Who has time these days to write a bunch of preseason fantasy football articles? Well, full time fantasy football writers, I suppose. But for guys like me, we use that thing called "spare time". So like last year, I'm just doing one big preseason article (rather than a bunch of smaller ones). I'll keep a lot of the same pieces you've grown to know and love, but they might just be a little shorter than they were in previous years.
I'll kick this bad boy off with a handful of guys I probably won't be drafting this year. After looking at early rankings throughout the various websites I read, I always find that I have several players ranked much lower than the “experts”. And while I'm not saying it's impossible that I'll draft any of these players, it's definitely unlikely. Things could certainly change in the next week or so, but I'm comparing my rankings with the expert preseason rankings as of right now.
If you read my blog in previous years, you'll recall some picks I nailed and some that I totally missed. Last year, I pretty much nailed them all in this area. Sure, I said to stay away from all WRs for the Rams and RBs for the Patriots not named LeGarrette Blount. But guess what? No one was ranking Tavon Austin or Dion Lewis in the preseason.
But I also told you to totally avoid Jay Ajayi, Jordan Cameron, and Jets D. Ajayi and Cameron were both in nearly every expert's top-100, and the Jets D were well into all of their top-10 fantasy defenses. Not for me though. Ajayi basically had no value last year, and Cameron only managed 386 yards
and 3 TDs (one of which was in Week 17). As for Jets D, they
finished outside of the top-12 fantasy defenses in 2015.
Let's see who makes my list this year, shall we?
Steve Smith
I hate to start this list with a guy I'll actually be rooting for, but I'm having a hard time believing in Steve Smith in 2016. He's in the top-100 for a lot of experts, and well into the top-168 for virtually all. But I actually moved him out of my rankings, as I just don't see him coming back to be fantasy relevant one last time. I think he'll get on the field for a few games, but it'll be hard for him to be the same player at 37 years old coming off a torn Achilles injury. I think he'll be inconsistent and frustrating to start/sit for the first 6 weeks or so, until he finally decides to retire for one reason or another. I hope I'm totally wrong here. I really do. I hope Smith catches 39 more balls to crack 1000 career receptions. But my money is on Kamar Aiken if I'm drafting any Raven WR at all this year.
Darren Sproles
He's still a top-50 RB for most experts, but I don't have him on my radar anymore. The Eagles drafted Wendell Smallwood, and Kenjon Barner is looking better this preseason. And with Doug Pederson replacing Chip Kelly, that offense is going to have a different look this year. I don't see the 33-year old Sproles having as big of a role, and I think he's only draftable in a PPR league. In a standard 10 or 12 team league, Mathews is likely the only Eagle RB you should consider taking.
Tony Romo
Here's a guy who is a top-10 QB for a lot of folks, and he averages right around the 12th or 13th QB when you combine fantasy expert rankings. But for me, he's barely in my top-20. This isn't me throwing shade at Dallas. It's just me not believing in Romo staying healthy. He's been dealing with a stiff back in camp, and he missed nearly all of last season with a broken clavicle (twice!). He broke that clavicle in Week 4 against Philly, got "healthy", and then broke it again against Carolina on Thanksgiving. And let's not act like Romo was lighting up the scoreboard in any of those games last year when he WAS healthy. In about 3 and a half games last year, he threw 5 TDs and 7 INTs. Two of those were pick 6s against the Panthers before he ended up lost for the year. Maybe all of that just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but I doubt I'll be drafting Tony this year.
Jimmy Graham
You're probably starting to see a bit of a trend here, as most of the guys I've mentioned are coming off injuries. But I especially feel the need to mention Graham because he's trying to come back from the same type of serious patellar tendon injury that Victor Cruz tried to come back from last season. Keep in mind that Cruz didn't play a single game in 2015, and his prospects for this season are not great. Jimmy Graham is currently being drafted as a top-20 TE, and I'm not sure he even plays a snap in 2016.
