- Miami tight end Charles Clay had a solid day with six catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. If your league classifies him as a tight end, he could be worth a stash long-term. Incumbent Dustin Keller blew out his knee in pre-season and is a free agent and rookie Dion Sims is better utilized as a blocker.
- Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace continues to struggle. He only caught three of his seven targets, which doesn’t quiet the notion that him and Ryan Tannehill are having communication issues. It was curious that Miami signed Wallace for their west coast offense in the first place. With the team succeeding, it’s doubtful there will be a change in regime/scheme anytime soon.
- Saints undrafted rookie Khiry Robinson led the team in carries with 12. He had only 37 yards but it bodes well that the team trusted him that much for the inevitable departure of Mark Ingram. Robinson is a guy to watch for deep dynasty leagues.
Tag Archives: dion sims
Daily Dynasty Football Update – August 2nd
It’s Friday, Friday, Gotta Get Down on Friday…
- Fred Davis seems to have recovered from his ankle injury. With the dearth of quality tight ends, Davis isn’t a bad option as a high-end TE2. Just 27 and RG3 as his quarterback, the potential is there in dynasty leagues.
- Stevie Johnson is working out of the slot in Buffalo. The goal is to develop Johnson into the Wes Welker role, where Welker averaged 100 catches a year. If E.J. Manual can develop, Johnson would make an intriguing dynasty receiver going forward and worth more than his current 36th ranking in dynasty charts.
- Jermichael Finley is having a great camp and, apparently, justifying his TE1 status. Still just 26 and in one of the best offenses in the NFL, Finley is in a great position. He just needs to not be so charitable.
- Arian Foster should be coming back Sunday. Foster is no stranger to injury. At 27, it’s fair to question how much longer Foster has to be an elite running back option. I might avoid Foster until at least the last half of the first round in dynasty drafts. I also might consider trading him sometime this season or after.
- Mike Wallace has been dealing with a groin injury. The hope is he comes back for Sunday’s game and can keep working with Ryan Tannehill. Wallace is a still WR2 but has potential for a WR1 if Tannehill can make the leap.
- Fresh off our look at rookie running backs, Denard Robinson’s snaps have decreased to ‘free up his mind.’ Don’t draft Robinson until his play improves.
- Dion Sims is officially the #2 tight end in Miami and has looked good. After looking at his chances, we like Sims for a taxi squad role on your dynasty team in his rookie year.
- The Bengals confirmed what we hoped for Tyler Eifert – he will line up wide. He’s been getting high praise and deserves to be the first rookie tight end of your dynasty board.
- Golden Tate has looked good in camp. With Percy Harvin out for a while, Tate is someone to keep in mind. At just 24, he’s a great mid-to-late round dynasty pick and, at the moment, worth more than his 66th ranking.
Remember, if you’re able to read this, it’s the best day ever.
Rookie Tight End Sleepers
While updating the latest tight end rankings, there were several rookies that stood out. If you’re in a dynasty league, adding unknown rookies at the end of your draft can result in the next Dennis Pitta. And while such rookies as Tyler Eifert, Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz and Jordan Reed have already popped up on dynasty rankings, there’s several others that haven’t. Let’s take a look at a few that you may want to become familiar with before your dynasty draft.
- Dion Sims (MIA) – At 6′ 5″ and 262 pounds, Sims has the prototypical build of a successful tight end. Brought it primarily as a blocker and backup to newly-signed Dustin Keller, Sims has nonetheless seen a lot of the field in OTA’s. Keller only played in eight games last year due to injuries so if history repeats itself, look for Sims to play even more snaps. Long-term, if Sims can evolve as a pass catcher, he can ride the wave that Ryan Tannehill and Mike Wallace are creating.
- Vance McDonald (SF) – While carrying the same size as Sims (6′ 4″ / 267), McDonald actually has the opposite profile heading into his NFL career in that he was primarily a receiving tight end and rarely lined up in the three-point stance. Drafted in the 2nd round to take Delanie Walker’s role in the offense, he’s impressed the coaches and the quarterbacks so far with his catching ability. Of course, teams have yet to start making contact and the 49ers have yet to determine if McDonald can fulfill his primary duty of blocking so they can free up Vernon Davis. McDonald has entered into an ideal dynasty fantasy situation with a young franchise quarterback, a great team foundation that should be good for years to come and a tight end playing in front of him who will turn 30 next year with an expiring contract not long after.
- Chris Gragg (BUF) – While Gragg is a tad shorter than either Sims or McDonald (6′ 3″), he was, without a doubt, the fastest of the bunch coming out of the draft after clocking a 4.5 40-time. Thanks to Scott Chandler still recovering from his ACL tear suffered at the end of last season, Gragg has been taking the first team snaps in OTA’s. Already, Coach Doug Marrone has mentioned using him vertically to create matchup problems with his combination of size and speed. I believe Gragg will have the earliest opportunity of these sleepers to contribute early. His dynasty prospects are even better as he’s playing behind Chandler, who not only turns 28 this year but has an expiring contract as well.
- Luke Willson (SEA) – Perhaps the most physically impressive sleeper of the bunch, Willson stands at 6′ 5″ and 251 pounds with a 4.51 40-time. He’s also the biggest question mark after making only 78 catches in his entire collegiate career at Rice. Additionally, he spent his senior season missing six games to injury while backing up Vance McDonald (see above). But with incumbent Zach Miller coming off a torn plantar fascia in the playoffs and previously thought second stringer Anthony McCoy tearing his Achilles not long ago, the door is wide open for Willson to make an impression. In fact, he already has at rookie minicamp in May. Willson was able to get behind the defense, make tough catches, and find the end zone. Willson’s performance in training camp will be the sole factor in just how much he contributes early. For dynasty, he’ll have to outperform no less than three candidates for the starting job. But with no clear-cut leader, that may not be difficult.