeks get dramatically more difficult, as the team faces the Carolina Panthers (fifth best pass defense), Denver Broncos (fourth) and Seattle Seahawks (second). While things do get easier after that, expect him to not produce at an elite level (or close to it) in the immediate future.

Additionally, Ryan’s receiving options are spotty at best, outside of Julio Jones. The team’s major offseason offensive acquisition was Mohamed Sanu, who has been an extreme disappointment outside of a solid Week 1. Sanu is no more than a chain-mover, despite the insane contract that the team offered him. Due to the lack of production from Sanu, Ryan has relied upon his running back tandem of Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman to pick up the slack. While both players are capable receivers, having to rely upon the backfield as a source of production limits the offense as a whole. The fact that Jacob Tamme is tied with Jones for the team lead in targets speaks volumes. If Sanu doesn’t take a major step forward, the team is in trouble.

Q: Did you see Terrelle Pryor this past week? He was used as a quarterback! Any chance the team keeps using him there, and how good can he be with Cody Kessler at the helm?

A: I’ll admit that I was a bit surprised that Pryor was used as a quarterback in any capacity, but that speaks more to the team’s lack of confidence in Cody Kessler more than anything else. Let’s face it, the Cleveland Browns are an absolute mess after they lost both RGIII and Josh McCown, and are pulling at straws at this point. Kessler wasn’t a highly sought-after prospect coming out of the draft, but coach Hue Jackson is treating him as a pet project with upside. I do feel that it is in the team’s best interests to keep Pryor at receiver. He is a freak athlete at 6’4 and 223 lbs. capable of running either past or through defenders if need be. When the team has its full complement of receivers with the return of Corey Coleman and Josh Gordon, they will field one of the most frightening groups of size/speed players in the NFL. Yet their upside is capped tremendously by Kessler there. Pryor is worth a flier in deeper leagues, but I can’t see him being Fantasy relevant consistently. He’s a matchup play at best right now.

Q: Are the toys finally cleaned up behind you?
A: Yep, my kids managed to pick up the playroom this week where I record the show. It finally doesn’t look like a bomb went off!

Q: Jordan Howard took over for Jeremy Langford in the Chicago Bears backfield. Is he the guy to own moving forward, and should I drop Langford?
A: Feel free to look through my timeline or preseason rankings as proof, but outside of perhaps Mike Clay of ESPN I was one of the lowest on Langford entering 2016. This isn’t to say that I was hoping he’d get injured, far from it. My stance was mainly due to the inefficiency he showed when he touched the ball – he averaged a paltry 3.6 YPC in 2015 over nearly 150 attempts. He’s capable of catching passes if need be, but I wouldn’t say that he possesses elite hands, size or even speed. Langford was just uninspiring. Can owners drop him at this point? I believe so. He’s dealing with a high-ankle sprain that is projected to keep him out until Week 9, and by that point Howard should have firmly cemented himself as the back to own in Chicago.

Regarding Howard, he is this week’s scoop-du-jour off of the waiver wire. He was likely already owned in 12 team or larger formats as an upside handcuff, but if he hasn’t already been claimed, I’d quickly do so. A fifth-round pick out of Indiana, Howard has the ability to run either inside or outside of the tackles, and break tackles – the latter Langford never did. Considering that the Bears have very little to play for this season and are already in a hole with a 0-3 record, I’m sure that they will give Howard a fairly long leash.

Q: Dwayne Washington – what gives? I picked him up expecting that the Detroit Lions would feed him the ball and he was hardly in the game!
A: Patience, young padawan. Patience. I’m of the belief that Washington wasn’t used as heavily as one expected largely in part due to game-flow more than anything else. The Green Bay Packers had a massive lead at halftime, forcing the Lions to abandon the running game and putting Theo Riddick onto the field. Neither back did much on the ground (Washington had 10 rushing attempts for 38 yards, while Riddick managed a deplorable 9 yards on 10 carries), so I wouldn’t get too discouraged here. All reports suggest that the team does want a more balanced approach moving forward. Make no mistakes, this is still a team that will pass-first, but against weaker opponents, that should open up plenty of holes for the talented Washington to break through. I’m still high on him moving forward.

Waiver-Wire choices



Quarterback:


Trevor Siemian (Denver Broncos) – Most owners are still waiting for Paxton Lynch to eventually become the starter in Denver, but don’t be surprised if Siemian holds him off for quite some time. He has the trust of the coaching staff, and after last week’s stellar performance against the tough Cincinnati Bengals defense where they relied upon his arm (and not the running game), expect him to have a long leash. I still don’t view him as a week-to-week starter, but he is a capable bye week fill-in, given the weapons he has.

*Long Term* Josh McCown (Cleveland Browns) - Remember how I mentioned before that I’m a fan of their receiving core? If McCown (and it is a big IF) could stay healthy, this could be a top 10 offense in the league. Call me crazy, but I think that McCown is talented enough to make multiple receiving options healthy. Sure, he isn’t the sexiest name out there, and he’s currently injured. I get all of that. But he makes for a solid fill-in as more teams go on byes moving forward.

Running Back:


DeAndre Washington (Oakland Raiders) – With Latavius Murray continuing to lose carries to both Washington and Jalen Richard, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the team wants to move away from him moving forward. Some would argue that Washington doesn’t possess the ideal size to be a major contributor to the Raiders ground game moving forward since he is only 5’8, but take one moment and watch his collegiate tape from Texas Tech – he’s definitely legit. While Washington is currently a pass-catching specialist, he has the talent of a young Maurice Jones-Drew. And I don’t use that comparison lightly. The team would be silly to not take advantage of his talents more.

*Deeper Stash* Bobby Rainey (New York Giants) – News broke recently that Shane Vereen will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn triceps, putting Rainey (and NOT Paul Perkins) to the head of the line as the main receiving back for the Giants. Rainey was tremendous during the preseason for the team, and has proven to be a capable receiver in the past as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You’d have to be in a very deep PPR league (14+ teams) to consider this one, but he could provide a ton of return on investment for a pass-first team.

Wide Receiver:


Adam Humphries (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – I spoke at length about Humphries on the show, but I think it is safe to assume that he is the second receiver that owners want to own in Tampa Bay moving forward. Vincent Jackson has been a tremendous disappointment so far, with only nine receptions through three games (Humphries had nine just last week, by comparison). He’s a situational target to grab in PPR formats – I view him as a Cole Beasley with much more upside. The volume will be here.

**Deeper Stash** Jaron Brown (Arizona Cardinals) – Although Brown currently sits behind Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown in terms of targets, there is a lot to like here. Floyd is currently dealing with a concussion, while John Brown has been a major disappointment so far in 2016. Should Floyd miss any time, Jaron Brown would be an interesting pickup due to his Devery Henderson-esque abilities. He’s crazy fast, has averaged 24.2 YPC over his career, and might just be the Hail Mary option this team needs to move forward.

Tight End:


**Deeper Stash** Richard Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) – While Jared Cook received most of the attention entering the season, owners shouldn’t forget just how good Rodgers looked in limited action last year. With Cook nursing a high-ankle sprain that will keep him sidelined for multiple weeks, Rodgers will come into a much higher target share, and is an interesting red zone option for Aaron Rodguers to utilize, given the team’s lack of large receivers.