Chris Boswell
Usually I like to talk about kickers with a Week 4 bye here (who I typically stay away from). If you're looking for the "why", just go back and read my articles in previous years. But I thought I'd give you a different reason to not draft a particular kicker this year. No, I'm not advocating dismissing Boswell simply because he plays for that black and yellow team (although I'm sure that's why my wife won't draft him). Rather, I'm staying away from Boswell because Big Ben wants to go for the 2 point conversion every time they score a TD. Granted, he's not the coach, so they may not do that. But it did happen a lot last year. In fact, the Steelers went for two more than any other team in the NFL in 2015 (11 times, nearly double that of the next most: Green Bay with 6). How many did they convert out of those 11? 8! No wonder Roethlisberger wants to go for two every time, right? Don't get me wrong. Boswell is a fine kicker. He was 7th in FG percentage last season, and he didn't miss from under 40 yards. But he was 26th in extra point attempts, which is what worries me. Maybe it's negligible, but I'd rather draft a kicker who I feel like will be kicking FGs and XPs on the regular. With Boswell, I'm not sure you're getting that.
Every year I advocate to get rid of kickers in my money league, so I won't waste any more time talking about them here. I'll save my virtual breath for my draft a week from Saturday. Instead, let's get to some of the guys ready for the NEXT LEVEL. I'm going to give you a few players who I think are primed to make that jump from virtual fantasy irrelevance straight to a top-10 or top-20 at their position (depending on where they were in the previous season). As a reminder, I'm not talking about players who are already top-10 or 15 in their position preseason rankings. For instance, last year everyone expected C.J. Anderson and Travis Kelce to be one of the best at their positions (turns out neither happened). So those guys weren't on my list. This year, I won't include someone like Carlos Hyde or Amari Cooper. They're already being drafted like they're ready to be "the guy".
Who was on my list last year? Glad you asked. Well, I had Derek Carr (#13 fantasy QB), Charles Sims (top-25 fantasy RB), Martavis Bryant (top-25 at his position even after missing first 5 games of the season, top-15 based on his fantasy points/game average), and Tyler Eifert (#6 fantasy TE in 13 games, #3 based on fantasy points/game average). So, like the list of guys I wasn't drafting, I pretty much nailed this one last year too. Let's see if I can do it again with these guys who are still a little off the radar.
QB: Jameis Winston
As I mentioned, last year I gave you a second-year guy in Derek Carr who made huge strides and finished as the #13 fantasy QB. Carr threw for over 3000 yards and 20 TDs in his rookie year, and nearly 4000 yards and 32 TDs in year 2. Jameis actually threw for 4000 yards in his first year in the league, and he had 28 total TDs when you factor in those rushing scores. The sky feels like the limit for this former #1 overall pick, and I think he could easily be a QB1 this year in fantasy. He only had 22 passing touchdowns in his rookie campaign, but keep in mind that Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson were each only the recipient of 3 of those. SIX TDs to those two WRs! Now maybe that says something negative about Winston's accuracy, but I'd rather put a positive spin on it. If Evans gets back to double-digit TDs and Jackson hauls in 6 or 7, I think we're looking at a 4000 yd & 30+ pass TD (similar to Carr's second year stats). When you factor in a few rushing TDs again, Jameis would easily be a top-10 fantasy QB.
RB: Duke Johnson
He's getting ranked in that similar Danny Woodhead territory (RB 25 to 30), but I think this guy is likely to break out and be closer to a top-20 RB in his second year in the league. Why do I think this? Two words: Hue Jackson. Two more words: Giovani Bernard. Did you realize that Bernard was a top-20 RB while Hue Jackson was his RB coach/coordinator? Maybe Gio flew a bit under the radar as well. But now Hue is the new head coach in Cleveland, and I guarantee he'll be trying to use Duke in the same ways he used Gio. I don't see any sophomore slump for Duke Johnson, and I'll try to draft him if the price is right.
