Three Players to Target and Avoid in Fantasy Football This Season

It’s finally time for some football. After sixth months of speculation, the season is about to get going as training camps begin and the preseason gets closer. And for many, the best part about the NFL season is playing Fantasy Football. While many can predict how players like Antonio Brown and Aaron Rodgers will perform, the ones that can find that huge late-round sleeper are the ones who will ultimately prevail and win their leagues. More than anything else, the keys to winning your league are identifying the busts taken in early round and finding those late gems. So, who are those players this year?

Players to Target

Marcus Mariota (14th QB on ESPN, 130th Overall)

The Titans stocked up on offensive weapons this offseason, giving Mariota as good of a supporting cast as anybody not named Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger. Tennessee picked Corey Davis, a high-upside Wide Receiver, with the #5 overall pick in the draft, and signed Eric Decker, to add onto the list of Titans pass-catchers such as Delanie Walker and Rishard Matthews. Having so many weapons will hurt the stats of many on the Titans, but it will help Mariota tremendously. Many expect him to make a big jump in terms of performance this season, and his newly-acquired surrounding pieces as well as his dual-threat abilities make him a fantastic late-round QB option.

Mike Gillislee (27th RB on ESPN, 70th Overall)

LaGarrette Blount was the late pick that won many people their fantasy league’s last year, as he led the league in rushing TDs. But in reality, the majority of those were just punch-ins. The New England Patriots are so good at getting to the goal line, and they like to just run it in once they get anywhere close to the end zone. While Blount left the Patriots for Philadelphia, the Patriots brought in a replacement who may prove to be an upgrade: Mike Gillislee will be able to get all of the short-yardage TDs that Blount had, while also being a much more consistent runner and amassing even more yards. Gillislee is in the perfect situation to put up huge fantasy numbers, so jump on the opportunity to snag him in your draft.

Tyrell Williams (43rd WR on ESPN, 90th Overall)

Williams recently received a massive upgrade on ESPN’s rankings, moving up almost 50 spots. You can’t get him at the very end of your draft anymore, but he is still a very valuable pick for where he’ll be taken. He was a very pleasant surprise last season, and with Chargers rookie Mike Williams’ season in jeopardy, he is in line to be the #2 wideout, behind the very injury-prone Keenan Allen. Do whatever you have to do to make sure you get Tyrell Williams on your team, and he’ll provide massive value at his draft position.

Players to Avoid

Kirk Cousins (8th QB on ESPN, 108th Overall)

The Washington team is run by a dysfunctional front office that has never had a clue what they were doing. It’s been well-documented how awfully they’ve botched the Kirk Cousins contract extension situation. They keep avoiding coming to a solution, repeatedly kicking the can down the road another year. All parties involved seem fed up with the situation, and Washington looks like a disaster waiting to happen this season. Avoid drafting Cousins, as it seems he’s already got one foot out the door in Washington.

Marshawn Lynch (13th RB on ESPN, 34th Overall)

Lynch is going much higher in drafts than his ranking just because of name value, but take away his name and he still is ranked way too high. Everyone knows how good he was in his prime, but he is way past that. There are too many red flags with him coming out of retirement to play for the Oakland Raiders to take him with an early-round pick. First is that he obviously hasn’t played in nearly two years- there’s going to be a lot of rust. Secondly, some expect Oakland to limit his usage early on in hopes of keeping his legs fresh for the playoffs. Beast Mode will always be fun to watch, but this isn’t the year to pick him for your fantasy team.

Brandin Cooks (15th WR on ESPN, 29th Overall)

When a young and talented receiver gets traded to the team with the greatest player of all time playing QB, his stock is naturally going to rise immediately. But for Brandin Cooks, it’s wise to sell and not buy. It has nothing to do with him, though- the Patriots have so many quality pass-catchers that they’re all going to hurt each others’ stats. Cooks will be the biggest victim of this fact, and although he will still put up huge stats from time to time, he won’t be able to have a year-long high-caliber season because of how stacked his team is.

Fantasy Football is going to be as fun as ever this season, so don’t miss out- sign up for a league or two, and follow this advice.