FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 1

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1 FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 1

2 The FakePigskin.com Team CO-FOUNDERS Adam Rainbolt Regan Yant CONTRIBUTORS Aaron Herman Aaron Marcotte Adam Cook Andy Younce Ben Rolfe Benton McDonald Blake Meek Brian Jodoin Dave Cherney Dennis Dunbar Drew Dodson Evan Hale Gladys Louise Tyler Grant Harrison Jay Holmes Jeremy Hardt Josh Berger Josh Honses Josh Lake Ken Wang Kyle Robert Luke O'Neill Luke Taylor Matt Lane Mike Margossian Miles Bozeman Neil Donohoe Payton Garrett Regan Yant Richard Janvrin Vance Meek Zhan Mourning FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 2

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS WELCOME TO FANTASY FOOTBALL 2015 BY JOSH HONSES Top 30 Quarterbacks (Redraft Format) Top 50 Running backs (Standard Scoring, Redraft Format) Top 50 Running backs (PPR Scoring, Redraft Format) Top 50 Wide Receivers (Standard Scoring, Redraft Format) Top 50 Wide Receivers (PPR Scoring, Redraft Format) Top 25 Tight Ends (Standard Scoring, Redraft Format) Top 25 Tight Ends (PPR Scoring, Redraft Format) Top 50 Rookies (Redraft Formats) Top 50 Defensive Linemen (IDP Scoring, Redraft Format) Top 50 Linebackers (IDP Scoring, Redraft Format) Top 50 Defensive Backs (IDP Scoring, Redraft Format) Top 30 Quarterbacks (Dynasty Format) Top 50 Running Backs (Standard Scoring, Dynasty Format) Top 50 Running Backs (PPR Scoring, Dynasty Format) ANATOMY OF A DYNASTY TRADE BY MATT LANE Top 50 Wide Receivers (Standard Scoring, Dynasty Format) Top 50 Wide Receivers (PPR Scoring, Dynasty Format) Top 30 Tight Ends (Standard Scoring, Dynasty Format) Top 30 Tight Ends (PPR Scoring, Dynasty Format) Top 50 Rookies (Dynasty Format) Top 50 Defensive Linemen (IDP Scoring, Dynasty Format) Top 50 Linebackers (IDP Scoring, Dynasty Format) Top 50 Defensive Backs (IDP Scoring, Dynasty Format) FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 3

4 POOP SOUP AND SABOTAGE BY EVAN HALE CHICAGO BEARS (PAYTON GARRETT) DETROIT LIONS (DENNIS DUNBAR) GREEN BAY PACKERS (MILES BOZEMAN/BEN ROLFE) MINNESOTA VIKINGS (KYLE ROBERT) HOW FANTASY FOOTBALL HAS HELPED ME GROW UP BY LUKE TAYLOR ATLANTA FALCONS (GRANT HARRISON) CAROLINA PANTHERS (KYLE ROBERT) NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (ANDREW DODSON) TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (KYLE ROBERT) DALLAS COWBOYS (ADAM COOK) NEW YORK GIANTS (DAVE CHERNEY) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (MILES BOZEMAN/BEN ROLFE) WASHINGTON REDSKINS (JOSH LAKE) ARIZONA CARDINALS (FAKEPIGSKIN.COM STAFF) SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (KYLE ROBERT) ST. LOUIS RAMS (JOSH HONSES) SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (KYLE ROBERT) MAKING MONEY WITH MFL10 S BY MIKE MARGOSSIAN BALTIMORE RAVENS (RICHARD JANVRIN) CINCINNATI BENGALS (BEN ROLFE) CLEVELAND BROWNS (MILES BOZEMAN/BEN ROLFE) PITTSBURGH STEELERS (LUKE O NEILL) HOUSTON TEXANS (AARON MARCOTTE) INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (JAY HOLMES) JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (BEN ROLFE) TENNESSEE TITANS (NEIL DONOHOE) FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 4

5 2016 TOP PROSPECTS BY BLAKE MEEK AND VANCE MEEK BUFFALO BILLS (ZHAN MOURNING) MIAMI DOLPHINS (AARON HERMAN) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (BEN ROLFE) NEW YORK JETS (GLADYS LOUISE TYLER) DENVER BRONCOS (JOSH BERGER) KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (BENTON MCDONALD) OAKLAND RAIDERS (BRIAN JODOIN) SAN DEIGO CHARGERS (ANDY YOUNCE) FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 5

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7 WELCOME TO FANTASY FOOTBALL 2015 BY JOSH HONSES I would like to think that every year I play fantasy football, I learn a little bit more than I did the previous year. Most importantly, I learn something new about how to handle being prepared for the following season. I put in crazy amounts of hours every year to do mock drafts, visualize rankings and tiers, and trying to find that next big sleeper to help me, and thus you, win a league. I know how frustrating it is to see none of your hard work pay off. My main focus in this article is to help you get ready to prepare for the upcoming season. Everything I tell you here has helped me in the past to win many fantasy championships, and I hope that it serves you well. Here s my list of things to do to help you succeed on building your team this season. Last year does not matter anymore How many people remember Josh Gordon coming into last season? He was the love child of most fantasy football lovers headed into next season. I made a firm commitment that I was not going to draft Gordon anywhere because he was going to be useless with only playing two weeks before the playoffs. People were hell-bent that he would come back and set the world on fire and called me names that wouldn t make my mother proud. Who was right on that one? This isn t a middle finger to any of those people. This is a simple reminder that what one guy does one year does not translate into the next. Matt Forte was my number one overall selection last season. This year I m not touching him in the first round. If all you do in your approach to your draft with previous season's numbers in mind, you re setting yourself up for failure now. Know your league It may seem silly, but I cannot tell you how many people I have talked to that don t know whether it is a PPR, IDP, or even how many teams are in the league. Things to know: the scoring system, how many players on each roster, how many starters on each roster, and how many teams are in the league. People don t realize how this changes the way to approach the draft. For example, in a PPR league, guys like Adrian Peterson and Alfred Morris take a hit in value, while guys like Matt Forte and C.J. Spiller get a slight bump because of how many passes they catch out of the backfield. Rankings fluctuate based off of the type of league your team is drafting in. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 7

8 Gather as much data as you can Once you know what kind of league you re in, read as much as you can about all players and positions. It may seem trivial, but something like knowing that a guy is in a contract year is a little tidbit to keep in your back pocket. Why is that important? Guys are going to want to get paid, and it s a what have you done for me lately league. A great example of this from last year is Jeremy Maclin and DeMarco Murray, who both made a ton of fantasy owners happy with their play. The good news for fantasy owners is you have so many options in doing research all over the web that you can spend an ungodly amount of time organizing and separating players into rankings. Even better, if you re reading this, then you re one step ahead of the game because we here at FakePigskin offer our expert rankings to you FOR FREE. Our team works tirelessly to give you in-depth analysis and advice to help you win and will be made available in the near future. As if you needed another incentive, you will be privy to having all of your questions answered personally and our draft gurus available to help make lineup decisions or any other fantasy football needs you may have. Assign Value to each player This is especially important for those of you in an auction draft. It is EXTREMELY helpful to know how much money you want to spend on a guy so that you don t overpay for him. There is nothing worse than overpaying for a guy that ends up biting you in the ass when the value to expect is far less than the value returned. I would highly recommend doing this regardless of draft format because it also makes trading a lot easier. Another thing this allows you to do is judge where you can get guys in the draft. If you think Jay Cutler is a top 10 QB, then it s a no brainer to grab him in the 8 th round instead of deciding between players who may not be in your lineup more than a couple of weeks. It makes drafting easier, and allows you to gauge your options to see who is the best player available. This also leads me to my next bit of advice Be flexible with your picks I cannot stress enough how important it is to pay attention to your draft. If you take a RB with your first pick and most other teams pick a WR, then you need to know the value of the receiver you would get with your next pick. Don t take a receiver who you have ranked 20 spots lower than a running back just to draft someone at that position. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DRAFT THE BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE. My next bit of advice is something that has served me well. Unless you really want Andrew Luck or Aaron Rodgers, wait on a QB until the later rounds. Last year, Nick Foles was drafted in the FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 8

9 4 th round of my 12 team league while I waited and took Romo in the 7 th round. It s a no brainer who was the better player last year. I would much rather surround my QB s with better skill players so I don t have to rely on them to make up for the rest of my team. Simple math tells you that 1 point for every 10 yards yields much better results than 1 point for every 25 or 30 yards. Guys like Roethlisberger, Rivers, and Cutler are solid guys to play every week and can easily produce great numbers that you can get in later rounds. Lastly, one thing I have picked up over the years is to not worry about bye weeks. Once again, always draft the best player available. Worry about the bye weeks later. I have tried to build my team around not sacrificing too much during the bye weeks, and it lead me to nothing but problems. It s what made me draft Chris Ivory over DeSean Jackson two seasons ago. Don t make the same mistake I did. Just worry about building the best team on draft day and worry about byes later. There is no telling what can happen with injuries, trades, and other roster moves as the season progresses. You cannot win your league on draft day but you can easily lose it. If you go into the draft with a solid, flexible draft strategy taking the best player available, then you will be set up for success during the season. That doesn t meant that you don t have to work the waiver wire or free agency, but it makes your life so much easier. There is nothing better than having three top 15 receivers to choose from every week instead of scraping the bottom of the barrel for free agents because you set yourself up with a good team on draft day. We here at FakePigskin strive to be the best and work tirelessly to provide the best analysis for all of our readers. Be sure to follow and the rest of football team on Twitter for any and all needs you may have. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 9

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11 FakePigskin.com Top 30 Quarterbacks (Redraft Format) Rank Player 1 Andrew Luck 2 Aaron Rodgers 3 Russell Wilson 4 Peyton Manning 5 Ben Roethlisberger 6 Matt Ryan 7 Drew Brees 8 Tony Romo 9 Cam Newton 10 Eli Manning 11 Tom Brady 12 Philip Rivers 13 Matthew Stafford 14 Ryan Tannehill 15 Carson Palmer 16 Colin Kaepernick 17 Jay Cutler 18 Teddy Bridgewater 19 Joe Flacco 20 Sam Bradford 21 Andy Dalton 22 Robert Griffin III 23 Blake Bortles 24 Derek Carr 25 Jameis Winston 26 Alex Smith 27 Geno Smith 28 Marcus Mariota 29 Nick Foles 30 Jimmy Garoppolo FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 11

12 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Running backs (Standard Scoring, Redraft Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 Adrian Peterson 26 LeGarrette Blount 2 Eddie Lacy 27 Isaiah Crowell 3 Le Veon Bell 28 Tevin Coleman 4 Marshawn Lynch 29 Rashad Jennings 5 Jamaal Charles 30 Chris Ivory 6 Matt Forte 31 Ameer Abdullah 7 Arian Foster 32 Giovani Bernard 8 LeSean McCoy 33 Joseph Randle 9 C.J. Anderson 34 Bishop Sankey 10 DeMarco Murray 35 Devonta Freeman 11 Jeremy Hill 36 Darren McFadden 12 Justin Forsett 37 Shane Vereen 13 Melvin Gordon 38 Jay Ajayi 14 Frank Gore 39 Doug Martin 15 Alfred Morris 40 Charles Sims 16 Mark Ingram 41 Ryan Mathews 17 Carlos Hyde 42 Tre Mason 18 Lamar Miller 43 David Cobb 19 Jonathan Stewart 44 Duke Johnson 20 T.J. Yeldon 45 Reggie Bush 21 Todd Gurley 46 Lorenzo Taliaferro 22 Latavius Murray 47 Danny Woodhead 23 Andre Ellington 48 Darren Sproles 24 Joique Bell 49 Roy Helu 25 C.J. Spiller 50 Terrance West FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 12

13 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Running backs (PPR Scoring, Redraft Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 Jamaal Charles 26 Giovani Bernard 2 Eddie Lacy 27 Rashad Jennings 3 Le Veon Bell 28 Tevin Coleman 4 Adrian Peterson 29 Shane Vereen 5 Matt Forte 30 Joseph Randle 6 Arian Foster 31 Devonta Freeman 7 Marshawn Lynch 32 Ameer Abdullah 8 LeSean McCoy 33 LeGarrette Blount 9 Jeremy Hill 34 Reggie Bush 10 Justin Forsett 35 Roy Helu 11 C.J. Anderson 36 Bishop Sankey 12 DeMarco Murray 37 Doug Martin 13 Lamar Miller 38 Chris Ivory 14 Melvin Gordon 39 Tre Mason 15 Frank Gore 40 Danny Woodhead 16 Latavius Murray 41 Darren Sproles 17 Carlos Hyde 42 Isaiah Crowell 18 Andre Ellington 43 Charles Sims 19 Jonathan Stewart 44 Ryan Mathews 20 Alfred Morris 45 Jay Ajayi 21 C.J. Spiller 46 Darren McFadden 22 T.J. Yeldon 47 Fred Jackson 23 Mark Ingram 48 Duke Johnson 24 Joique Bell 49 David Johnson 25 Todd Gurley 50 Theo Riddick FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 13

14 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Wide Receivers (Standard Scoring, Redraft Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 (tie) Julio Jones 26 Golden Tate 1 (tie) Dez Bryant 27 Michael Floyd 1 (tie) Antonio Brown 28 Allen Robinson 4 Demaryius Thomas 29 Roddy White 5 Odell Beckham, Jr. 30 Martavis Bryant 6 Calvin Johnson 31 Larry Fitzgerald 7 A.J. Green 32 Jeremy Maclin 8 Jordy Nelson 33 Nelson Agholor 9 Alshon Jeffery 34 Jarvis Landry 10 Randall Cobb 35 Kevin White 11 Mike Evans 36 Torrey Smith 12 T.Y. Hilton 37 Eric Decker 13 DeAndre Hopkins 38 Brandon LaFell 14 Kelvin Benjamin 39 Mike Wallace 15 Keenan Allen 40 Victor Cruz 16 Emmanuel Sanders 41 Steve Smith, Sr. 17 Julian Edelman 42 Charles Johnson 18 Brandin Cooks 43 Anquan Boldin 19 Andre Johnson 44 Breshad Perriman 20 Amari Cooper 45 John Brown 21 Jordan Matthews 46 Marques Colston 22 Sammy Watkins 47 Rueben Randle 23 Brandon Marshall 48 Pierre Garcon 24 Vincent Jackson 49 Terrance Williams 25 DeSean Jackson 50 DeVante Parker FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 14

15 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Wide Receivers (PPR Scoring, Redraft Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 Antonio Brown 26 Jeremy Maclin 2 Julio Jones 27 Allen Robinson 3 Demaryius Thomas 28 DeSean Jackson 4 Dez Bryant 29 Roddy White 5 Odell Beckham, Jr. 30 Larry Fitzgerald 6 Calvin Johnson 31 Vincent Jackson 7 A.J. Green 32 Eric Decker 8 Jordy Nelson 33 Martavis Bryant 9 Alshon Jeffery 34 Anquan Boldin 10 T.Y. Hilton 35 Pierre Garcon 11 Randall Cobb 36 Michael Floyd 12 Julian Edelman 37 Steve Smith, Sr. 13 Mike Evans 38 Brandon LaFell 14 DeAndre Hopkins 39 Nelson Agholor 15 Brandin Cooks 40 Torrey Smith 16 Keenan Allen 41 John Brown 17 Kelvin Benjamin 42 Charles Johnson 18 Emmanuel Sanders 43 Kevin White 19 Amari Cooper 44 Rueben Randle 20 Andre Johnson 45 Marques Colston 21 Jordan Matthews 46 Kendall Wright 22 Jarvis Landry 47 Mike Wallace 23 Golden Tate 48 Victor Cruz 24 Sammy Watkins 49 Cody Latimer 25 Brandon Marshall 50 Marqise Lee FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 15

16 FakePigskin.com Top 25 Tight Ends (Standard Scoring, Redraft Format) Rank Player 1 Rob Gronkowski 2 Jimmy Graham 3 Greg Olsen 4 Travis Kelce 5 Antonio Gates 6 Julius Thomas 7 Martellus Bennett 8 Zach Ertz 9 Jason Witten 10 Kyle Rudolph 11 Josh Hill 12 Jordan Cameron 13 Owen Daniels 14 Tyler Eifert 15 Dwayne Allen 16 Larry Donnell 17 Delanie Walker 18 Austin Seferian-Jenkins 19 Heath Miller 20 Vernon Davis 21 Eric Ebron 22 Coby Fleener 23 Jordan Reed 24 Charles Clay 25 Jace Amaro 26 Mychal Rivera 27 Jared Cook 28 Maxx Williams 29 Rob Housler 30 Niles Paul FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 16

17 FakePigskin.com Top 25 Tight Ends (PPR Scoring, Redraft Format) Rank Player 1 Rob Gronkowski 2 Jimmy Graham 3 Greg Olsen 4 Travis Kelce 5 Martellus Bennett 6 Antonio Gates 7 Zach Ertz 8 Julius Thomas 9 Jason Witten 10 Tyler Eifert 11 Jordan Cameron 12 Josh Hill 13 Owen Daniels 14 Delanie Walker 15 Kyle Rudolph 16 Larry Donnell 17 Austin Seferian-Jenkins 18 Heath Miller 19 Dwayne Allen 20 Coby Fleener 21 Charles Clay 22 Jordan Reed 23 Vernon Davis 24 Eric Ebron 25 Jace Amaro 26 Jared Cook 27 Maxx Williams 28 Richard Rodgers 29 Niles Paul 30 Rob Housler FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 17

18 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Rookies (Redraft Formats) Rank Player Rank Player 1 Melvin Gordon 26 Maxx Williams 2 Amari Cooper 27 Mike Davis 3 T.J. Yeldon 28 Justin Hardy 4 Todd Gurley 29 Josh Robinson 5 Kevin White 30 Ty Montgomery 6 Nelson Ahgolor 31 Devin Smith 7 DeVante Parker 32 Clive Walford 8 Tevin Coleman 33 Kenny Bell 9 Breshad Perriman 34 Devante Davis 10 David Johnson 35 Chris Conley 11 Ameer Abdullah 36 Jeremy Langford 12 Jameis Winston 37 Tre McBride 13 Jaelen Strong 38 Vince Mayle 14 Duke Johnson 39 Rashad Greene 15 Jay Ajayi 40 Titus Davis 16 Devin Funchess 41 Darren Waller 17 David Cobb 42 Stefon Diggs 18 Dorial Green-Beckham 43 Thomas Rawls 19 Matt Jones 44 Zach Zenner 20 Phillip Dorsett 45 Jamison Crowder 21 Javorius Allen 46 Malcolm Brown 22 Marcus Mariota 47 Kasen Williams 23 Cameron Artis-Payne 48 John Crockett 24 Sammie Coates 49 Dres Anderson 25 Tyler Lockett 50 Dominique Brown FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 18

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20 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Defensive Linemen (IDP Scoring, Redraft Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 J.J. Watt 26 Mike Daniels 2 Robert Quinn 27 Dontari Poe 3 Chandler Jones 28 Sen Derrick Marks 4 Jason Pierre-Paul 29 Kony Ealy 5 Everson Griffen 30 Malik Jackson 6 Carlos Dunlap 31 Sharrif Floyd 7 Sheldon Richardson 32 Ndamukong Suh 8 Calais Campbell 33 Jacquies Smith 9 Ezekial Ansah 34 Jabaal Sheard 10 Muhammad Wilkerson 35 Ra Shede Hageman 11 Jurrell Casey 36 Leonard Williams 12 Fletcher Cox 37 Rob Ninkovich 13 Corey Liuget 38 Geno Atkins 14 Olivier Vernon 39 Tim Jernigan 15 Aaron Donald 40 Timmy Jernigan 16 Marcell Dareus 41 Chris Long 17 Cameron Jordan 42 Derek Wolfe 18 Gerald McCoy 43 Randy Gregory 19 Cameron Wake 44 Robert Ayers 20 Demarcus Lawrence 45 Cedric Thornton 21 Cameron Heyward 46 Stephon Tuitt 22 Charles Johnson 47 Mario Edwards 23 Kyle Williams 48 Haloti Ngata 24 Jonathan Hankins 49 Owa Odigihizuwa 25 Tank Carradine 50 Adrian Clayborn FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 20

21 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Linebackers (IDP Scoring, Redraft Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 Lavonte David 26 Danny Trevathan 2 Luke Kuechly 27 Stephen Tulloch 3 DeAndre Levy 28 Ryan Shazier 4 C.J. Mosley 29 Curtis Lofton 5 Jamie Collins 30 Avery Williamson 6 Alec Ogletree 31 Stephone Anthony 7 Mychael Kendricks 32 Karlos Dansby 8 Bobby Wagner 33 Daryl Smith 9 Navarro Bowman 34 Jerod Mayo 10 Sean Lee 35 Sio Moore 11 Jerrell Freeman 36 Eric Kendricks 12 Nigel Bradham 37 Thomas Davis 13 Paul Posluszny 38 Von Miller 14 Lawrence Timmons 39 Zach Brown 15 Derrick Johnson 40 Brian Cushing 16 Keenan Robinson 41 Clay Matthews 17 Kiko Alonso 42 Anthony Barr 18 Preston Brown 43 Justin Durant 19 Telvin Smith 44 Christian Jones 20 Paul Worrilow 45 Emmanuel Lamur 21 Khalil Mack 46 Jerry Hughes 22 Demario Davis 47 DeMeco Ryans 23 D Qwell Jackson 48 Ryan Kerrigan 24 Jelani Jenkins 49 Mason Foster 25 Justin Houston 50 Jon Beason FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 21

22 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Defensive Backs (IDP Scoring, Redraft Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 Harrison Smith 26 Ron Parker 2 Reshad Jones 27 Barry Church 3 T.J. McDonald 28 James Ihendigbo 4 Eric Weddle 29 Bradley McDougald 5 Jason McCourty 30 Corey Graham 6 Tyrann Mathieu 31 Deone Bucannon 7 Landon Collins 32 Kenny Vaccaro 8 Morgan Burnett 33 Kehmal Ishmael 9 Antrel Rolle 34 Aaron Williams 10 Kam Chancellor 35 Michael Griffin 11 Bradley Roby 36 Rashard Johnson 12 William Moore 37 Jairus Bryd 13 Da Norris Searcy 38 Kendrick Lewis 14 Tashaun Gipson 39 Earl Thomas 15 Kyle Fuller 40 Mark Barron 16 T.J. Ward 41 Stevie Brown 17 Jonathan Cyprien 42 Jahleel Addae 18 HaHa Clinton-DIx 43 Walter Thurmond 19 Tyvon Branch 44 Desmond Trufant 20 Prince Amukamara 45 Joe Haden 21 Antonie Bethea 46 Shamarko Thomas 22 Charles Woodson 47 Will Hill 23 Reggie Nelson 48 Tre Boston 24 Calvin Pryor 49 Mike Adams 25 Donte Whitner 50 Duke Williams FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 22

23 FakePigskin.com Top 30 Quarterbacks (Dynasty Format) Rank Player 1 Andrew Luck 2 Aaron Rodgers 3 Russell Wilson 4 Cam Newton 5 Matt Ryan 6 Ryan Tannehill 7 Drew Brees 8 Ben Roethlisberger 9 Matthew Stafford 10 Tony Romo 11 Teddy Bridgewater 12 Philip Rivers 13 Joe Flacco 14 Eli Manning 15 Tom Brady 16 Jameis Winston 17 Colin Kaepernick 18 Peyton Manning 19 Marcus Mariota 20 Andy Dalton 21 Derek Carr 22 Jay Cutler 23 Sam Bradford 24 Blake Bortles 25 Robert Griffin III 26 Nick Foles 27 Carson Palmer 28 Alex Smith 29 Zach Mettenberger 30 Johnny Manziel FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 23

24 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Running Backs (Standard Scoring, Dynasty Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 (tie) Le Veon Bell 26 Isaiah Crowell 1 (tie) Eddie Lacy 27 Giovani Bernard 3 Jamaal Charles 28 Doug Martin 4 Jeremy Hill 29 Shane Vereen 5 Todd Gurley 30 Ryan Mathews 6 DeMarco Murray 31 Justin Forsett 7 LeSean McCoy 32 Tre Mason 8 Melvin Gordon 33 Charles Sims 9 C.J. Anderson 34 Frank Gore 10 Adrian Peterson 35 Christine Michael 11 Marshawn Lynch 36 David Johnson 12 Arian Foster 37 Bishop Sankey 13 Lamar Miller 38 Devonta Freeman 14 Matt Forte 39 Joique Bell 15 Carlos Hyde 40 Duke Johnson 16 T.J. Yeldon 41 Montee Ball 17 Latavius Murray 42 Stevan Ridley 18 Alfred Morris 43 Joseph Randle 19 Ameer Abdullah 44 LeGarrette Blount 20 Mark Ingram 45 Knile Davis 21 Jonathan Stewart 46 Jay Ajayi 22 C.J. Spiller 47 Andre Williams 23 Andre Ellington 48 Chris Ivory 24 Jerick McKinnon 49 Rashad Jennings 25 Tevin Coleman 50 Reggie Bush FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 24

