Week 2 Wide Receiver Ranks: 13-25

Here are the next 13 wide receivers I've ranked in week 2.  Valuable info about their matchup.

Week 2 Wide Receiver Ranks: 7-12

A look at the next set of wide receiver rankings for Week 2.

Top-6 Week 2 Wide Recivers

Which wide receiver to play every week may seem easy, but once the action starts how often do you tell yourself, "I should have played that guy!"  All I want to provide on this site and in the podcasts are bits of information to help YOU make the decision.  I can give advice all I want, but I'm essentially just another fantasy football player trying to outscore his opponent each week.

Waiver Wire: Week 1 Edition

The week 1 hangover is upon us and now it is time to overreact on the waiver wire.  I will remind everyone that Allen Robinson caught one pass in the season opener last year (sounds like a certain receiver we saw in Dallas yesterday).  This piece will simply help point you in the right direction of who may be available in your league and which situations you should look to take advantage of.

Week 1: News and Notes

Every week we all have decisions to make, no matter what level of fantasy football you find yourself at. With the never ending uncertainty this fake football world provides, I will attempt to have a piece of writing each week to help clear the mechanism.  Yes, that was a Billy Chapel/Kevin Costner reference.

Thursday: Carolina @ Denver

Opening day of the NFL season is basically Christmas come early. We will look at some new about this game and what to look for fantasy wise as you try and set your lineup.

Don't do it! Just wait on QB.

Year after year we hear from experts and our favorite podcast hosts to wait on drafting your QB.  And year after year I still continue to see QB's come off the board in round 2-3-4 and once the train starts rolling it's crazy how out of control it actually gets.  All I want to do today is paint a little picture about why drafting a QB in the top-8 rounds is really costing your fantasy team value as opposed to helping it.  Now, I am not saying you can't be successful with drafting a QB early, it just seems a little tougher path and puts more pressure on the other picks you are making.  There are typically four or five teams in a draft that owners would be happy with and I'll remind you that no matter what strategy you use, the league is won by the moves you make during the season.

What to do with Dez, Demaryius and Hopkins

So as we wind down towards the end of the pre-season let's look at one topic that will be of interest to most fantasy owners... what to do with Dez, Demaryius and Hopkins.  These are three of the most elite wide receivers in the game today and yet they are riddled with question marks.  Dez now has to rely on rookie QB Dak Prescott (who he caught 2 TD's from during the pre-season).  Demaryius goes from hall of famer Peyton Manning to 7th round flier Trevor Simien.  And Hopkins is working with first time QB in Houston Brock Osweiler.  Let's just break it down and take it from there.

Rob Gronkowski: Player Profile

Rob Gronkowski.  Sometimes that's all you need to say when talking about fantasy football excitement.  Unfortunately we have not moved on from his 2011 season and him being drafted in the first round is based solely on that production.  When it comes to Sunday afternoon and looking for someone to get excited about, look no further than big Gronk, but if you are looking for the ideal scenario for your team, I suggest passing on the TE in the first round.

James White: Player Profile

With the breaking news today about Dion Lewis we find ourselves scrambling to find an alternative situation.  Look no further than the guy filling in behind him.  James White made quite the name for himself in 2015 filling in for the injured Lewis, so much so that he found himself inside the top-15 PPR running backs in the final half of last season.

Draft This Guy Or That Guy?

As we walk through this draft day journey year in and year out I find the biggest decisions are found between those first four rounds.  The decisions seem simple on the surface, but have quite the impact.  For me it comes down to a few players that I have to decide between and in this piece I am going to work through them and highlight who I am ultimately choosing.

Pre-draft Player Nuggets

As we approach our draft day it's always beneficial to find a few informational nuggets that help sway you between two players.  I have admittedly flipped a coin in the past and let's just say it didn't go well (Landed on taking Charles Johnson over Allen Robinson).  So what I'll do today is share some statistical info that may open (or shut) your eyes on a few fantasy darlings in 2016.