WR: Marvin Jones
I wanted to write about Donte Moncrief here, but his preseason hype bandwagon has grown too much for me to put him on this list. I still like him to have a breakout season, but so does everyone else. Meanwhile, Marvin Jones is still just barely flying under the radar for a lot of people. He's being ranked/drafted somewhere around the 40th WR, near the likes of guys like DeSean Jackson or even Josh Gordon. And while Jones is somewhat of a risky pick with his injury history, I don't think he carries anywhere near the risk of someone like Josh Gordon! Marvin has a great opportunity to catch a TON of passes this season. Megatron left a hole with 150 targets to fill, and Marvin Jones should fill it if he can stay healthy. I don't think that 1000 yards and 8 or 9 TDs is unrealistic for this new Lion.
TE: Vance McDonald
The obvious pick at this position is Coby Fleener, who finds himself in a great situation in New Orleans. But over the last few weeks, his projection has gone from a top-12 to a top-5 fantasy TE, so I can't use him here any more. I'm going to give you someone WAY off the radar here though. I'm talking about someone who you can likely get in the LAST round of your fantasy draft (currently about the 25th TE selected). Vance McDonald may not be a name you're familiar with, but he was actually a 2nd round pick back in 2013. He was buried on the depth chart in his rookie season, as Vernon Davis had one of the best years of his career. In 2014, McDonald was off the field a lot due to knee and back injuries. But last season, Vance finally started to put it together a little bit down the stretch. He played in 14 games and had 30 catches for over 300 yards and 3 TDs. While that doesn't seem like much, keep in mind that nearly all of that production came in the final 6 games of the season. And in all of those games, Blaine Gabbert was the starting quarterback. With Chip Kelly now calling plays and Gabbert the likely starting QB, I like Vance's chances of having fantasy relevance this season. He could even be this year's Gary Barnidge...
Speaking of "this year's [insert player name here]", I'm going to finish up this article with one of my favorite preseason exercises. In 2014 I called it "Who is this year's Zac Stacy?" Remember that guy?!? Well, basically no one in their right mind would have taken him in a fantasy draft that year, but he ended up being very relevant later in the season. You'll get the idea with the following Q&A to try to predict some long shots...I repeat: LONG SHOTS.
Q: Who is this year's Zac Stacy (2013), Tre Mason (2014), or David Johnson (2015)?
[Description: A rookie (later-round draft pick) who is in a clouded backfield situation, UNDRAFTED in virtually all fantasy leagues, but could get a shot sooner rather than later to be the "bellcow" running back.]
A: Paul Perkins
Two years ago I struck out with Lorenzo Taliaferro in this spot, and last year it was David Cobb. But this is my year! I'm not going to jinx Keith Marshall (or Matt Jones for that matter) with my pick here, and I feel that I can't list guys like Jordan Howard or Devontae Booker. While Howard and Booker were later round NFL draft picks, they're not exactly off anyone's radar right now. So I'm going with Paul Perkins in this spot. The rookie out of UCLA finds himself pretty well buried on the depth chart behind Jennings, Vereen, and even Andre Williams (though he'll likely continue to just get goal line work). But I think if either Jennings or Vereen go down with an injury this year, you'll see Perkins in the mix right away. He's currently being drafted as the 50th or 60th running back, so you can definitely get him at the end of your draft. And who knows? With a little bit of patience and luck, you could have yourself a valuable fantasy RB as the Giants look for a spark while they stare at a 2-5 record during their Week 8 bye.
Q: Who is this year's Knowshon Moreno (2013), Mark Ingram (2014), or Darren McFadden (2015)?
[Description: Former early round NFL draft pick, career plagued by injuries, but finally finds himself in a nice spot to be a feature running back.]
