Dynasty Fantasy Football Mailbag for Week 8: Broncos Ready For A Jonah Coleman Backfield Takeover?

The calendar is about to turn to November, which means that trades will begin to really heat up. Both in the real NFL and dynasty fantasy football. Sam Wallace answered questions from our Fantasy Life Discord members on a variety of players and different scenarios heading into a busy part of the fantasy season.

Week 8 Mailbag for Dynasty Fantasy Football

Should I drop Bam Knight or Dameon Pierce to pick up Rachaad White?

If I am looking specifically at these three players, heading into this weekend, here's how our team of rankers has them ordered:

White is the easy play while both Knight and Pierce are much further down. Based on this week's rankings alone, I am fine dropping Pierce and rolling with White

Is it time to drop Juwan Johnson?

This is a great question and I will let Adam Pfeifer take it from here:

Over the last three weeks, Johnson has combined for 5 catches for 23 yards and zero touchdowns on 10 total targets …The Saints continue to deploy three tight ends: Johnson, Noah Fant and Oscar Delp. Since Week 5, Johnson has run less than 60% of the routes, well below his 73% route rate from Weeks 1-4. New Orleans now heads to its bye in Week 8, and when the team returns in Week 9, first-round rookie wideout Jordyn Tyson could be ready to return.

In short … yes, it is likely time to drop Juwan Johnson. The only caveat I will say is this: the TE position remains relatively shallow and, unless you have one of top options, you're probably streaming the position anyway.

Any news on Jonathon Brooks?

As of this writing, Jonathon Brooks (abdomen) has not yet been activated off of Injured Reserve, but he's still worth a speculative stash in all fantasy formats. Despite him having only 18 career rushing attempts despite being well into his third NFL season, Brooks has enough of a talent profile to warrant stashing him in the hopes he takes over some semblance of a role in the Panthers offense.

What players do you expect to be moved by the NFL Trade Deadline?

I'll highlight a few bigger offensive skill position players whom I've heard/read some rumors about. First, the Colts look to be in the midst of a soft reset, which makes veteran RB Jonathan Taylor a prime trade-deadline candidate. He could provide a massive boost to a team looking to solidify its rushing attack as we inch closer to the second half of the season (and ultimately, the playoffs). A team that immediately jumps to mind is the Minnesota Vikings, but we'll see.

Speaking of the Colts, WR Josh Downs has formally requested a trade. The talented fourth-year player could have several potential suitors so we'll see how the market shakes out in the coming days and weeks.

Finally, I think Brian Thomas just needs a change of scenery. There's been plenty of words written on the massive disappointment BTJ has been since his exceptional rookie campaign. The Chiefs could be a fun landing spot if they feel they can revitalize his career and make him fantasy-relevant again.

How much FAAB do we spend on Jonah Coleman?

The Fantasy Life Team was all over Jonah Coleman this week. Here's what Pete Overzet said in his breakdown of Coleman's first performance since Week 2:

After a stint on the IR, rookie RB Jonah Coleman returned to the lineup in Week 7 and immediately looked like the Broncos’ best back.

Against the Cardinals:

He played 50% of the snaps (74% of the second-half snaps)
He handled 41% of the rush attempts
He ran 34% of the routes
And he took 100% of the short-yardage work

To more succinctly answer the mailbag question regarding how much FAAB to spend on Coleman, Alex Cupps has you covered:

Base League (10-12 team):

Standard: 70%
Half: 55%
Full: 40%

Large League (14-16 team):

Standard: 72.5%
Half: 72.5%
Full: 70%

Guillotine: 7.5%

An early-Day 3 pick, Coleman joined a messy backfield led by some combination of J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Dobbins is an aging, injury-riddled veteran, and Harvey is more of a passing-down specialist rather than a true, three-down grinder.

The intersection between talent and opportunity is just too obvious at this point. If the Broncos are looking to remain competitive this season and not overly rely on Bo Nix and the passing game, getting Coleman a full workload is going to be important. Coleman is in prime position to take over this backfield both this season and moving forward into the future.

Do we see Breece Hall or Braelen Allen command the Jets backfield going forward or do we get some ugly 50-45-5 RB touches scenario?

Unfortunately, it looks like we may be heading toward the forbidden Running Back by Committee (RBBC). Our weekly rankings are suggesting the same, as are our season projections:

To be fair, when healthy, Breece Hall is still the preferred option and I'm starting him if I have him. At the same time, we have to acknowledge that Braelon Allen is going to have a relatively significant role. Allen also remains one of the highest-ceiling handcuffs in the league while also offering some semblance of standalone value in deeper league formats.

Are we at the point where we’d start guys like Rachaad White and Jordan Mason over Chase Brown?

This is a great question and it's awesome to use our Fantasy Life tools to see all of these players lined up side-by-side.

As much as it pains me, especially as someone who was so high on Chase Brown heading into this season, Brown is still projected to be the play this week, at least among these three RBs. I'm interested in how Rachaad White looks coming off his Bye Week, but for now, Brown is the play over him and Jordan Mason.