WR Sleepers: August 15th Edition

We are right around the corner from those moments in our fantasy drafts the make us wish we had a crystal ball.  Sitting there in the 9th round wondering if you're going to break down and take Denver's defense because there are no names jumping out at you.  I will continue to put together a list of some of these names that may help when that time comes.  I refuse to let any of my readers settle for a defense when there is prime value staring you in the face.

Podcast Episodes

iTunes Podcast Link

Newest Episode:  #16 (September 17, 2016)

RB Sleepers: August 11th edition

With the second installment of this sleeper piece we are just going to focus on 2016, as opposed to comparing the players to their 2015 counterparts.  Again, Sleepers to me are those players you draft that will outplay their value.  It is not necessarily a player you have to draft after round 10.  I'll always say the draft won't make or break your season, but finding these values will certainly put you in the driver's seat during the tumultuous regular season of fantasy football.

Mock Drafts: 12-Team PPR (#4 spot)

12 Team PPR Mock Draft (#4 spot)

Mock Drafts: 12-Team PPR (#2 spot)

12-Team PPR Mock Draft (#2 spot)

Derek Carr: Player Profile

Derek Carr: QB1 Upside

The next few minutes of reading will be my attempt to show you how valuable a commodity Carr can be for the depth of your fantasy team.  Allowing you to focus elsewhere earlier in the draft and still land strong QB play is the strategy here.  First, let’s look at the young quarterback’s progression over his first two seasons and what may be in store for 2016.

Blake Bortles Without Regression

No one is giving Blake Bortles a chance of repeating his  stellar sophomore season, and it is driving me crazy.  I have read all the intricate statistics showing how fortunate Bortles was to throw for 35 touchdowns: his high number of attempts inside the five yard line, the percentage of his team's touchdowns he was responsible for, how far behind the Jaguars were in most games, the color of the mascot's shoes on the third day before a holiday, and everything in between. I get all that, I really do.  What doesn't get said, however, is that Blake Bortles is a professional athlete on a professional football team. Maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt before we tell him what he can't do, especially when he’s already done the things we say he can't do.

Quick Hit: Adam Gase RB Usage

A lot of news circulating the past few days about Arian Foster looking amazing in Dolphins camp and the idea that Adam Gase wants to use him as a feature back. Some things have shaded the fact that Gase absolutely loves a featured back.  Let's look back over the previous three years and how Gase used his running backs and just see how valuable Foster might be at the beginning of the season in 2016.

Tom Brady: Player Profile

Perhaps the greatest quarterback in NFL history will find himself watching the first four games of the season in a similar fashion as you and I, from his couch.  The question in our fake football world now turns to how we should handle quantifying his production in twelve games with what that value will cost us in drafts.  It is a fair assessment and I've got a few ideas of what to do.

RB Sleepers (July 30th)

Two things are constantly talked about throughout the fantasy football offseason: Who's going be your first round pick and who are some sleepers.  "Sleepers" is a word thrust into the ever changing lingo of the fantasy world and it also has an array of definitions.  For me it is simple, a sleeper is a player you pick that is going to out produce his value by a hefty amount.  For example, if you draft a guy as the #35 RB and he finishes the season as the #12 RB then you've got yourself a sleeper.  I put together a list of players drafted last year from the 6th round on that performed at sleeper status and compared them to players being drafted in 2016 that have the potential to produce at the same capacity.  I find that comparing players and their situation is the best way to find these guys.  I am just looking for a correlation between these ADP numbers and how guys outperformed them.

WR Sleepers (July 29th)

Every few weeks of draft season in fantasy football we see ADP (average draft position) of players fluctuate depending on the current news fed to us like cattle.  I think it's important to have a reference point to what some of these ADP's actually mean.  What I like to do, and will share with you now, is to look back to last year (2015) and see where some of the sleeper value's were and compare that to a few players being drafted this year that hold similar potential.  For example, Larry Fitzgerald was drafted in the 7th round last year as the WR34 and finished the season as the WR7.  Amazing value right?  This would qualify as a sleeper.  So for me I look at the wide receivers being drafted in the mid-30's this year and see who could potentially do what Fitz did last year.  It's a simple process and it helps keep my focus through the draft.  Reminding myself that there is incredible talent to be gotten in every round.