A: Ryan Mathews
So I'm not sure Mathews exactly fits the same description those other guys did, but he's the closest thing I've got (and I'm not about to talk up CJ Spiller or Reggie Bush...I feel like those guys are DONE). As for Mathews, he was the #12 pick in the 2010 draft, and he has definitely dealt with his fair share of injuries (only playing 16 games once in his 6 seasons in the NFL). He had the chance to be the guy in San Diego, but he never had a great season. A couple of 1000+ yard rushing seasons, sure. But also never more than 7 TDs in a season. Now he has that chance again in Philly with DeMarco Murray gone. He could actually end up having a top-10 fantasy season if he stays healthy and gets the bulk of the carries. Both are big "IFs". So maybe he does fit this description after all!
Q: Who is this year's Danny Woodhead (2013), Darren Sproles (2014), or... Danny Woodhead again (2015)?
[Description: Shifty veteran who sneakily finishes in the top-20 overall fantasy RBs.]
A: Theo Riddick
I would say Danny Woodhead yet again, but I don't think anyone is really sleeping him these days. After all, he was a top-12 fantasy RB last year! But a guy I think people are somewhat forgetting about is Theo Riddick. Another little guy, Riddick is listed at 5'9" but I'm not sure he's even that tall. He caught 80 balls out of the backfield last season and actually had more fantasy points than teammate Ameer Abdullah. Theo is now in his 4th year in the league, and he has improved his numbers every year. With Megtron out of the picture, receivers like Golden Tate and Marvin Jones are now the top options in Detroit. I think Riddick could get even more looks this year and sneakily go from a top-40 RB to a top-20 kinda guy.
Q: Who is this year's Keenan Allen (2013) or Odell Beckham, Jr. (2014)?
[Description: Rookie WR who finds himself on a team with a solid QB in need of a #1 WR, so he becomes that guy. Must be late-round fantasy pick or even undrafted in most leagues.]
A: Tyler Boyd
Last year I talked up DeVante Parker here, but he didn't quite fit the description in the end. No one did really, so there was no 2015 version of OBJ. I'm not saying there will be a 2016 version of that guy, but I could see a rookie having a year like Keenan Allen did in his 2013 campaign. I'd like to use Corey Coleman or Sterling Shepherd in this spot, but they're both being drafted in the top-125 when you look at ADP. So is Michael Thomas actually. But you know who's basically going undrafted? That's right...Tyler Boyd! With Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones now in other cities and Tyler Eifert potentially landing on the PUP list to start the season, Boyd has a golden opportunity to make a name for himself right away in Cincinnati. AJ Green will likely see a lot of double coverage, and the 6'2" Boyd could find himself open a lot. Of course Boyd won't be the #1 WR unless there's an injury to Green, but you never know. Either way, I'd say he could surprise some people and end up with 1000 yards in his first year in the league.
I'll try to get one more rankings update out there before Labor Day Weekend. Until then, try to enjoy some Week 3 preseason football. It's the closest thing to the real deal for a couple more weeks!
I'll kick this bad boy off with a handful of guys I probably won't be drafting this year. After looking at early rankings throughout the various websites I read, I always find that I have several players ranked much lower than the “experts”. And while I'm not saying it's impossible that I'll draft any of these players, it's definitely unlikely. Things could certainly change in the next week or so, but I'm comparing my rankings with the expert preseason rankings as of right now.
If you read my blog in previous years, you'll recall some picks I nailed and some that I totally missed. Last year, I pretty much nailed them all in this area. Sure, I said to stay away from all WRs for the Rams and RBs for the Patriots not named LeGarrette Blount. But guess what? No one was ranking Tavon Austin or Dion Lewis in the preseason.
 |
| Cameron was a bad guy to draft in 2015, and looking the same for 2016. |
Let's see who makes my list this year, shall we?
Steve Smith
I hate to start this list with a guy I'll actually be rooting for, but I'm having a hard time believing in Steve Smith in 2016. He's in the top-100 for a lot of experts, and well into the top-168 for virtually all. But I actually moved him out of my rankings, as I just don't see him coming back to be fantasy relevant one last time. I think he'll get on the field for a few games, but it'll be hard for him to be the same player at 37 years old coming off a torn Achilles injury. I think he'll be inconsistent and frustrating to start/sit for the first 6 weeks or so, until he finally decides to retire for one reason or another. I hope I'm totally wrong here. I really do. I hope Smith catches 39 more balls to crack 1000 career receptions. But my money is on Kamar Aiken if I'm drafting any Raven WR at all this year.
