2017 NFC Fantasy Football Preview

Football season is swiftly approaching. For most of the south, where we are from, that means college football and while were are definitely excited to watch the SEC play on Saturdays, nothing beats a Sunday that starts and ends with NFL football games. Each year, millions of people watch NFL games for various reasons. Some do it for fun. Some do it to watch their favorite team. Some watch it to relax. Some watch it because it is how they make their money. And some watch it to keep track of their fantasy team. Chris has already broken down some key players to add or avoid as you make your rosters this season from the AFC but I am going to give you a heads up on the NFC players you need to be on the lookout for.

Must Haves

These 3 players are the guys that you need to pick up in the first round. Week in and week out they will be your consistent performers who you can always count on to grab you double digit points. These guys are also the guys that will carry you to the playoffs, and that is where it really matters. Let’s just say, these guys won’t blow a 28–3 lead for you.

1. Julio Jones, WR, ATL- This guy is hungry. He has been in the conversatoin for best reciever in the country each of his 6 years since leaving Alabama. If you need one game to see this guy is going to give everything he has, just watch his personal highlights from the Falcons recent superbowl loss. The man was pulling the ball down regardless of where it was. He has sat out at least one game of each of his 6 seasons which may have you question his durability but at age 28, Jones is just now hitting his athletic prime. If Matty Ice has another good season, Julio is not a guy you’re gonna want on your opponents fantasy team.
2. Mike Evans, WR, TB- If you want targets, this is your guy. He led all WR’s last year with 20 in the endzone. This man is raw. 6 foot 5 with the mobility of a slot receiver, he can get you points all over the field. His biggest problem are his hands. Sometimes the easiest of catches just bounce off of them as if his hands were bricks. That isn’t a big enough problem to overlook this guy. With Safeties having to worry about D. Jackson over the top and OJ Howard underneath expect Evans to be open more often then he was last year.
3. David Johnson, RB, ARI- David Johnson is a workhorse. He runs like each run is going to be his last and he believes it. Coming off of a Meniscus tear in his knee, he knows that every snap is a chance for him to make history or be history. His injury is said to have completely healed a while ago and there is no reason to doubt that. Look for Johnson to be one of the most productive running backs this season, if not the most productive. When Carson Palmer has a bad game, Johnson is always willing to take over the offensive game with his powerful running.

Sleepers

Each year I seem to draft with the sleeper mindset. I would rather pick up a team full of boom or bust players, rather than the top guys in the league. I have had mixed results but here are 3 guys that I think you could pick up late that could be key contributors to your team week in and week out.

1. Adam Thielen, WR, MIN- When it comes to the flex, Thielen is your guy. With a resurgent Sam Bradford at the helms, Adam is sure to have a good year with the Vikings. Bradford loves the short, checkdown throws and Adam loves to run those. With him potentially being moved to the slot, this production could even increase. Last season was his breakout season and the most impressive stat has to be that he only dropped 1 of his 92 targets. He caught just under %75 of those targets but only dropped 1 of them. The others were defended by a defensive player or over/under thrown. This is impressive. Dropping 1 pass all season. How many times can I say it? He is sure handed and that is a huge plus when it comes to production.
2. O.J. Howard, TE, TB- We already talked about his wide receiving partner Evans but Howard is going to be a beast. It is a fantasy no-no to draft two recievers/tight ends from the same team because if one is productive the other usually isn’t but I think this could be the exception. Jameis is going to have two targets in the redzone and they are both on my list. Teams with weak Linebackers or Safeties are going to have trouble this man. He is Mike Evans in the Tight End position. You just can’t gaurd two Mike Evans’s, or in this case, an O.J. Howard. Look for him to average 13–17 yards a catch and plenty of endzone targets.
3. Terrelle Pryor Sr, WR, WAS- Terrelle has been impressive to watch since his early days of college football. Even when he went to the NFL as a QB, his 93 yard run against the Steelers will forever be remembered. He has since transitioned to Wide Receiver and has not disappointed. Last year, with the Browns, he put up great numbers with what he had throwing to him. Now that he is at the Redskins, look for this guy to flourish with a QB that knows what team he is supposed to throw to.

Bust

I am going to make 1 bust pick and it is sure to be controversial. I will eat my words at the end of the season if this guy does produce the numbers he is said to produce but I could easily see him slipping. That man is:

Odell Beckham Jr, WR, NYG- Now I’m not saying this guy won’t get you points, because he will. What I am saying is that he will not put up the numbers he is projected. As of writing this, ESPN has him #4 on the WR depth chart. I don’t think he will finish in the top 10 this year. Here’s a few reasons why. First, he is a hot head. Once you fluster Odell, he might as well be on the bench. If you watch his performance against the Minnesota Vikings last year this is quite evident. Xavier Rhodes, one of the leagues best corners, shut Beckham down early and it made him mad. He started getting visibly frustrated on the field. If he doesn’t get the ball he starts pouting. This brings me to the second reason, Brandon Marshall. Marshall has been a long time receiver in the league that specializes in the deep ball. This means there will be less chances for Odell to make the big play, rather settling for the shorter and underneath routes. This is where the third problem comes in and his name is Evan Engram. I rookie tight end that has had a promising preseason. He’ll also be in that underneath space. With Marshall over the top and Engram underneath where will Beckham go? I’m sure he’ll find somewhere but I don’t think he’ll be as productive as some say he’ll be and that is why he is my bust pick.

Breakout Rookie

Dalvin Cook, RB, MIN

I seem to have talked about the Vikings a lot in this production and I may be biased but they undeniably have a lot of good pieces. One of their best pieces comes in the form of Dalvin Cook. Rookie running back who is looking to fill legendary shoes. For better or for worse, Adrian Peterson is gone and we saw last year that this team can not function without a run game. I think we will see the start of the season being a two running back system with free agent signing Latavius Murray and Cook sharing the load. Murray is not 100% healthy so this could be a good way for Dalvin to assert himself as the top runner for this team. Look for Cook to come off boards earlier than expected.

If you have any questions or comments about any of mine or Chris’s picks please tweet us at @spectatrs