Quick Hit: The Jets

With all the confusion of how to project the Jets this season let's re-visit what they're capable of now that Ryan Fitzpatrick is at the helm.  The key to this situation doesn't necessarily stem from Fitzpatrick's evaluation as an actual NFL quarterback... It really has most to do with the chemistry involved between the offensive pieces and the Chan Gailey (offensive coordinator).  Three main pieces I would target in this offense:

Best & Worst ADP Values Rounds 1-5 (July 27th)

As every round of the draft passes there are values that come and go.  The deeper into the draft you go the more value is waiting to be had.  Let me explain what I mean... In round one I am drafting a player that I fully expect to carry my team.  This is not a value pick.  If I draft DeAndre Hopkins and he has an amazing season, well that is what I drafted him for, it is expected.  Now let's take round eight last year.  Devonta Freeman was taken at the back end of that round in hopes for maybe a usable flex option and ends up finishing as a top scoring fantasy player and number one at his position.  THAT is value.  It happens in every round and as the 'sexiness' of players being drafted gets less and less it is at this time the most value can be had... don't miss out on it.

Quick Hit: Josh Gordon

Josh Gordon has been reinstated and will serve a 4-game suspension to start the season.  Interestingly enough he will return the same week as Tom Brady as New England takes on the Browns in week 5.

A reminder that Josh Gordon led the league at the wide receiver position with only playing 14 games in 2013.  Many forget how below average he played in the 5 games he played in 2014:

• 47 targets
• 24 receptions
• 303 yards
• 0 TD's

Ultimately I think this destroys the value of Corey Coleman and Gary Barnidge who both were relying on volume to be valuable in 2015.  As far as ranking Gordon this year, we all know his ceiling is sky high, but with the suspension and time to get acclimated back to the game of football I think his best value will come later in the season and in 2017.  WR3 is as high as I can go with Gordon right now.

Sammy Watkins: Player Profile

Here's a stat:  The Bills quarterbacks led the AFC in passer rating to a wide receiver when targeting Sammy Watkins.  Here's another stat:  The final nine games of the season, which Watkins played healthy in all of them, he was on pace for 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns.  A first round talent that is falling in drafts because of his foot injury suffered in OTA's (April).  Reports of late have been very good as far as Watkins recovery and when we were once wondering about his availability for week one we are now under the impression he may return to the field during training camp.

4th-8th Round Value

The excitement surrounding draft time in fantasy football always seems to stem from who your first round pick is going to be.  I am constantly fielding questions about which player should be taken in the top 6 picks or what two guys would I take with picks eleven & twelve.  I do enjoy those questions, mostly because they are the easiest to answer and it's typically fun to talk about stud players, but the draft goes so much deeper than these studs.  The saying out there is "you can't win your league with your first pick, but you can lose your league with it."  I couldn't disagree with this anymore than I do.  The league is not won or lost with the first round pick, not even close.  In my opinion the league is won through many facets of a fantasy season.  Every little part plays its role; the waiver wire, trades, evaluating when a player is due for a decline compared to finding players with a fortunate schedule in weeks to come and of course the draft.  When dealing with the draft I like to focus on rounds 4-8 as the most crucial collection of players I acquire on my team.

Round 1 Draft Strategy: Picks 7-12

Similar to what I did for the first six picks of round one I will do here with the last half of the round.  Again, when you look at these charts it is simply a pecking order for me.  I suggest you make one for yourself for the first round.  When a guy is drafted you just cross him off your list and choose the highest ranked guy.  I do this with the second round in mind as well.  You will see in my rankings that I have Mike Evans ranked higher than most guys that I have as a choice in picks 7-12, but given ADP data I can tell that I have a good chance of getting Evans on the way back in round two so I don't feel it is smart to use a first round pick on him even though I have him ranked higher.  These are very simple concepts learned over time and put to practice in many mock drafts.  It's a great time of year people and honestly what else is there to do?  Work?  Please... it's all eye wash.