Darren Sproles
He's still a top-50 RB for most experts, but I don't have him on my radar anymore. The Eagles drafted Wendell Smallwood, and Kenjon Barner is looking better this preseason. And with Doug Pederson replacing Chip Kelly, that offense is going to have a different look this year. I don't see the 33-year old Sproles having as big of a role, and I think he's only draftable in a PPR league. In a standard 10 or 12 team league, Mathews is likely the only Eagle RB you should consider taking.
Tony Romo
Here's a guy who is a top-10 QB for a lot of folks, and he averages right around the 12th or 13th QB when you combine fantasy expert rankings. But for me, he's barely in my top-20. This isn't me throwing shade at Dallas. It's just me not believing in Romo staying healthy. He's been dealing with a stiff back in camp, and he missed nearly all of last season with a broken clavicle (twice!). He broke that clavicle in Week 4 against Philly, got "healthy", and then broke it again against Carolina on Thanksgiving. And let's not act like Romo was lighting up the scoreboard in any of those games last year when he WAS healthy. In about 3 and a half games last year, he threw 5 TDs and 7 INTs. Two of those were pick 6s against the Panthers before he ended up lost for the year. Maybe all of that just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but I doubt I'll be drafting Tony this year.
 |
| If we see Jimmy flexing, it'll be on the sidelines. |
You're probably starting to see a bit of a trend here, as most of the guys I've mentioned are coming off injuries. But I especially feel the need to mention Graham because he's trying to come back from the same type of serious patellar tendon injury that Victor Cruz tried to come back from last season. Keep in mind that Cruz didn't play a single game in 2015, and his prospects for this season are not great. Jimmy Graham is currently being drafted as a top-20 TE, and I'm not sure he even plays a snap in 2016.
Usually I like to talk about kickers with a Week 4 bye here (who I typically stay away from). If you're looking for the "why", just go back and read my articles in previous years. But I thought I'd give you a different reason to not draft a particular kicker this year. No, I'm not advocating dismissing Boswell simply because he plays for that black and yellow team (although I'm sure that's why my wife won't draft him). Rather, I'm staying away from Boswell because Big Ben wants to go for the 2 point conversion every time they score a TD. Granted, he's not the coach, so they may not do that. But it did happen a lot last year. In fact, the Steelers went for two more than any other team in the NFL in 2015 (11 times, nearly double that of the next most: Green Bay with 6). How many did they convert out of those 11? 8! No wonder Roethlisberger wants to go for two every time, right? Don't get me wrong. Boswell is a fine kicker. He was 7th in FG percentage last season, and he didn't miss from under 40 yards. But he was 26th in extra point attempts, which is what worries me. Maybe it's negligible, but I'd rather draft a kicker who I feel like will be kicking FGs and XPs on the regular. With Boswell, I'm not sure you're getting that.
Every year I advocate to get rid of kickers in my money league, so I won't waste any more time talking about them here. I'll save my virtual breath for my draft a week from Saturday. Instead, let's get to some of the guys ready for the NEXT LEVEL. I'm going to give you a few players who I think are primed to make that jump from virtual fantasy irrelevance straight to a top-10 or top-20 at their position (depending on where they were in the previous season). As a reminder, I'm not talking about players who are already top-10 or 15 in their position preseason rankings. For instance, last year everyone expected C.J. Anderson and Travis Kelce to be one of the best at their positions (turns out neither happened). So those guys weren't on my list. This year, I won't include someone like Carlos Hyde or Amari Cooper. They're already being drafted like they're ready to be "the guy".
