RADIO
Sometimes we can get a bit carried away as fantasy owners, especially in dynasty. Building a roster that sustains success over a period of years can blind our vision of what truly is. Dynasty owners need to dig deeper and take more risks. The biggest risks can be holding onto players for too long.
Maybe you drafted the player and you just don’t want to give up on him. Maybe your team is struggling, you want some players that have been forgotten by other owners and you want to stash them in hopes that a breakout is still coming.
As we prepare for training camp, it’s time to face the facts about several players and whether they provide us value anymore. If they don’t, it’s time to cut ties and move on. Don’t overthink certain players. Use that bench space for someone else who could help you win more games now. Most importantly though, it’s time to let go.
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You Had Your Chance...
Laquon Treadwell- WR, MIN
By now, most owners have probably given up on Laquon Treadwell, but I know some of you are still out there. What if Stefon Diggs or Adam Thielen go down? The Viking don’t have a ton of depth in 2018, so you may feel tempted to hold onto Treadwell and see if he can finally tap into that potential that made him a first round pick in 2016. Could year three be the charm?
No, it won’t be. It’s time to dump Treadwell and move on. His 21 receptions for 215 yards in two years don’t even hint at a potential breakout. Treadwell saw a 45.6% snap share last season which ranked 122nd among wide receivers in 2017 and 2.0% of those were out of the slot. He will also need to fight with Kendall Wright for targets now. Wright managed to see 91 targets last season with the Chicago Bears, who were decimated with injuries. He turned those into 59 receptions for 614 yards. He can get the job done in a complimentary role and will likely help do that for the Vikings in 2018.
Treadwell is not only facing a tough time getting targets at his own position, but the Vikings will likely utilize Kyle Rudolph more this season and Dalvin Cook will look to build on a small, but impressive sample size from 2017. Even if Treadwell made it on the field as a third receiver on certain plays, he would need to be wide open because Kirk Cousins will be looking for those other options first.
Doug Martin- RB, OAK
Doug Martin has been consistently inconsistent for his career so far. He has either ran for 1400 yards in a season or 400 yards in a season. The problem is that once you rush for 1400 yards in a season, fantasy owners continue to buy, hoping that season is coming again. Martin has also faced injuries or suspensions in his career, so being on the field for a full 16 game slate has typically turned out to be productive. If he’s healthy in 2018, I can’t imagine enough volume to come close to 1400 yards again.
Even though Marshawn Lynch is coming off a disappointing campaign by his standards, he still played in 15 games and carried the ball over 200 times. He was also pretty good with 4.3 yards per carry. Martin has lost a step the last couple of seasons as well. In 2015, he had 14 rushes of 20-plus yards. In 2016, that number dropped to zero and in 2017 he only had one. The issue with the run game in 2018 could be the lack of opportunities. The defense in Oakland was one of the worst in 2017 and it doesn’t appear to be getting much better this season. The hope is Derek Carr will be healthy all year long and a revamped, but aging receiver corps may be tested. I don’t see Lynch giving up many snaps to Martin unless he suffers an injury and if Martin doesn’t touch the ball 150 times, he won’t even be a RB3.
Kevin White- WR, CHI
There are many dynasty owners who are still waiting around for Kevin White. More than likely they used a first round rookie pick on him in 2015, so moving on is difficult when you invest that type of capital. Prior to free agency, you had to believe that White may have had a legit shot to breakout in 2018 if he remained healthy, but those chances seem to be thin now. The Bears did more than almost every other team in free agency to improve their offense.
The addition of Allen Robinson and Trey Burton bring in two key weapons to help Mitchell Trubisky take another step in his development process. Five total games in three years can also be an issue in terms of being ready for game speed situations. It will likely take some time for White to shake off the rust (a lot of it) and get his feet underneath him again. Luckily, the Bears decided to move on from Cameron Meredith, so that is one less body White needs to compete with.
In addition to Robinson and Burton who seem to be the biggest weapons in line for looks, Taylor Gabriel was signed in free agency and the Bears spent a second-round pick on the talented Anthony Miller out of Memphis. It will also be interesting to see if Tarik Cohen does carve out a bigger role for the team this season as a receiver out of the backfield. That is a whole lot of mouths to feed with a sophomore quarterback that did not play well at times last season. Of all the weapons on that offense, White seems least likely to make an impact this season outside of Gabriel. Just move on now and find someone else with a higher ceiling.
C.J. Prosise- RB, SEA
Just like C.J. Prosise is on the bubble in Seattle, he should be on the bubble for your fantasy roster. Actually, he just needs to be on waivers now. This is a classic example of chasing something that is not there. Some owners in the fantasy community continue to hold onto the four-game stretch in 2016 where Prosise looked really good, but that is all he has on his resume now. It doesn’t appear Prosise will get much of a shot in Seattle.
The good news is that in dynasty, if Prosise is released, he will likely end up elsewhere and may still hold some value for you. Running backs are always in demand, especially those that can catch out of the backfield. How much value will he handle in-season however while finding a new team, getting up to speed on the offense and trying to carve out a role. It isn’t impossible, but it makes things difficult. Even if Prosise stays in Seattle, it seems like Chris Carson will be the main backup and Rashaad Penny will see plenty of work on passing plays. I don’t want to waste a bench spot on a running back with no true route to touches this year and one that may not even be on a team in a few weeks.
