The​​​​​​​​​​ Big Board takes into​​​​​​​​​ consideration​​​​​​​​​​ past​​​​​​​​​​ returns,​ current​​​​​​​​​ performance​ and​​​​​​​​​ expected​ future gains​​​​​​​​​ in​​​​​​​​​​ determining​​​​​​​​​​ who​ should be included​​​​​​​​​ among​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ The​​ top 60 fantasy football players. Essentially, the Big Board is a cheat sheet designed for a GM who is planning to participate in a draft today. Half-point PPR scoring settings are used as the baseline for the Big Board, which is updated on a regular basis.

Next 20: Leonard Fournette, TB, RB; Chase Edmonds, Ari, RB; DeVante Parker, Mia, WR; Deshaun Watson, Hou, QB; Tee Higgins, Cin, WR; Aaron Rodgers, GB, QB; Josh Allen, Buf, QB; Marquise Brown, Bal, WR; Jamison Crowder, NYJ, WR (groin); D.J. Chark, Jac, WR; Brandin Cooks, Hou, WR; Deebo Samuel, SF, WR (hamstring); Raheem Mostert, SF, RB (ankle); Devin Singletary, Buf, RB; Ronald Jones, TB, RB; Kenyan Drake, Ari, RB (ankle); Travis Fulgham, Phi, WR; Phillip Lindsay, Den, RB; Justin Herbert, LAC, QB; Jonnu Smith, Ten, TE;

ROS Ranks/Trade Mailbag

(Note: There were more than 100 mailbag submissions. I appreciate everyone who asked a question, but there’s just no way to come close to getting to all of them. Like previous mailbags, I selected the 10 that grabbed my attention. I’ll keep this format going forward, and I’ll try to make sure I have a good variety of question topics each week.)

1. What is Ezekiel Elliott’s value in a 1-for-1 trade? — Evan S.

A. For the first time in his career, Elliott is coming off back-to-back fantasy efforts that netted less than 10 Half-PPR fantasy points and, boy, does that have people freaked out. If Dak Prescott was still behind center and the offensive line was close to full strength, the fantasy community might be more willing to dismiss this slump as just a random stroke of bad luck. But we know that is not the current reality of things. With Prescott out the past two games, the Cowboys have scored a combined 13 points, and Elliott has seen his Snap% drop from 86% in the first five weeks to 63% in the past two, with backup Tony Pollard jumping from 16% (first five games) to 35% (past two). So, yeah, there’s plenty here to freak out about for those rostering Zeke.

But here’s the good news. Volume remains the currency that fuels our fantasy economy. And while Elliott holds only a 33-24 touch advantage over Pollard the best two games, Pollard really hasn’t been any good. In those contests, Zeke has averaged 0.41 Fantasy Points Per Touch to Pollard’s 0.36 mark, and Zeke’s two fumbles are factored in to that. Say what you want about Pollard, but you’ll never convince me that Elliott’s workload should be curbed so that Pollard can get more touches. This should be a pass less/run more situation going forward. I can’t imagine Dallas moving in any other direction than more heavily into the arms of Elliott. And for that reason, I have Elliott’s value as that of a back-end RB1. I wouldn’t settle for less than an equivalent RB1 value, or a mid-level WR1, or a very top tier TE or QB, and I’d ask for a sweetener if it was for a top QB or TE.

2. Do you expect Chase Edmonds to do better than Kenyan Drake did when he was the lead back? — Nick P.

A. Yes, I do, because while Drake was the clear lead ball carrier when both were in the lineup, Edmonds was handling the majority of passing game work in the backfield. With Drake out, Edmonds not only continues to handle passing down work, but he’s also expected to inherit the bulk of Drake’s carry load — rookie Eno Benjamin may find his way to a few touches per game. I think there’s legit concern here for Drake GMs that the incumbent could return to a lesser role than what he was enjoying before his injury exit.