Who was on my list last year? Glad you asked. Well, I had Derek Carr (#13 fantasy QB), Charles Sims (top-25 fantasy RB), Martavis Bryant (top-25 at his position even after missing first 5 games of the season, top-15 based on his fantasy points/game average), and Tyler Eifert (#6 fantasy TE in 13 games, #3 based on fantasy points/game average). So, like the list of guys I wasn't drafting, I pretty much nailed this one last year too. Let's see if I can do it again with these guys who are still a little off the radar.
 |
| Could Winston put up Cam Newton type numbers? |
RB: Duke Johnson
He's getting ranked in that similar Danny Woodhead territory (RB 25 to 30), but I think this guy is likely to break out and be closer to a top-20 RB in his second year in the league. Why do I think this? Two words: Hue Jackson. Two more words: Giovani Bernard. Did you realize that Bernard was a top-20 RB while Hue Jackson was his RB coach/coordinator? Maybe Gio flew a bit under the radar as well. But now Hue is the new head coach in Cleveland, and I guarantee he'll be trying to use Duke in the same ways he used Gio. I don't see any sophomore slump for Duke Johnson, and I'll try to draft him if the price is right.
WR: Marvin Jones
I wanted to write about Donte Moncrief here, but his preseason hype bandwagon has grown too much for me to put him on this list. I still like him to have a breakout season, but so does everyone else. Meanwhile, Marvin Jones is still just barely flying under the radar for a lot of people. He's being ranked/drafted somewhere around the 40th WR, near the likes of guys like DeSean Jackson or even Josh Gordon. And while Jones is somewhat of a risky pick with his injury history, I don't think he carries anywhere near the risk of someone like Josh Gordon! Marvin has a great opportunity to catch a TON of passes this season. Megatron left a hole with 150 targets to fill, and Marvin Jones should fill it if he can stay healthy. I don't think that 1000 yards and 8 or 9 TDs is unrealistic for this new Lion.
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| More pictures of tight ends? More pictures of tight ends. |
The obvious pick at this position is Coby Fleener, who finds himself in a great situation in New Orleans. But over the last few weeks, his projection has gone from a top-12 to a top-5 fantasy TE, so I can't use him here any more. I'm going to give you someone WAY off the radar here though. I'm talking about someone who you can likely get in the LAST round of your fantasy draft (currently about the 25th TE selected). Vance McDonald may not be a name you're familiar with, but he was actually a 2nd round pick back in 2013. He was buried on the depth chart in his rookie season, as Vernon Davis had one of the best years of his career. In 2014, McDonald was off the field a lot due to knee and back injuries. But last season, Vance finally started to put it together a little bit down the stretch. He played in 14 games and had 30 catches for over 300 yards and 3 TDs. While that doesn't seem like much, keep in mind that nearly all of that production came in the final 6 games of the season. And in all of those games, Blaine Gabbert was the starting quarterback. With Chip Kelly now calling plays and Gabbert the likely starting QB, I like Vance's chances of having fantasy relevance this season. He could even be this year's Gary Barnidge...
Speaking of "this year's [insert player name here]", I'm going to finish up this article with one of my favorite preseason exercises. In 2014 I called it "Who is this year's Zac Stacy?" Remember that guy?!? Well, basically no one in their right mind would have taken him in a fantasy draft that year, but he ended up being very relevant later in the season. You'll get the idea with the following Q&A to try to predict some long shots...I repeat: LONG SHOTS.
Q: Who is this year's Zac Stacy (2013), Tre Mason (2014), or David Johnson (2015)?
[Description: A rookie (later-round draft pick) who is in a clouded backfield situation, UNDRAFTED in virtually all fantasy leagues, but could get a shot sooner rather than later to be the "bellcow" running back.]