25 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Running Backs (PPR Scoring, Dynasty Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 Le Veon Bell 26 Shane Vereen 2 Eddie Lacy 27 Jay Ajayi 3 Jamaal Charles 28 Jonathan Stewart 4 Jeremy Hill 29 Bishop Sankey 5 Todd Gurley 30 Doug Martin 6 C.J. Anderson 31 Justin Forsett 7 LeSean McCoy 32 David Johnson 8 Carlos Hyde 33 Duke Johnson 9 DeMarco Murray 34 Tre Mason 10 Melvin Gordon 35 Tevin Coleman 11 Marshawn Lynch 36 Christine Michael 12 Matt Forte 37 Joique Bell 13 Giovani Bernard 38 Knile Davis 14 Lamar Miller 39 Devonta Freeman 15 T.J. Yeldon 40 Frank Gore 16 Mark Ingram 41 Ryan Mathews 17 Alfred Morris 42 Stevan Ridley 18 Isaiah Crowell 43 Mike Davis 19 Adrian Peterson 44 David Cobb 20 Arian Foster 45 Charles Sims 21 Jerick McKinnon 46 Terrance West 22 Latavius Murray 47 Branden Oliver 23 C.J. Spiller 48 Andre Williams 24 Andre Ellington 49 Montee Ball 25 Ameer Abdullah 50 Joseph Randle FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 25

26 ANATOMY OF A DYNASTY TRADE FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 26

27 BY MATT LANE The Art of Dynasty Trading Pt. I Acquiring your Target With the NFL Draft complete, and most likely your Dynasty Rookie Draft as well, now is not the time to snooze. You can improve your roster through trades whilst you wait for the clock to tick down to Week 1, and there is a specific art of managing trades. This is especially for Dynasty Leagues but of course much of it can be applied to redraft leagues as well. I think trades are a much undervalued and underutilized way of building a winning Dynasty Franchise. So much focus is put on the drafts and most players are very able when it comes to draft strategy but by increasing your knowledge of trading and trade techniques you can get that edge over fellow owners and master a winning formula. My Offseason I only play in one Dynasty League where I am the sole owner of the franchise, and last season I managed to find a way to finish dead last. This was despite scoring the sixth (out of 16) most points. Frankly this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I managed to use my picks to grab a host of players that would improve my weakest area (offense, as opposed to my IDPs) whilst keeping some top picks and not mortgaging my future. I would now class my roster among the best in my league and with a little more luck can reach the playoffs this time around. After a veteran of so many trades, I thought it was only fair to share something I'd consider an art. That being said, I m by no means Van Gogh, because I have both of my ears and most of my wits. This is merely a guideline that you can road test next time you want to make that big move for your guy. The Golden Rules There is no perfect set of methods for dynasty trading, but follow these steps and you can give yourself a solid foundation for future transactions when trying to acquire a player you love, and offload a guy who stinks. 1. Stay friendly with your league mates Don t underestimate the power of grudges. If you parade a win over a league mate above and beyond the acceptable smacktalk, they won t forget it, and when you re competing for a prized asset that is up for grabs, some people will happily accept slightly less if it means rubbing your nose in it. This can also be true for owners who are inactive for large periods, do not respond to trade offers, or make dozens of low ball offers for players. Do not be that guy. You have to understand that to a large extent your league mates are well informed and won t accept, say, a sixth round pick and Quinton Patton for Michael Floyd, no matter which way you dress it up. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 27

28 2. If you offer a trade, be prepared for it to be accepted This sounds so basic, but if you offer someone a deal make sure you would be happy if they accepted! Don t idly offer a handful of deals late at night just to see what it could potentially mean for your roster, you can work out these theoretically by writing them down. You don t want to wake up in cold sweats to find your drunken offers have been readily confirmed. 3. Your initial offer should never be your best If you re willing to part with say, a second round pick for a player, never go straight in with that offer. You shouldn t low-ball league mates, but you should always give yourself more room to maneuver for future trades. Most good trades come after lengthy discussion and counter proposals. 4. Take time to evaluate your target whether this is a target you want to trade for, or a rostered player you want to get rid of, you need to be sure if it s the right choice. Ask around (but outside of the league), read articles, and make sure that the value you have in mind is both fair and good value. You don t want to spend all offseason hunting down a player and then find that when you have him it wasn t worth the effort and the damage. The Trade Process Acquiring a Target In this example, say that you are extremely interested in a player because you believe he is undervalued, or his situation has just changed for the better. This player could ve come off a tough year or been hurt. Either way, you want this guy on your team and you re ready to move players and picks to get him. For arguments sake, this player s name is Ben Rogers and he plays at Wide Receiver. Your value limit on Rogers is two 2 nd round picks, or player equivalent. Step 1 Make first contact with the trade partner: This should not be a message or a trade offer directly for your guy. If you immediately say you want him you are already giving your partner an advantage. The best way to approach your partner is tentatively. Let him know you are interested in picking up a WR, you don t even need to mention Rogers name at this point. The worst case scenario is that he tells you he is off the board, but more likely he is open to an offer. Step 2 Make your first proposal(s): Now this should be a lower offer than you are prepared to give, without being insulting. Make offers for a handful of WRs on his roster, preferably for some that are better than Rogers if you can. You could offer 2 seconds for his top WR (knowing that he could well accept, but expecting a rejection) and then a second and a third for another top WR, and finally your offer for your real target should be 2 or 3 steps below your limit, in this case, 2x 3 rd round picks. Step 3 Barter for your target: At this point your partner will reject all three trades, saying none are enough to tempt him if he accepts any you know you ve got yourself an absolute steal and can walk away happy. But FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 28

29 rejections are to be expected. Now you can move in on your real target. You should begin your next trade offer, this time just for Rogers, but state that you are concerned about 1, 2 or 3 areas. You could mention any of the following, if they apply: Injury troubles, doesn t need to be recent, can stretch back to college. He doesn t work well with his QB, is there a change in the WR corps or QB? It isn t a good system fit, does he have a new coach? Is it a passing offense? He has off-field troubles, again this doesn t need to be recent. He s too old, or he hasn t proved himself at an NFL level yet (if he has, you can say he hasn t been consistent enough). As I said, this has to be true, or your partner will wise up. Ultimately you are lowering the value of the player you want subtly. Never mention any positives, there is no need. In this offer you should slightly increase your original offer, in this case from 2x 3 rd round picks to 2x 3 rd round picks and a 5 th. You need to stress that this is a risk for you and you don t want to pay the Earth for this guy. Frankly you aren t overly keen on the idea anyway. Step 4 Gradually build up to your best offer: Assuming your second offer is not accepted, you can now continue to lower the value of your target and gradually increase your offer to your limit. Never go beyond your limit and do not appear too eager at this early stage. A few hours of silent consideration can go a long way. You can even throw in some players you are hoping to get rid of anyway, even some guys who are on your roster bubble. Make sure they are actually worth something and again talk up their recent performances and everything about their situation as a positive... I d love to keep him, he s a solid player but I just can t fit him in my starting lineup Step 5 Make your best offer: If you get this far, do not consider it a failure. However at this point you must stress to your partner how far you have come from your first offer and that you really struggled to get this high. Play the I'm doing you a big favor here, nobody would offer this much for Rogers, but I'm so desperate to land him, this is my final offer. It s fine to be desperate here, assuming you have exhausted all other options. Following these steps will not guarantee you a trade, especially if your partner is an experienced dynasty player and an active fantasy football enthusiast. But I guarantee it will improve your chances of getting the best possible deal. Some people will overvalue their own players so much a trade is impossible. Do not over pay and move onto a new target. Part Two I'll be back explaining how to get rid of a player you no longer need or want, and how to maximize a player's value in a trade. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 29

30 The Art of Dynasty Trading Pt. 2 Maximizing Trade Value In Part One I talked about how to go about grabbing your target and minimizing your spend. Now we ll flip it over and talk about how to jettison players you really don t want, and also how to get the best value from a useful player. The Trade Process Maximising Trade Value In this example, you have rostered too many RBs. You can only start a maximum of 2, and you have 3 you are very happy starting each week. The 4 th player is not great, but could start on a couple of owners rosters depending on matchups. For arguments sake the players name is Noel Davidson. This example could also work if the player has come off a big season and you are ready to dispose of him at a high price whilst the value is still there. The same steps apply. Step 1 Identify potential trade partners This is easy. Look at your league mates, which is desperate at RB, who has spent a season plugging every known RB in the NFL into his lineup and picked up and dropped seemingly every RB you could name. This is your guy. The more potential partners the better in this situation. You want to start a bidding war. Step 2 Make first contact with trade partner(s) This should be done via a private message. Do not say that Davidson is available, tell your partner that you are looking to pick up draft picks, or that you want to improve at a position. He will compare rosters and see his weakness is your strength. Ask him to make you an offer, or ask him which players or positions he is interested in. If at this point he doesn t mention RBs, you can end the deal there and then. Don t get desperate and offer him out directly. Step 3 Make an offer/counter If he hasn t made you an offer, make him a couple for a couple of different RBs. It s up to you what you request but make sure you ask for quite a bit more than they are worth of course. You could even tell him, after his initial offer I m sorry but i m not interested in trading that guy, however I might be able to part with Davidson for the right price (If he offers for both) Step 4 Talk your player up You want to talk this guy up, everything about him that could be positive you need to mention, any negatives can be swept under the carpet and dismissed. You need to act as though this guy is your favorite player and losing him was not part of the long term plan. If he s young, he s part of your future, if he s old then you ve relied on him so long. Remember, your partner doesn t know you are actively trading him. Step 5 Initiate a bidding war FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 30

31 Once you have grabbed interest from multiple owners, you can private message each of them, and let them know that there are multiple parties who want Davidson. This can rush teams into making panicked decisions. You don t need to let on what has been offered, and to save your soul from the devil, you shouldn t lie either. But it does help stoke the fire. Step 6 Take the best offer Once you have got the best offer, you can let the other parties know you are going to accept it unless they can beat it. Here you can get a couple of extra late picks or maybe the odd flier at other positions to supplement current offers. It s all about maximizing value. In this example you will have got the best price possible for your player, as you let nobody know he was available, allowed your partners to think they were the ones making the initial interest, and then played them off each other to maximize the player's value. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 31

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33 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Wide Receivers (Standard Scoring, Dynasty Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 (tie) Julio Jones 26 Emmanuel Sanders 2 (tie) Dez Bryant 27 Julian Edelman 3 A.J. Green 28 Michael Floyd 4 Antonio Brown 29 Davante Adams 5 Odell Beckham, Jr. 30 Martavis Bryant 6 Demaryius Thomas 31 Brandon Marshall 7 Mike Evans 32 Torrey Smith 8 Calvin Johnson 33 Jeremy Maclin 9 DeAndre Hopkins 34 Eric Decker 10 Alshon Jeffery 35 Andre Johnson 11 Amari Cooper 36 DeSean Jackson 12 Sammy Watkins 37 Jarvis Landry 13 Jordy Nelson 38 Charles Johnson 14 Randall Cobb 39 Larry Fitzgerald 15 T.Y. Hilton 40 John Brown 16 Allen Robinson 41 Jaelen Strong 17 Jordan Matthews 42 Mike Wallace 18 Brandin Cooks 43 Victor Cruz 19 Kevin White 44 Pierre Garcon 20 Golden Tate 45 Phillip Dorsett 21 Kelvin Benjamin 46 Percy Harvin 22 Keenan Allen 47 Donte Moncrief 23 Nelson Agholor 48 Michael Crabtree 24 DeVante Parker 49 Devin Funchess 25 Breshad Perriman 50 Kendall Wright FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 33

34 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Wide Receivers (PPR Scoring, Dynasty Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 Dez Bryant 26 Michael Floyd 2 Antonio Brown 27 Emmanuel Sanders 3 Julio Jones 28 Davante Adams 4 Odell Beckham, Jr. 29 Jeremy Maclin 5 A.J. Green 30 Martavis Bryant 6 Mike Evans 31 Dorial Green-Beckham 7 Demaryius Thomas 32 Brandon Marshall 8 Alshon Jeffery 33 DeSean Jackson 9 Randall Cobb 34 Julian Edelman 10 DeAndre Hopkins 35 Breshad Perriman 11 Sammy Watkins 36 Charles Johnson 12 Calvin Johnson 37 Torrey Smith 13 Amari Cooper 38 Donte Moncrief 14 Jordy Nelson 39 Jaelen Strong 15 Brandin Cooks 40 Cody Latimer 16 T.Y. Hilton 41 Eric Decker 17 Jordan Matthews 42 Andre Johnson 18 Allen Robinson 43 Mike Wallace 19 Kevin White 44 Kenny Stills 20 Keenan Allen 45 John Brown 21 Golden Tate 46 Percy Harvin 22 Kelvin Benjamin 47 Kendall Wright 23 DeVante Parker 48 Victor Cruz 24 Nelson Agholor 49 Devin Funchess 25 Jarvis Landry 50 Phillip Dorsett FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 34

35 FakePigskin.com Top 30 Tight Ends (Standard Scoring, Dynasty Format) Rank Player 1 Rob Gronkowksi 2 Jimmy Graham 3 Travis Kelce 4 Greg Olsen 5 Zach Ertz 6 Jordan Cameron 7 Julius Thomas 8 Austin Seferian-Jenkins 9 Kyle Rudolph 10 Tyler Eifert 11 Martellus Bennett 12 Eric Ebron 13 Josh Hill 14 Dwayne Allen 15 Jace Amaro 16 Maxx Williams 17 Jordan Reed 18 Larry Donnell 19 Antonio Gates 20 Ladarius Green 21 Jason Witten 22 Coby Fleener 23 Charles Clay 24 Delanie Walker 25 Owen Daniels 26 Gavin Escobar 27 Vernon Davis 28 Heath Miller 29 Clive Walford 30 Mychal Rivera FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 35

36 FakePigskin.com Top 30 Tight Ends (PPR Scoring, Dynasty Format) Rank Player 1 Rob Gronkowski 2 Jimmy Graham 3 Travis Kelce 4 Greg Olsen 5 Julius Thomas 6 Zach Ertz 7 Martellus Bennett 8 Austin Seferian-Jenkins 9 Jordan Cameron 10 Jordan Reed 11 Tyler Eifert 12 Maxx Williams 13 Dwayne Allen 14 Kyle Rudolph 15 Eric Ebron 16 Jace Amaro 17 Josh Hill 18 Ladarius Green 19 Coby Fleener 20 Jason Witten 21 Delanie Walker 22 Larry Donnell 23 Charles Clay 24 Antonio Gates 25 Vernon Davis 26 Owen Daniels 27 Niles Paul 28 Heath Miller 29 Mychal Rivera 30 Clive Walford FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 36

37 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Rookies (Dynasty Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 Amari Cooper 26 Kenny Bell 2 Todd Gurley 27 Matt Jones 3 Kevin White 28 Josh Robinson 4 Jameis Winston 29 Tyler Lockett 5 DeVante Parke 30 Bryce Petty 6 Melvin Gordon 31 Devin Smith 7 Nelson Agholor 32 Stefon Diggs 8 Ameer Abdullah 33 Javorius Allen 9 Breshad Perriman 34 Brett Hundley 10 Marcus Mariota 35 Sammie Coates 11 T.J. Yeldon 36 Darren Waller 12 Dorial Green-Beckham 37 Cameron Artis-Payne 13 Jaelen Strong 38 Tre McBride 14 Devin Funchess 39 Clive Walford 15 Tevin Coleman 40 Justin Hardy 16 Phillip Dorsett 41 Rashad Greene 17 Jay Ajayi 42 Karlos Williams 18 Maxx Williams 43 Sean Mannion 19 Duke Johnson 44 Jeremy Langford 20 David Johnson 45 Zach Zenner 21 David Cobb 46 Jesse James 22 Mike Davis 47 Ty Montgomery 23 Garrett Grayson 48 Devante Davis 24 Chris Conley 49 Vince Mayle 25 DeAndre Smelter 50 MyCole Pruitt FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 37

38 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Defensive Linemen (IDP Scoring, Dynasty Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 J.J. Watt 26 Kony Ealy 2 Robert Quinn 27 Demarcus Lawrence 3 Chandler Jones 28 Malik Jackson 4 Jason Pierre-Paul 29 Tank Carradine 5 Everson Griffen 30 Dante Fowler, Jr. 6 Calais Campbell 31 Greg Hardy 7 Carlos Dunlap 32 Leonard Williams 8 Sheldon Richardson 33 Jacquies Smith 9 Ezekial Ansah 34 Randy Gregory 10 Muhammad Wilkerson 35 Jabaal Sheard 11 Corey Liuget 36 Owamagbe Odighizuwa 12 Fletcher Cox 37 Ra Shede Hageman 13 Cameron Jordan 38 Michael Johnson 14 Aaron Donald 39 Henry Anderson 15 Jurrell Casey 40 Jonathan Hankins 16 Olivier Vernon 41 Michael Bennett 17 Cameron Wake 42 Kyle Williams 18 Cameron Heyward 43 Geno Atkins 19 Marcell Dareus 44 Linval Joseph 20 Charles Johnson 45 Damontre Moore 21 Ndamukong Suh 46 Stephon Tuitt 22 Gerald McCoy 47 Timmy Jernigan 23 Mike Daniels 48 Cliff Avril 24 Rob Ninkovich 49 Derek Wolfe 25 Sen Derrick Marks 50 Armonty Bryant FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 38

39 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Linebackers (IDP Scoring, Dynasty Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 Luke Kuechly 26 Jerod Mayo 2 Lavonte David 27 Lawrence Timmons 3 C.J. Mosley 28 Paul Posluszny 4 Bobby Wagner 29 Anthony Barr 5 Jamie Collins 30 Von Miller 6 DeAndre Levy 31 Paul Worrilow 7 Navarro Bowman 32 James Laurinaitis 8 Alec Ogletree 33 Keenan Robinson 9 Telvin Smith 34 Daryl Smith 10 Mychal Kendricks 35 Vontaze Burfict 11 Kiko Alonso 36 Zach Brown 12 Ryan Shazier 37 Curtis Lofton 13 Khalil Mack 38 Brandon Marshall 14 Justin Houston 39 Derrick Johnson 15 Danny Trevathan 40 Daryl Washington 16 Damario Davis 41 Christian Kirksey 17 Sean Lee 42 Denzel Perryman 18 Nigel Bradham 43 Jerry Hughes 19 Jelani Jenkins 44 Benardick McKinney 20 Stephone Anthony 45 Brian Cushing 21 Eric Kendricks 46 Karlos Dansby 22 Sio Moore 47 Sean Witherspoon 23 Preston Moore 48 Clay Matthews 24 Avery Williamson 49 Shaq Thompson 25 Jerrell Freeman 50 Christian Jones FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 39

40 FakePigskin.com Top 50 Defensive Backs (IDP Scoring, Dynasty Format) Rank Player Rank Player 1 Harrison Smith 26 Michael Griffin 2 Reshad Jones 27 Antoine Bethea 3 T.J. McDonald 28 Kenny Vaccaro 4 Morgan Burnett 29 Kyle Fuller 5 Tyrann Mathieu 30 Ron Parker 6 Eric Weddle 31 Calvin Pryor 7 Landon Colllins 32 James Sample 8 Jonathan Cyprien 33 Will Hill 9 Kam Chancellor 34 Kemal Ishmael 10 Tashaun Gipson 35 Bradley McDougald 11 Haha Clinton-Dix 36 Mike Adams 12 Da Norris Searcy 37 Clayton Geathers 13 Bradley Roby 38 Aaron Williams 14 Tyvon Branch 39 Alterraun Verner 15 T.J. Ward 40 Desmond Trufant 16 Barry Church 41 Jonathan Joseph 17 William Moore 42 DeAngelo Hall 18 Prince Amukamura 43 Donte Whitner 19 Deone Bucannon 44 Kendrick Lewis 20 Antrel Rolle 45 Nate Allen 21 Reggie Nelson 46 Ibraheim Campbell 22 Jason McCourty 47 James Ihedigbo 23 Earl Thomas 48 Rahsard Johnson 24 Charles Woodson 49 Robert Blanton 25 Corey Graham 50 J.J. Wilcox FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 40

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42 POOP SOUP AND SABOTAGE BY EVAN HALE I wanted to kill my cousin. Was it diarrhea brewing from the salmon, or was my stomach in knots from extreme anxiety? A wedding on a Monday night? Really? Oh, you re going to save some scratch since it isn t on a weekend? It s the Monday night game of week 16, and she just has to get married. How self-serving. My cousin is a photographer in Montreal, and gives absolutely no shits about football. Ironically, I was about to produce gallons of shit from the under cooked fish she served me at the reception. Jeremy Hill chewed up the Denver Broncos defense the entire game. A dominant performance. It s what the Cincinnati Bengals needed to compete in this game. This was bad news for me. Hill led my coworker to the promised land, and I couldn t do a thing about it. After the game I received a text, That was fun from my opponent. Rage filled my heart. Tears rolled off my chin into a poop soup filled toilet bowl. For the majority of fantasy teams, this is how our season ends. The worst part is the aftermath. You spend all off season listening to your douche bag coworker talk about that epic Week 3 waiver wire pick up, and how it led to his championship run. Next, you are greeted in the morning with sticky notes on your monitor with the just number 147 written (Hill s total rushing yards in week 16), and a new snap back Bengals hat sitting in your swivel chair. If you are like me, a deep rooted hatred and resentment builds in your loins. Evening prayers begin by begging God to grant him a slow death before he rots in hell. You become irrational, and start to plot his demise for this year s league. I don t care if I win one game this year. My goal is to ensure he loses all of his dignity this year. Here s a quick list I came up with on how we can (and will) sabotage last year s winner. There is no amount of money, or moral compass, that will deny us from ruining their fantasy team. Since this is a Draft Guide, the draft is what we will focus on. 1) Steal their pet. Please, no cruelty. Actually, take the pet on a walk, buy them some treats, and snuggle with them. I m a big pet lover. But we need to get their douche owner out of their comfort zone. When they notice Toto is gone, their draft strategy and research is completely thrown out the window. Return said pet promptly after draft. 2) Get them fired. If you work with them, this will be easier. Keep close tabs on when they leave their computer unlocked. Next lunch break, we are going to send an from their computer to the CEO. It will take the right combination of racial slurs, sexually offensive claims about their children or loved ones, and hefty mix of cuss words to ensure the job is done right. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 42

43 Without a job, they can t pay for the FakePigskin Draft Guide. Therefore, they stand no shot come draft day. 3) Pee on the door handle of their car door. This won t affect their draft analysis, but you ll always know they ve got your piss on their hands. Screw them. 4) Smash their computer. As the clock ticks down to their first pick, two league mates assault the champ and make sure he is suitably restrained. Use the closest hard object to break his computer/ipad/phone into pieces. Don t stop yelling, grunting, and smashing until the champ fears for his own life as well. Autodraft, bitch! Use a combination of two or three of these techniques to ensure this guy gets what s coming to him. Now, sit back and enjoy his team flounder. When Jeremy Hill blows out his ACL this year, mail him a knee brace. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 43

44 CHICAGO BEARS (PAYTON GARRETT) TEAM OUTLOOK The Chicago Bears are coming off of a 2014 season filled with highs and lows. A big part of the lows is the simple lack of point production on the field. The Bears finished 23rd in scoring. They finished 15th, right in the middle of the pack for overall fantasy production in spite of having top tier options at running back, wide receiver, and tight end. And while there were high hopes for a turnaround for the once fearsome Bears defense, it was unfortunately short lived. But the Bears have made some exciting changes this offseason that bode well for next season s fantasy success. New offensive coordinator Adam Gase will likely try to shake off the cobwebs and shake things up offensively for The Bears. Jay Cutler may see the biggest boost from the tutelage of the new OC. Gase recently worked with Peyton Manning, an elite quarterback to be sure. It was during Gase s tenure that Manning set single season records in passing and yardage. Instead of trying to fix Cutler like many other coaches have tried to do in the past, Gase looks to optimize Cutler. One of Gase s strong points is in creating mismatches on the field, and developing smart plays. He also will likely take away Cutler s ability to audible at the line and instead focus on creating more mobility for the quarterback. By upgrading the route quality and matchups and giving Cutler a more focused game plan, Gase can get the most out of his quarterback. One thing that is overlooked is that Cutler threw 28 touchdowns last season, the most of his career. If the defense can keep the team in more games instead of forcing the offense to scramble and Cutler can limit his turnovers, we may be looking at one of the most productive years for Cutler since his rookie season. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 44

