The NFL season is inching closer and closer, meaning Fantasy Football is gearing up in full swing. Today I go over the 5 players that I am targeting throughout my Drafts.
Marques Colston – Current ADP 49th overall – 18th ranked WR (13th in my rankings)
You have Bowe, Nicks, Amendola and Welker all being drafted ahead of Colston. Heck even Randall Cobb, who we haven’t seen play a full 16 game season yet, is being drafted ahead of him. There are some serious questions surrounding every one of the guys being drafted ahead of him.
What you get with Colston: 4 straight season with 80 receptions and 1000 yards, 100+ targets, 1000+ yards and 7 or more TDs in 6 out of the last 7 seasons.
Colston is consistent and the fact these guys are being drafted ahead of him is ridiculous. With a questionable receiving group and Drew Brees throwing the football, he’ll do great next season. He is currently being drafted in Round 4-5. If you run into a situation where you’re considering taking one of these players, I’d go with Colston.
Chris Johnson – Current ADP 21st overall – 14th ranked RB (15th in my rankings)
His ADP and rankings are just fine with me. The Titans beefed up the O-line this offseason and, with some new coaching regime in town, I think CJ is poised for a breakout. There are talks of getting him more involved in the passing game this year and that could be great for his Fantasy value. He had 29 carries last year of 10 or more yards, which was most in the NFL. I expect him to have a much better season this year than he did last.
Reggie Bush – Current ADP 43rd overall – 21st ranked RB (12th in my rankings)
I favor him more in PPR than I do standard. Bush has the potential to have a Darren Sproles like season in Detroit. I think he will be a 3 down back for this team and that alone makes him an easy RB1 this year. He may not get as many TDs, because I think LeShoure is going to be the goal line back, but I could easily see him catching 50-60 balls this year with 900+ yards on the ground. That alone would make him a top 10 back in PPR league this year and in the top 20 for standard leagues.
Jordy Nelson – Current ADP 44th overall – 15th ranked WR (11th in my rankings)
I am really big on Nelson this season. With Jennings playing for the Vikings now, he has a good shot of stepping up and being the Packers #1 WR. I think he has a better value than people are giving him credit for. I don’t like that Cobb ranks ahead of him at all. I see Nelson with 1200 yards and 10+ TDs for the 2013 season making him a solid WR1 in 2013.
Late Round QBs
I, for one, am not big on drafting QBs. Last year, in one of my bigger leagues (16 team) I played in, I took my QBs (Alex Smith/Russell Wilson) in 2 out of the last 3 rounds. I drafted LeSean McCoy, Jamaal Charles, Julio Jones, Frank Gore and Stevan Ridley in the 1st 5 rounds. I then took a late flier in the draft on CJ Spiller. So I was pretty loaded at RB, as well as looking good at my WR position. Another player who decided to go QB (Brees) in the 1st round was in need of a RB in week 3. I spun Jamaal Charles (after his big 200+ yard game) for Brees. With my depth at RB, I was able to make this trade and not worry about the lack of depth. This move, along with positioning myself well in FA, allowed me to go on and win my 2nd title in 3 years in that league.
So I don’t think you have to snag a QB in order to win a championship. It can help but you miss out on sure-fire RBs and are left to settle with a RB with “potential” upside. This year there is a lot of pairings that I think will work well for you. Any of the following guys are being drafted in the 9th round and beyond.
Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Jay Cutler, Sam Bradford, Carson Palmer, Matt Schaub, Josh Freeman & Alex Smith.
If you could pair any of these two guys up on your team and start them when a matchup favors them. You could be looking at a solid roster. This would mean you are snagging some of the better guys near the top of the draft instead of worrying about getting one of the top-tier QBs.
So remember come draft day and any of these guys are available at the right moment make sure to snag them.
The Sports Script 