Among RBs with at least 50 touches this season, Edmonds ranks behind only D’Andre Swift, and right in front of Alvin Kamara and Aaron Jones, in Fantasy Points Per Touch (Half PPR) at 1.29. Last season, he clocked in at a 1.07 mark (anything over 1.00 is fantastic). For his career, he’s amassed 1,117 Yards From Scrimmage and 10 TDs on 207 touches (149 carries, 58 receptions). That amounts to 200.7 Half PPR points. Last season, among the 14 RBs to amass 200+ points, none of them had fewer than Austin Ekeler’s 224 touches. And Ekeler is not a bad comp for the kind of featured look Edmonds can bring to the table. I made the bold prediction in this week’s Halloween roundtable that Drake would not receive more than a dozen touches in a game the rest of the season, and that’s because I expect him to have to settle for no better than a straight platoon role when he comes back. I believe Edmonds will prove to be too valuable to relegate back to the 7.8 touch per game workload that he’s seen to this point.

3. Name one RB nobody is talking about who could come out of nowhere to help win during the fantasy playoffs — It happens every year! — Jason N.

A. This is a tough one because it is usually predicated by an injury to a team’s starting running back. But if I’m just thinking about a RB who could emerge, regardless of an injury, I’d put Baltimore rookie J.K. Dobbins right up there. He’s had the most snaps among Baltimore backs to this point, his skill-set is the most “feature” worthy of Baltimore’s three-headed backfield monster and the late-season schedule has some nice soft spots. I expect Baltimore to tighten things up in that rotation eventually, and I’d bet the result is Dobbins seeing an uptick of touches into the low-to-mid teens. If that happens, I think you could see a few RB1-neighborhood returns down the stretch.

4. Thoughts on Leonard Fournette vs. Ronald Jones — will Fournette take over as the lead back? — David F.

A. I had a short conversation with The Athletic Tampa Bay beat writer Greg Auman this week, and he mentioned a situation that played out in last week’s game that I found very enlightening. The Cliffs Notes version of his comment was that Tom Brady targeted Jones on a short pass in the flat in the second quarter that Jones wasn’t able to secure. After the pass, Brady shot head coach Bruce Arians a knowing look, and Fournette was immediately sent in as a substitute for Jones. The team then proceeded to run the exact same play, and Fournette hauled in the pass for a six-yard gain. It wasn’t an obvious changing of the guard, but I think it might speak to the direction this backfield is headed. Jones carried the ball six more times the rest of the game compared to 11 carries for Fournette.

The problem for Jones is that Fournette is the passing down back now and if the team sees Fournette as a big upgrade over Jones in the passing game but only a slight downgrade (or even on the level) to Jones in the run game, not only will Fournette get most of those highly valued receiving targets, but the team might just decide to keep Fournette on the field in rushing situations as it looks to avoid giving the defense an obvious play-calling tell. If Fournette splits carries with Jones going forward, Jones’ value takes a huge hit, and Fournette’s gets a big boost, because of Fournette’s passing down work — and I think it’s very possible that this is how it will play out. For the rest of the season, I think Fournette is the clear backfield fantasy favorite.

5. Is it time to finally drop Cam Akers? He feels like dead weight at this point. — Jim H.

A. (Sigh!). (Double sigh!). This one is tough. Watching Akers be healthy/available the past couple weeks and have Sean McVay treat him like he has leprosy has been tough to watch. I think, to borrow from Billy Crystal in “The Princess Bride,” Akers is “mostly dead” for fantasy purposes. As a fantasy analyst that has been the captain of U.S.S. Akers all season, I’m required by maritime tradition to stay with a sinking Akers until everyone else has abandoned ship. You may think I’m just trying to be funny, but I have Akers on the roster of four competitive leagues varying in size from 12 to 16 teams. And I have yet to cut him. But I’ve been close. At this point, though, I’m keeping him strictly in a “Next Man Up” sense, as my colleague Jake Ciely always mentions in his columns — the idea that most every team’s backup RB should be rostered in competitive leagues of 12+ teams. So his future path to success now is like that of fellow rookie JaMycal Hasty, with injuries opening up limited opportunities in a potent platoon backfield. I can’t believe it’s come to this for Akers, but I can still dream of a day when he’s finally afforded 15-20 touches. (Sigh!)

6. What kind of 1-for-1 value are you looking to get in return for Antonio Brown at each position? (QB, RB, WR, TE)? — Lee G.

A. Of course I had to consult the Yahoo Trade Market because I was curious to compare his value there to my thinking on the subject. Here’s what the latest deals have returned for Brown in 1-for-1 swaps:

• At running back, David Montgomery and Melvin Gordon.
• At receiver, Justin Jefferson, and Cooper Kupp.
• There were no deals involving Brown for a quarterback or tight end.

