web analytics
Browsing Tag

Sleepers

Fantasy Football 2017: 1st-Round Mock Draft, Team Names and Sleepers

Fantasy Football
August 31, 2017

Few things are more important than team names and sleepers in fantasy football.  

That’s maybe a bit of hyperbole considering the importance of initial drafts, the waiver wire and actually playing productive lineups on a weekly basis.  

But fantasy owners get the idea: It is almost impossible to win anything in fantasy without hitting on a few sleepers. And winning with a terrible team name might as well be losing. Losing with a great name at least softens the blow. 

Below, let’s put together a digestible guide for owners based on a 12-team league in Yahoo standard leagues, hitting on the important angles ahead of drafts.

             

Mock Draft

        

Team Names to Consider

Hot Lockett

A quality fantasy draft snack and a breakout fantasy player balled into one name?  

That’s a winner, folks.

This deals with Seattle Seahawks wideout Tyler Lockett, of course, the 2015 third-round pick used as a returner in all facets, a rusher and a wideout. He’s climbing up the depth chart and has seven total receiving touchdowns over two years, perhaps a sign he’s ready to make the owner naming a team after him look like a genius. 

           

13 Reasons Ajayi

Popular show and a should-be-more-popular player?

Winner again.

Jay Ajayi broke onto the scene with the Miami Dolphins last year to the tune of 1,272 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on a 4.9 yard-per-carry average. He isn’t going to catch the ball often, but he’s a workhorse on a playoff hopeful sure to see touches.

          

Kizer Wide Shut

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback, not to mention starting quarterback, DeShone Kizer is all the rage right now. 

It was only a matter of time before Kizer started popping up in team names. A name like this has plenty of opportunities for creative usage. Even better, the second-round pick seized a starting pro gig quickly and might have what it takes to lead a Cleveland turnaround. 

If that happens, this name is just the beginning. 

            

Make America Gronk Again

A phrase everyone knows infused with Rob Gronkowski is something everyone can get behind. 

For fantasy owners, getting Gronkowski on the field even more would be great. He hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2011 and missed half of last year. Funnily enough, few tight ends have still scored as many fantasy points as him in that span. 

            

Sleepers to Know 

Corey Coleman, WR, Cleveland Browns

Remember the note about Kizer above?

Corey Coleman might be the biggest name to capitalize on the improved play under center after a dud of a rookie year. 

Owners didn’t put a lot of stock into Coleman as a rookie to begin with, both because of his status and locale. He had all of 413 yards and three touchdowns over just 10 games, though the flashes of a big-play wideout were there. 

To say Coleman and Kizer already have a strong connection would be an understatement: 

For those keeping track: Coleman has a better quarterback situation this year, is fully healthy and the Browns are missing names from a year ago like Terrell Pryor and Gary Barnidge

Coleman sitting on an average draft position (ADP) of 10.01 is something owners should look to exploit. 

          

Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions

On paper, Detroit Lions rookie wideout Kenny Golladay doesn’t necessarily have a starting gig locked up. 

Then again, he hauled in two touchdowns in his preseason debut with the team and worked with the first team in training camp back in mid-August, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press

If Golladay can break through, he joins a spread-it-around attack orchestrated by Matthew Stafford, which essentially guarantees production. And with Golden Tate in the slot and Marvin Jones on the outside, unassuming defenses might let Golladay post big numbers right away. 

We’re not talking world-beating numbers here for a rookie, but we are saying Golladay can blow past his 12.06 ADP, a slotting close to other random names like Ted Ginn Jr. and Cooper Kupp.

            

Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons 

In terms of household-name status, Tevin Coleman falls behind Devonta Freeman in the Atlanta Falcons backfield. 

Makes sense as Coleman mostly functions as a change of pace, though he’s one heck of a role player in that regard considering he totaled 11 touchdowns a year ago thanks to his versatility. 

The Falcons don’t figure to change much when it comes to the roles of the committee members, though where this gets interesting is based on ADP. 

Long story short, Coleman sits with an ADP of 7.03, surrounded by unreliable names like Paul Perkins, Derrick Henry and Darren McFadden. Of those names, Coleman sits in the best offense and will see the most opportunities to score more touchdowns thanks to his versatile skill set. 

For owners willing to risk waiting a bit on running back or looking to overload, Coleman is a big sleeper to target.

           

All scoring info, points-against info and ownership stats courtesy of Yahoo standard leagues. ADP courtesy of Fantasy Football Calculator.

Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com

NFL

Fantasy Football

Fantasy

Tevin Coleman

Corey Coleman

Kenny Golladay

Fantasy Football 2017: Sleepers to Target and Possible Team Names for Your Squad

Fantasy Football
August 25, 2017

So close. So very, very close.

The 2017 NFL season is almost upon us, which means we’re oh so close to everybody’s favorite hobby, fantasy football, renewing for another season. So to usher in a new season, let’s break down a few sleepers to target in your fantasy drafts and a few funny team names humbly submitted for your consideration

           

Sleepers

Below, I’ll choose one sleeper from each offensive position.

             

Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders

I understand why you may not be inclined to consider Derek Carr a sleeper. After all, he was an MVP candidate last season and signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension this offseason. Sleepers don’t typically have that resume.

But Carr is being drafted, on average, in the 11th round of Yahoo standard drafts and is the 13th quarterback coming off the board. For a player with top-seven upside at the position, that makes him a legitimate sleeper.

Why does he have top-seven upside? 

Carr was on pace to set his career high in passing yardage last season before he was hurt and was close to equaling his career high of 32 touchdowns. Coming into his fourth season, it isn’t a stretch to believe that Carr will continue to improve. 