45 While Cutler may have struggled there has always been plenty of passes to go around. Even with the loss of Brandon Marshall, the Bears are still sitting pretty in the receiver department with returning starter Alshon Jeffery, and new additions rookie Kevin White and veteran Eddie Royal. I expect the Bears to continue the trend of the NFC North with a pass happy offense, which will benefit all receivers. Jeffery is almost a lock to finish as a top 10 wide receiver, and many are speculating White could see ODBJ level rookie numbers. Eddie Royal is being overlooked by many analysts but could see pretty impressive numbers for his draft value. Overall, most agree the receiving corps is set for success. This also extends to tight end Martellus Bennett, who is coming off of his first Pro Bowl in Matt Forte looks to continue his remarkable consistency in the 2015 season. Only missing five games in seven seasons is impressive. When you factor in how many snaps he plays, and his involvement in both the rushing game and passing game, you get something freakish. Matt Forte may not be flashy, but he s persistently good. Last season Forte broke the record for most receptions by a running back in NFL history, while completing his third straight season of 1,000+ yards. It seems like while other running backs are slowing down with age, Forte just keeps on chugging. There has been some speculation that Forte could see a decrease in his workload this season due to his age, the loss of Head Coach Marc Trestman, and the addition of Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase. It s true that Trestman seemed to be good for Forte s numbers. It s no secret that his every down involvement increased, particularly in the passing game under his coaching. It s also true that both new Head Coach John Fox and OC Adam Gase typically favor running back committees. However, both have acknowledged that Forte is a special case and will be treated accordingly. What this translates to is quality over quantity. Before Trestman, Forte had less attempts, but his YPC average was higher. So even if Forte gets a rest every now and then, historically his overall numbers will still see a balanced improvement. Expect Forte to produce his typical top RB numbers, and keep an eye on him during your draft. In some mock drafts he s falling as low as the end of the second round. The Bears defense is a whole new story. Particularly because it s almost an all new defense. Last season the Bears finished a dismal 26th overall in fantasy scoring. They were routinely taken to the cleaners by their divisional counterparts, including back to back games allowing 50+ points. The addition of Head Coach John Fox and Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio will help. Bringing veteran coaches on to struggling teams has routinely seen success, including twice for John Fox. He helped turn around both the Carolina Panthers (2002), and the Denver Broncos (2011). Vic Fangio has also been lauded as one of the top DC s in the league. If anyone can turn this defense around it s these guys. The Bears also made some smart preseason moves with the acquisitions of Pernell McPhee and Antrel Rolle. Rolle brings veteran leadership and solid gameplay to a team that is sorely in need, and McPhee had more sacks (7.5) than any other Bear last season. One returning defensive player that has garnered a lot of praise is CB Kyle FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 45

46 Fuller. His rookie season was impressive with over 60 tackles and four interceptions. Though expectations should be tempered the groundwork is there for the Bears defense to change their fantasy stars. Overall, I expect the Bears to see marked improvement defensively. It s worth noting that there has been a lot of discussion about the new two point conversion rule. Last season The Bears were the most successful team in the NFL at pulling off the conversion, completing all 5 of their attempts. The new rule could be a big boost to their player's point production. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Jay Cutler, Jimmy Clausen RB: Matt Forte, Jacquizz Rodgers, Jeremy Langford WR: Alshon Jeffery, Kevin White, Eddie Royal, Marquess Wilson TE: Martellus Bennett, Dante Rosario K: Robbie Gould STUD PLAYER MARTELLUS BENNETT, TIGHT END When considering your top target for the Chicago Bears, a few names may come up. Should you aim on drafting emerging number one receiver Alshon Jeffery? Or maybe go after the ever consistent Matt Forte? These guys are definitely the more popular choices, but I have my sights set on tight end Martellus Bennett. Currently, most scouts are ranking Bennett as the 5th best tight end, and he s currently going around pick 75 in mock drafts. But, there are plenty of reasons why he s being undervalued. Bennett has consistently been trending upward since joining The Bears. His targets have increased by 38.5% from 2013 to 2014, and his yards per game have increased by 20.7%. If you use these numbers to project his production for next season you end up with 125 targets and a YPG average of In comparison Rob Gronkowski was targeted 82 times with a 74.9 YPG average, and he absolutely dominated fellow tight ends. The potential is definitely there for Bennett to have a great follow up to his breakout season. Bennett also out performs his competition. Over the past three seasons, between top TE s, only Bennett and Greg Olsen have participated in full seasons. Jimmy Graham comes close to this feat, but it s hard to forget how much of an impact his shoulder injury had on his targets and field time last season. Antonio Gates has also played a lot over the last few seasons, yet has been plagued with injuries. Both Rob Gronkowski and Julius Thomas have missed multiple games. Bennett has shown little signs of fatigue or injury concerns that would jeopardize his game attendance. Not to mention he s a huge target among tight ends. In 2014 he ran more pass routes than any other tight end and as a result he dominated in receptions, ending the FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 46

47 season with an impressive 90 catches, earning him the top spot among tight ends. He also forced more missed tackles than any other WR or TE in both 2013 and All this translates into just how much value Bennett brings to the Bears, which will directly translate into fantasy production. Furthermore, the absence of Brandon Marshall means more ball work to go around. Last season Marshall was targeted 106 times, including 15 red zone targets. With Marshall often running slot routes, Bennett can look to see an increase in routes as well. Kevin White and Alshon Jeffery are far from chopped liver when it comes to capable receivers, however the absence of Marshall leaves more than enough balls to go around. Expect Bennett s already impressive targets to see a healthy increase. Finally, Bennett should see a boost in production with the addition of Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase. Formerly OC for the Denver Broncos, Gase was a big factor in making tight end Julius Thomas a fantasy stud. One of his favorite play calls is giving it to the big guy in the red zone, and with Bennett topping 6 foot 6 inches, 265 lbs I think he qualifies. In the 2013 and 2014 seasons Thomas saw 25 and 29 red zone targets (respectively) and we all know more targets mean more possible touchdowns. Gase should also bring a little stability to their lackluster quarterback production from Jay Cutler. While going from the likes of Peyton Manning to Jay Cutler is quite an adjustment, Adam saw quite a bit of success in his time with Manning. Including Peyton s 2013 season where he set single season records in both passing and yardage. While players like Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham are being taken in the second round, Bennett is being drafted around round seven. So not only could he be a potential stud on the field for the Bears, he also has the potential to produce massive numbers for your team with a discounted price tag. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 47

48 TEAM SLEEPER EDDIE ROYAL, WIDE RECEIVER The Chicago Bears are working with some pretty solid offensive weapons for this upcoming fantasy season. Matt Forte has performed at a level of consistency previously unheard of for running backs. Alshon Jeffery is emerging as the starting receiver after breaking free from the shadow of Brandon Marshall. And Martellus Bennett is entering the 2015 season after making his first Pro Bowl, and finishing as a top tier tight end. Additionally, The Bears landed immediate starter Kevin White in the first round of the NFL draft. But, with all these brand name guys it s easy to miss some bargain buys on draft day. Players like wide receiver Eddie Royal. Eddie Royal is a seasoned veteran coming off two of the strongest seasons of his career. In fact, the only season that outperformed his recent success was in 2008 during his stint with the Denver Broncos. His quarterback at the time? Jay Cutler. Royal finished the 2014 season with 123 fantasy points in standard scoring, which would put him in the top 35 wide receivers.however, he was only owned in a handful of leagues. A lot of this could be chopped up to his feast or famine fantasy numbers, but the talent is definitely there. Expect him to see more stability in Chicago, and if rookie Kevin White fails to make the NFL transition, Royal could FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 48

49 see a healthy increase in his targets. With the defensive spotlight squarely on Alshon Jeffery and new star Kevin White, Royal could fly under a lot of defensive and fantasy radars. Largely going undrafted, Royal could easily see himself as a top 30 wide receiver once more, with a lot of upside. SLEEPER HONORABLE MENTION: KYLE FULLER, CORNERBACK Kyle Fuller is coming off a productive rookie season of 50 solos tackles, 13 assisted tackles, 10 pass deflections, 4 interceptions, and 92.5 total fantasy points. I expect these numbers to improve even further in his second season, and he should have plenty of opportunities for picks in the pass happy NFC North. Not to mention new head coach John Fox hasn t spoken much about any individual defensive players, but Kyle Fuller received a shout out from his new head coach. I m taking that as a ringing endorsement. Currently he is being sorely overlooked and could be had for a steal in IDP drafts. ROOKIE TO WATCH KEVIN WHITE, WIDE RECEIVER It was no surprise that West Virginia WR Kevin White was taken by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. After all, the Bears were left with big shoes to fill after the trade of top wideout Brandon Marshall. While some have worried that he may be a one hit wonder, others are impressed with his spectacular senior season of almost 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns, not to mention his blazing time, and tying for most bench reps at the 2015 combine. White looks to produce early and often with the Bears, starting opposite Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery made quite an impact last season, finishing with over 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns. But Jeffrey was often facing single coverage while Marshall faced the double coverage. This season I expect to see more double coverage for Jeffery as he ll be Jay Cutler s primary target. This is great news for White as his speed and strength will shine in a single coverage situation. Not to mention that Alshon s success last season bodes well for White s fantasy potential. The team has already proven that it can produce two fantasy relevant wide receivers in spite of recent ho-hum performances from quarterback Jay Cutler. White has often been compared to Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins. They both possess comparable arm length, impressive downfield speed, and velcro hands. But White is almost 2 inches taller with even more speed than his counterpart. Hopkins thrived last season with the Texans while fellow wide receiver Andre Johnson drew more coverage. Hopkins finished the 2014 season with over 1,200 yards and 6 touchdowns. It s entirely possible that White can produce similar numbers. Kevin White is one of the few rookie receivers able to make an immediate fantasy impact. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 49

50 When you factor in his speed and strength you're left with an intimidating force that defenses will have trouble defending, especially when you figure in the reception threats from Alshon Jeffery, Matt Forte, and tight end Martellus Bennett. If 2014 taught us anything it was not to undervalue a rookie, with players like Mike Evans, Martavis Bryant, Tre Mason, Jeremy Hill, Kelvin Benjamin, Sammy Watkins, and Odell Beckham Jr making stellar fantasy debuts. My prediction for White is 1,000 yards and 7 touchdowns. Based on numbers from the 2014 season, this would make him a top 25 wide receiver. As such I recommend drafting him early in the seventh round. It s always risky drafting a rookie, but White has the potential to produce some dramatic fantasy numbers. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 50

51 DETROIT LIONS (DENNIS DUNBAR) TEAM OUTLOOK In 2014, Detroit failed to live up to expectations of the high-volume passing offenses of years past. However we did see Matthew Stafford improve in his mechanics and he turned the ball over less. I believe a combination of injury and year one of a new system caused Detroit's offense to live up to expectations. That's why heading into 2015 I am lowering my expectations for Matthew Stafford. Outside of one excellent statistical season (2011) Stafford has been a middle-of-the-road fantasy quarterback. However, Detroit was still one of five offenses to produce multiple 1,000 yard receivers. In 2014 we saw the Lions play calling go from one extreme to the other. Detroit had been a gunslinger's high pass volume offense who consistently tested the defense down field, to a dink and dunk conservative approach who tried to ground and pound opponents. With the arrival of Golden Tate prior to the 2014 season, the Lions finally got the legitimate receiver to compliment Calvin Johnson. The days of Kris Durham, Ryan Broyles, and others failing to step up are over. With Detroit now being able to threaten the defense on both sides of the field one would suspect 2014 was an outlier in terms of production. Calvin Johnson started off 2014 with a ban, going for 164 yards on 7 receptions, along with 2 TDs. However, the injury bug struck once again and we saw Calvin fall off from weeks Two of those weeks he was nothing more than a decoy. Week 10 we finally saw Megatron at 90%. He was on FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 51

52 pace the second half of the season for 1,500 yards and 10 TDs (Calvin Johnson type production). Rookie tight end Eric Ebron was a disappointment and struggled with drops all season. Rookie tight ends don't typically make an impact their first year. Detroit is still high on Ebron and are expecting big things out of the sophomore tight end. The Lions ranked 14th out of 16 NFC teams in rushing in The Lions obviously want to run the ball. They made attempts this offseason to shore up their line by free agency and the draft. Their first round pick, Laken Tomlinson, is one of the best run blocking guards in this class. The pick of Ameer Abdullah was tailor made for Detroit's turf. Abdullah is a shifty back who has elite vision, stop/start ability, and plays with determination despite his smaller stature. Joique Bell didn't show he could be the true bell-cow last year. He is coming of consecutive offseason surgeries as well as averaging under 4 ypc. The departure of Reggie Bush opens up a ton of targets out of the backfield for Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick. I look for Detroit to vastly improve on their 28th ranked rushing attack in TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Matthew Stafford, Dan Orlovsky RB: Joique Bell (SD), Theo Riddick (3RB), Ameer Abdullah (3RB) FB: Emil Igwenagu WR: Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate (PR), Jeremy Ross (KR/PR), Corey Fuller TE: Brandon Pettigrew, Eric Ebron K: Matt Prater STUD PLAYER CALVIN JOHNSON, WIDE RECEIVER The reason I am choosing Calvin is because he is being drafted as the sixth or seventh receiver. Calvin is still the most dominating receiver in the league. Injuries have robbed him over the last couple of years. But the fact remains when he is on the field he is a monster. You don't get a complete zero. You do get the points from the replacement player you slot in his place. Most teams carry extra WRs anyways. Calvin has already proved he can finish the season as the #1 WR. He is being treated in drafts like Arian Foster and Rob Gronkowski were prior to the 2014 season. Owners who took a shot on both of those players were handsomely rewarded. Those who are lucky enough to get 81 in the second round should laugh all the way to the bank. DO NOT overthink this...it's Calvin "Megatron" Johnson. TEAM SLEEPER AMEER ABDULLAH, RUNNING BACK FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 52

53 He hits the hole like he was shot out of a cannon, runs like a jack rabbit with the ball in his hands, plays with a sense of urgency, can cut on a dime and return to top speed within a step or two, his feet move with his eyes, very instinctual runner, has a very low pad level which gives him more power and leverage for a guy his size. What he lacks in size he makes up for in determination and grit, elite elusiveness, excellent vision, great short area quickness known as a very hard worker in the locker room, pass protection is an issue, he had fumblitis throughout his career but his fumble rate dramatically improved each year, and is small for the position. (shake-n-bake of LeSean McCoy and the intensity and heart of Ahmad Bradshaw) find out more on Ameer Abdullah. Abdullah really fits in well with what Detroit wants to do on offense. He is very underrated as a receiver out of the backfield. The only concerns I have for Abdullahis he might miss out on playing time due to his inefficiencies in pass protection and Joique Bell might vulture a ton of touchdowns. As ineffective as Bell is between the 20's he has shown to be a viable red zone threat. Abdullah's 9th round ADP makes him a steal. He should easily outperform this draft slot. He is the perfect RB3 to own. It may be a slow start so hang on to him or acquire him if someone grows impatient and drops him. It's only a matter of time until he takes full command of this Detroit backfield. ROOKIE TO WATCH ZACH ZENNER, RUNNING BACK The South Dakota state product was extremely productive as a college running back. He had three consecutive 2,000 yard rushing seasons. This is the type of dominance you would expect from a small school prospect. Zenner is a big back at 5'11" 223lbs andis extremely agile for a big man, posting SPARQX Score. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if Zenner emerges as the thunder to Abdullah's lighting in the Motor City. Keep him on your Dynasty roster and Redraft watch list. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 53

54 GREEN BAY PACKERS (MILES BOZEMAN) TEAM OUTLOOK (BEN ROLFE) The Green Bay machine kept rolling in 2014 with another playoff appearance following a 12-4 season in the NFC North. Their offense was as always unbelievable last season led by the fantastic Aaron Rodgers, and they enter 2015 with the same core that caused so much destruction last season. Rodgers himself is undoubtedly one of the best two QB s in fantasy entering this season and his only limiting factor is whether he can stay healthy all season. With this offense around him Rodgers can throw the ball at will and should rack up 5,000+ yards with 35+ touchdowns to make him a fantasy stud once again. At the running back position Eddie Lacy will lead the group after a strong 2014 and with defenses having to be aware of Rodgers he should find plenty of weak boxes to run into as well as getting plenty of goal line opportunities. James Starks will see time spelling Lacy and is the backup if Lacy goes down, but right now he is nothing more than a handcuff. Jordy Nelson once again leads the receiving corps into 2015 coming off a year where he broke some monster plays. While I don t expect those same monster plays, I do expect him to be a quality wide receiver who is a low end 1 with high end two floor. Randall Cobb will enter as the number 2 after choosing to stay this offseason and this makes him a slam dunk #2 wide out for fantasy with Davante Adams being a low end flex/wr4 type depending on how they use him. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 54

55 At tight end they have Richard Rodgers who will see some catches but it is unlikely they will use him enough to make him stand out for fantasy. On the defensive side of the ball they have the fear striking duo of Julius Peppers and the immortal Clay Matthews who will wreak havoc on opponent s offenses. Looking further back there should be decent production from the safety duo of Burnett and Clinton-Dix but be sure to check out the IDP staff s rankings for more depth. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Aaron Rodgers, Scott Tolzien RB:, Eddie Lacy, James Starks FB: John Kuhn WR: Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Jeff Janis TE: Richard Rodgers, Andrew Quarless K: Mason Crosby STUD PLAYER AARON RODGERS, QUARTERBACK Aaron Rodgers is clearly the number one quarterback in the NFL. That ranking easily carries over to fantasy. Productive Offense [Check] The Packers are consistently finishing as a Top-10 team in total offense every year. Volume [Check] The Green Packers run their offense through Rodgers. They are no longer the ground and pound franchise. Rodgers will consistently have a high number of attempts per game, usually resulting in a highly efficient and high scoring result Good Offensive Line [Check] The Packers line has gone through some issues the past few years. They return with newly re-signed tackle Bryan Bulaga and will finally have talent and chemistry. Weapons [Check] Rodgers also has two Top-10 Fantasy wide receivers and a Top-10 running back the past two years. Stud [Check} Andrew Luck could give Aaron Rodgers a run for his money as the top Quarterback in the NFL, but I have a hard time believing he can without a supporting cast like that of Rodgers and a coach who wants to throw, throw, throw. Aaron Rodgers is a stud and should be the best fantasy quarterback option. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 55

56 TEAM SLEEPER JEFF JANIS, WIDE RECEIVER Jeff Janis may not see the field in Green Bay too much if everyone stays healthy. His exciting sleeper value comes from his comparison to Jordy Nelson. If we see an injury to Nelson in Green Bay it may not result in a large influx of Davante Adams like most think. The Packers love the size, speed and strength of Janis and could let him attempt to fill the role, especially if they can truly find a diamond in the rough. Look for the use of the Packers 2 nd string receivers in the upcoming pre-season games. If Jeff Janis looks to be lining up in the Jordy Nelson Role with the second team in those games, you may want to run out and pick him up if we see Nelson go down at any point this season. ROOKIE TO WATCH TY MONTGOMERY, WIDE RECEIVER The first thing you notice about Ty Montgomery is that he is built like a running back. He moves like one too; with quick feet he is able to create separation in his routes, not to mention jawdropping plays. Montgomery will probably be the main returner for the Packers next year, with a foothold in the backup slot/3 rd receiver role. Ty Montgomery is an athletic marvel, but does need to work on his natural receiver skills. Route running diversity and drops are an issue for Montgomery. He is a high character young man who could work hard enough to see some time on the field this season, but with such a stacked wide receiver depth chart in Green Bay, that will be an uphill battle. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 56

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58 MINNESOTA VIKINGS (KYLE ROBERT) TEAM OUTLOOK The Minnesota Vikings are an offense that is set to make a ton of noise this season. They are loaded with talent, including arguably the best running back in the NFL, and a quarterback ready to make a huge leap forward in his second season, Teddy Bridgewater. Charles Johnson, Cordarrelle Patterson, Mike Wallace and the rest of the Vikings receiving core will be the beneficiaries of Bridgewater's improvement. The return of running back Adrian Peterson won t hurt either. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Teddy Bridgewater, Shaun Hill RB: Adrian Peterson, Jerick McKinnon, Matt Asiata FB: Zach Line WR:, Charles Johnson, Mike Wallace, Jarius Wright TE: Kyle Rudolph, Rhett Ellison K: Blair Walsh FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 58

59 STUD PLAYER ADRIAN PETERSON, RUNNING BACK The last time Adrian Peterson missed any significant amount of time was 2011 when he tore his ACL against the Washington Redskins. He missed the rest of the season and worked insanely hard to get back on the field. That hard work payed off as Peterson eclipsed the 2,000 yard mark. He enters this season after missing time due to different circumstances, but should be driven for this season. I expect a monster season from Peterson, who enters 2015 as my number one running back. With the Vikings passing attack continuing to develop, Peterson should see a lot less eight man fronts. This will be Norv Turner s first full season running the offense with Peterson in the fold. Turner should help Peterson see more looks in the passing attack, only adding to his value. TEAM SLEEPER TEDDY BRIDGEWATER, QUARTERBACK Teddy Bridgewater is set to have an impressive second season in Minnesota. In his rookie season with the Vikings, Bridgewater threw for almost 3,000 yards despite starting the season in a reserve role. Down the stretch, Bridgewater started to get comfortable and produced. His final four games produced 200 plus passing yards, two of those being 300 plus yards. 4 of his last 6 games were multiple touchdown games. Bridgewater will be around QB 15 in my rankings for this season, making him a great option as a streamer play or if you utilize a two quarterback system and you play the match ups.. His passing numbers will improve this season and he can flash some of his athleticism utilizing his legs, adding to his fantasy potential for this season. He is among the two or three names outside the top 15, that could end up in the top 8 at season's end. ROOKIE TO WATCH STEFON DIGGS, WIDE RECEIVER Stefon Diggs is a name that makes more sense for Dynasty formats than redraft. That said, Diggs is a name all owners should keep on their radar. He was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school that ended up heading to Maryland. When quarterback C.J. Brown was able to stay healthy, Diggs resembled the player many thought he could be. Unfortunately for Diggs, Brown was unable to remain healthy much of the past two seasons, hurting Diggs' numbers. In Minnesota, he can be a slot receiver that finds production underneath. Norv Turner s offense can utilize multiple receivers and has the potential to deploy 3 and 4 wideouts. Diggs has potential but it likely doesn't come early with the Vikings. Grab pieces of this offense where you can. The future is bright and Norv Turner has shown the ability as a coordinator to produce fantasy points in bunches. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 59

60 How Fantasy Football Has Helped Me Grow Up BY LUKE TAYLOR When I was asked (or should I say convinced?) into contributing something for the 2015 FakePigskin.com draft guide, I struggled mightily in deciding exactly what I wanted to write. Having been several months since I last laid pen to paper (and even longer since I wrote about something fantasy football related), I honestly didn t even know where to begin. Do I go the flashy route and try to impress you with numbers from players I quite frankly don t know near as well as the other authors you ll hear from in this guide? Do I don my flat-billed hot take hat and blow your mind with some bold predictions for the upcoming year? Several ideas waged war within my head for about a month until I settled on something a little more from the heart. Now, I don t claim to be an expert by any means. And I certainly haven t played this game as long as some of my esteemed colleagues on this site and in the industry in general, but I do feel that I've gleaned some valuable lessons from over a decade of playing this game. And those lessons, oddly enough, I ve found have not only helped me succeed in a fake sport, have also helped me mature into the husband, father, and young man I am today. I'd like to share those with you today. The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men (and Fantasy Football Degenerates) Often Go Awry If I could choose one thing that I ve learned from fantasy football that stands out among the rest, it would be that things rarely - if ever - go according to plan. You re going to read some amazing articles and stumble across some rankings in this guide that you feel vibe with your innermost being. And who knows, maybe you'll read something in this guide that will lead you to a championship or a big haul in DFS - I hope you do! But don t get your hopes up. How s that saying go? Hope for the best, but plan for the worst." Now, I don t mean to be a negative Nancy and take a dump all over the rest of this guide, and certainly drafting plays an important role in building the foundation of your team. But the fact of the matter is no one - not even the biggest names in this industry - wins a title strictly because of what they did in the draft. No, titles are won by being active on the waiver wire and making smart trades throughout the year. In other words, titles are won by adapting to the circumstances around you. Whether it be by injury, trade, or a coaching staff being stubborn with an incumbent starter instead of letting the hot new rookie take the reigns, the ebb and flow of an NFL season is mighty and it wreaks havoc on the situations we were convinced would be fruitful in the pre season. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 60

