Fantasy Football: 10 Impacts of the NFL Draft
The NFL Draft has come and gone. Now that rookies are settling into their offseason programs, it is time for impatient fantasy football owners to pay attention. You are going to hear a lot of positive stories out of camp, A LOT. Everyone wants to pump up their squad in the media, but truthfully until we get to the pre-season we will have no idea how the rooks are dealing with the playbook and the speed of the pro level. I wrote the below list directly after the draft, but qualitatively they still remain unchanged. I am still working on the quantitative side of the their rankings but for the time being, lets address the top 10 FANTASY rookies for the 2016 season.
I have broken them out into four tiers that represent my opinion on how I would group these players together in a draft scenario.
TIER ONE: the crem dela crem
- Ezekiel Elliott, RB Dallas — Zeke is by far the most promising rookie to have an impact on your fantasy team in year one. Some analyst have him as a top 10 overall pick. That is a bit rich for my blood, but when either Darren McFadden or Joseph Randle were starting last year, they were top 5 backs, and that was without a quarterback or wide receiver. For now, I consider Elliott a top 12 player.
TIER TWO: filling out your roster
2. Corey Coleman, WR Cleveland — Coleman landed in the least desirable city in the NFL. Sucks for him. BUT, he and the other four receivers Cleveland drafter, have a starting opportunity that is ripe for the taking. He should receive a hefty amount of targets which makes him a PPR potential stud. I also expect Cleveland to be losing, often. When the game is in doubt, you air it out. Garbage-time is a WR best friend and Coleman should be a mid-to-late round target in every league.
3. Laquon Treadwell, WR Minnesota — Treadwell fell in the draft, but he fell to a team that needs a player of his skill set. They have the fast receivers and the expansive-route tree runners, but what Teddy Bridgewater needed was a guy with the frame to go up, snag the ball, and body the defender. Treadwell may not reach 1000 yards, but his touchdown potential is real.
4. Derrick Henry, RB Tennessee — rounding out Tier 2 is the monstrous RB, Henry. DeMarco Murray is firmly in his pathway to serious touches, but if Murray struggles the way he did in Philly, Henry will overtake the role and the touchdowns. How does one stop an linebackers at the goal line?
TIER THREE: potential team savers
5. Michael Thomas, WR New Orleans — I have Thomas ahead of Shepard because his size combined with the mediocre defense of NO will allow him to be another garbage-time hero.
6. Sterling Shepard, WR New York Giants — His value is inversely correlated with the status of Victor Cruz. If Cruz is healthy, then Shepard will work in three-reciever sets, Eli’s favorite, and be a contributor but not reliable fantasy option. If Cruz is not his old-self, then Shepard could really benefit from exploiting the double coverage shifted towards superstar Odell Beckham jr.
TIER FOUR: fliers
7. Devante Booker, RB Denver — I am not a faithful believer in CJ Anderson. Denver is going to ease Booker into the running back role, but he was a favorite RB for many college analysts, and should begin to make a loud impact later in the season. Ronnie Hillman and CJ Anderson have not been the epitomes of good health either.
8. Josh Doctson, WR Washington — Doctson was my favorite WR in the draft, but he landed in a situation that may not bare fruit for this season. I have no doubt that he will see playing time. Cousins throws the ball around after his first read, Jordan Reed, so consistency in target may be the issue. An injury to DJax or Garcon could cause a breakout for Doctson whose size makes for another compelling weapon in DC.
9. Braxton Miller, WR Houston — Why miller over the first round selection Will Fuller? Well, I think they will be creative with Braxton. He is a unique athlete who should be able to statistically be more consistent than the field stretch Fuller.
10. Hunter Henry, TE San Diego — Rookie TE’s hardly ever make a profound impact their first year. But Philip Rivers loves targeting the tight end position, who for the last decade has been Antonio Gates. If he is slowed again by injuries (or suspenssions) H. Henry could become a TD machine in an offense that looks far more explosive than last years dud.
So there you have it, ten rookies to keep in mind during your drafts this summer!
