tre’quan smith

Fantasy Stock Up, Stock Down: New Orleans Saints

Dynasty / By /

It takes tight ends a while to adjust to the NFL game. Most excel as run-blockers before they see substantial growth in production as pass-catchers. For instance, Dalton Schultz didn’t surpass 600 receiving yards in a season until his third year in the league (2020), and he countered that with a TE3 finish last season (fourth year) in PPR formats. Dawson Knox is another prime example here. During his first two seasons in the league, he never topped 400 receiving yards, 30 receptions, or three receiving touchdowns. His best finish was as the TE32 before last season’s TE11 finish. Those are just a few examples, but the point is that you shouldn’t give up on Trautman just yet. He’s entering his third season as a pro with a better supporting cast surrounding him and a quarterback he’s somewhat familiar with. 

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Rapid Reaction: Jameis Winston Injury

Dynasty / By /

There is a heightened level of emotional attachment that fans and players put into divisional rivalries. The familiarity of foe creates a palatable tension in an already brutal sport. You can feel the electricity in the air every time the Buccaneers enter the Superdome to face the Saints and vice versa. This Sunday was no different.

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Kickoff Countdown Day 9: 9 Hardest Players to Project

All Access / By /

Welcome to the fourth entry in our Kickoff Countdown series, counting down the days until we can once again sit and watch some real football! As you already know, each article has a numeric theme, which also counts down as each day is ticked off the calendar. In this piece, I’ll be discussing the nine (see the theme?) players that I had the toughest time projecting and what I ultimately expect out of them this season. Not only is it a lot of fun to look at some realistic outcomes for these players, but looking at these projections can also help you to confidently select one player over another when you are on the clock, even if those two players appear almost indistinguishable at first glance. So, without further ado, I give you my nine hardest players to project for the 2021 season.

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DFF Redraft League: Drafting from the Six Spot

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Last weekend DFF organized a 14 team redraft league comprised solely of DFF writers/editors as owners. In this piece, I will talk about how I prepared for the draft, got my strategy together, and actually navigated the live draft. Hopefully, this will give you some insight on not only the players I took but also the methods I used to prepare.

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Michael Thomas: Making Sense of His Injury Timeline

Dynasty / By /

As @DFF_Joemem mentioned in his rapid reaction article, we got the news that Michael Thomas underwent a second ankle surgery in June and likely won’t be ready to go to start the NFL season for the New Orleans Saints. This would be his second ankle surgery of the off-season as he already had surgery in January following the NFL season after sustaining a high-ankle sprain in Week 1 of the 2020 season. The above is what we know for certain. What we don’t know is what exactly transpired this off-season, what exact surgeries Thomas had, and why he waited so long to have his surgery, putting his 2021 season in serious doubt. But, we can begin to put together a rough outline given his injury timeline that can help fantasy owners decide what to do with Thomas for both redraft and dynasty. 

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Rapid Reaction: Michael Thomas’ Ankle

Dynasty / By /

Thomas injured his ankle twice during the regular season last year and was expected to undergo surgery on it as early as January of 2021. Unfortunately for his team, it looks like now he won’t be looking 100% until we hit the ⅓ mark of the season. The Saints schedule has a bye Week 6 before they head into a Monday Night Football matchup against the division-rival Seahawks in Week 7. Given the expected timeline, it’s hard for me to imagine the Saints rushing him back there for the week 5 game against WFT at about the 3 to 3.5-month mark given the uncertainty of when the surgery actually occurred in June. Expecting a push for a Week 7 return makes the most sense when projecting this early on.

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Week 8 Late Game Storylines

Dynasty / By /

Of course, I have to focus on the return of one of my favorite rookie receivers, Jalen Reagor. Reagor will play in this game after missing multiple weeks with a UCL injury, and I expect him to immediately assume a starting role as the Eagles’ Z receiver. The Eagles have no receiving options outside of Reagor, Travis Fulgham, and Greg Ward, so Reagor could see significant work. Even if he doesn’t, I think Reagor has a WR1 future in the NFL, and I want to see him develop.

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Week 7 Early Game Storylines

Dynasty / By /

I love writing these weekend storyline pieces. I will go through the games and discuss one dynasty-relevant storyline per team that I’m excited to see. Usually, I’ll split the games into two sets, covering the early games in one story and the later games in another. In this article, I’ll look at the seven 1 PM games. This piece will give you something specific to look for in each contest, which I hope helps you enjoy the games even more.

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Tre’Quan Smith: 2020 Dynasty Profile

Dynasty / By /

The Saints drafted Smith in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the 91st overall pick. At the time, the Saints had star wide receiver Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara as their top two receiving weapons. However, after those top two players, they had very few secondary options, with veterans Ben Watson and Ted Ginn as Smith’s main competition for targets.

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Dynasty Risers and Fallers Week 3

Dynasty Risers and Fallers Week 3

Dynasty / By /

In this weekly piece, I will bring you some risers and fallers from a dynasty lens. Whether it’s injuries, performance, or value, I want to discuss how players have moved around. Based on the week’s events, I’ll give some advice on how to act on the market’s movement, whether it’s buying, selling, or holding. 

I won’t limit myself to talking about any specific players or teams because I want to have the freedom to discuss whatever is most relevant. Also, of course, there are more risers and fallers than those I’m listing. However, it’s impossible to cover every single one of them, as dynasty values change weekly for many players. With that said, let’s jump into the risers first, followed by the fallers.

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Michael Thomas Injury Fallout

Dynasty / By /

In Week 1, superstar Saints’ wide receiver Michael Thomas suffered a “high ankle injury.” While details have come out slowly, the Saints now expect Thomas potentially to miss multiple weeks, and they could place him on injured reserve. If Thomas goes to IR, he will miss three games. At the very least, Thomas will almost certainly miss the Saints’ Monday night game against the Raiders. Whether he plays or not, you likely can’t rely on him because he will be a game-time decision on Monday night. If you have Thomas, I would hope he sits out and doesn’t try to play through it. Saquon Barkley and Alvin Kamara had the same injury in 2019 and came back too quickly. You don’t want Thomas to do the same and miss the rest of 2020.

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Michael Thomas Extension

Dynasty / By /

Michael Thomas’ contract has been reported for a few days, but the salary cap information for Michael Thomas’ contract extension is publicly available now. If you read some of my other pieces on player contracts like Kyle Rudolph or Tyler Boyd, you know the difference between something dynasty owners should react positively to, or to fade doing so. Generally, when a player makes money as Thomas did, we don’t need to question if the guaranteed money will be substantial enough. However, the first time we don’t follow the process step by step is the first time we will find ourselves burnt by doing so. So let’s dive into his new deal, shall we?

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