61 The same goes in real life. We can make all the plans that we d like, and it s not the making of the plans that s necessarily wrong - it s good to have goals, after all - it s just that we need to be prepared to rip up the game script and improvise now and then. To quote Jim from episode five of season one of The Walking Dead : It s not about what you want. That, uh that sound you hear. That s God laughing while you make plans." Everyone s Different This one (and maybe all of them, I suppose) are somewhat cliche, but each one truly has helped shape who I am as a person to some extent. Coming to the realization that everyone s different has perhaps been the toughest of these lessons to grasp, and it s probably safe to say that I still have some work to do in this department. The biggest takeaway I ve received, as it relates to fantasy football, is that I can t make people play the same way I play. I ve been the commissioner of my main home league now for 10 of the 12 years the league has been in existence, and during that time I ve come to realize that some people simply enjoy playing fantasy football purely for the fun of it, and see it as another way to experience the sport they love - nothing more. They don t necessarily care if they win or lose; they will set their lineups each week, maybe pick up a free agent or two, and probably won t do much trading - if any. And that s it. In other words, the complete opposite of how I run my team. I ve had to learn that I can t force my ways, viewpoints, or strategies on my league mates, much similar to how I ve had to learn to I can t do the same with co-workers, friends, family members, and even people on the internet. Growing up in a fairly sheltered home with a basic and often times strict belief system, I think I entered adulthood with a narrow viewpoint of the world and how it works. But once you re thrust into the real world you come to find out that some people had similar upbringings, but most of the people you ll encounter or have relationships with are completely different than you. And while I believe it s important to remember where you came from and to cling to certain aspects of your belief system, it s even more important to remember that everyone s different and we re in no position to pass judgement on others. Instead we need to interact with grace and love. Control What You Can Control For years I ve struggled with (and admittedly still do, on occasion) obsessing over how my fantasy teams are performing, especially during the games on Sunday's. I would constantly be refreshing my phone while out to lunch with the family after church, or sit for hours at home with a laptop screen open just waiting for the tiniest, little change in my score. And what I ve FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 61

62 slowly (very slowly) begun to realize, is this accomplishes absolutely nothing. Yes, me staring at the live scoring page on myfantasyleague.com while quietly muttering profanities at my players who aren t doing well, surprisingly does nothing for my score. So, what I ve come to learn is to focus only on the things that I can control. And when it comes to my success, or lack thereof, in the upcoming in week in fantasy football, the only thing within my jurisdiction are the players I choose for my lineup. How they perform after I hit that "submit" button for the last time has nothing to do with how much I hover over my phone or laptop. And frankly, it brings on unwanted stress and takes attention away from my family. The bottom line is despite how much we like to think we can control in our life, there really is very little we actually can; fantasy football is a microcosm of that. Instead, focus on the few things you can. So, in summation, adapt to your circumstances, remember that everyone is different and may not appreciate your 20 trade offers a day, and to hit the submit button and then let the chips fall where they may. I hope you ve found even just a little of what I ve had to say useful. Now, please, go and enjoy the rest of the FakePigskin.com 2015 Draft Guide! FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 62

63 ATLANTA FALCONS (GRANT HARRISON) TEAM OUTLOOK For the first time since 2007, the Atlanta Falcons will be playing for a head coach not named Mike Smith. Dan Quinn joins them after a hugely successful two year stint as defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. Quinn is known as a players coach and his first task in Atlanta will be to turn around a locker room that had become complacent under Smith. The presence of seventh year Quarterback Matt Ryan will be key to Quinn s attempt to turn the Falcons around quickly. Ryan completed 66% of his passed for 4,694 in 2014 and tossed 28 touchdowns & 14 interceptions. Matty Ice has consistently been a solid, mid to low end QB1 in most fantasy formats and looks set to continue that in The former Boston College standout has played with a top 16 defense to back him up twice in his seven year career. With Quinn bringing across his simple scheme that worked so well in Seattle, Ryan will have advantageous game scripts for the first time in years. Kyle Shanahan joins Quinn s new look coaching staff as Offensive Coordinator, bringing with him his zone running game and play action heavy passing attack. In the 2015 draft, the Falcons selected Tevin Coleman, the running back out of Indiana. The move was met with some derision by the draft community, with many seeing Coleman as more of a North- South runner who benefited from long plays in college. There are question marks over Coleman s vision, which is something that is paramount to having success in the zone running scheme. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 63

64 This is where second year player Devonta Freeman, drafted in the fourth round out of Florida State, comes into play. Freeman is an ideal fit in the new scheme and has enough of an athletic skill set to succeed in the NFL. Freeman runs with patience and intelligence, skills that Shanahan covets in a running back. His ability as a pass catcher & pass protector also boost his chances of seeing the field. Freeman may well end up being the best value of the two backs, particularly if Coleman displays some of the same negative traits that scouts dinged him for in the pre draft process. The only other back of note on the Falcons roster is Antone Smith, who briefly lit up the NFL in 2014 with a series of long touchdowns that left Falcons fans questioning, just why hasn t this guy been used before? To put it another way, on 29 career rushes, Smith averages 9.9 yards per carry, on 20 career receptions, he averages 15.5 yards per reception. All of this with five touchdowns in these 49 touches. A smart coaching staff will find a way to get Smith involved and get fans in Atlanta excited. Smith will likely prove to be too volatile to start in fantasy unless he gets a more regular work load. I won t waste your time waxing lyrical about the virtues of Julio Jones, theres a whole section for that later! The rest of the Falcons receiving corps should prove interesting for fantasy owners in 2015, particularly those looking to extract some value out of mid-late round picks. Roddy White is an intriguing option who has always had an excellent connection with Matt Ryan, he has however battled injuries each of the last two seasons that have compromised his ability to separate from cornerbacks. Despite this, White is still a target magnet in a Falcons passing attack that although it may take a step back in terms of attempts this year, will likely see an increase in its efficiency. White also remains a top tier option in the red zone and his TD total from 2014 (7) seems to be safe to expect again in Justin Hardy & Leonard Hankerson provide the other two interesting options for fantasy this year. I wouldn t expect either to be drafted in 12 man leagues but both have upside that owners should take note of. Hardy figures to step straight into the now departed Harry Douglas shoes as the Falcons primary slot receiver. The leading receiver in FBS history (381 receptions), Hardy is a savvy route runner and plays bigger than his size. Douglas always struggled with contested catches and in the red zone, areas that scouts noted that Hardy excelled at. The former East Carolina Pirate standout should grow into a solid PPR flex option as the season progresses. Hankerson on the other hand is on a one year prove it deal in Atlanta, following Kyle Shanahan from Washington. A big bodied kid out of Miami, Hankerson is one to watch in the preseason as he has received rave reviews throughout OTA s. If Roddy White continues to struggle with injury, Hankerson figures to step into his role opposite Julio Jones. Jacob Tamme, Tony Moeaki & Levine Toilolo are the tight ends on the Falcons roster, none will really register much success in fantasy this year. Tamme is the only one potentially worth a late flyer in deep leagues. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 64

65 TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Matt Ryan, T.J. Yates RB: Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman, Antone Smith FB: Patrick DiMarco WR: Julio Jones, Roddy White, Devin Hester (PR), Justin Hardy TE: Jacob Tamme, Levine Toilolo K: Matt Bryant STUD PLAYER JULIO JONES, WIDE RECEIVER How good will Julio Jones be in 2015? It s not unreasonable to say he will be the number one receiver in fantasy. Finishing 2014 with 1,593 yards and 104 receptions was very impressive, particularly considering he missed a game. The six touchdowns he caught was much less impressive, it is however something that can be looked at as an anomaly. This was a big drop off from the last time he played this many games, in 2012, where he registered 10 TD s as the second option in the offense. Dirk Koetter s red zone play calling also left a lot to be desired in Atlanta, seemingly preferring to throw fade routes to small running backs rather than his gargantuan receivers. With a new coaching staff looking to make an immediate impact, the quickest way to do this is by using their best weapon all over the field. One thing that Julio will not lack in 2015 will be targets, he missed one game last year and still received the third most targets in the league (163), this will not be changing under Kyle Shanahan, who has a history of peppering his number one receiver with target after target. In 2013, Pierre Garcon led the league with 183 and in 2008 & 2009, Andre Johnson finished 2nd & 1st (171 both times) respectively in targets whilst playing in a Shanahan offense. Playing for a long term deal in 2015, Julio has all the incentives in the world to play at an elite level again in He has a chance to set the market for wide receivers across the NFL if he continues to play like he did in Everyone saw Julio take over Lambeau Field in that Monday night game against the Packers. A few more performances like that and he will be guaranteed to break the bank. That ability to truly take over a game of football is what can separate Julio from the rest of the WR1 s available to you in the late first and early second round of standard leagues. When he is on, he is really, really on. He had three games of over 160 yards in 2014 and he scored in each of them. This is the kind of game breaking ability that can really win game weeks for you and that s what you have to draft in the early rounds of your drafts. To put it quite succinctly, Julio is an elite talent in a great situation, playing for a bumper pay day. Draft him and don t worry about him for the rest of the season. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 65

66 TEAM SLEEPER RODDY WHITE, WIDE RECEIVER Previously a fixture in the top few rounds of fantasy drafts, Roddy White is currently being drafted as the Wide Receiver 35 according to FFCalculator.com. This is behind guys such as Mike Wallace, Vincent Jackson & even rookies Kevin White & Nelson Agholor. So that s a guy entering a new, run heavy offense, another receiver on the downward slope of his career playing with a rookie quarterback, a rookie playing for a Head Coach who hates rookies and a rookie in a run heavy offense without a Quarterback. White received 125 targets in 14 games in 2014 and he was dinged up for a handful of those. This level of usage appears to be staying the same in 2015, and with the Falcons still ignoring the tight end position, White s usefulness across the middle of the field and in the redzone will ensure he stays a viable starting wide receiver in fantasy. As I touched on in my team outlook of the Falcons, White has been Matt Ryan s favorite target since the QB entered the league. Since Ryan landed in Atlanta, White has slipped below 7 touchdown receptions only once, that was in an injury plagued season in This safe floor for touchdown production shows just how valuable White can be to a team, particularly when he s barely being drafted as a wide receiver three. Julio Jones' continued growth into a truly elite, number one receiver, means that White will receive less and less attention from opposing defenses. White also stands to benefit from the improved running game the Falcons figure to have as part of the change of coaching staff. White excels at getting open after play action, particularly on comeback routes and crossers over the middle. This improvement in situation should account for any decline in White s physical skill set. ROOKIE TO WATCH TEVIN COLEMAN, RUNNING BACK Tevin Coleman was the hand picked back to feature in Kyle Shanahan s new zone running scheme in Atlanta. After a star studded college career in Indiana, where in his final season he rushed for 2,036 yards, many draftniks thought he could go as high as the second round. Concerns over his running style and him possessing the sickle cell trait caused him to drop to the third round where the Falcons didn t hesitate to grab him. Coleman possesses elite speed, shown by his impressive 4.39 he ran in the 40 yard dash at the combine. This also shone through in his college tape where he burst off long run after long run, including 52 & 90 yard touchdowns against the national championship winning Ohio State Buckeyes. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 66

67 The weaknesses to Coleman s game that has turned off a number of the draft community include a lack of power in his running, criticism of his vision and his upright running style. The lack of power is somewhat concerning to me, however it s not like Coleman is a Bishop Sankeyesque runner who drops at first contact every play. Hehas the ability to break tackles, but he s not your typical Big 10 runner who pushes the pile. The concerns over his vision are certainly legitimate as he often bounced things outside when it wasn t necessary to do so. The big plus point for fantasy owners interested in owning Coleman is the opportunity that is available to him; he only has to beat out Devonta Freeman to be a true workhorse back for the Falcons. Freeman flashed a little as a rookie but on the whole was disappointing. Kyle Shanahan has a history of making stars out of running backs and with Coleman s ADP an intriguing 29th running back of the board, he could make for a good mid-round option to boost a team that drafts wide receivers early. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 67

68 CAROLINA PANTHERS (KYLE ROBERT) TEAM OUTLOOK The Carolina Panthers rewarded Cam Newton this offseason with a brand new deal that will pay him over $100 million, with $60 million guaranteed. He will be the guy running the show in Carolina for the foreseeable future after this deal. With a healthy Newton under center, the Panthers offense should be a productive one this season. Newton will have some new weapons to utilize this season, along with some familiar faces. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Cam Newton, Derek Anderson RB: Jonathan Stewart, Fozzy Whittaker, Cameron Artis-Payne FB: Mike Tolbert WR: Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Jerricho Cotchery, Corey Brown (KR) TE: Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson K: Graham Gano STUD PLAYER CAM NEWTON, QUARTERBACK Cam Newton seems to be overlooked this season. Mostly because last season was a disappointment for most Newton owners. There were several contributing factors to Newton s FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 68

69 lack of success last season, the biggest being his injured ankle. Newton missed time at the start of the season recovering and had to get healthy on the field. Any injury to a quarterback s base, especially knees and/or feet can be a huge problem. They are unable to set their feet and deliver the ball with typical timing and velocity. Newton is seemingly 100% heading into the 2015 season, which should set up for a nice bounce back campaign. Newton also spent last season without his go to guy, Steve Smith. Newton was forced to use rookie Kelvin Benjamin, Jerricho Cotchery and Philly Brown. While none of these players are bad, they aren t Steve Smith. Benjamin, for example, spent much of last season being force fed the ball. He was only able to catch 50% off his 146 targets in Despite the struggles, Newton still managed the same points per game as fellow NFC South quarterback, Matt Ryan. This season Newton should improve on his numbers. The Panthers added Devin Funchess to occupy the side opposite Benjamin. Despite not being a huge Funchess believer, it is still an upgrade. He has the size to be a playmaker for Newton and should force defenses to not shade their safeties to Benjamin's side consistently. Newton should also be able to drive the ball better and ideally cut down on the turnovers. Newton likely will not utilize his legs as much this season. The Panthers will want to protect their investment and they have a couple options at running back for the short yardage plays. TEAM SLEEPER DEVIN FUNCHESS, WIDE RECEIVER The Panthers have another rookie wide receiver that has the potential to help fantasy owners this season. Devin Funchess is a big, physical receiver that should start week 1 and is going late. Currently he is the 66th receiver off of the board and 188 overall. While I don t think he has wide reciever 1 upside, the potential for him to be a solid flex option who can produce WR2 numbers in some weeks is there. The Panthers will avoid force feeding any of their pass catchers this season, but Funchess should get plenty of opportunities. Newton could utilize the rookie receiver in the red zone and on third down. If he shows to have better hands than Benjamin, he could become more of a focus in the passing game. He has the potential to be a steal in best ball leagues and in DFS. ROOKIE TO WATCH CAMERON ARTIS-PAYNE, RUNNING BACK Cameron Artis-Payne has the chance to impact the Carolina Panthers as soon as this season. Jonathan Stewart played in double-digit games last season for the first time since It was the first time since 2010 that he had more than 150 carries. He would win the award for the Panther most likely to end up on injured reserve. When playing, Stewart was solid last season, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He showed up for owners in the fantasy playoffs, averaging 109 yards per game. DeAngelo Williams is gone. Artis-Payne should be able to supplant Fozzy Whitaker as the backup in Carolina. Owners may have to wait, but he has the potential to pay dividends as the season goes along. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 69

70 The Panthers will get to play against some poor defenses in the NFC South, which should allow them to have a chance to produce some big numbers on offense. The fantasy points should be prevalent for the Panthers this season. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 70

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72 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (ANDREW DODSON) TEAM OUTLOOK The last 12 months have been a tumultuous time for the New Orleans Saints. The team had come off of an extremely successful 2013 season with a revamped defense to compliment their prolific offense. GM Mickey Loomis pulled off some voodoo magic by signing Jimmy Graham to a second contract as well as bringing in the best safety in free agency in Jairus Byrd. The team capped all of that off when they drafted Brandin Cooks in the first round of the NFL Draft. Many believed that this was the most talented roster the Saints had ever assembled, and that they could make a run for another championship. The Saints struggled from the word Go in 2014 as the team failed to gel, despite the unreal amount of talent on the roster. These struggles revealed holes in the roster and caused the landslide that occurred prior to the NFL Draft. This started with trading away Jimmy Graham to the Seahawks for Max Unger and a first round pick. It continued when they traded Kenny Stills to the Dolphins for Dannell Ellerbe and a third round pick. They also traded Ben Grubbs to the Chiefs for a fifth round pick. The team then released Curtis Lofton, the only competent MLB on the roster. All of these moves were made in order to clear cap space to sign Mark Ingram to a new 4-year contract as well as to sign C.J. Spiller to a 4- year free agent contract. The team improved a few key roster spots in the draft on both sides of the ball. They improved the offensive line with the addition of Andrus Peat in the first round. The Saints also made FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 72

73 moves to improve the defense with the additions of Stephone Anthony, Hau'oli Kikaha, and PJ Williams, who were all selected in the top 100 picks of the draft. The improvements to the offensive line (Unger and Peat) and the running back corps (Spiller) points to Sean Payton desiring a more balanced offensive game plan. It would be surprising though, if Drew Brees was not still the cornerstone for his plan of attack. Expect the Saints to be a more efficient team while running the ball than they have been in the past few years. This will improve Brees' ability to execute play action and it will give him more freedom to change the call at the line regardless of the situation. Look for Brandin Cooks to receive the lion's share of the targets in the passing game as he continues to develop, with Josh Hill, Marques Colston, and Nick Toon being strong secondary options in the passing game. Do not be surprised if the second highest reception total at the end of the year belongs to C.J. Spiller though. Payton knows how to utilize a weapon like Spiller, and we have never seen Spiller be properly utilized before. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Drew Brees, Luke McCown RB: Mark Ingram, C.J. Spiller (KR), Khiry Robinson FB: Erik Loreg WR: Marques Colston, Brandin Cooks, Nick Toon, Seantavius Jones TE: Ben Watson, Josh Hill K: Dustin Hopkins STUD PLAYER BRANDIN COOKS, WIDE RECEIVER It would have been extremely easy to write this piece about Drew Brees, but at this point the fantasy community is well aware of what to expect from him. Brandin Cooks, on the other hand, is a fresh face and an emerging talent on an extremely potent offense. Cooks was a Fred Biletnikoff award winner as the best wide receiver in college football after his 2013 season. He earned it by posting a stat line of 128/1730/16 on an Oregon State team that did not feature any other weapons to draw away coverage. Cooks also dominated at the Combine by posting the top score in the 40 yd dash, 20 yd shuttle, and 60 yd shuttle, as well as posting a top ten score in the three-cone drill. The most impressive aspect of this was the fact that all of these metrics matched up with what he showed on the field. Cooks wasted no time showing that his talent would translate to the NFL level. In his first game as an NFL player he had 7/77/1. That was the first out of the six games that he would score double digit PPR points in the ten games that he played as a rookie. This is made all the more impressive considering that he was misused in the offense early in the season as Sean Payton FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 73

74 insisted on using him on 2-3 yard outs instead of allowing him to use his speed to gain an advantage. A review of the tape shows that opposing cornerbacks truly respect Cooks' speed as shown by the amount of cushion that he is given by many of them. In spite of this cushion, Cooks is still able to break away and get open on every level of the field. This was not fully taken advantage of last year because Cooks was not the primary read on most plays, but now that Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills have been traded and Marques Colston is another year older, there is every reason to believe that Cooks will be the lead receiver in New Orleans. Even if Cooks is not a stud because of his efficiency, he will have an opportunity to produce fantasy points because of the volume he will receive. It is reasonable to believe that Cooks could see 150 targets this year, especially considering Jimmy Graham averaged 137 targets a year after his rookie year despite all the mouths there were to feed in New Orleans during those years. Cooks will see a glut of targets this year, and if he is with 10% of his 2014 catch rate then he will flirt with 100 receptions. If Cooks has 100 receptions then he could be looking at yards and eight touchdowns quite easily which would solidify him as a WR1. TEAM SLEEPER (BEN ROLFE) JOSH HILL, TIGHT END The Saints created shockwaves that shook the NFL world when they traded Jimmy Graham to Seattle. However, as with any move in the NFL Graham s departure opens a door for someone else and this trade could easily end up being gold for fantasy players. Not only do we get Graham in Seattle taking over from no one but we get the chance for Josh Hill to step up and be a tight end weapon in New Orleans. Hill s combine performance fits in well with Graham and then when you add that he caught 70 passes in his final college season it is clear he also has the hands to go with it. Hill could easily step in and take a good percentage of those 75 ish receptions that Graham was getting in his time in New Orleans and that gives him a real opportunity to be a top 10 tight end with top five upside if the team clicks. Last year Hill had 176 yards on 14 catches with five touchdowns when he was used solely in a situational role. Four of those touchdowns came on five red zone receptions so you can see that the opportunity is there for Hill combined with some good stats on limited time last year and Hill really could be the fantasy value of ROOKIE TO WATCH GARRETT GRAYSON, QUARTERBACK In the third round of the NFL draft, the Saints selected quarterback Garrett Grayson. He was the third quarterback selected in the draft, and the only quarterback selected before the 7 th round since Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis came to New Orleans in This represents a significant investment in the future of the position, and some stock needs to be put in that. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 74

75 Grayson was Sean Payton's guy in this draft class; in an interview right after Grayson was drafted Payton said For us there wasn't more than one, this was the player if he was available, and if not we probably would have went without drafting a quarterback. Grayson is a perfect fit for Sean Payton's offense due to his ability to make accurate and well timed passes all over the intermediate area of the field. His biggest flaw is his inconsistent throwing motion, but what better quarterback to land behind than Drew Brees to have that issue addressed. Sitting behind Drew Brees though, is also the biggest reason that his value is so low at the moment. Brees has not had much trouble with injuries since he arrived in New Orleans, so that means Grayson probably will not see significant playing time until Brees retires which could very well be close to the end of Grayson's rookie contract. Due to this, Grayson is a player that redraft players won't care about at all, and honestly most dynasty owners won't care about him very much either. However, he does hold significant value in Superflex and 2QB dynasty leagues because of the positional value boost caused by the format as well as the future prospects of Grayson playing with one of the best offensive minds in the game. There are serious considerations that need to be made when drafting Grayson in every format though. The most important of those is roster space; a player like Grayson is incredibly difficult to hold on your roster when he isn't seeing any playing time. This makes holding him in anything less than a 25-man Superflex or 2QB roster difficult as well as any 1QB dynasty league with less than 30 roster spots. He is rosterable in the deeper 1QB leagues, but there is not much of a need to roster him unless you have Drew Brees or an amalgam of quarterbacks that do not have the clearest futures. The advantage of drafting Grayson is that owners can be confident that he will finish the 2015 season on the Saints roster. Many of the late round fliers that will be drafted in the same range as Grayson will not be as fortunate. Owners will have to be patient if they draft Grayson, but if they are then Grayson has the chance to provide significant return on investment in the long run. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 75

76 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (KYLE ROBERT) TEAM OUTLOOK There is quite a bit of reason to be excited about the Tampa Buccaneers. They have a trio of monster pass catchers that should allow rookie quarterback Jameis Winston to see some success in year one. Winston has a chance to be a decent QB2 this season with a higher upside in some weeks. He will be a great option in best ball leagues. Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson should be really good fantasy options this season. Austin Seferian-Jenkins should make a greater impact in year two. He has the size to be a red zone threat and the potential to do more. While Winston was the first pick, the Buccaneers made a couple other draft selections that could prove to have an impact in year one. Kenny Bell should add to a talented group of pass catchers. The additions of Ali Marpet and Donovan Smith should help the offensive line be stronger this season. The running game left fantasy owners scratching their heads most of last season. Doug Martin has been a shell of his former self since his breakout rookie season. For me, the first season for Martin will continue to be the exception and not the rule for him. Charles Sims didn t produce much for fantasy owners to get excited about in limited time. He was coming off of an injury and a full off season may turn out to be a good thing for Sims. Bobby Rainey isn t the most talented running back, but has produced at times and could be a steal if the coaches decide to give him a steady workload. It may be a new guy getting the workload each week and drive fantasy owners crazy. If I'm investing, its Charles Sims or Bobby Rainey and it will be late in drafts. Let s talk about the players to get excited about. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 76

