Fantasy Football Week 6 Reax: Brandon LaFell, Aaron Dobson

New England Patriots wide receiver Brandon LaFell went off two weeks ago in the team’s blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, and, after being a blip on the radar last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, he exploded today against the rival Buffalo Bills. As I wrote after last week’s game, LaFell is here to stay, and he could be a mainstay in the Patriots offense because of the contract the team invested in him, and the fact that he effectively displaced Kenbrell Thompkins. Here’s what I mean: both LaFell and Thompkins were competing for snaps as the targets who could move the chains on the outside, but LaFell showed off better playmaking ability, physicality, and blocking, thus making him more useful and versatile.

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LaFell added two more touchdowns today to bring his season total up to three, and he had a huge 56-yard gain after beating Leodis McKelvin at the line of scrimmage. With four catches for 97 yards on just six targets, LaFell exploded, and he put up 21 fantasy points in total. He’s not going to be targeted often, so he’s not somebody I would consider a fantasy play. But I do think he is worth owning, because the playmaking, touchdowns, and trust with Tom Brady are all legit; I think he’s worth stashing on your roster and should be owned in most leagues.

Brian Tyms was active today for the first time since serving his suspension, and he managed to corral a 43-yard touchdown reception. He and Aaron Dobson are the team’s two best vertical threats, and Tyms provided the kind of spark the Patriots envisioned when they decided to bring him onto the roster. Dobson caught just one pass for 16 yards last week, and he had a lone catch for nine yards on a target today.

Against the Oakland Raiders and Chiefs, Dobson was named an inactive because of a reported spat with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and he’s back in the doghouse again just two weeks after being removed from it. Dobson earned not one but two in-game benchings today after not one but two false starts. The mental errors were the main talking point and helped him become a non-factor for yet another week.

The Patriots were obviously smitten with Dobson when they drafted him, otherwise why would they have taken him in the second round over more touted prospects like Markus Wheaton and Keenan Allen (those guys fell pretty far on draft day, so I guess they were more touted by the draft community…but point taken, hopefully)? Dobson should theoretically be the team’s best playmaker with his long speed and incredible catch radius, but the circus-style plays and downfield gains haven’t been there; only disappointment can be discerned.

If you are in a deep league, then Tyms is worth placing on your watch list (though not adding just yet). As for Dobson, he’s worth dropping in standard leagues, unless if you are really thin at wide receiver. I don’t blame you if you don’t think he’ll turn it around, because it’s clear that he’s fallen behind LaFell. If Tyms has a big Week 7 and Dobson struggles again, then we could see Tyms skip ahead of the Marshall product on the Patriots totem pole as well. Both players are meant to be the vertical playmakers in this offense, though Dobson has more upside due to his size and “X” receiver traits. That said, traits don’t matter if you can’t produce, and Dobson’s mental mistakes and immaturity are incredibly frustrating.

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