The Le'Veon Bell Wildcard

Le’Veon Bell is playing the role of the crazy ex-girlfriend as good  as anyone in the league right now.  Just when you think things are all good he reminds you why you walked away in the first place.  With another suspension looming for Bell we find ourselves in a similar predicament as last offseason.  The major difference in 2016 is that we know what DeAngelo Williams can offer and he is the reason we all should potentially be ‘excited’ about a Bell suspension.  Yes, I said it….  Excited.

Adrian Peterson: Player Profile

The more I looked into Adrian Peterson's career the more I realized he is a Hall of Fame running back, but at the same time I realized just how 'okay' he is in PPR fantasy leagues compared to the expectations we, as drafters, have of him.  In a fantasy landscape shifting towards wide receivers holding more value in the first round we are constantly asking ourselves which running backs deserve to come off the board first.  Average draft position over the past seven years shows Peterson as the first or second choice in four of them, but does he warrant that? I really don't think so.

Round 1 Draft Strategy: Picks 1-6

Round 1of fantasy drafts is a fickle beast at times although one would think making your very first pick should be the easier part of the process.  What I decided to do is make a chart showing how I would go about that pick from every spot. There are some scenarios that I will describe to maybe help understand one humble guy's way of dealing with this first round.  These charts show who I value the most and the order in which I would draft the player depending on who is still available (PPR drafts).

AJ Green: Player Profile

One of the most consistent WR's of the last four years is staring down the barrel of a potential monster season.  Marvin Jones is now in Detroit.  Mohamed Sanu finds himself in Atlanta and Tyler Eifert is expected to miss a handful of games with his ever lingering ankle injury from the Pro Bowl.  This leaves an excess of more than 150 targets to be spread around that passing game.

Cam Newton can't be #1 says history

Everyone has that decision between 2 players at a position and there doesn't seem to be a way to decide between them.  Have you ever flipped a coin between your #1 and #2 ranked player?  Maybe even dug down deep in the bag of magical tricks and uttered this famous line, "If I make this shot I am taking this guy and if I miss I am taking that guy."  I am guilty of all of the above and I may have even found myself not really wanting to make the shot I was taking.  As surefire as these methods may be I decided to find something on paper that leads me in the right direction in deciding which QB I want to rank at #1 this season.  The results are nearly undisputed and unfortunately for Cam Newton there is basically zero chance he finishes as the #1 guy in 2016.  Yes Cam, you heard me.

Stats We Should Know

Every year around this time we thrive for information about our favorite fake football leagues. We're insatiable when it comes to this, especially when this info is geared towards a Twitter debate we are hoping to win.  The trick is to take these nuggets for what they're worth and the truth is it may not be as important as you think.  Let us not forget that we are dealing with actual people doing actual things and although we can look for tendencies there is often no reason to the madness.  Most statistical analysis will aid you in the longevity of success in the fantasy world similar to that of a blackjack table. That little card we have all read on what to do with a 14 when the dealer is showing a 7 is nothing more than a mathematical probability of the most favorable outcome for us over an extended period of time.... it does not mean you will win THAT hand.  If you view fantasy football analysis in this manner you will not only garner a better reputation in the game, but will certainly sleep more soundly during the week.

Tight End Theory

If you want a top 7 performer at the tight end position DO NOT draft one before the 8th round.

2016 Strength of Schedule

Fantasy strength of schedule is a piece of information that you can use at your leisure.  It's tricky because the truth is we really have no idea which teams are going to improve on what they did last year until we actually see it.  What may seem like a favorable matchup at this point could end up being one to avoid when the time comes.  For me I like to use this stuff as maybe a tie breaker between 2 or 3 players that I am deciding on.

Jarvis Landry: Player Profile

Jarvis "Juice" Landry has been doing nothing but catching passes in his first two seasons and still the guy can't get any respect.  Stuck in what seemed to be an underachieving offense, Landry has been able to set an NFL record for most receptions in the first 2 years of a player's career (195).  If this doesn't scream PPR gold  I don't know what does.