A: Paul Perkins
Two years ago I struck out with Lorenzo Taliaferro in this spot, and last year it was David Cobb. But this is my year! I'm not going to jinx Keith Marshall (or Matt Jones for that matter) with my pick here, and I feel that I can't list guys like Jordan Howard or Devontae Booker. While Howard and Booker were later round NFL draft picks, they're not exactly off anyone's radar right now. So I'm going with Paul Perkins in this spot. The rookie out of UCLA finds himself pretty well buried on the depth chart behind Jennings, Vereen, and even Andre Williams (though he'll likely continue to just get goal line work). But I think if either Jennings or Vereen go down with an injury this year, you'll see Perkins in the mix right away. He's currently being drafted as the 50th or 60th running back, so you can definitely get him at the end of your draft. And who knows? With a little bit of patience and luck, you could have yourself a valuable fantasy RB as the Giants look for a spark while they stare at a 2-5 record during their Week 8 bye.
Q: Who is this year's Knowshon Moreno (2013), Mark Ingram (2014), or Darren McFadden (2015)?
[Description: Former early round NFL draft pick, career plagued by injuries, but finally finds himself in a nice spot to be a feature running back.]
A: Ryan Mathews
So I'm not sure Mathews exactly fits the same description those other guys did, but he's the closest thing I've got (and I'm not about to talk up CJ Spiller or Reggie Bush...I feel like those guys are DONE). As for Mathews, he was the #12 pick in the 2010 draft, and he has definitely dealt with his fair share of injuries (only playing 16 games once in his 6 seasons in the NFL). He had the chance to be the guy in San Diego, but he never had a great season. A couple of 1000+ yard rushing seasons, sure. But also never more than 7 TDs in a season. Now he has that chance again in Philly with DeMarco Murray gone. He could actually end up having a top-10 fantasy season if he stays healthy and gets the bulk of the carries. Both are big "IFs". So maybe he does fit this description after all!
Q: Who is this year's Danny Woodhead (2013), Darren Sproles (2014), or... Danny Woodhead again (2015)?
[Description: Shifty veteran who sneakily finishes in the top-20 overall fantasy RBs.]
 |
| Don't sleep on Riddick this year. |
I would say Danny Woodhead yet again, but I don't think anyone is really sleeping him these days. After all, he was a top-12 fantasy RB last year! But a guy I think people are somewhat forgetting about is Theo Riddick. Another little guy, Riddick is listed at 5'9" but I'm not sure he's even that tall. He caught 80 balls out of the backfield last season and actually had more fantasy points than teammate Ameer Abdullah. Theo is now in his 4th year in the league, and he has improved his numbers every year. With Megtron out of the picture, receivers like Golden Tate and Marvin Jones are now the top options in Detroit. I think Riddick could get even more looks this year and sneakily go from a top-40 RB to a top-20 kinda guy.
Q: Who is this year's Keenan Allen (2013) or Odell Beckham, Jr. (2014)?
[Description: Rookie WR who finds himself on a team with a solid QB in need of a #1 WR, so he becomes that guy. Must be late-round fantasy pick or even undrafted in most leagues.]
A: Tyler Boyd
Last year I talked up DeVante Parker here, but he didn't quite fit the description in the end. No one did really, so there was no 2015 version of OBJ. I'm not saying there will be a 2016 version of that guy, but I could see a rookie having a year like Keenan Allen did in his 2013 campaign. I'd like to use Corey Coleman or Sterling Shepherd in this spot, but they're both being drafted in the top-125 when you look at ADP. So is Michael Thomas actually. But you know who's basically going undrafted? That's right...Tyler Boyd! With Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones now in other cities and Tyler Eifert potentially landing on the PUP list to start the season, Boyd has a golden opportunity to make a name for himself right away in Cincinnati. AJ Green will likely see a lot of double coverage, and the 6'2" Boyd could find himself open a lot. Of course Boyd won't be the #1 WR unless there's an injury to Green, but you never know. Either way, I'd say he could surprise some people and end up with 1000 yards in his first year in the league.
I'll try to get one more rankings update out there before Labor Day Weekend. Until then, try to enjoy some Week 3 preseason football. It's the closest thing to the real deal for a couple more weeks!
Cheers,
Bart