77 TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Jameis Winston, Mike Glennon RB: Doug Martin, Charles Sims (3RB), Bobby Rainey FB: Jorvorskie Lane WR: Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, Louis Murphy, Robert Herron TE: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Brandon Myers K: Patrick Murray STUD PLAYER MIKE EVANS, WIDE RECEIVER Mike Evans impressed in his first NFL season. He was able to catch 68 passes for 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns. Evans is the ultimate red zone threat at 6 5 and 225 pounds. He has the ability to go up and snatch the ball out of the air and use his body to shed defenders. Year two for Evans has the potential to be an even better season. Between Josh McCown and Mike Glennon, the quarterback play in Tampa Bay was inconsistent at best. Jameis Winston should be an improvement, even as a rookie. He has the ability to move around and make throws from the pocket. He has some Ben Roethlisberger to his game. He also played with a wide receiver similar to Evans during his time at Florida State, Kelvin Benjamin. Much of Evans' value last season came from his ability to find the endzone. Touchdown totals tend to vary from season to season. While I do expect Evans to be a red zone threat, he will have competition from teammates Vincent Jackson and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Prior to last season, Jackson caught 7-9 touchdowns for 3 previous seasons. For this season, I could see Evans have a better season but score around the same number of fantasy points. The touchdowns could be spread around but the yards could increase. I like Evans quite a bit for this season and is going around the right spot currently. He is currently 12th among receivers and 27th among players TEAM SLEEPER AUSTIN SEFERIAN-JENKINS, TIGHT END Tight end is a rough position to transition to at the next level. Often times it will take two or three seasons to develop as consistent weapons. He only played in 9 games as a rookie. He did catch 21 of his 37 targets in the games he played. I expect a big improvement in year two for Seferian-Jenkins. He has ideal size for the position and should be a legitimate red zone threat. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 77

78 With Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson on the outside, he should see a ton of quality looks. He will also be catching passes from Jameis Winston. Rookie quarterbacks tend to utilize tight ends quite a bit. Currently coming off of the board as 25th tight end, he will cost owners nothing and the potential reward is immense. If I am drafting and miss out on Rob Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham, I will gladly wait and grab Seferian-Jenkins and one of Vernon Davis, Larry Donnell, or Jordan Reed and hope one pops. ROOKIE TO WATCH KENNY BELL, WIDE RECEIVER Kenny Bell was a wide receiver I became a huge fan of in the draft process. He is talented receiver who can make plays all over the field. At 6 1 and 196, Kenny Bell looks very different from the rest of the receivers on the roster. With Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson on the outside, Bell could see a ton of room in the middle of the field. He has great hands and should contribute as a rookie. He is also a willing blocker that should help him see more time on the field on all three downs. For those in dynasty league, Bell is a great name to target in rookie drafts. For redraft formats, Bell is a late round flier at best, but has the potential to be a waiver wire gem that. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 78

79 DALLAS COWBOYS (ADAM COOK) TEAM OUTLOOK Expectations for the Dallas Cowboys last year were to stay out of the basement in the NFC East and to potentially have the worst defense in NFL history. Ha, shows how easy it is to predict football. They turned those low expectations into a 12 win season and 1 bad NFL rule away from potentially being in an NFC Championship game. The Cowboys found success keeping their defense off of the field with a power running game and efficient passing game controlling time of possession. One main problem is that DeMarco Murray is now a Philadelphia Eagle. How will they cope with the loss? Improving an already stout offensive line and vastly improving the defense will certainly help. Expectations are high going into the 2015 NFL season in Big D and owner Jerry Jones would have it no other way. Being under the radar last year, the Cowboys are a popular pick to win the division. And why not pick them? Tony Romo is participating in OTA s and Minicamp for the 1 st time in the last 3 years, they added a 1 st round talent to a stacked offensive line, and the defense looks twice as good on paper. Let s start with the defense. Defense on paper doesn t mean everything, but you cannot ignore the personnel improvements. You have to start with the leader of the defense, all-pro linebacker Sean Lee. Not only is Lee a tackling machine in the run game, he historically competes for the team lead in INT s. The draft brought a couple of interesting prospects in Byron Jones at corner and Randy Gregory at defensive end. Jones lit the combine on fire and Gregory (top 10 talent) fell to their lap in the 2 nd round due to maturity issues. Oh, and they FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 79

80 signed all-pro defensive end Greg Hardy, whose 10 game suspension is almost certain to be reduced. Should I keep going? One of my favorite sleepers on the team is defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. He basically redshirted last year due to an injury. He turned a game winning sack against the Lions in the playoffs into an incredible offseason. 12 wins are hard to repeat, but Dallas has the talent to do just that. Keeping the drama low and staying out of the training room will be key. However, a strong offensive line and defensive line usually transitions to successful seasons. Jerry Jones is smiling big.for now. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Tony Romo, Brandon Weeden RB: Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden, Lance Dunbar FB: Tyler Clutts WR: Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Devin Street TE: Jason Witten, Gavin Escobar K: Dan Bailey FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 80

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82 STUD PLAYER DEZ BRYANT, WIDE RECEIVER DeMarco Murray is gone, leaving Bryant as the only offensive player worthy of a 1 st round fantasy pick. Rightfully so. He is a terror to deal with in the red zone and is a threat all over the field. Bryant has scored 41 touchdowns over the last 3 seasons, including 16 in He is only 26 years young entering his prime with room for improvement. He is a safe and easy mid-1 st round pick in PPR leagues with reception totals of 92, 93, and 88 consecutively. The Denver Broncos are going to a run based attack, Antonio Brown lacks elite height, and Odell Beckham Jr. has a short track record. This leaves one to argue that Dez could arguably be the No. 1 ranked WR going into the season. Why would you consider drafting Dez in the 1 st round? Consistency! Risk averse drafters will jump all over Dez anywhere after the 5 th overall pick. Last year he topped 50 yards receiving in every game but 1 that Tony Romo played the majority of the snaps. He only had 30 yards and 15 yards with Weeden at the helm. Not to mention that he received a healthy 6 targets or more in every game except 1. The game he didn t was against the Colts in Week 16 when he only played a little over a half. Like consistent TD s? Well, he found pay dirt in 11 out of 16 games last year. Not to jinx him (knock on wood), but he hasn t missed a game in 3 years. He is a flat out physical freak and seems to always be in peak condition. His off the field instances are a thing of the past and is focused solely on football. Dez is truly one of the best receivers in the game. He can hit the deep one or beat corners in the red zone. He had 3 touchdowns over 60 yards last year and 5 touchdowns less than 10 yards. One of the points that people miss out on is offensive consistency. He has had Tony Romo as his QB since 2011 and Jason Garrett s high-powered offense has been installed since Bryant was drafted. The current contract situation is scaring some away, but I m not worried. He loves football too much and I see him signing a long-term deal before July 15 th. How can you not see this guy continuing his productive ways or even improving upon them? TEAM SLEEPER TERRANCE WILLIAMS, WIDE RECEIVER The obvious sleeper is to take a shot in the dark on which running back you think will win the lead back duties. Well, I will let others play the guessing game in June as I think they will go with a hot hand approach and limit all of their fantasy values. Williams had a down year last year as the targets regressed due to the team situation. All that does is make him a bargain this year. Dez Bryant is holding out, allowing Williams to operate as the No. 1 wide out with Romo all offseason. Romo has been singing his praises saying he has had the best offseason of his career. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 82

83 The extra work in OTA s and minicamp has further developed the chemistry he has with his quarterback to further enhance their trust. It does seem people are too low on Williams considering he still scored 8 touchdowns last year. He isn t the smoothest catcher as he uses his body too often, but his measurables are good with great straight-line speed on his lb. frame. Losing DeMarco Murray means they are likely to throw the ball more often in 2015, leading to more opportunities. There is a lot of talk at Valley Ranch about Devin Street potentially overtaking him, but I don t see it this year. He made a lot of clutch catches against Seattle and Detroit last year that hold a lot of weight in the coaches minds. I like his odds of receiving around 90 targets and finishing in the 900 yard and 7 touchdown range. Those are top 40 WR statistics right there folks. I m not recommending taking Williams as your WR 2, but I think he is a strong WR 4. He is an easy selection in redraft leagues over guys like Victor Cruz, Nelson Agholor, Breshad Perriman, and Percy Harvin. ROOKIE TO WATCH RANDY GREGORY, DEFENSIVE END All the Cowboys drafted on the offensive side of the ball in 2015 were more offensive lineman and a blocking tight end. They signed a few notable undrafted free agent WR s, but they are all fighting for the kick return duties. None are projected to crack Dallas s receiving corps. We will have to focus on the defensive side of the ball and see how Gregory positively impacts the D/ST unit. Randy Gregory dropped to the 60 th pick based on off the field concerns. It s not like he is going and getting arrested, just public knowledge of his multiple failed drug tests. Dallas has a good support system and has kept players like Dez Bryant out of trouble. They have strong leadership in the locker room and there are veterans on the defensive side of the ball to help him reach his potential. The Cowboys D/ST unit was a laughing stock last year as journeyman Jeremy Mincey led the team in sacks. They made some serious upgrades to the defensive line this offseason including Gregory, who was regarded as the draft s top pass rusher by some pundits. When I project defenses I try to project sacks. They are a more predictable statistic than interceptions and defensive touchdowns. They ranked 28 th out of 32 teams with only 28 sacks in 2014 making them not even streamer worthy. Enter Gregory who was an elite speed rusher in college collecting 17.5 sacks in 2 years at Nebraska. A pass rusher of his quality can lift the whole defense and mask an average secondary. I have Dallas ranked as a top 15 defense for fantasy this year and are a great upside pick. Go after sacks when selecting your team defense and Randy Gregory will help Dallas reach that 50 sack total in FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 83

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85 NEW YORK GIANTS (DAVE CHERNEY) TEAM OUTLOOK Enigma - a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand. That can best describe the 2015 New York Giants. On one hand there are elements which could bring a division winning, NFC challenging, fantasy goldmine franchise should each star align in perfect order. On the other, there are several key areas where leaks could spring causing a ripple effect which could doom this squad before getting out of the gate. Glancing back at 2014 which ended in a third consecutive non-playoff campaign compiling a paltry 6-10 record, there are several reasons for optimism looking forward. Last year the offense was overhauled. Ben McAdoo brought his West Coast style from Green Bay to speed up the offense, calling up higher percentage plays and reducing the turnover rate. Eli Manning had arguably the best season of his career guiding the team to 380 points, a point per game average, ranking 13 th where they ranked 28 th the previous year. The team also averaged over 365 yards per game which was another double digit jump in the rankings from While Manning didn t reach McAdoo s projected goal of a 70 percent completion rating, he did have his career best clocking in at just over 63 on 379 completions on 601 attempts. While the short, quick passing game helped in percentages it didn t hurt his totals having 4,410 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes. Each of those were the second highest of his career. However, the Manning s biggest improvement was the reduction in interceptions from 27 to 14. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 85

86 I would expect about the same production going into the 2015 season. He is currently coming in as QB16 which would serve as a fantastic QB2 and a nice compliment in any two quarterback leagues. A wildcard in any of the Giants projected stats could be directly tied to their ever changing offensive line. Depending on whose stats you believe, the 2014 version ranked in the lower third in run blocking which could explain the slim yards per carry team average while the pass protection ranked in the upper third, progressively getting better as the season moved on. Unfortunately, during the 2015 OTA s left tackle Will Beatty was lost to a pectoral muscle while weight lifting. Early prognosticators believe this is a five to six month recovery at best while many insiders believe he may not be available the entire season. Whether he returns this season or not, an already fragile line will have to be revamped and is still a work in progress. Every chance should be given to first round selection Ereck Flowers to man the post however history has not been kind to first year rookie left tackles. This situation should be followed closely during the offseason. The running back position was one of frustration in 2014 for a multitude of reasons, and 2015 promises to be the same. Rashad Jennings will be entering his second season with the Giants having been given every opportunity to be the main beneficiary of totes last year. However his 3.8 yards per carry average, an average at best 30 receptions and a sprained ankle which cost him five games left those who spent an early fantasy pick on him shrugging their underwhelmed shoulders. During the Jennings injury the Giants banked on second year back Andre Williams. The experiment failed. While he did lead the team with 721 rushing yards, his 3.3 yards per carry were hard to justify. Call it the shaky offensive line, be it rookie mistakes, throw it on learning a new system predicting his output let alone role in this year s offense will be a shot in the dark. He could be the short yardage and goal line back, getting up to 15 carries a game. He could also have a permanent spot in Coughlin s doghouse. Further complicating matters, the Giants signed former Patriot Shane Vereen who at minimum will cut into receiving numbers for both backs and wide receivers alike. Where else Vereen will fit into the weekly game plan is anyone s guess but he should be available for a reasonable price in most fantasy drafts and if his role should expand based on production or injury, this could pay off. Going into the 2014 season, the wide receiver position was a bit of a question mark with Victor Cruz leading the way; hope the third season would be the breakout for Rueben Randle and a hopeful entity named Odell Beckham Jr.; making up the primary group. And what an interesting ride this became. Unfortunately for Cruz, his season ended abruptly on a nasty patellar tendon tear of his right knee against the Eagles in a week six matchup which ended his season. Up until then, Cruz had struggled in the new offense. He had a total of 23 grabs for 337 yards averaging a minuscule 58 FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 86

87 per game. Excluding the Eagles game, his highest catch total was six and hauled in only one touchdown. He did manage to have two 100-yard games. As for this year, off season banter has Cruz himself saying he ll be ready to go by the start of the season. Or, he could just as well end up on the PUP and miss a significant portion of the season. He s will likely be the ultimate boom or bust play for your fantasy squad. Fourth year receiver Rueben Randle has been the hype of each offseason but tends to disappoint his owners. Yet his total yardage and receptions have gone up significantly each year. However, if everyone comes back healthy will there be enough to go around? One of the biggest surprises last year was how 2013 first round pick Odell Beckham Jr. took the league by storm. Sure, ask any expert now and they ll swear they had him going as the first pick last year. That said, his start to the season would be delayed four games in fact due to lingering offseason hamstring problems. Once resolved, ODB amassed a total of 1,305 yards on 91 catches. Early mock drafts have him going early in the first round which suggests that if you want a piece of this pie, you better be prepared to draft him in early and pray he doesn t disappoint. Wrapping up the relevant Giant receivers is Dwayne Harris who comes over from the Dallas Cowboys. While a superior special teams player, he holds little value in the fantasy world. Second year player Corey Washington is getting some off-season hype, but he s just as likely to not make the team if his special teams play fails to improve. The tight end position is once again a complete crapshoot. Larry Donnell took over the fantasy world over a 4 game stretch to start the season and then dropped off the face of the landscape. There is no doubt he has to progress this offseason to have any fantasy value. Fumbles and lack of consistency were a serious problem. It doesn t help they have Daniel Fells who is a much better blocker and it s obvious they will want to run the rock. Again, this will likely be fantasy fodder, but worth watching nonetheless. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib RB: Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen (3RB), Andre Williams (SD) FB: Henry Hynoski WR: Odell Beckham Jr., Rueben Randle, Victor Cruz (inj), Dwayne Harris (KR/PR) TE:, Larry Donnell K: Josh Brown STUD PLAYER ODELL BECKHAM JR., WIDE RECEIVER Odell Beckham s season commenced with a lack of pomp and circumstance. In fact, a hamstring injury throughout the offseason, which extended into the regular season led to grumbling from the coaching staff which nearly landed him in the dog house before he ran his first NFL route. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 87

88 Upon returning to the field in week five, it was obvious he was being handled with kid gloves as he only caught six balls for 71 yards and a touchdown his first two games. However, everything would change during that sixth game as Victor Cruz s injury opened the way and Beckham became the beneficiary of becoming the top dog the last ten games of the season. For fantasy purposes, Beckham finished WR09 in PPR leagues with 258 total points. Yet he was WR02 in average with 23.5 points per game. The five game stretch from weeks 12 through 16 saw totals of 36.6, 16.4, 30.9, 42.3 and Beckham had at least eight catches for 130 or more yards in each of the final four games. Those who took a chance on him last year received these benefits and quite possibly a fantasy title: yard games 9 consecutive games with 90+ receiving yards 4 games with over 10 receptions, 100 receiving yards and a touchdown 4 games with 2 or more receiving touchdowns 9 games with 6 or more receptions and over 90 receiving yards Unfortunately in 2015, a familiar pattern has developed. Beckham missed the majority of OTA practices along with minicamp because of another hamstring injury, this time to the right leg, and will not practice until training camp at the earliest. Much like last year, Beckham is downplaying the injury and the coaching staff is remaining optimistic. Then again, this sounds all too familiar to the sentiments stated twelve months ago. One could project a breakout season with a healthy Cruz back on the field. The pair could be ultra dynamic. Having the offseason to devise plays to take advantage of these talented wide outs could take a never-ending amount of chalkboard space. However, while the Giants staff is making their plans, be assured the rest of the league will be looking for counter attacks. Will defenses try to jam him at the line to get him frustrated? Will he draw a permanent safety and see non-stop double coverage? Will early accolades, public appearances or the Madden Curse do him in? Or Will Odell Beckham Jr. be in for a historically epic 2015 season? TEAM SLEEPER RUEBEN RANDLE, WIDE RECEIVER Beckham wasn t the only beneficiary of the unfortunate Victor Cruz injury. This also opened an opportunity for Rueben Randle to further progress on what has been a steady, albeit mediocre career to date. Once Beckham began to blossom, Randle again was given the privilege of being single teamed. Still, the one thing that has plagued Randle in three years kept fantasy owners scratching their heads his consistency. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 88

89 On the bright side, he has progressed every year noting that he has not missed a game to date. As a rookie Randle began with a modest 19 receptions for 298 yards and three touchdowns. In 2013, he recorded 41 grabs for 611 yards and six scores. Last season, receptions and yards improved, 71 / 938 while the touchdowns dipped back down to three. Breaking down his 2014 season, there were some brilliant moments especially weeks 16 and 17 where he totaled 12 receptions for 290 yards and a score. On the other side, there were games it appeared he just didn t show up having five with three catches or less along with eight under 50 total yards. On the whole, Randle finished WR39 in total points with 161 averaging 10.7 per game. He was also targeted at least nine targets in a dozen games. Projecting his 2015 output will depend much on his surroundings which will be anyone s guess going into training camp. He is currently being drafted as wide receiver 6. I m hard pressed to see where he wouldn t make a WR5 and at least a bye week fill, and if a few cards fall right he could be an extremely good value. ROOKIE TO WATCH LANDON COLLINS, SAFETY Much to the standard fantasy football communities dismay, the Giants didn t draft a skill player until 6 th round when they selected wide receiver Geremy Davis whose specialty is special teams and blocking. With that, I ll put an IDP spin on this section. Giants insiders will be the first to say they are more concerned with the safety position over the perceived offensive line woes. It s no secret the team has made an effort, mostly in the draft, to overhaul the entire position with third year starter Cooper Taylor being the veteran of the group. Enter The Giants traded with the Titans to move up to the first pick of the second round to take what many called the top safety in this class Landon Collins out of Alabama. While certainly not a burner, he is versatile as he can play either free or strong safety. He can cover running backs or the tight end while being able to bring the hammer in short yardage situations. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 89

90 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (MILES BOZEMAN) TEAM OUTLOOK (BEN ROLFE) The Eagles were a lot of fun to watch last season on their way to a 10-6 record, and a late season collapse cost them a shot at the playoffs. The Eagles have had a thrilling offseason which has involved nearly all aspects of the skill positions of their offense and has made for some intrigue entering They shook the league when they traded for the injury prone Sam Bradford and it looks like they will head into the season with the former number one overall pick under center. Bradford s fantasy value is limited to back up because of his injury history but if he can stay healthy this is an offense he could prosper in. Mark Sanchez is currently listed as the backup QB and could have some fantasy relevance if Bradford goes down. At the running back position, they enter the season with Demarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, and Darren Sproles as their main trio. Murray should be the main guy to start the year and will be a top ten back off the board after last season. Mathews role will be a slow burner as I don t expect him to have much value unless Murray gets injured. Sproles value is in PPR leagues as a third down RB/gadget player and an injury to him could see Kenjon Barner a big fantasy sleeper this year. This RB group could do a lot of damage to each other s fantasy values as there is plenty of scope to see them all getting opportunities. The departure of Maclin has left Jordan Matthews as the number one with Nelson Agholor the #2 and both could easily be every week starting wide receivers for fantasy this year, but FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 90

91 Matthews will be the more reliable. Josh Huff and Riley Cooper are sleepers for deeper leagues but they will be hard to trust. At tight end I expect Zach Ertz to really take over from Brent Celek this year and he could easily become a low end #1 tight end but in this offence the ball will be spread around so much he is more likely a high end #2. On the D-line Fletcher Cox is the main protagonist as a pass rusher from the right hand side with Connor Barwin the main line backer option for IDP leagues. Byron Maxwell will be looking to demonstrate he earned the big pay day he got and both he and Malcolm Jenkins could be defensive backfield IDP options. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Sam Bradford (inj), Mark Sanchez RB: DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles (PR) WR: Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Riley Cooper, Josh Huff TE: Zach Ertz, Brent Celek K: Cody Parkey STUD PLAYER DEMARCO MURRAY, RUNNING BACK DeMarco Murray had an almost record-breaking season last year behind the Dallas Cowboys line. He now finds himself behind a new line and in a new offensive scheme. The good news is Philadelphia has a pretty good line and his new coach loves to lean on his running back. There are some very capable runners behind Murray in Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles, so Murray must perform well for him to remain Chip s guy in this offense. Chip Kelly has made some interesting trades and acquisitions this off-season, making his new toy his best option. Kelly has been known to ride the hot hand and Murray has never been accused of giving poor effort. So DeMarco Murray could be in store for another big season. TEAM SLEEPER SAM BRADFORD, QUARTERBACK Sam Bradford was at one time the next it guy in the NFL. He was the last first overall pick to be paid a king's ransom, but unfortunately never put it together for more than a few games due to ACL injuries. Bradford was acquired by the eagles via trade and is now reunited with his college offensive coordinator whom he broke records with. Sam Bradford's health is always the big concern. If he can enter the year healthy and master the FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 91

92 Chip Kelly offense, which shouldn t be a challenge for guy with the football IQ like his, Bradford should be the most productive quarterback that the Eagles have had under the Kelly reign. His upside is in the Top-5, well above his price. ROOKIE TO WATCH NELSON AGHOLOR, WIDE RECEIVER Nelson Agholor was unfortunately known as not Marcus Mariota after the draft. That he is not; he can actually help this team right away. Agholor is a very polished prospect. Even as a rookie he is one of the only players who can play all the positions in Chip Kelly s offense. We should see Agholor take over a role similar to the one Jeremy Maclin left behind. The exciting part is that he can do so much more than Maclin. It may take some time for him to grow and progress, but Agholor adds an ability to run routes all over the field and not just be a deep threat like Maclin. We should see him do that as well. Nelson Agholor could be the second most important guy in this offense after DeMarco Murray. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 92

93 WASHINGTON REDSKINS (JOSH LAKE) TEAM OUTLOOK Unlike last year, 2015 was a relatively quiet offseason for the Redskins offense. Coach Jay Gruden named Robert Griffin III the starter very early, so there has been little talk of a quarterback competition. The same skill position players are set to return, so there is some hope of improvement over an awful 2014 performance. At quarterback, Robert Griffin III is the nominal starter, and it is anyone s guess how he ll perform in According to Fantasy Football Calculator, Griffin is currently the 25th quarterback drafted this offseason. While that s an incredibly cheap price for a starting quarterback with rushing upside, Griffin showed last year that success is no guarantee even when he is playing. In seven full games last season, Griffin only managed four passing touchdowns and only one 300-yard game. Despite his touted rushing ability, Griffin only scored one rushing touchdown in those seven games. Given the cheap price, Griffin might be a decent sleeper option in 2QB and Superflex formats, but don t bank on him as a starter. There s too much risk. Alfred Morris finished as RB12 in non-ppr formats last season, despite managing only one 100-yard game all season. Morris is a great runner, but he leaves the field often particularly FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 93

94 when the Redskins are losing. Morris is a reliable mid-tier running back, but don t draft him expecting an RB1. He has that potential, but he s safer as a mid- to late-rb2. There has been talk of Matt Jones taking carries from Alfred Morris in Jones was Washington s third-round draft pick, and he is a monster in the backfield, standing 6 2 and 230 pounds. At the time of this writing, in mid-june, Jones is not a serious threat to Morris s first- and second-down work this year, but he should see third-down snaps fairly routinely. For now, he s nothing more than a deep-league sleeper, particularly in PPR formats. At wide receiver, the Redskins bring back their top two options: DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. Jackson took a volatile path to a successful season in 2014, mixing elite games with fantasy disasters. He is a far stronger option in best ball leagues than in seasonal leagues. Picking his elite games could drive you crazy, but he has the game-breaking ability to win you any given week. Pierre Garcon disappointed in 2014, finishing with numbers barely half as good as his totals in Garcon, however, makes for an interesting sleeper this season. His ADP is currently hovering around 125th overall, despite the fact that he received more than 100 targets even in an off year in If you believe the Redskins passing game will stabilize in 2015, Garcon stands to improve more than anyone. The targets have been there, but he needs more reliable quarterback play if he is to succeed in the possession game. Tight end is a tale of two stories for Washington. Jordan Reed remains the tantalizing option, with a fantastic upside if he can stay healthy. In late May, however, ESPN 980 Washington reported that several people in the Redskins organization were worried about Reed s knee, and then less than a week later Reed underwent an unknown procedure on that knee. At the time of this writing, there is no update on Reed s status for Week 1. Niles Paul is a near-opposite. He has some upside, which he showed in Weeks 1 through 4 last season, when he averaged more than 5 catches and almost 80 yards, but even in a lost season for Jordan Reed, Paul only caught one touchdown and never broke sixty yards receiving after Week 4. Paul is a decent late-round tight end if Jordan Reed s knee keeps him out of games, but with Reed on the field, Paul is not likely to be very valuable. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 94

