#TomBomb
Buy-Low Dynasty Assets
~ Los Angeles Chargers ~
3. Mike Williams
Well hello, my dear friends. So here’s the scoop. For the price you’ll more than likely have to pay to acquire this 25-year-old, former #7 overall selection, entering his 4th NFL campaign, this acquisition screams upside. With that said, the deciding factor in selecting Mike Williams was his massive potential, at a position oh so important to fantasy success.
It’s no mystery that this 6’4 220 pound giant, out of Clemson, had an abysmal rookie campaign due in large part to a handful of back injuries. Despite everything, throughout his next two seasons, there were some real bright spots from a bigger picture viewpoint. The 10 receiving touchdowns in 2018 coupled with the 1,001 receiving yards in 2019 are the two hooks fantasy owners are resting their hats on, as they look to Williams’ upcoming NFL season and a possible breakout one at that. One bit of good news working in Williams’ favor is the fifth-year option the Chargers exercised on him, back in April. Many wondered if they’d pick it up or let him “prove” his worth in 2020. Well, now we know.
Another positive in Mr. Mike’s corner, and the best news I believe he could have hoped for, transpired about a week earlier than the extended contract. When the Los Angeles Chargers used the #6 over the selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, on Justin Herbert, they gave Williams and his professional future a much-needed adrenaline shot. As a very large fan of one Mr. Justin Herbert, Old Tom is an even bigger fan of this future Herbert to Williams’s connection.
As I look back on the progression Mike Williams has made, especially from year 2 to year 3, I see so much promise. His route running has improved and his deep ball skills are second to none.
In fact, in 2019 Williams led the league in yards per receptions (20.4). We all know that sometimes it takes a few years for WRs to really come into their own. My friends, that’s what Mike Williams is doing. With all the current AC Joint injury talk, now is the pristine opportunity to cash in on a potential future stud. My advice is to buy low and watch the talent go to work for you.
2. Austin Ekeler
“Old Tom, you can’t be serious. Ekeler is NOT a buy-low option. Dude’s an immediate RB1 and everyone knows this.”
Well, Mr. Argumentative Individual, according to this poll by the Twitter-Checked Brad Evans @NoisyHuevos himself, 234ish people aren’t ready to jump on your bandwagon. Though there’s no doubt about it, 70% is a clear victory in favor of the RB1 argument. Yet, with a 30% opportunity to clear this gap, Old Tom is diving headfirst, and not thinking twice about it. Now, I sure do understand that this poll was run about 3 ½ months ago. Nonetheless, I’d venture to say the current mood still presents similar opportunities. So, I will explain.
As we look at Austin Ekeler and his future, from a fantasy football perspective, the best news we can take away is that what he accomplished in 2019, took place with only a 57% offensive snap share.
Yes, you read that correctly. Your 2019 RB4 (PPR) pulled off this accomplishment while standing on the sideline for 43% of his team’s efforts. So while this 5’10 200 lb RB may display the physique of a workhorse, we don’t have to try and find ourselves making an argument for any sort of featured-role when attempting to justify his worth to this Chargers’ ball club… or more importantly, your dynasty squad.
I have no doubt the Chargers will attempt to utilize both Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley, throughout the upcoming season, in hopes of finding out what they can offer. Nonetheless, I also have the utmost confidence that it will have zero impact on what Ekeler can and will offer fantasy owners. The reality of this situation is Austin Ekeler has proven to the world he is both an exceptional runner and receiver.
Whatever he’s asked to do we know he’ll deliver in a big way. With only 1 year of fantasy excellence under his belt, and coupled with the QB uncertainty that is 2019 for this Chargers organization, Old Tom is fully advising dynasty owners to act on the Ekeler acquisition front. I’ll tell you right now, add another 365 days onto the calendar, and this air-guitar artist’s price tag is going to be quite expensive.
1. Keenan Allen
Here’s the thing about freshly turned 28-year-old WRs – they aren’t old. Not to me and not to their respective ball clubs. Especially, when they recently sign shiny new 4-year contracts worth $80 million.
With that said, is there a more underappreciated WR in the league than Keenan Allen? As far as Old Tom is concerned, that answer is a resounding no. Now, please understand, I’m not saying there aren’t other stud WRs who are also treated poorly, in the fantasy community. What I’m saying is that when you attempt to marry the disrespect with the stat-production, Mr. Keenan takes the cake, in Old Tom’s eyes.
One reason, the main reason really, I believe Allen seems to have a tough time knocking off the negative vibes, stems from his year two regression and the following two injury-riddled campaigns. The final straw, unfortunately for many, was the torn ACL suffered in Week 1’s contest back in 2016. What that did was it gave Allen the all so important “injury-prone” tag, that found its justification in the reality of 25 missed games over the course of his team’s previous 34 contests. Ouch! (pun intended)
Well, to quote Bill Belichick, “To live in the past is to die in the present.” Welcome to 2020, where all Keenan Allen has done over his previous three NFL seasons is play in 100% of his team’s contests and post WR (PPR) finishes of 3, 12, & 6 respectively. Diving a little deeper into said finishes, we see that the LOWEST Allen has fared in the key receiving stat-lines, across this time frame, all stem from his WR12 (PPR) season in 2018, where he posted 136-97-1196-6.
Now, while Old Tom firmly understands that Philip Rivers has moved on, I’m here to advise you that acquiring the recently extended WR is still a terrific dynasty investment. Doing so amid the Tyrod Taylor experiment and before the Justin Herbert takeover might just be one of the best moves you’ll ever make, in hindsight.
I genuinely thank you for taking the time to read my article. You can find my other articles on this site here. I also kindly welcome you to follow me on Twitter @BombadilFantasy. Additionally, I welcome you to explore #TomBomb: Simplicity & Subjectivity. Both of these platforms, my friends, is where you’ll find as many #TomBombs as your heart can desire. Remember, while I have quite an extensive history and the wisdom to show for it, I’m still perfecting my craft of fortune-telling. It is this reality of uncertainty that plays directly into my foundation of simplicity and subjectivity. Nonetheless, you have my assurance that you’re in great hands with Old Tom Bombadil. Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo!
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