- For the last few games, and even in this one, it looked like Tom Brady was back. He went 32 of 52 for 418 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. Of course, that was before the latest Rob Gronkowski injury. Stay tuned to see how Brady adjusts (again).
- Browns receiver Josh Gordon did things again. Catching seven for 151 and a touchdown, it’s fair to wonder if Gordon has reached the top-tier of dynasty receivers.
- Patriots running back Shane Vereen had quite the day out of the backfield, catching 12 for 153 yards. He even included a rushing touchdown. Vereen is under contract for one more year when he could be ‘Woodheaded’ out of New England but, for now, Vereen is a fine dynasty running back, especially in PPR leagues.
Tag Archives: rob gronkowski
Dynasty Recap – Week 5 – Bengals stop Patriots, 13-6
- Quarterback Tom Brady went without a touchdown pass for the first time in four years. Luckily, it appears Rob Gronkowski will be back this week and all will be right with the world.
- Running back LeGarrette Blount ran for a respectable 4.3 YPC in his 12 carries for New England. Of course, he also fumbled in the game so don’t be surprised if Stevan Ridley gets another chance to lock down the position.
- On the other side of the field, Giovani Bernard had 13 carries compared to BenJarvus Green-Ellis’ 19. Dynasty owners can expect the back-and-forth routine this year but Bernard should be good for years to come.
- Bengals rookie tight end Tyler Eifert saw a career-high seven targets to go along with five catches and 53 yards. The changing of the guard could become official soon so now would be the time to jump on the Eifert bandwagon.
- Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes had his best game of 2013 with 12 tackles, two tackles for a loss, a pass defended, and an interception. Spikes had a solid 2012 with 92 tackles but that appears to have been his ceiling. I’d sell high on Spikes right now.
Daily Dynasty Update – August 26th
We’re getting closer and closer to the beginning of the season. Let’s see what’s happening down the final stretch.
- It appears Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball are doing everything they can to NOT start at running back for Denver this year. Neither can pass protect and have had trouble holding on to the ball. Their stock should drop in dynasty drafts this week but Ball still makes a ton of sense long-term.
- Rob Gronkowski is expected to play most, not all, of this season. However, at just 24, he’s still a top two tight end dynasty pick. The only hesitation would be his injury history, which is getting more frequent. It’d be ideal to draft Gronk’s current backup, rookie Zach Sudfeld for insurance.
- Rookie Mike James is officially the #3 running back in Tampa. He’s got some talent but is only worth a taxi squad spot at this point, especially if you have Doug Martin.
- Oakland appears to be moving on from Matt Flynn and giving Terrelle Pryor a shot at quarterback. Pryor has flashes but, ultimately, won’t be the long-term answer. We fully expect Oakland to be in the mix for the top pick in the NFL draft in 2014 and could take one then.
That’s all for now. One more pre-season game to go.
Who’s the third best tight end in dynasty fantasy football?
Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski are the two best tight ends in football. Fantasy football, real football, dynasty football, Madden football.
After those two, however, is a considerable debate. If you average together rankings from Pro Football Focus and Dynasty Warehouse you see a group of four players that are clearly ranked ahead of the pack: Kyle Rudolph, Jason Witten, Vernon Davis and Dennis Pitta (click here to see the whole list!). Let’s look at a couple different angles:
- Age – Since you’re in a dynasty league there is a premium on age. Rudolph (24) would win that battle as he has four years on the next tight end in the group, Dennis Pitta (28), followed by VD (29) and Witten (31). However, youth also means inexperience and there is no guarantee that Rudolph will fulfill the lofty expectations he has. Personally, I need to see results before I’m convinced. Rudolph’s line of 53/493/9 is comparable to Rob Gronkowski (55/790/11). The only difference is Gronk did it in five fewer games. The lack of production may or may not be a result of Christian Ponder’s poor play but the bottom line is Ponder is back for another year which means Rudolph’s potential is limited.
- Targets – Dennis Pitta broke out last year (as evidenced by me taking him in round 20 or later) to the tune of 61/669/11. Offseason reports indicate it’ll only get better. With the departure of Anquan Boldin and his 112 (!) targets, Joe Flacco is going to have to spread the ball around. Even, if you were to divvy up the targets evenly among the 11 players that caught a pass from Flacco in 2012, Pitta’s in line for 10 more targets and 6-7 more catches this year. However, that’s assuming defenses don’t pay more attention to Pitta which they most certainly will. Additionally, without another receiver to take the heat off the middle of the field like Boldin did so well, linebackers are going to zero in on Pitta. I go back to my thoughts about Rudolph and want to see more before I’m convinced.
- QB Upgrade – While Kyle Rudolph is still a year or two away from an upgrade, Vernon Davis finally got one last year in Colin Kaepernick. Now, you could argue that VD performed well despite the lack of arm strength from Alex Smith. In fact, he was awesome: 2009-78/965/13; 2010-56/914/7; 2011-67/792/6. However, you also see a downward trend that coincides with Michael Crabtree’s rise: 2009-48/625/2; 2010-55/741/6; 2011-72/874/4. This all led to a 2012 that saw VD with 41 catches on 61 targets compared to Crabtree’s 85 catches on 126 targets. Things looked dire (fantasy-wise) for VD with the trade of Anquan Boldin but with Crabtree’s injury, we’re still back where we were last year. As a 49er fan, I hope the trend doesn’t continue but unless they make a concerted effort to get Davis the ball, I just don’t see him getting back to 2009-2010 level.
- Verdict – If I had to pick one out of this group to go with it’d be Jason Witten. Since his breakout, age-25-30 seasons started in 2007, he’s averaged 92/1018/5. Looking ahead, I think a fair comparison is Tony Gonzales (76/945/6 in his 25-30 years old seasons) , who’s still chugging along at age 37. Since turning 31, Gonzales has averaged ONLY 84/877/7. Hypothetically, this gives Witten five years of 84/877/7. And the fact that Tony Romo and his gun-slinging ways aren’t going anywhere, I think you the stability needed to continue a great career.
Dynasty Fantasy Football Central 