95 TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins RB: Alfred Morris, Matt Jones (3RB), Silas Redd FB: Darrel Young WR: DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Andre Roberts (PR/KR), Jamison Crowder TE: Jordan Reed, Niles Paul K: Kai Forbath STUD PLAYER DESEAN JACKSON, WIDE RECEIVER DeSean Jackson is the Redskins primary option at wide receiver, and according to Fantasy Football Calculator he is the 26th wide receiver off the board in non-ppr drafts, in mid-june. Jackson finished with the 17th-highest wide receiver totals in 2014, despite a revolving door of terrible quarterback play for the Redskins. Jackson caught six touchdowns and only fifty-six passes, but he turned those catches into 1,169 yards. That was Jackson s first season with the team, and it was also the head coach s first year. This year, both come into the season with more experience and familiarity with the system. Could this be the season DeSean Jackson breaks out for the Redskins? Jackson proved to be an explosive option with a high ceiling last season, but some weeks he turned into a complete bust. Three weeks saw Jackson go for less than twenty yards, but he made up for those weeks with six 100-yard weeks. The Redskins should improve at quarterback in 2015, given the poor play they got from a combination of Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins, and Colt McCoy in Those quarterbacks combined to finish 11th in the league in passing yards thanks in large part to DeSean Jackson s astounding 20.9 yards per catch but the team ranked 27th in the league in passing touchdowns and 26th in interceptions. If, as is being reported early in OTAs, Griffin has improved his understanding and comfort with Jay Gruden s offense, he may be able to provide a reliable piece the passing game lacked last year. Jackson received 17.6% of the offense s targets last season. If he maintains a percentage near that this season, it would not be unreasonable to expect catches in If you believe the offense improves its efficiency from last season, Washington could sustain longer drives and find its way into the end zone more often. DeSean Jackson could, if things break right for him, flirt with ten touchdowns this season, but seven or eight would be a more manageable number. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 95

96 Because of his volatility, Jackson is a fantastic best ball option. In that format, Jackson s down weeks are less painful, and you benefit from all of his elite weeks. As in redraft leagues, Jackson has been drafted as the 26th wide receiver throughout the month of June in My Fantasy League MFL10 drafts. I recommend you draft Jackson as high as WR20, given his weekly upside. In standard leagues, Jackson would be an ideal third wide receiver, where you can handle volatility but want to chase upside. At a WR26 price, Jackson is an appealing option, but I would preach caution if his ADP rises to anywhere near WR20. At WR1 and WR2, you should focus on more reliable options. Do not expect DeSean Jackson to rise into elite territory, rivaling Dez Bryant or Calvin Johnson this season, but he presents a potential value at his current price tag. Draft cautiously, but be willing to strike if you see Jackson fall into the middle rounds of your draft. TEAM SLEEPER JORDAN REED, TIGHT END Last season, Jordan Reed told the media, regarding his repeated concussions, I started to get a little scared like, Maybe I m going to be like this forever, or something like that. Then, Reed missed most of the start of the 2014 season with hamstring injuries. When he finally came back, in Week 6, Reed caught eight passes on 11 targets, turning those catches into 92 yards. Although he didn t catch any touchdowns thanks in part to the Redskins 6th-worst passing touchdowns Reed put together several good games, catching at least five passes in five games, and breaking 70 yards three times. Now, at the start of OTAs, Reed had an unspecified procedure on his knee. Coach Jay Gruden said he hopes Reed will be ready for training camp, but there is no guarantee. The injury concern is likely the reason Reed s ADP is in the toilet so far this offseason. According to Fantasy Football Calculator, Reed isn t being drafted inside the top 23 tight ends. He has been the 25th tight end drafted in MFL10s in the month of June. So why should you be interested in an injury-prone tight end with mediocre results last season? What makes him a possible sleeper? First, there is reason to expect better production from the Redskins offense. Early reports are that Robert Griffin III is more comfortable in the offense and has a solid grasp on the starting job, which means the team won t suffer from a revolving door at the most important position on the field. Second, a more stable passing offense would likely mean more passing touchdowns, some of which could go to tight ends. Third, Reed showed great promise even in his rookie season, 2013, when he finished with 80 catches, 887 yards, and five touchdowns. I am far from promising you that Jordan Reed is an elite tight end, but you also won t be required to spend any sort of serious draft capital to lock him up. At TE25, Reed is nearly free in most drafts. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 96

97 Jordan Reed is now going into his third season, traditionally the time tight ends finally become an established part of an offense, and he is still young enough to have great potential. Last season, after joining the team, Coach Gruden praised Reed, saying, We have, obviously, one of the more talented young tight ends in the league. He is going to be a great guy up in the middle of the field. If people want to [focus on] DeSean or Pierre, he s a guy that is very much needed in the passing game. Nothing about Reed s talent has changed. Now he just needs to stay healthy. Keep an eye on media reports and coaches statements about Reed s knee, but if Reed appears healthy as we roll into draft season, treat him as a sleeper if you have room for a late-round tight end on your bench. ROOKIE TO WATCH MATT JONES, RUNNING BACK The Redskins drafted Matt Jones in the third round, as the 95th pick overall. Jones is a running back out of Florida, and he is physically imposing. Jones stands 6 2 tall, and he weighs a reported 230 pounds. Mike Mayock described Jones as a big, physical running back who runs well through contact but needed to learn patience. Most considered the 95th pick to be too early for Jones, but the Redskins see something they like. The team s new general manager, Scot McCloughan, compared Jones to Marshawn Lynch. McCloughan told the media, Matt Jones reminds me a lot a lot of Marshawn. From the standpoint that he s north-south, he s downhill and he s not afraid of contact. [Lynch ran with violence, and] guys got tired of tackling him. Matt Jones is similar. McCloughan later described Jones as tough as crud. Immediately after the draft, analysts predicted that Jones was taken as a backup for Alfred Morris, someone who could come in to give Morris a breather. As the summer has progressed, however, it looks more likely Jones will see significant snaps, primarily on third downs. CSN Washington s Tarik El-Bashir guessed at the end of May that Jones will have a bigger role in 2015 than some are anticipating. Particularly, Jones has shown versatility and an ability to catch passes during offseason work. As of late June, ESPN also projects Jones to be the team s third-down running back. It is well known that Alfred Morris is a reliable running back who offers little in the passing game. Morris frequently comes off the field in passing situations, and this season Roy Helu is gone, leaving an opening for a passing-down back. Jones is unlikely to provide any significant fantasy value in 2015, but he may be on the field more than was expected initially when the Redskins picked him in the third round. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 97

98 Jones is an intriguing dynasty stash, particularly because Alfred Morris is playing in the final year of his rookie contract this season. It is possible to envision a scenario in which Jones becomes the Redskins starting running back next season. This season, however, Jones is not someone you should be targeting in standard, 10- or 12- team leagues. He has some small PPR appeal, but even then only in deep leagues. In the role of passing-down back last year, Roy Helu rushed for 216 yards and one touchdown, catching 42 passes for 477 yards. I would not expect Jones, a rookie, to match Helu s numbers this season. Even if Matt Jones becomes the third-down back in Washington, he is nothing more than a very deep spot starter in PPR leagues this year. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 98

99 FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 99

100 ARIZONA CARDINALS (FAKEPIGSKIN.COM STAFF) TEAM OUTLOOK A promising 9-1 start to the 2014 season came to a screeching halt with the ACL injury to QB Carson Palmer. Arizona finished 2-4 in its final 6 games to limp into the playoffs and suffer a 1st round defeat. Palmer's injury also hurt the fantasy prospects of the entire team. At the time of the injury, he was on pace for 4,300 yards and 29 TDs, which would have landed him a spot amongst the Top 10 QBs in fantasy football. Palmer is back this year and looks to be ready for training camp. If those knees can hold up, look for him to pick up where he left off in Bruce Arians' offense. The Cardinals rushing attack will be once again led by Andre Ellington, who looks to rebound from a subpar, injury plagued year. The foot injury he suffered in camp, although not missing a game, rendered him a shell of his stellar rookie season. To keep him fresh and not miss a beat on offense, Arizona drafted Ellington 2.0 in David Johnson, who may very well be a better receiver than Ellington. Look for Stepfan Taylor and Marion Grice to split time as the plodding short yardage back. Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, and John Brown make up one of the best receiving corps in the league, but one of the most frustrating for fantasy owners. The near-even split in targets last year(fitz 103, Floyd 102, Brown 99) gave fantasy owners no clear view of who the #1 receiver was game in and game out. Look for Larry Fitzgerald to lead the team in targets, Michael Floyd to lead in TDs, and John Brown to lead in yards this year. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 100

101 Tight End in a Bruce Arians offense is an insufferable position. Many fantasy folks watched the uber-talented Rob Housler wither away on the edge before finally leaving for greener pastures in Cleveland of all places! Look for Darren Fells to lead an un-fantasy worry group of TEs. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton RB: Andre Ellington, Stepfan Taylor, David Johnson FB: Robert Hughes WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, John Brown (KR), Jaron Brown TE: Troy Niklas, Darren Fells K: Chandler Catanzaro STUD PLAYER MICHAEL FLOYD, WIDE RECEIVER Yes, Larry Fitzgerald is still a stud. While he may no longer be the top 5 wide receiver of the past, he still has a great chance to produce for your fantasy team this season. The biggest factor in Fitzgerald having a strong season is the health of Carson Palmer. As you can see from the table above, Fitzgerald was way more productive with Palmer under center. If you look at the numbers Fitzgerald could have put up if Palmer had played all season, FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 101

102 he would have caught 85 passes for 1,288 yards and 5 touchdowns. That player is very useful for fantasy. Some may think Palmer is injury prone. While he has had three seasons where he missed serious amounts of time, he has played basically every game the 5 seasons prior to last year s injury. Heading into drafts Fitzgerald is coming of the board as wide receiver 35 and 91 overall. Brandon Marshall, Keenan Allen, and teammate Michael Floyd are all going before Fitzgerald. I would take Fitz in every scenario. He will be the best receiver in Arizona this season, although teammate John Brown may push for that title sooner than later. TEAM SLEEPER JOHN BROWN, WIDE RECEIVER At 5 10, 2014 rookie John Brown was one of the worst-kept fantasy secrets going into the season. Brown finished as the 44 th highest-scoring wide receiver in 2014, finishing second in targets (102) ahead of Michael Floyd (99) and behind Larry Fitzgerald (103). Brown also finished the campaign with five touchdowns, with all of them occurring in second-halves with the Cardinals trailing. Four of the five touchdowns resulted in the Cardinals taking the lead in the ball game and the fifth touchdown cut the opponent s lead to just one point. So why is John Brown a sleeper in 2015? Currently, he is being drafted as WR42, or 9.09 in 12- team leagues. Keep in mind Michael Floyd is going more than full round earlier at 8.05, despite similar performance in 2014 and likely equal opportunity in Also, John Brown s catch rate of 47% is likely to improve, hopefully cutting the lead of Larry Fitzgerald, who boasts a 61% rate. Brown s success will be tied to the return of Carson Palmer, who developed a great rapport with the receiver. John Brown is great fourth wide receiver value on the board in your draft, just be sure not to overpay and enjoy his touchdown dances he is surely to perform after scoring this season. ROOKIE TO WATCH DAVID JOHNSON, RUNNING BACK At 6 1, 224 lbs, rookie David Johnson should emerge as a solid pass-catching running back in Early reports are that Johnson should receive 7-12 touches per game. The Northern Iowa product carried the ball 18+ times in 10 of his team s games his senior season. Selected in the third round of the NFL Draft, the Cardinals hope Johnson can provide depth to their anemic 1,308 yards, which equates to a horrible 3.3 yards per carry. Johnson is currently being drafted at 9.10 in 12-team redraft leagues and should be drafted in the top-12 in rookie drafts. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 102

103 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (KYLE ROBERT) TEAM OUTLOOK The San Francisco 49ers were a mess last season. The front office and head coach Jim Harbaugh were in a constant state of unrest. The effects were felt by the players as well. The offense was hit by injuries, especially among the offensive line. That said, the rushing game was very prototypical for the 49ers. They averaged 136 yards per game, which was good enough for 4th in the NFL. Coach Jim Tomsula has taken over, after Harbaugh was shown the door. With Geep Chryst coming in to run the offense, it should look much the same. The Niners offensive line will have a few new faces, with Mike Iupati leaving for the Arizona Cardinals and Anthony Davis unexpectedly retiring, like a few of his teammates. The defensive side will be affected significantly with Patrick Willis, Chris Borland, and Justin Smith hanging up the cleats. The offense will have to produce this season to keep the 49ers relevant. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert RB: Carlos Hyde, Reggie Bush, Kendall Hunter FB: Bruce Miller WR: Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith, Bruce Ellington (KR/PR), Quinton Patton TE: Vernon Davis, Vance McDonald K: Phil Dawson STUD PLAYER CARLOS HYDE, RUNNING BACK FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 103

104 In his rookie year, Carlos Hyde showed he could produce at times. He averaged 4 yards per carry in 2014, but showed the ability to be better than that in some games. The 49ers should stay committed to the run again this season and Hyde should have a significant role in the offense. The 49ers would have liked to keep Frank Gore, who had been a staple of this offense, but he jumped to Indianapolis this offseason. Hyde should be able to fill Gore s role nicely and provide some value in the passing game as well. Over 1,000 yards and close to double digit touchdowns seems reasonable for Hyde this season. Hyde is currently coming off the board as RB16 and player 36 overall. This is about the right area for Hyde. His former teammate Frank Gore is the next running back off the board and Lamar Miller follows closely after. Some people may prefer Miller or Gore, but Hyde has the most upside for me. He could easily find himself in top 10 among running backs. Running backs can take a season or two to show full potential. Hyde should have the opportunity to help fantasy owners this season. TEAM SLEEPER VERNON DAVIS, TIGHT END Vernon Davis was a mess last season, much like most of the San Francisco 49ers. He went from 52 catches in 2013 to 50 targets in Last season was one of Davis worst seasons as a pro; he was basically uninvolved in the passing game. Davis will make himself a bigger part of this offense this season. The passing game has to get better this season. The addition of Torrey Smith should help Davis this season and open up the middle of the field. Currently Davis is the 17th tight end and player 170. The risk you assume with Davis is minimal and the potential is for Davis to be in the top 5, especially with this group of tight ends. Antonio Gates, Jason Witten, and Maxx Williams are just a few names coming off the board prior to Davis. None of them have the potential Davis has. You could grab two of those names late in your drafts and have a great shot at landing a top 10 tight end. ROOKIE TO WATCH DRES ANDERSON AND DEANDREW WHITE, WIDE RECEIVERS Both of these rookie receivers have the talent and opportunity to impact the 49ers this season. While they went undrafted in the NFL Draft, they re both names for fantasy owners to keep an eye on. White was underused opposite Amari Cooper at the University of Alabama, but flashed when given opportunity. Anderson got hurt this season at Utah, but was projected to go in the mid rounds of the NFL Draft before the injury. Both are worth late round fliers in dynasty formats and worth keeping an eye on in redraft. If either or both can make noise in preseason, they may have a chance to see the field this season. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 104

105 ST. LOUIS RAMS (JOSH HONSES) TEAM OUTLOOK It s hard to talk about the Rams this year without mentioning their first round draft pick, Todd Gurley. He is a freak athlete that some draft experts believe would be the number one overall pick if he had not torn his ACL at the end of last season at Georgia. He is a dynamic playmaker that still managed to be the number 10 overall pick in the draft despite his injury concerns. Apart from Gurley, there isn t much to look at from a fantasy perspective on the offense. The Rams traded away Sam Bradford for Nick Foles from the Eagles. Foles took the league by storm his first year playing for Chip Kelly, but left much to be desired last season before getting injured. Coming back from injury and having to learn a new offense means Foles will have to make some big strides in training camp and OTAs before he can have any sort of fantasy relevance for the upcoming season. He s a lock for the starting job behind the center and will be needed to step up in a big way if the Rams are looking to do anything in the toughest division in football. The million dollar question for the Rams this year is what they are going to do with Tre Mason. They traded away Zac Stacy this offseason to the Jets, who might have been one of the biggest disappointments in all of fantasy last year. The value of Mason all depends on the health of Gurley, who has yet to touch the field while recovering from surgery. Head coach Jeff Fisher labeled Gurley the running back of the future for a number of years after the draft, so Mason is sitting in limbo and so are dynasty fantasy owners. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 105

106 The young Rams receiving corps is a bit older than last season, but there still hasn t been a number one guy to step forward for them as the go to receiver. Tavon Austin has been laughable as the number eight overall selection three seasons ago. Kenny Britt is still there, but he hasn t shown anything to separate himself from the pack. Brian Quick, Chris Givens, and Stedman Bailey round out the pass catchers, but instill fear in no secondary. If I had to choose one of these guys to draft on my fantasy team, Quick is the only one that interests me. A separated shoulder from last season is something to note, and is valued at nothing more than a late round flier in my book. For a team that ranked 28 th in total offense last season, Jared Cook managed to look even more invisible than he was all of last season. Three total touchdowns is all he had, and barely broke 600 yards receiving. His backup, Lance Kendricks, fared a little better in the red zone, grabbing five scores, but their passing game needs a huge boost from new Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti for any hope of these two guys to earn a roster spot in fantasy. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Nick Foles, Austin Davis RB: Todd Gurley (inj), Tre Mason, Benny Cunningham (3RB/KR) FB: Corey Harkey WR: Brian Quick, Kenny Britt, Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin (KR/PR) TE: Jared Cook, Lance Kendricks K: Greg Zuerlein STUD PLAYER RAMS DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS It s not hard to look at the Rams this upcoming season and know what they are going to do. It s what head coach Jeff Fisher has always done for any team that he coaches: Run. The. Football. Fisher is a great defensive minded coach that knows the best way for his defense to be successful is to be on the sideline for as long as possible. The less his guys play, the less they are tired, which then leads to more production from his guys later into the game. That s why my fantasy stud this year is the St. Louis Rams defense. Now, people are going to piss and moan that defense is random and shouldn t even be part of fantasy. To an extent, you are correct. I personally think that IDP leagues are the way of the future, but most leagues don t play by those rules so I m not going to get into IDP numbers. The Rams defense gave up eight total rushing touchdowns last season. Eight. That includes facing guys like Marshawn Lynch (twice), DeMarco Murray, Jamaal Charles, C.J. Anderson, LeSean McCoy, and Adrian Peterson for his only game last season. Four of those scores came FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 106

107 against those players all season. So in the big scheme of things, the they only gave of four rushing touchdowns to any other player. The scary part about all of this is that now their players are all healthy, and they added Nick Fairley in the middle to backup Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers. Behind those guys are Alec Ogletree and James Laurinaitis, who combined for 220 tackles last season. The third linebacker spot is up in the air but my money is on Akeem Ayers to step in and fill the void. The secondary isn t a bunch of scrubs either in T.J. McDonald, who also had over 100 tackles last season, Rodney McLeod, Janoris Jenkins, and E.J. Gaines. These guys like to play a lot of man on the outside to let the defensive line get a push to the quarterback and make some plays underneath. On top of potentially the best defense in the league, you get the benefit of one of the best return men in the league as well in Tavon Austin on special teams. Austin should see more return duty than he did last season, and he was one of the best in the league at returning punts. He has the third most return yards in the league, and was breaking a tackle or a penalty away from having more reach the endzone. The Rams defense took a step forward last year, allowing the second fewest points, and being the fourth best fantasy defense overall. This group is even better this year, and has a much easier schedule on paper than they did the previous season. The NFC West is still good, but the division won t be as brutal as years past. While everyone is reaching to draft the Seahawks or the Texans, you can get a defense that is just as good later in the draft. All signs are pointing upward for the defense and I m all in on the Rams this season. TEAM SLEEPER BRIAN QUICK, WIDE RECEIVER The words fantasy player and St. Louis Rams is not something I believe many people will utter in the same sentence this season. Todd Gurley seems to be the consensus best player on the team, but the guy hasn t played a snap in the NFL and he s coming off of a torn ACL. It doesn t take a fantasy football wiz to know that s not a great fantasy outlook for the upcoming season. Now, with all that being said, I do see some fantasy relevance for one player in particular if he can get healthy. That guy is Brian Quick. I might have been the only person last year that had Quick anywhere near their draft board outside of St. Louis (see my write up last year in the draft guide). Even then, I think I was ahead of the curve by a large margin. On the other hand, I was the same guy drafting Zac Stacy in the third round and was elated for doing so. You win some and you lose some. But Quick s numbers the first four weeks of the season are no joke: 21 receptions, 322 yards, and 3 TDs. Those numbers were putting him ahead of guys like Dez Bryant, A.J. Green, and Randall Cobb. I know it is a stretch because it is such a small sample size, but some receiver on this team has to emerge as a viable pass catcher and Quick has the size, the speed, and the talent to be that guy. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 107

108 New offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti is a product of the Rams previous OC, Brian Schottenheimer, so the system won t be drastically different from the previous season. He ll have a more run friendly offense, but that is the way to get the ball downfield in the NFL today: use the run to set up the pass. Expect plenty of play action and short to intermediate routes for Quick, which is what Nick Foles did well during his time in Philadelphia. Now this may seem trivial, but Quick is excellent at catching the ball with his hands. Most people don t realize how important that is for a receiver. Guys like Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, everybody s love child Odell Beckham JR, all of the big, productive receivers catch the ball with their hands and not their body. Remember the hype last year surrounding Cordarrelle Patterson? Everybody thought he was going to take that next step and become a big time receiver, but the guy struggles catching the ball away from his body. Quick, on the other hand, is a big receiver that catches with his hands and has the quickness to make the first defender miss. That s what you want to see from a number one receiver. So come August when you are looking at your draft board for a late round sleeper, take a shot on Brian Quick instead of a guy like Rueben Randle or James Jones. As long as he continues to get healthy this offseason and can stay on the field, he has a chance to be a solid fantasy asset on your team this upcoming season. ROOKIE TO WATCH TODD GURLEY, RUNNING BACK When deciding on which rookie to write about to have an impact for the Rams this season, it is obvious who is going to be the biggest part of their offense in Todd Gurley. I am going to preface all of this with the expectation that Gurley will be healthy and ready to go at the start of the season. Reading the signs, that seems like a very strong possibility, and I am confident he can make an impact immediately on your fantasy team. Last year I was on the Aaron Donald train in my rookie pick, but even I could not imagine he would finish as dominate as he did. He was ProFootballFocus.com s highest graded defensive tackle. That means in the entire league, he was the best at his position, and he was a rookie. Granted, J.J. Watt listed as a defensive end, but that is no small feat for him. This season, I am switching over to offense as my rookie to draft from the Rams. It s easy to see that he has the highest upside of not only of any running back on the roster, but of any rookie in the league. Gurley brings a lot to table between the tackles and has the playmaking ability to turn every run into six points. Gurley has a mixture of speed and power that very few backs in the league possess. He s not afraid of contact, so he will fight for the extra yards when the Rams need it most. He had almost FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 108

109 62% of his yards at Georgia AFTER contact. A back that is capable of playing in the SEC and managing to put up those kind of numbers against some of the best defenses in all of collegiate sports will transpose well to the professional level. Also, Gurley isn t a back that fumbles very often. He only had three fumbles in 510 carries at Georgia, so he s very protective of the ball. There is nothing quicker that will put a player on the sideline in the coach s doghouse than coughing up the ball. I m sure Tiki Barber is still having nightmares of Tom Coughlin from his days in New York. The downside of Gurley is that the offensive system he s in may not be the best fit for his run style. He s more of a power back like Marshawn Lynch than a lateral runner like Matt Forte. He will need to be more patient in his zone reads and his cuts up the field, but that is all something that will come in time with him on the gridiron. The silver lining here is that running back isn t like other positions for rookies where the learning curve is too steep. It s the same basic principles since peewee football, so it should not take too much time for him to adjust to the speed of the game. Gurley is a rare breed of running backs that are cut from the same cloth as him. He has a ton of fantasy value headed into this season, and the Rams spent their 10 th overall draft selection on him. He should see plenty of playing time as long as his health permits. They are going to find ways to put the ball in his hand because he is the best offensive weapon they have, and he is capable of leading any team to the fantasy championship. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 109

