Welcome to Week 11 of the 2023 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.
This week's roundtable features these four topics:
- Faith/Fear: Players We Trust-Players Who Scare Us (see below)
- Waiver-Wire Prospecting: Most-Least Likely to Add
- QB Perception Game: Who Is Better/Worse Than Their Perceived Value
- Either/Or: The TE Edition
Let's roll.
Faith/Fear: Players we Trust, Players who Scare Us
Matt Waldman: Pick ONE player from the list below that you have faith will help you for the rest of the year and ONE player that scares you too much to take a chance on via free agency or trade--even if the deal appears fair, slightly favorable on paper?
Let's begin with Whom You Trust...
Jason Wood: An undersized rookie many feared would be relegated to part-time slot work, I trust Tank Dell. Yet, we now know that C.J. Stroud is playing at a Pro Bowl level and appears to be the class of the 2023 draft class. Stroud has been so good that he's made four different wide receivers relevant: Nico Collins, Robert Woods, Noah Brown, and Dell. Nico Collins is the alpha of the quartet, but Dell profiles as the No. 2 and long-term fantasy asset. He's currently WR17 on a per-game basis and has played 86.3% of snaps since missing a few games with a minor injury.
Adam Wilde: I'll be the first to admit that I am a sucker for the "Quarterback basically drafted him" narrative, but with Tank Dell, it has worked out. Dell has been a significant part of Stroud's historic rookie season. Over the last two weeks, he has been targeted a whopping 25 times. Even with Nico Collins set to return from injury, Dell has earned an every-down role.
Phil Alexander: The Texans' wide receiver room is crowded when everyone is healthy, but I'd be surprised if Dell's starting role isn't written in cement from here on out. Reports of Dell as an elite route runner surfaced immediately when training camp started. It turns out they were all true.
According to ESPN's Open Score, which assesses the likelihood a receiver would be able to complete a catch, conditional on if he were targeted, Dell is the third-best wide receiver in the league at getting open, behind only Keenan Allen and Brandon Aiyuk. Based on the statistical company he is keeping, Dell should continue earning at least 20% of Houston's targets moving forward, which is enough to place him in the upside WR2 discussion each week.