But I think the market is clearly saying that Brown for a clear RB2 or WR2 is a starting point in trade discussions. And a Montgomery or Gordon (or Kupp or Jefferson, for that matter) probably has a good chance to return most any TE outside the Top 3-4. So the transitive property would have you believe that Brown could probably be flipped for a tight end just at (or just outside) the range of Darren Waller/Mark Andrews. As for quarterback, who knows? I’m guessing any in the back-half of the QB1 class is fair game.

Now, am I buying all this as fair value for Brown? Not really. You can’t assume that he’s going to just pick up in Week 9, after nearly two years out of action, and at age 32, as the No. 1 target for Tampa. Especially not if/when Chris Godwin and Mike Evans are healthy and playing alongside him. And we also just can’t rule out the idea that he’s just bat-bleeping crazy and he’ll scorch even more earth on his way to being shown the door by yet another NFL team before the season lets out. I’d value him as a WR3 for the rest of the season, somewhere in the Brandin Cooks to A.J. Green neighborhood. I think that fairly weighs the good with the bad.

7. How should I value Tee Higgins going forward? Has he become a reliable flex play at the WR spot? — Tom P.

A. To carry over the Antonio Brown question from above, I would value Higgins as a slightly higher-end WR3 than Brown — more of a borderline Top 30 WR than the mid-30s range that I have tabbed for Brown. Cincy has the highest volume pass attack in the league. And despite Higgins being a distant third in targets (43) to Tyler Boyd (61) and A.J. Green (58), Higgins has averaged (12.5) more than twice as many Half PPR points as Green (6.3) and less than a half point fewer than Boyd (12.9), thanks to being Top 11 among receivers (min. 30 targets) in Average Depth of Target (15.07) and YAC/Reception (5.26). And it doesn’t hurt that Higgins will face six defenses in his next eight games that currently rank among the 11 most generous in fantasy points allowed to receivers.

8. I have Dalton Schultz and Mike Gesicki at TE. Should I drop them to pick up guys like Dallas Goedert, Richard Rogers, Rob Gronkowski, Hayden Hurst, Trey Burton or Harrison Bryant? — David

A. Dallas Goedert (insert “100” emoji here)! I’m all about Goedert. He’s a Top 5 tight end talent that should have a Top 5 tight end role in the passing game when he returns to action. No team has completed more passes to the tight end than Philly this season, and the team won that category by 30 receptions last season. With Goedert and then Zach Ertz out of the lineup, even retread Richard Rodgers has become a thing in Philly, picking up 30+ yards in three of the team’s past four contests, including a 6/85 line last week, the first game with both Ertz and Goedert out. I like the other tight ends you list to varying degrees, but you had me at Goedert.

9. What’s your ROS outlook on Christian McCaffrey? Does the Carolina offense operate more like a committee than it has in the past? — Zachary Z.

A. My outlook for CMC once he returns will be mostly the same as it was prior to the season — a fantasy one-percenter. From what I’ve gathered from those who make it their living to know Carolina’s business, Mike Davis is likely to still have a role, but not necessarily a big one. CMC is the highest paid running back in the league and he’s expected to continue to enjoy a workload commensurate to that status. My biggest qualm with McCaffrey is that he has a Week 13 bye, which is an absolute crusher for those who employ his services and will need a Week 13 victory to secure a fantasy playoff spot, or a more premium playoff seed.

10. Who do you like best the rest of the season: Cole Beasley, Sterling Shepard or Jarvis Landry? — Brad E.

A. It seems weird to say it, but I’m going Beasley. In his past 16 games, dating back to Week 8 of last season, Beasley has compiled 109 targets, 76 catches, 965 receiving yards and 7 TDs. That nets out to 176.5 Half PPR points, which would have landed him at WR24 last season, and inside the Top 20 at the position in the previous three seasons. Beasley currently sits as WR 22 this season, and it’s probably time that we start viewing him as no worse than a solid WR3. Shepard and Landry are certainly in that class, based upon track record, but health has been an issue for Landry this season, and it’s always been an issue for Shepard.

(Top photo: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)