110 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (KYLE ROBERT) TEAM OUTLOOK The Seattle Seahawks were a yard from repeating as Super Bowl champs last season. They could have easily decided to come back with the same team and make a run at a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance. However, they did not stand pat, instead they jumped at an opportunity to evolve an offense that has a running back approaching 30 in Marshawn Lynch and a quarterback that is ready to take another step in Russell Wilson. Wilson is about to enter his fourth season under center and is ready to take on more workload. This offseason they acquired the best pass catcher that Wilson has ever had in superstar tight end, Jimmy Graham. While he may not be a perfect all around tight end, he can be a special pass catcher that makes huge plays for his quarterback. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Russell Wilson, Tarvaris Jackson RB: Marshawn Lynch, Robert Turbin (FB), Christine Michael FB: Derrick Coleman WR: Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Tyler Lockett (KR/PR), Paul Richardson (inj) TE: Jimmy Graham, Luke Willson K: Steven Hauschka FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 110

111 STUD PLAYER JIMMY GRAHAM, TIGHT END Many people are under the belief that Jimmy Graham would be taking a huge step back after he was traded to the Seahawks. While the rapport he had with his former quarterback Drew Brees was special, Graham still has the opportunity to be an elite fantasy option in Seattle. Wilson is going to be inking a massive deal between now and the end of the this season. The coaches have a belief that he can be a special talent at quarterback. Graham battled injuries last season, which hampered his numbers, but word surfaced that Graham looks fully recovered from last season injuries. I expect a monster season from Superstar Jimmy Graham! He should eclipse 1,100 yards and double digit touchdowns. He is the best red zone threat the Seahawks aerial assault has. He will be right up there with Rob Gronkowski this season and should be looked at in rounds 2 to 3. After Graham and Gronkowski the market takes a massive dip, grabbing one of these guys could be a huge advantage over the rest of your league. TEAM SLEEPER TYLER LOCKETT, WIDE RECEIVER Tyler Lockett is a ready made NFL receiver that has the ability to impact day 1. Lockett is an elite route runner that can play much bigger than his size may indicate. He will see a ton of looks both in the slot and outside. He has great hands and can be the second or third passing option in this offense. Dynasty owners need to buy, buy, buy on Lockett, who can develop into a playmaker catching passes from Russell Wilson. ROOKIE TO WATCH THOMAS RAWLS, RUNNING BACK Fantasy owners and dynasty owners have waited patiently for Christine Michael and Robert Turbin to get their shot. It doesn't look like that shot will come anytime soon, with Lynch inking his new deal this offseason. Robert Turbin is not expected to see much if any action this preseason due to hip surgery. Christine Michael will see most of the work, but rookie Thomas Rawls is a name to keep an eye on. If he impresses, the Seahawks may be willing to move Michael to a running back needy team (cough, Dallas, cough) and Rawls could assume the role behind Lynch. Rawls is a powerful back that played his college football at Central Michigan University, after transferring from the University of Michigan. Dynasty owners can get value in Rawls who is currently going very late in start ups and rookie drafts. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 111

112 MAKING MONEY WITH MFL10 S BY MIKE MARGOSSIAN What are MFL10 s that you see everyone talking and tweeting about? MyFantasyLeague.com offers these draft only best ball 12 team leagues, at $10, $25, $50, and even $100 levels. They consist of 12 teams, with each team drafting 20 players to fill their roster, and once the draft is done you do nothing else and hope you win! For the $10 league, 1 st gets $100 and 2 nd gets a free entry next year. $25/$50/$100 levels pay the top 3. How to get started? Go to the new-this-year dashboard at MFL10s.com to register (or login). The first thing you need to do after logging in is to make a deposit of any amount you would like. You then use that deposit to join leagues by simply pressing the join now button in the right side column. Drafts will start once they are full, at either 1PM or 5PM Eastern time and you will be getting an that you can use to login to the league. If you plan on doing just a handful of these, have fun! If you plan on doing a lot of them and want a tool to help you, I created a tool for sale that a bunch of people use (and love) that helps with drafting and keeping track of how many shares of players you have. You can check it out at and ask me any questions about it that you may Now on to a basic beginners guide to drafting so you have a chance! How do the leagues themselves work? Before the draft starts, I like to make a few settings. On the left side I click on My Team Page and change my team name. I also click on contact info and turn off Draft status updates but make sure I leave When I m on the clock checked. You can also sign in to twitter here if you would like to tweet your picks. The draft will be a slow draft, meaning you will have up to 8 hours to make any single pick. If the timer expires, you will be given the highest ranked played based on ADP (Average Draft Position), this won t hurt too bad early on, but later rounds you could get stuck with someone you really don t want. To avoid this, if you are going to be away from your computer or phone for 8+ hours (like sleeping), utilize the pre-draft feature of MFL. You can pre-draft as many players as you want, and even pre-draft multiple rounds (handy if you have back to back picks you need to make). Your starting lineup will be 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex (RB, WR, or TE), and 1 Defense FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 112

113 These leagues are best ball, which means that the system will automatically select your best lineup for you each week to score points. The league will run for 16 weeks and the most points at the end wins (simple as that). There are no head-to-head matchups, just points. There are FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 113

114 FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 114

115 also no waivers or trades, very literally just draft only. Those are all the mechanics of how MFL Draft Only leagues work, now onto some basic strategy. General roster construction: Let s start from the end and work backwards. We ll take a look at what your final roster should look like in a typical MFL10 draft. I will explain each bucket and why those numbers. 2-3 QB 5-6 RB 6-8 WR 2-3 TE 2-3 DEF QB With the league being draft only, you want to get at least 2 QBs (I go 2 majority of the time) and make sure they don t have the same bye week. No waivers mean you can t pick any up to fill in for a bye week or injury. Every QB has down weeks, so having 2 or 3 will give you the top score of them every week. RB Having to start just 2 (plus the flex) vs 3 WRs is why you should have a few less RBs than WRs at the end of the draft. If you are ballsy, you can go with 4 if you think they will all be healthy and do well. 5 is a good number if you like your RBs, and 6 if you wait and need to make up the quality with quantity. WR The range of 6-8 (why so many with 8?) is that WRs after you get past the studs are more volatile in any given week. Your late round WRs will have mainly bad weeks (but that s OK, this is best ball) so the weeks those WRs connect on a 50 yard TD is the week they crack your roster. Having multiple later round guys like that will fill in that WR3 and/or flex in a lot of weeks. TE TEs in general are rather volatile as well, being TD dependent. Just like late WRs, the TEs past the top guys like Gronk, are not going to perform every week. Having 2 or 3 will help smooth out the position, and the weeks where both of your TEs put up some good points, can slide right into that flex spot DEF Defense is generally the most random position, so having 2 or 3 helps with that. Granted they won t get injured and will play every week, but every defense has bad statistical games. Basic strategy for drafting a MFL Draft Only Best Ball League: FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 115

116 This strategy is for any single draft that will help you have a solid team made up of players you generally like. If you are drafting in the first 3 spots, it s a slam dunk you should take one of Le Veon Bell, Lacy, or Charles, in some order. If you have one of the later picks in the draft it s pretty straight forward as well, as you can get a very solid RB and either a top WR or another good RB. Combos like Lynch/Calvin or Forte/Foster, Dez/ CJ Anderson, or even Dez/Calvin (if you want to avoid RBs). If you have the middle pick you can take a RB or WR or Gronk (whoever is your favorite) and then the same in the 2 nd round. A lot depends on the draft and how others pick, but in general I try and have at least 3 very solid RBs through 5 rounds. You may want to load up on WRs, but it can be a tricky proposition. When you get to round 6 and onward and look for RB, you will be crying in the corner with how quickly they got bad. At the same time if you have 3-4 solid RBs, you can load up on WRs like Landry, VJax, Roddy White, Torrey Smith, and Larry Fitzgerald. Remember MFL10 s are bestball, so getting 4-5 very solid WRs with 3-4 top RBs can do a lot better than stud WRs and crap RBs. QB You want to get 2 QBs, with some cases of getting 3 QBs. If you end up with your 2 nd QB being Sam Bradford, it might be a good idea to grab a 3 rd late round guy with upside like RG3 or one of the rookies. I tend to avoid early QBs like Luck and Rodgers, you can get 2 quality QBs starting in round 8 and a bunch of them going starting late 9 th, so be cautious of the QB run when picking. There is a spattering of late QB2s like Cutler, Palmer, and Dalton that can be great value starting in the late 13 th. RB In general I try and get 3-4 solid RBs in the first 5 rounds. There are a spattering of guys like Vereen, Abdullah, and Rashad Jennings from rounds 6+ that are solid picks, but they are few and far between. And once you get to round 13+ you are lucky to get a guy that will crack your starting lineup for 2 or so weeks, and could get stuck with guys that almost never see the field. There are a lot of articles out there showing how RBs past the top studs bust at an exponential rate, so tread with caution. WR There are a lot of WRs out there that can help you, so the way I think of them, when in doubt take a WR. I generally try and end up with 6-8 WRs (vast majority of the time 6-7 depending). WRs in general have up and down games, so having 6-7 of them (plus bye weeks) will fill in for your 3 WR slots along with the flex a lot. I usually grab at least 1 or 2 WRs in the first 5 or 6 rounds, grab a bunch from rounds 6-12, and then a late flyer or two in the last few rounds depending on team and players. TE If you take Gronk or Jimmy Graham, or even Kelce, it s probably best to just have 2 TEs and load up elsewhere, take advantage of having a top TE. If you don t get Gronk/Jimmy or Kelce late 5 th, Olsen late 6 th, or Bennett late 7 th, you can wait on TEs until the 10 th to 14 th round to grab 2 and possibly a 3 rd later. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 116

117 Def The most boring position. Do not draft Seattle in the 15 th round or anything. Grab 2 (you can do 3, but 2 are fine, just check bye weeks) in the last 2-3 rounds of your draft. They are so random, pick your favorites near the end of the draft and go with it. They won t get injured, but since it s best ball, you want 2 so you don t get hit with those horrible blowouts any team can have. If you are doing 10 or less, have fun and enjoy. Use it as a practice of sorts for your redraft leagues. They are better than mocks as since everyone has to pay for them, they are invested and won t abandon the draft. And hey, you can win some money! FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 117

118 BALTIMORE RAVENS (BEN ROLFE) TEAM OUTLOOK The Ravens are almost boring with their consistency over the past few years, and had it not been for a brilliant Patriots resurgence we could have seen them in another AFC championship game last year. However, this team may be boring in terms of its consistency but for fantasy they are very intriguing given the number of question marks and the potential upside. Once again they enter the season with Joe Flacco as the quarterback and there are no surprises here because Flacco will be his usual maddeningly inconsistent self, having a mix of clangers and stunners to drive fantasy players nuts. Flacco is also maddening when it comes to looking at his receivers because he has a stunning arm but can then throw some of the worst throws in the league at times. Steve Smith is aging now and is more of a PPR guy than anything as I expect the Ravens to use him for short quick routes. They have added the receiving threats of Breshad Perriman and Maxx Williams at WR and TE respectively and I will discuss both of them later. Kamar Aiken, Michael Campanaro and Marlon Brown are all potential names if Smith falls off a cliff or Perriman struggles but they are not draftable. The other two tight ends are Pitta, who may well be done, and Crockett Gilmore, who looks to be the man they will use as an extra blocker. At the running back position they have the feel good story of Justin Forsett backed up by Lorenzo Taliaferro, who should serve as a potential touchdown guy, with both potentially getting a boost given the Ravens superb offensive line. On the defensive side Daryl Smith, CJ Mosley and T-Sizzle all bear keeping in mind at the linebacker position with Elvis Dumervil a potential low end upside option and Lardarius Webb the standout defensive back by a mile. TEAM DEPTH CHART FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 118

119 QB: Joe Flacco, Matt Schaub RB: Justin Forsett (3RB), Javorius Allen, Lorenzo Taliaferro FB: Kyle Juszczyk WR: Steve Smith, Breshad Perriman, Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown TE: Dennis Pitta (inj), Maxx Williams K: Justin Tucker STUD PLAYER JUSTIN FORSETT, RUNNING BACK After years of stumbling around the NFL as a relative nobody in the fantasy world, Forsett had a breakout year last season for the Ravens. For the first time in his career, Forsett got the chance to be the number one running back, and boy did he take that chance and run with it. In 2014 Forsett put up 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns on 235 rushing attempts with 263 yards on 44 receptions to make him the eighth ranked running back for fantasy. When the Ravens didn t take a running back in the first couple of rounds of the draft this year it became clear they felt they had their man in Forsett who should now shoulder the load as the starter once again. The return of all five of the starters on last year s superb offensive line should help Forsett to find gaps and break big runs once again this year. The addition of Marc Trestman as offensive coordinator could benefit Forsett s PPR value as Trestman is known for feeding his running back targets in the passing game so I expect to see a big increase on last year s receptions. The downside for Forsett owners is that the Ravens appear to have Taliaferro pegged as the short yardage/goal line back so he could vulture a few touchdowns from Forsett as the season goes on. However, it is reasonable to expect another 1200 ish yards from Forsett with 5-8 touchdowns which will make him a top 10 running back once again for fantasy owners. TEAM SLEEPER MAXX WILLIAMS, RUNNING BACK I am doubling down on the rookies here for the Ravens fantasy outlook as Maxx Williams finds himself my sleeper entering the 2015 season. In part this is due to the fact that there just aren t a lot of candidates for the role in this Baltimore offense but mainly this is because Williams is expected to play the role Martellus Bennett played in Trestman s offense. In that system Bennett put up back to back years of career highs in catches and yards and I can assure you Williams will do that also (sorry couldn t resist!). Williams has good speed, strength and agility which should allow him to be a big weapon across the middle of the field fighting off the attentions of the linebackers and safeties he will find covering him. The issues counting against him include the fact he isn t a great route runner entering the NFL and he has openly stated he is struggling with the Ravens playbook which may see him lose snaps this season. That lack of snaps may be added to by the fact that Williams is not a good blocker so you may find him off the field in early downs when the Ravens like to use their full back. However, I do expect Williams to challenge the general theory of tight ends struggling in their rookie year and to be a FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 119

120 crucial part of the passing game of this offense as the team transitions from Kubiak to Trestman in ROOKIE TO WATCH BRESHAD PERRIMAN, WIDE RECEIVER Now while the excitement I have for Maxx Williams feels like it requires a lot to go correct for the value to be there Perriman looks made for immediate success in this Baltimore offense. With Torrey Smith leaving in free agency there was a massive need for a speedy deep threat to go and catch the bombs from Joe Flacco. Step up Perriman, who ran a 4.24 second 40 in the combine and was a three year menace in college with UCF. Perriman is bigger, stronger and faster than Torrey, meaning not only is he an even bigger deep threat but that he can also be a red zone target for a team that badly needs someone to step up at receiver. There are some issues with his route running and he dropped a few clangers last year but on the flip side he can pull off some catches so incredible you cannot believe you just witnessed that so hopefully the Ravens can find some middle ground there. Perriman is one of the biggest upside plays right now not only among the rookies but in the whole of fantasy. If he has even three quarters of the targets Smith was averaging the last four years then we could be looking at another monster rookie season from a young wide receiver. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 120

121 CINCINNATI BENGALS (BEN ROLFE) TEAM OUTLOOK The Bengals had another strong year in 2014, finishing second in the AFC North even though they had some injuries to key players to deal with. Entering 2015 the core of the offense all remains and the defense still looks strong so I expect another good showing from the Bengals this season. Andy Dalton always seems to divide fantasy opinions and I expect he will once again in 2015, having finished 19 th overall in Dalton will flash good games and then have some absolute stinkers which is what makes him so frustrating. Honestly I don t see him being a starting QB for fantasy in leagues in single QB leagues. At the running back position the Bengals have the exciting duo of Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard. The issue for fantasy owners is working out just how much time they will each see but my guess is that Hill will be the primary back in early downs. That makes Gio the third down back be I do expect him to have gadget roles in earlier downs making him a viable flex option for fantasy. Tight end is the only place that massively differs with Jermaine Gresham making way for the returning Tyler Eifert and the drafted Tyler Kroft, you can read about both further down. At wide receiver AJ Green is once again the leader and I expect Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones to be the other two main receivers used. Jones is a guy who excited me last year and I think he will beat out Sanu for the number two spot and should have decent fantasy values as a flex or #3 wide receiver as the season progresses. Sanu will have value but his intrigue lies in his usage, and don t be surprised to see him getting involved in the trick plays this year. Defensively they have Carlos Dunlap, who is a stud DE for IDP but other than that they have a lot of defenders I expect to be middle of the road waiver wire fodder in many IDP leagues. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 121

122 TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Andy Dalton, A.J. McCarron RB: Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard (3RB), Rex Burkhead FB: Ryan Hewitt WR: A.J. Green, Marvin Jones (inj), Mohamed Sanu, Denarius Moore TE: Tyler Eifert, Tyler Kroft K: Mike Nugent STUD PLAYER A.J. GREEN, WIDE RECEIVER Green is coming off the worst year of his career so far having scored just 136 fantasy points (153 was his previous low). That can be in part attributed to the fact that he played just 13 games in 2014, having missed the games in weeks 5, 6 and 7. If we take his 2014 totals of 1041 yards and 6 touchdowns and extrapolate that over a 16 game pace then he would have put up 1280 yards with 7 touchdowns. That would have given him 166 points moving him from the 24 th best WR to the 13 th best wide receiver. The point I am trying to make here is that Green will likely be undervalued entering 2015 because people will see the fact he finished outside the top 20 and remember he had a few injury niggles and downgrade him in their mind. Green had played all 32 games in the previous two seasons and had scored over 200 fantasy points in each season. Green is a legitimate top 5 talent at receiver and is still extremely young making him a potential bargain at the bottom of the second round in drafts this year. Currently he is being ranked in 8 th /9 th spot at a stacked wide receiver position but I would be over the moon if I get one of the stud running backs in the first round and then follow that up with AJ Green as my number one receiver in the bottom of the second. Do not be surprised if Green gets back to his 2013 form with Dalton feeding him the ball often and we see a 1200 yard season with 10 touchdowns. TEAM SLEEPER TYLER EIFERT, TIGHT END Eifert s sophomore season was cut short by a nasty injury in week one of the 2014 season and meant he didn t see another snap all season. However, whilst the timing was disastrous for the 2014 season it is perfect for the 2015 season because it means Eifert has had the best part of a year to recover come the first week of the season. Eifert came out of college with a reputation as a good receiver and after a slow start in 2013 where he averaged just 2.6 receptions and 30 yards per game there was a lot of talk of more inclusion in the passing game in This left Jermaine Gresham as the main tight end for the team and he saw 62 receptions for 460 yards and 5 touchdowns. Now I would like to think that the vast majority of those targets would have gone to Eifert if he was healthy and perhaps even more given that Eifert is supposed to be the better receiver. Hopefully, now as we enter 2015 where Cincinnati appears to have an FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 122

123 extremely well balanced offense we can see Eifert flourish and give Dalton the release valve that he so often needs. Right now Eifert is ranked as the 18 th tight end off the board but top 10 is a real potential and you could benefit hugely from a late round flier if you decide to punt tight end early in the draft. ROOKIE TO WATCH TYLER KROFT, TIGHT END Cincinnati seem to have drafted with more of an eye on depth and future production this year meaning that as opposed to in the past there are no stand out must add rookies on the Bengals. The most relevant of the crop is Rutgers tight end Tyler Kroft. Kroft did not have a good final season in college but the Bengals looked beyond that at the second year production and the potential that Kroft has. He was a high school receiver and played there his first year of college before switching to tight end so the receiving element of his game should be fairly strong. He has been touted by some draft gurus as a guy who can line up in multiple positions including the backfield and may be someone Cincy can use to get matchup advantages. He is a tall guy and therefore his natural usage is as a red zone threat either running fades or up the seam where his speed off the line can get him past linebackers and taking on safeties with a height advantage. The knock on him entering the draft was his blocking and while it was accepted he is a strong and willing blocker it was his technique that was lacking, although he has only played the position two years. Kroft seems like a very intriguing project for Cincy because he has the frame to add bulk and his blocking technique can only improve with pro-coaching. For this season it is likely he will be the man who steps in for two tight end sets, because his run blocking is sufficient, and then in the red zone which is where his fantasy value lies. Not going to be a man you draft but could end up having a game like Fauria/Donnell where he has a couple of red zone touchdowns and springs to fantasy relevance so make sure you have him on your radar early and see how the Bengals use him. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 123

124 CLEVELAND BROWNS (MILES BOZEMAN) TEAM OUTLOOK (BEN ROLFE) The Browns had a lot of promise at times last year but as usually happens for them the season ended messily and there are plenty of questions entering the 2015 season. As always the biggest question is the quarterback position with the status of Johnny Manziel unknown entering the season having spent time in rehab this offseason. Right now it looks as though Josh McCown will start as the number one this season and that majorly damages the fantasy values within this group. If there is to be a regularly successful QB come out of this group Manziel and his skill set is the best opportunity. At the running back position Isaiah Crowell is likely to be the number one when the season begins with Duke Johnson a close number two who I expect to eventually be the number one. I don t see either of these guys finishing the season as a top 20 running back but Duke Johnson could definitely be a flex worthy guy if he can take over the job. The receiving group is not one that inspires confidence, especially when you see the quarterback options as well. Dwayne Bowe signed in free agency this season and will be hoping to prove he is better than last year but I cannot see him being anything more than a #5 WR unless Cleveland massively improves their QB situation. Hartline and Hawkins will be the numbers 2 and 3 but they have next to no value as we enter 2015, so with the only receiver who is good enough to be relevant on this team suspended, Josh Gordon, there is little to be excited about here. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 124

125 Again at tight end there is limited options here to get the blood pumping and no one fantasy relevant, except for Regan's love of Rob Housler. On the defensive side of the ball Kruger, Dansby and Mingo could all have relevance at the linebacker position with Joe Haden, Donte Whitner and Tramon Williams all options in the secondary. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel RB: Isaiah Crowell (SD), Duke Johnson (3RB), Terrance West WR: Dwayne Bowe, Brian Hartline,, Andrew Hawkins TE: Rob Housler, Gary Barnidge K: Travis Coons STUD PLAYER ISAIAH CROWELL, RUNNING BACK Isaiah Crowell split the duties last year in a committee with Terrance West. After doing the most with his opportunities he should returns as the starter for this Cleveland Browns Offense. His powerful and instinctive style of running along with a healthy line, that may be the best in the NFL, could lead to a fantasy stud season for Crowell. He does struggle catching the ball and can occasionally fumble the ball, so he will need to continue to get better this offseason. He does have a talented rookie in Duke Johnson on his heels, who could take some 3 rd down responsibilities and maybe even his job is Crowell struggles. Isaiah Crowell is a man you want to bet on. He has overcome something most can t. Going from young star to criminal charges and being undrafted. Then only taking one season to take a starting job and is now staring NFL stardom in the face. I think I ll put my money on Crowell to make that jump. TEAM SLEEPER ANDREW HAWKINS, WIDE RECEIVER Andrew Hawkins does enter the year behind to underwhelming veterans in Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline. Hawkins should remain the starting slot receiver for the Browns and that can be a highly productive role, as he proved last season. If his quarterback turns out to be Josh McCown we could see instant chemistry as the larger receivers Bowe and Hartline pull attention to the outside. Johnny Manziel could find his way into the mix at quarterback for the Browns, that may even help Hawkins stock. The Average FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 125

126 yardage for his catches last season was He is highly skilled at finding the soft spot in coverage, so combined with a scrambling young quarterback; he could be a dangerous player in store for some big plays this season. Andrew Hawkins is a great late round flier, especially in PPR leagues, that could produce well above his price. ROOKIE TO WATCH DUKE JOHNSON, RUNNING BACK Duke Johnson has the body size to play as an every down back in the NFL. Combining his size with his explosive burst and elusive running style, you have the making of a potentially exciting NFL running back. He particularly fits well into Cleveland zone scheme because of his ability to run with such great patience. One NFL running back coach went as far as to say; "Best outside zone back in this draft and it's not close." His blocking technique could hold him back in year one, but is also fixable by teaching him to square up when he is pass blocking. Johnson could also make up for his flaws in the pass protection with his rare ability to catch the ball better than most backs in the NFL, already. This will get him on the field immediately, especially on 3 rd downs. He should be a must stash in PPR leagues. His upside could be well above what we saw from his teammate Isaiah Crowell. The Brown Return a healthy and more talented offensive line. If Crowell struggles with the starting job or gets injured I believe we could see Duke Johnson take that job before Terrance West. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 126

