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Your weekly fantasy football Q&A mailbag. Mike Dente answers your lineup and start/sit questions from Twitter to help you put together winning rosters for Week 6.
Week 5 of the 2018 NFL Season is in the books, and here is a quick fantasy recap to keep you up to date. There were some familiar names leading the way at quarterback, with Aaron Rodgers at the top with 28.7 FPs, followed by Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, and Ben Roethlisberger to round out the top five. James Conner's 91 percent backfield share translated into 34.5 FPs, which moved him back into the top five on the season. Todd Gurley did Todd Gurley things, scoring 33,3 points. How about Isaiah Crowell? Over 200 yards rushing, 14 point something yards per carry, and 30.1 fantasy points. Wow.
At wide receiver, it was Odell Beckham who stole the show with 31.4 FPs, followed by Davante Adams and guess who? Antonio Brown. Eric Ebron's huge Thursday night performance held up as the most FPs by a TE in Week 5 with 31.5. Zach Ertz was closely behind with 27 points. After that, there were seven players ranging from 13 to 17 points.
With Week 6 quickly approaching, it's time to dig into the RotoBaller Mailbag. I will be answering several of the best questions from Twitter each and every week. Thanks to everyone who sent theirs in for this edition! Before we get to the questions, here is a quick look at all of the upcoming games, as well as the current Vegas spreads and point totals:
- Philadelphia (-1.0) at NY Giants - Total 44.0
- Tampa Bay at Atlanta (-3.0) - Total: 57.0
- Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (-2.0) - Total: 52.5
- LA Chargers (-1.0) at Cleveland - Total: 44.5
- Buffalo at Houston (-10.0) - Total: 41.0
- Chicago (-3.5) at Miami - Total: 41.5
- Arizona at Minnesota (-10.0) - Total: 43.0
- Indianapolis at NY Jets (-2.5) - Total: 45.0
- Seattle (-2.5) at Oakland - Total: 48.0
- Carolina at Washington (-1.0) - Total: 44.5
- LA Rams (-7.0) at Denver - Total: 52.0
- Jacksonville (-3.0) at Dallas - Total: 40.5
- Baltimore (-2.5) at Tennessee - Total 41.5
- Kansas City at New England (-3.5) - Total: 45.5
- San Francisco at Green Bay (-9.5) - Total: 46.5
Week 6 Reader Q&A
1-4 team that needs upgrades. 1. What can I get for zeke, 2. Would you trade Thompson for Coleman and Emmanuel Sanders if you have freeman to hand cuff?
— Brandon Kane (@Yo_Boo_Boo) October 10, 2018
Mike's Take:
This depends on a lot of different variables, such as the strengths and weaknesses of your team and the person you are trading with. Elliott is eighth in fantasy points per game at the RB position, second in touches with 115, and tied for first with a 91 percent backfield share. He is one of the few elite, every down backs in the NFL. The only reason to trade him would be if you have glaring holes at multiple positions. If that is the case, I would look to trade Zeke for a high-end RB2 (James White, Mark Ingram, Chris Thompson, etc.) and a low-end WR1 or high-end WR2 (Juju Smith-Schuster, Jarvis Landry, A.J. Green, Stefon Diggs, etc.). I'm working with limited info here, so this is assuming it's a PPR league and that WR is a position in need of an upgrade. If you need a TE more than WR then adjust accordingly. Anyway you slice it, Elliott should net you a substantial return.
For the second part of your question, yes I would take that trade. You are giving up the 16th best RB in FPPG for the 19th best WR and 29th ranked RB, so the value is definitely there. The other factor that makes this a good trade for you is the fact that Freeman is dealing with multiple injuries and could miss some more time, which bumps Coleman's value up for the time being.
Got offered Ingram and Julio for gurley. Thoughts?
— VandenBosch (@boggerVB) October 10, 2018
Mike's Take:
Not a bad offer but it's going to take a significant over payment to pry the best and most reliable fantasy player out of my hands. Gurley is averaging nearly 28 FPPG this season, which is an incredible pace that gives you a huge advantage each and every week. Ingram looked good in his first game back, but keep in mind that he will be splitting touches with Alvin Kamara, probably a little more so than he did last week. As big of a name as Julio Jones is, he's currently ranked 17th among all WRs, so you're not getting the elite production there either. I would pass on this deal and keep rolling with Gurley.
Time to drop Amari Cooper?
— Steffi (@birdgang_steffi) October 10, 2018
Mike's Take:
No, I can't think of a single format where Cooper would be considered droppable, unless we are talking about six team leagues. Cooper has posted two games of eight or more receptions and over 100 yards receiving. I get it, his inconsistency can be extremely frustrating and at the end of the day he's a player I don't want on my roster because of it. However, the best plan of action is to wait for him to have another one of his big games and then look to capitalize by trading him while his value is high. He still has a highly respectable name in the fantasy world, so one big game has a bigger influence then you would think.
I am 4-1 in 1/2 Point PPR. I just traded N Chubb and Jax Deffense for L McCoy and Denver's Deffense. I also added Carolinas Deffense bc I plan on dropping Denver's to pick up a free waiver wire. How did I do ? My Rbs are Hunt ,Lindsay, K Johnshon, K Drake.
— Joey Harper (@Ljharp85) October 10, 2018
Mike's Take:
Time will tell. Lots of rumors have been floating around about McCoy being dealt to the Eagles. If that were to happen then this trade would be a major win. However, if he stays in Buffalo I would have preferred to hold Nick Chubb and hope he makes an impact in the second half of the season. McCoy is currently 44th in FPPG with 8.4, so he can't be trusted as a starter until he starts to produce on a regular basis. In comparison, Chubb ranks 52nd with 42 less touches.
Is it time to drop Derrick Henry?
— Adrian Martinez (@game6741) October 10, 2018
Mike's Take:
If you can pick up someone like Wendell Smallwood to replace him then yes. However, I would try to hold him if possible, particularly in leagues with 12 or more teams and 16 or more roster spots. Henry has been awful this season, but there is a glimpse of hope after posting his best YPC of the season versus Buffalo. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry, which shatters his previous season-high of 3.2. I know it's not much but I'm taking the "baby steps" approach here. Is Henry going to be a regular starter for fantasy teams at any point this year? Not likely, unless Dion Lewis misses time. Having said that, he could be used as a bye week fill-in or occasional flex play in favorable matchups if he can build off of last week's performance. Hold if you can. Drop if there is an upgrade on waivers. Don't drop him "just because."
Need a lot of help with this one guys!! Need to know what adjustments to make.. don’t know if Freeman is even playing this week. pic.twitter.com/7qcfNqM14d
— gang gang (@FreeBandz_OvO) October 11, 2018
Mike's Take:
It's looking more and more likely that Freeman will not play this week. Looking at your roster (I'm not sure if the entire roster will show above), Corey Clement, Austin Ekeler, and Keke Coutee appear to be your best options. My play would be to move Nyheim Hines into your RB slot and then start Coutee in your flex. Coutee has quietly produced top 10 numbers, while averaging 19.5 fantasy points per game over the past two weeks.
That's all I have for this week, ladies and gents! To have your questions featured next week on our mailbag, please send them to @1ststopfantasy and/or @RotoBallerNFL with #RotoBallerMailbag. Good luck in your Week 5 matchups!