In Doug Pederson I Trust

For those that don't follow the coaching cycle in the NFL I think it's important when you get a big enough sample size of what a specific guy is capable of doing with a specific position on the field.  Doug Pederson is nothing short of a RB guru.

Thomas Rawls: Player Profile

Who the *&%@ is Thomas Rawls!?  Around week 5 last year this comment became a thing.  Marshawn Lynch had decided to let father time catch up to him and in comes an undrafted free agent from Central Michigan by way of the Big House.  If you don't know what the Big House is when referring to college football than this might not be for you.  Having attended The University of Michigan myself, I had recognized this Rawls character, but had to look him up anyway.  If you were able to watch him run there would be no need to have to look him up again.

Value pick - Yeldon over Gio

Listening to people in the industry talk about Giovani Bernard compared to TJ Yeldon is on the same level as comparing Robert DeNiro to Keanu Reeves and I don't get it.  I don't understand why people are treating Yeldon as if he has Leprosy.

Round 3 - WR's

If the picture of 'The League' doesn't put a smile on your face then perhaps some decent value in the 3rd round will do the job.  Basically these posts will be a way to highlight some projections I have and if you happen to agree with my process it might give you an idea of how to go about your draft.  So many theories have evolved over the past 10 years and for me what I like to do is see what may be available in rounds 3-6 and that ultimately determines how I want to approach the first 2 rounds.

WR Sleepers (1)

I want to look at three wide receivers that will most likely be overlooked headed into the fantasy season this year.  Later round picks that may very well be difference makers on a week to week basis.  Everyone tries to find those values in the later rounds of drafts that ultimately end up winning your team weeks and championships.  I've found 3 so far that I think will do just that.

Round 2 - RB's

Winning a fantasy football season starts with the draft and being able to find values in each round. Everyone has a different philosophy and there isn't one right way, but what they all have in common is the ability to draft a guy who will perform above their suggested value.  This is why creating your rankings needs to be based on more than just numbers from the previous year.  As of today there are five running backs coming off the board in round 2.

Mike Evans Love Story

Every year I seem to be infatuated with a player.  Last year it was Travis Kelce and after week 1 it sure seemed like our story would have a happy ending.  It's 2016 and there's romance in the air.  Mike Evans is my fantasy crush and I am proud to admit it.

Who is Dion Lewis?

Dion Lewis is a 25 year old fifth round draft pick coming out of The University of Pittsburgh.  Perhaps an unknown in the NFL for his first two seasons Lewis burst onto the scene last year with the New England Patriots.  So much so that they rewarded him during the early part of the season with a 2 year contract extension.  Odds are if you are reading this you know what Dion Lewis is capable of.  The numbers he was accumulating during the first nine weeks of the season were worthy of a top 3 PPR finish.

AZ Cardinals Three Headed Monster

Always a popular topic is what to do with the Arizona Cardinals WR corps.  How great this situation might be when there are only 2 viable options here, but as it stands now we are dealing with 3 (not to mention my overall RB1 in David Johnson).  Here's what I see:

Mark Ingram Overvalued?

So, to be honest I have been a Mark Ingram supporter for the past 2 seasons.  With that said I can't project him to finish with the monster season I think he is capable of having.  He has proven to me that he can only stay on the field for, at most, 13 games.  This is my breakdown for projecting Ingram's 2016:

Lamar Miller #1?

Can Lamar Miller be the top scoring fantasy RB this season?

Stay with me on this one folks.  Anyone who has had Lamar Miller on their fantasy team has constantly dealt with the feeling of him being underutilized in Miami.  Miller himself expressed his interest in signing with a team that would use him as a workhorse back during the free agency period this offseason.  With that said I looked a bit into the usage he had in Miami versus the usage some workhorse RB's have had the past few seasons and coupled it all with what Bill O' Brien has done with his RB's in Houston the past few years.  The outcome is pretty exciting for what Lamar Miller's potential is this season.