He also has dynamic wide receivers in Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper, and while the team may run a bit more with Marshawn Lynch in the fold, this offense should still be built around the passing game.

Carr, at the very least, represents little risk. Since you can draft him in the later rounds as your QB2, the chance that his performance from the last two years is his ceiling is mitigated. But if you believe Carr will continue to improve, you can wait on quarterbacks until the later rounds, load up at your other positions and draft Carr and another high-risk, high-reward player to pair with him like Jameis Winston or Kirk Cousins.

        

Dion Lewis, RB, New England Patriots

The New England Patriots’ backfield is a logjam. But within that logjam, Dion Lewis just may have the most upside.

Yes, James White is the best receiving back. Lewis is no slouch in that area, however—remember, in his last 14 regular season games, White has 53 receptions for 482 yards and two scores. Yes, Mike Gillislee is widely expected to be the team’s primary early-downs and short-yardage option. But in his last 14 games, Lewis has rushed for 517 yards and two scores.

In total, that’s 999 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns, or 123.9 fantasy points. Broken down even further, that’s 8.8 fantasy points per game. That may not sound like much, but consider the context.

In 2015, Lewis was well on his way to being one of fantasy’s biggest breakout stars, as he averaged 12.3 fantasy points per contest before tearing his ACL. By the time he returned last November, LeGarrette Blount and White had formed a dynamic duo at the position and Lewis earned a major role in the offense. 

But with Blount gone this year, Lewis could see himself reinserted into the game plan in a big way. Even his teammates know how dangerous he can be.

“He is an exciting football player,” White told the Ordway, Merloni & Fauria show, per Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com. “Every time the ball is in his hands, it’s an opportunity for a big play. I know defenses must hold their breath every time he touches the rock. He can make an explosive play at any time. That’s my guy right there.”

Trying to pick which New England running back to trust, even on a weekly basis, is often near-impossible. But Lewis is a gamble worth taking in the late rounds.

          

Pierre Garcon, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Somebody has to catch passes in San Francisco, right? Why not Pierre Garcon?

Look, we all know he’s not a sexy pick for your fantasy team. And maybe he doesn’t have that pure boom-or-bust potential you seek in a sleeper. But Garcon has registered at least 750 or more receiving yards in four straight seasons and seven times in his career. He had 79 receptions for 1,041 yards and three touchdowns last season in Washington.

And he had his best year in 2013, catching 113 passes for 1,346 yards and five touchdowns. His offensive coordinator that year was Kyle Shanahan, who is now his head coach. And unlike in Washington over the past several years, he’ll be the clear top option in the passing game. 

So no, he isn’t the sexiest sleeper pick out there among wide receivers. But he may just be the smartest one.

                  

Cameron Brate, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

You would think after a season in which he posted 57 receptions for 660 yards and eight touchdowns, Cameron Brate would get a bit more respect from fantasy owners. 

Alas, thus far that has not been the case.

Not only is Brate coming off the board, on average, in the 14th round in Yahoo standard leagues, he’s also being drafted after his teammate, rookie O.J. Howard. Those numbers are a bit misleading, as Howard is being drafted in fewer leagues overall, but it’s still a reminder that Brate is sliding under the radar again.

Yes, the Bucs have more weapons in the passing game with Howard and DeSean Jackson in Tampa. But rookie tight ends rarely make a huge impact for teams immediately, especially from a fantasy perspective, while the type of targets Jackson receives will obviously differ from the usage Brate receives. 

And Brate has room to grow entering his fourth season. He improved in each of his first three seasons and has shown solid chemistry with Winston. Plus, Mike Evans and Jackson are going to require plenty of attention, so Brate could see favorable matchups to exploit. 

Don’t discard Brate just yet. He still has legitimate TE1 upside at a bargain cost.

              

Team Names

Two things about name suggestions. One, most of the good names with established stars have already been made, so we’ll focus on rookies or breakout players from last season. Two, these will still probably be really corny. 

With those caveats in mind, here are a few suggestions:

  • Trubisky Business
  • Live McCaffrey or Die
  • Mahomes Alone
  • Finding Adoree
  • Exotic Engram (That’s for my Destiny peeps.)
  • Snead for Speed
  • Brate Expectations

Hey, you were warned.

Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com

NFL

Fantasy Football

Opinion

2017 Fantasy Football: Best Value Draft Picks

Fantasy Football
August 9, 2017

Values, overvalues, sleepers, lottery tickets, players to target, players to avoid.  

You’ve probably heard a variety of these terms during every fantasy football draft season in articles just like this one. When it comes down to it, you’ll likely have a combination of all of the above when you finish your draft depending on who’s assessing your team.

It’s easy to get too caught up in a set draft strategy. Regardless of how your team was constructed, the goal is still to win. Style points don’t matter. We’re focusing on values in this piece, but a team too reliant on getting the best value will likely miss out on talent. You need a combination of talent, opportunity, situation and, of course, luck to put the best team together. 

Values and sleepers are not the same thing. In fact, I’ll have an article dedicated to sleepers coming out next week. The value players presented here are those with an average draft position that’s significantly different from their potential top value. Almost all in this article don’t have strong name value and might be perceived as lesser players.

For instance, Matthew Stafford may not get mentioned among the top fantasy quarterbacks, but he’s been one of the most consistent options over the last five years, as you’ll see in his value profile. Taking advantage of those in your league who make selections based on perceived value instead of statistical evidence can put you way ahead of the game.

  

Note: All ADP data from Fantasy Football Calculator. All fantasy stats used to calculate finishes from FantasyPros. All advanced stats calculated using data from Pro Football Reference. All stats are based on points per reception (PPR) format.

Begin Slideshow

NFL

Fantasy Football

Matthew Stafford

Rankings/List

Pierre Garcon

Bilal Powell