127 PITTSBURGH STEELERS (LUKE O NEILL) TEAM OUTLOOK It looks like the torch has finally been passed in the Steel City. For so long, the Steelers have been known as a defensively minded team, their emphasis put on stopping the run, limiting big plays, and getting after the quarterback. For the last couple of seasons, however, these hallmarks of "great Steelers football" have been missing, and none of these targets have been met. Luckily for Steelers fans, and even more so fantasy footballers, the Steelers' offense is proving that it can not only be an effective unit, but a record breaking one. The Steelers' offense was second in total yards last season, with Ben Roethlisberger playing the best football of his career to tie for the lead in passing yards with Drew Brees, and Le'Veon Bell behind only Demarco Murray in rushing yards. For good measure, Antonio Brown also led the league in catches and receiving yards, and finished tied second for receiving touchdowns. The reasons for this turnaround are tricky to pinpoint. The much maligned Todd Haley did a (predominantly) masterful job of play calling last season, putting Roethlisberger and the offense in positions to accentuate their talents. The offensive line has transformed over the last couple of seasons from a liability to a genuine strength of the team, the tutelage of Mike Munchak and the surprising emergence of Kelvin Beachum as a legitimate high-end left tackle - who according to Pro Football Focus had the second best pass blocking efficiency of all left tackles (PFF also ranked Beachum its 67th best player of 2014) - being huge catalysts for this change. So, what does this year hold for a unit that performed so well last season? FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 127

128 Le'Veon Bell will miss the first 3 games of the season due to a suspension stemming from last year's DUI charge. When he returns, he should perform exceedingly well again on a per game basis, but the fact that he will be missing almost one third of the regular fantasy season (including his bye) mean that selecting him as highly as his talent suggests he should go may be a risky proposition for some owners - and make no mistake, if he was going to play the full season Bell should be the de facto #1 overall pick in almost every league. In best ball leagues this is mitigated somewhat, and depending on how far he falls in your regular draft he may even end up becoming a value, but he does come with a "buyer beware" sign. However, true bell-cow backs are becoming increasingly difficult to find, and once Bell gets back on the field he should continue to get somewhere in the region of touches per game. Using Bell's statistics from last season as a guideline, a conservative estimate for his total production would be around total yards and 8-9 TDs. Bell will return as a focal point for the offense as soon as his suspension ends, as the unholy triumvirate of Williams, failed gadget experiment Dri Archer and the talented but entirely unproven Josh Harris will not strike fear into the hearts and minds of opposing defensive coordinators. He's still worthy of the 1.01 in redraft, and if he falls to you at 3 or 4 overall, jump at the chance to get him. On the subject of running backs, Deangelo Williams may seem like a tempting option with his current (at the time of writing) ADP at the back of the 10th round. Beat reporters have suggested that he is a candidate for only around carries per game, which stands to reason when Williams' durability concerns are studied - he hasn't played 16 games since Seven years ago. Archer, Harris and even Ross Scheuerman offer more explosive play ability, and without the benefit of volume, Williams' upside is capped. You'll not only find players with higher ceilings in that range, but higher floors, too. Now, hands up who thought that Heath Miller was in the top 10 for receiving yards by tight ends last season. Anyone? Thought not. Very quietly, Miller had the third most receiving yards of his career, while also finishing with the 7th most catches by any tight end. He is far from a dynamic athlete at this point in his career, but he remains a 3 down tight end, and a trusted security valve for Roethlisberger. He will likely see a decrease in his catches this season due to the plethora of options the Steelers have available, but he will likely see an increase on the 3 TDs he scored last season. He should finish as a fringe TE1 / high TE2 again, but his ADP of #20 TE at the time of writing suggest he could end up as a value yet again this season (per PPR ADP from MyFantasyLeague). Markus Wheaton, the subject of the "sleeper player" section of last season's draft guide, enters the upcoming season under a similar guise. He remains a gifted player, but perhaps the Steelers' offense is not conducive for him showcasing his ability (Emmanuel Sanders, anyone?). Wheaton looks set to play much more from the slot this season, and while that ostensibly offer him more opportunity, he's a player best left on the waiver wire to start the season, at least. He FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 128

129 is a name worth monitoring though, particularly if Brown or Bryant were to go down with injury. And then, of course, we come to the man who drives the engine. The straw that stirs the drink. The...quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. As mentioned above, Roethlisberger tied for the league lead in passing yards last season. He finished 7th in touchdowns, 3rd in passer rating and average yards per attempt of full time starting QBs, and absorbed over 20% less sacks than the season before. Roethlisberger is now 33, and the amount of punishment his body absorbs has a huge impact on his potential future performance, so that last stat may be of huge significance. Provided he can stay healthy for another full season, he should be at worst a top 8 fantasy QB with the cast of weapons he has around him. Per Fantasy Football Calculator's ADP, Victor Cruz is going one spot behind Roethlisberger. Even without an historic 2 game stretch, Roethlisberger averaged 38 attempts per game last season, and while that usage will likely not change, he looks to be more efficient, particularly with Martavis Bryant in the starting lineup from week 1. After Bryant was inserted into the lineup last season, Roethlisberger went from averaging just over 14 points per game to almost 22 points per game. He went from averaging yards per game to yards per game, and 1.33 TDs per game to 2.4 TDs per game. In short, when Bryant was on the field last season (more about him later), Roethlisberger was more efficient on a per game basis than Andrew Luck. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski RB: Le Veon Bell (susp), DeAngelo Williams, Dri Archer (KR) FB: Will Johnson WR: Antonio Brown (PR), Martavis Bryant, Markus Wheaton, Sammie Coates TE: Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth K: Shaun Suisham STUD PLAYER ANTONIO BROWN, WIDE RECEIVER Antonio Brown. This section of could be left at just those two words, and it would probably be justified, but let's dig into just how phenomenal a player Brown is, and how he can be a potential fantasy title winner. As noted above, Brown led the league in catches last season, after coming second in that category the previous year. He has proven that he can not only be a legitimate #1 receiver in the NFL in spite of his smaller stature, but that he can be an elite option at the position over an extended period of time. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 129

130 Brown's success stems from his route running ability, and his uncanny knack to disguise his intentions from opposing defenders. Brown's elite route running ability means that there is nothing in the playbook he isn't suitable for, and as a result his usage has been astronomical, particularly last season, when he received 182(!!!) targets. While it's natural to expect some regression on this, Brown should still be at worst a top 5 option at the position. Haley's offense is predicated on each player being able to man any of the receiver (X, Y and Z) spots in order to stress the opposing defense in different ways depending on their alignment. Brown's ability to win in the short, intermediate and even deep game mean he is a safe bet for targets and catches each and every week. His streak of consecutive games with at least 5 catches now stretches to 32 games - the next closest streak ever was Laveranues Coles at 19 games (h/t to the for this stat). As alluded to above, Brown's totals are almost guaranteed to dip this season, but following up on what (an admittedly biased) Dave Dameshek called an "all time top 5 WR season" was always going to be difficult. For what it's worth, in this section of last season's draft guide I personally also suggested Brown was in for a statistical regression from his 2013 numbers, and he managed to prove me very, very wrong. The main area Brown is likely to regress in is scoring, as only perennial TD machine Dez Bryant scored more than him last season. If we assume around a 10% reduction in targets for Brown (accounting for increased roles for Bryant and possibly Markus Wheaton, but remembering that Lance Moore is gone and Bell is suspended for 3 games), he should still average about 10 targets per game. Using Brown's career catch percentage and average yards per catch as a guideline, he would be in line to put up a stat line of around 1400 yards and 8-9 TDs. Last season, that would still have been a top 6 scoring season. And, given what Brown has shown us over the last few years, that seems like it's closer to his floor than his ceiling. And that, friends, is how Antonio Brown can be a fantasy title winner. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 130

131 TEAM SLEEPER MARTAVIUS BRYANT, WIDE RECEIVER Breakout player is definitely a more appropriate term to describe Bryant this season than sleeper, as the hype train has been moving along at a terrifying pace, culminating in Bryant's redraft PPR ADP at WR #25 at the time of writing (per FantasyPros). After exploding on to the scene after 6 weeks on the sidelines last season, Bryant has done more than enough to capture the hearts and minds of fantasy footballers everywhere. Bryant's 21.1 yards per catch led the league for qualifying wide receivers, after being only the second WR since 1999 to have over 22 yards per catch in college He may have only caught 26 passes last season, but with those accumulated 549 yards and 8 scores. Extrapolated over a full season, that would put Bryant on pace for 849 yards and 13 scores. Bryant was nothing short of a revelation last season, and was a huge factor in the Steelers' season turning around. In weeks 1-6, without Bryant in the lineup, the Steelers were averaging just over 20.5 points per game. After Bryant's insertion in week 7, they averaged 31 points per game. Bryant was the prototypical "raw, project" receiver coming out of college, blessed with incredible physical attributes including a yard dash and a 39 inch vertical leap at 6'4". While Bryant wasn't a sophisticated route runner coming out, he's had a chance to work with FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 131

132 an absolute master of the craft in Antonio Brown over the last two seasons, and should be more capable entering his fabled "second season with the playbook". Luckily for Bryant, Brown's presence (as well as Bell, when he returns) means that opposing defensive coordinators will have to pick their poison when facing the Steelers this upcoming season. Bryant has been working out with Jay Glazer this offseason and has reportedly added 10lbs of muscle to his previously lean frame in the hopes of being able to beat press coverage more cleanly and help as a physical presence in the red zone. By all accounts, Bryant is working hard on becoming a better and more complete player this offseason, and while these are all trite clichés, the hype with Bryant actually seems justifiable. While expecting Bryant to keep up his torrid pace of last season is somewhat unrealistic, it's reasonable to expect him to threaten 60 catches and 1100 yards to go along with 8-10 TDs. However, he will be a "boom or bust" prospect from week to week, and in all likelihood will hurt your team in at least a couple of weeks of the season. However, his upside is absolutely monstrous in this high-powered Steelers offense, and he'll be a lot of fun to have on your fantasy team this season. NFL.com pegged Bryant as one of their "Making The Leap" candidates, and fantasy owners will be hoping he can have the same kind of impact for their teams this season. ROOKIE TO WATCH SAMMIE COATES, WIDE RECEIVER Coates won't take up too much real estate here, as he is unlikely to have a huge impact as a rookie, simply due to the level of competition he has ahead of him. Brown and Bryant are firmly entrenched as the team's #1 and #2 WRs, so at best Coates can hope to steal some routes away from Wheaton in the slot, and very occasionally play outside in certain packages. Coates comes to the Steelers with an eerily similar resume to Bryant last season, with similar strengths and weaknesses. He averaged over 21 yards per catch in his college career, but earned a reputation as a player without natural catching ability (or possibly instincts). While Coates certainly didn't have a great drop rate at 19.1%, he did make more than his fair share of spectacular catches, suggesting that his drops (which seemed to be more on shorter routes than deep balls) are a result of concentration issues than anything else. Training alongside arguably the hardest working player in the NFL should help with that. While Coates looks unlikely to be a significant contributor on the stat sheet this season, it will only be lack of opportunity, not lack of talent. For the significant lapses in concentration, he also flashes rare ability on the field, between tracking the deep ball beautifully, creating yards after the catch, and showing why he's drawn comparisons to Terrell Owens. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 132

133 It's unlikely Coates surpasses 400 yards this season, with maybe 1-2 scores, but he adds another wrinkle to an already lethal Steelers offense. And like Wheaton, if Bryant or Brown are to go down with injury, scoop Coates up from the waiver wire instantly. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 133

134 HOUSTON TEXANS (AARON MARCOTTE) TEAM OUTLOOK The fantasy outlook of the Houston Texans this year is one of the biggest mysteries entering the 2015 season. The Texans went from a fantasy juggernaut to jugger-nothings in the past two years. Outside of J.J. Watt in IDP leagues, there are few sure things with the Texans. Still, there is reason to believe that the glory days are ahead for some of the Houston fantasy players you know and love. Head coaches often need a year to adjust to a new team, especially when the key personnel (cough, QB, cough) are lacking the necessary skills. The Texans brought in a new group of quarterbacks last season in hopes of finding the right one for Bill O Brien s system. The race currently stands neck and neck between Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett. Hoyer seemingly should have the upper hand having worked with O Brien in New England, but Mallett has backed up Brady for two years and is considered to have a much higher ceiling. Luckily for the American public, the Texans are the featured team of HBO s Hard Knocks this year. We will be able to see the battle take place firsthand, just as long as a starter isn t decided before the pre-season. Arian Foster continued to impress in 2014 putting up some of his best per-game numbers of his career. Although he only played in 13 games, he still averaged almost 96 yards per game while scoring 13 total touchdowns. Foster turns 29 this preseason and has to be considered a question mark to make it through the entire season. What isn t really questionable is how productive he will be. At a minimum, he should still put up 1,000 yards and push for 10 touchdowns. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 134

135 Jadeveon Clowney had a less than stellar rookie year plagued by injuries, but there is still hope for the 22 year old. The exciting tandem we hoped to see in Clowney and Watt hopes to show up in full effect for the 2015 season. An improved defense is always good news for fantasy prospects. More offensive possessions leads to more opportunities to put up yards and touchdowns. Let s hope for fantasy purposes, and ESPN s Top-10 plays, that Clowney stays healthy this year and ravages his offensive counterparts. Deandre Hopkins had himself quite the sophomore campaign, and is now the first Texans WR1 not named Andre Johnson since That s quite a change for the organization and fanbase, but Hopkins seems ready to take on the challenge. He was injured to end the year but still managed to play a full 16 games for the second straight season. Offseason surgery fixed his wrist and he should be ready to go for the start of training camp. All in all, the Texans are returning most of their players this season. There is a lot to say for that as an organization attempts to grow and build up a team culture. Generally, less personnel turnover from season to season will produce good results. The Texans are looking to repeat or improve on their 9-7 record from a year ago, just two years removed from a 2-14 disaster. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett RB: Arian Foster, Alfred Blue, Chris Polk FB: Jay Prosch WR: DeAndre Hopkins, Cecil Shorts, Nate Washington, Jaelen Strong TE: Garrett Graham, C.J. Fiedorowicz K: Randy Bullock STUD PLAYER DEANDRE HOPKINS, WIDE RECEIVER Hopkins had himself a monster 2014 bringing his designation from sleeper to stud. With Arian Foster turning 29 and going on his 2 nd shortened season in as many years, the young WR from Clemson is here to take the fantasy throne in Houston. Hopkins improved his numbers across the board putting up 1,210 yards on 76 receptions, while crossing the pylon 6 times. Wide Receivers are known for putting up big numbers in their third year in the league. Hopkins is no exception to this. He s given the Texans everything they could have asked for out of a 27 th pick and this year you can bank on him besting his sophomore numbers. Regardless if Mallet or Hoyer gets the starting QB job this year, look for them to go to Hopkins early and often. The Texans tight ends combined for a lackluster 3 touchdowns last year combined, hinting that they aren t the Red Zone beasts some other teams seem to have. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 135

136 Hopkins should be trusted by the incumbent QB on all downs and he should get more red zone targets than the previous two years. Shorts, Strong and Washington are all formidable pass catchers that will look to take pressure off Hopkins by proving they can snag a ball or two thrown their way. And as long as Foster stays healthy, he will keep defenses honest forcing defenders into the box. TEAM SLEEPER ARIAN FOSTER, RUNNING BACK I know you re asking yourself: How can Arian Foster be a sleeper pick? This is more of a value pick because of the lack of sleepers on the Texans roster. Alfred Blue was less than stellar last year backing up/filling in for Foster and the tight ends that were mentioned in Hopkin s piece aren t anything to brag about. That leaves us with an undervalued, injury-prone Arian Foster. There s no reason to believe that the Texans will take some of the load of Foster in He s managed to withstand the bell-cow workload his entire career and there is no use saving him now. Note: you must grab Alfred Blue when drafting Foster as a handcuff! Since this pick wasn t as exciting as you expected, let s talk about why there isn t a better choice here. Cecil Shorts III was next in line to take this sleeper pick. Shorts has the ability for big games and always got a lot of targets in Jacksonville. Too many targets actually. He should have produced much bigger numbers in an offense that had no one else to go to. He averages 12 games per year and 3 touchdowns, inflated from a 7 touchdown He s not a red zone threat and he will be the 2 nd /3 rd option in a run balanced scheme. No thanks; stay away. Alfred Blue is a monster of a human. At 6 2, 220 lbs he should be able to truck defenders and score at will from within the five-yard line. Yet he ended with a 3.1 ypc average and only 2 touchdowns in Blue has apparently been working out with Adrian Peterson in the offseason to increase his potential workload as needed. I won t comment on what that could do for him off the field, but it should help him on the field. There is hope that Blue could come into fantasy relevance this year, but it would take a big injury to Foster for any opportunity to present itself. Brian Hoyer vs. Ryan Mallett may be an interesting battle to watch, but it s not going to result in fantasy relevance. At least not this year. With Andre Johnson moving onto the Colts, the Texans are left with only Hopkins out there shagging balls (hence the stud rating). The Texans need their QB to be a game manager who can stretch the field once the defense comes in. Mallett would be an intriguing option in 2QB leagues, but Hoyer doesn t excite me as much. ROOKIE TO WATCH JAELEN STRONG, WIDE RECEIVER FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 136

137 Strong has the size-speed combination that not many possess in the NFL. At 6 2, 217 lbs he ran a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash and has a 42-inch vertical. The Texans got this potential first rounder in the third because of injury scares. He s currently dealing with a hamstring issue that could hinder him in the battle for the second WR spot. Shorts has much more experience and could be trusted more to start the year. That doesn t mean you should count out Strong for the long haul. Strong has the ability to put up some big games this year but don t expect consistency. If Strong comes out of training camp healthy, he ll have the opportunity to take some pressure off of Hopkins and stretch the field for the Texans. Strong would be poised to have a bigger year with Mallett under center, but feel comfortable taking him as a late-round flier in standard leagues either way. He s a big target in the red zone and has the ability to beat a defense deep. Taking over the Andre Johnson role in Houston has a great ring to it, but don t expect Johnsonlike numbers anytime soon. As discussed before, Hopkins is going to get the lion s share of targets and veterans Shorts and Washington may be more trusted targets in the beginning of the year. Realistically we re looking at a ceiling of receptions for 900 yards for Strong this year. He s better suited in a PPR league, but don t scoff at him in the later rounds of standard leagues. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 137

138 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (JAY HOLMES) TEAM OUTLOOK I fully expect every skill position player to be relevant (again) in I may not agree with every off-season decision by General Manager Ryan Grigson this year, but he has certainly given Andrew Luck every opportunity to be even more successful with acquisition and drafting of some serious offensive threats. With the free agent acquisitions of Frank Gore, Andre Johnson and Duron Carter, as well as 1 st round pick Phillip Dorsett, this is arguably the best offense surrounding Luck in his young career. I haven t even mentioned the Tight End duo of Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener yet. This offense is going to be scary. The defense is going to surprise a lot of people. So much, I almost picked them as the sleeper of this team, but we ll get to that in a minute. D Qwell Jackson and Jerrell Freeman are solid middle of the field Linebackers with Pro Bowler Vontae Davis at Cornerback. Mike Adams returns after a somewhat surprising resurgence at safety and will be pushed by 4 th round pick Clayton Geathers. Hopefully Robert Mathis can return healthy and not experience another season ending injury to help solidify the defensive line. If Luck & Co. score points as expected, this defense will be able to attack, attack, attack which can lead to lots of fantasy points. TEAM DEPTH CHART FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 138

139 QB: Andrew Luck, Matt Hasselbeck RB: Frank Gore, Dan Herron (3RB), Zurlon Tipton WR: T.Y. Hilton (KR/PR), Andre Johnson, Donte Moncrief, Phillip Dorsett TE: Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener K: Adam Vinatieri STUD PLAYER ANDREW LUCK, QUARTERBACK It s starting to feel a little like the Charles Barkley/Karl Malone MVP voting situation when writing about the Stud of the Indianapolis Colts. You remember what I m talking about right? All the voters were like, oh, hum, I guess I could vote for Michael Jordan again but that is getting boring. When you look up and down the Colts roster though, who else do you choose? Ask 100 people, and I bet you get 93 Luck answers. There s probably seven who d get cute with a Hilton answer, but he s not there yet. The only, and I mean only thing that concerns me, is how many times he takes a hit. Luck has been hit 332 times since entering the NFL. 332! This number is the reason Grigson should have thought long and hard about some Offensive Line help during the draft, but I digress. Luck s average ADP in Dynasty Startups is 2.83 according to myfantasyleague.com, so yeah, I think he s a stud. TEAM SLEEPER FRANK GORE, RUNNING BACK As I mentioned previously, I was a shot of Sailor Jerry short of picking the Defense as the Colts sleeper this year. However, I ran out long before getting to this section so I ll go with Frank Gore. Gore joins the backfield to give the Colts their best rushing attack since Joseph Addai. Gore s career yards per attempt is 4.5 and please don t even make me compare him to Trent Richardson. Dan Boom Herron came on the scene and ran really well in relief (and eventually tallying a 4.7 Y/A) but I think Gore will seize an opportunity to run wild as a Colt. Per ProFootballFocus, Gore faced eight men in the box on a ridiculous 42.25% of his carries in No disrespect to Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers receiving corp, but Luck and the depth of T.Y. Hilton/Donte Moncrief plus free agent signings Andre Johnson/Duron Carter and 1 st round pick Phillip Dorsett should concern opposing defensive coordinators enough to respect the pass. Also, the Colts ran a 3+ Wide Receivers formation on 55.8% of its offensive plays last year. That, compared to 44.5% for San Francisco last year and Gore should be seeing a lot more 6-7 man fronts and a lot more running room against 193 lb. defensive backs instead of 230 lb. linebackers. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 139

140 ROOKIE TO WATCH PHILLIP DORSETT, WIDE RECEIVER ::sigh::i really, honestly, would have loved to breakdown the OL depth chart and how the top two draft picks fit into playing time by sliding from tackle to guard or vice versa. Sadly, I have to dissect ANOTHER wide receiver. Phillip Dorsett was a surprise pick among a lot of analyst and fans. Dorsett can absolutely fly. He s clocked a yard time and shows excellent quickness with a 10 yard split of 1.48 and a Cone shuttle time. The knocks are his 5 10 height and 185 lb. weight. There has been a lot of comparison to his teammate Hilton, and for good reason. Many speculate Dorsett is Hilton s replacement as his free agency nears. Personally, I would have gone OL in the 1 st round and taken Chris Conley, who runs 4.35 but measures at But, a 1 st round WR is going to see the field and have a much longer leash than a 2 nd or 3 rd round pick. He s already making Duron Carter regret his contract signing and many think he ll leap Donte Moncrief on the depth chart. It will be fun to watch him run (if Luck can stay upright). FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 140

141 FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 141

142 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (BEN ROLFE) TEAM OUTLOOK When you see the name Jacksonville Jaguars, it doesn t conjure up thoughts of great fantasy options given their performances over the last few years. However, when you look closer this Jaguars team is a young group with a promising looking QB and a stable of exciting skill position players that could surprise a lot of people in Let s start with Blake Bortles, who enters his sophomore season in the NFL having had a few struggles in 2014 (17 interceptions) but with signs of promise as well. One of the fantasy highlights for Bortles was his rushing, he had the fourth most rushing yards for QB s (419), which is invaluable for fantasy owners given the bonus of rushing yards compared to passing yards. However, he will need to throw more than 11 touchdowns (averaging less than one per game) in 2015 if he is to be anything more than a 2QB league relevant guy. At the running back position the main features are likely to be the intriguing TJ Yeldon, who I will discuss later, and Denard Robinson who impressed enough last year but is probably best used in the change of pace third down role. Tight end includes the addition of Julius Thomas to go alongside the frustrating and likely fantasy worthless Marcedes Lewis. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 142

143 Wide receiver is intriguing with the Jaguars likely to roll with Allen Robinson, who was impressive last year and will likely be the main fantasy wide out on this year s team, Marquise Lee, see below, and Allen Hurns who is the big play speed guy, as their main three guys. Defensively the standouts for fantasy are likely to be Paul Posluszny, Telvin Smith and Jonathan Cyprien but be sure to check out the IDP rankings for more on the Jaguars defensive players. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Blake Bortles, Chad Henne RB: T.J. Yeldon, Denard Robinson, Storm Johnson FB: Toby Gerhart WR: Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee (inj), Rashad Greene, Allen Hurns TE: Julius Thomas, Marcedes Lewis K: Josh Scobee STUD PLAYER JULIUS THOMAS, TIGHT END Thomas was one of the big name moves in the offseason, making the switch from Denver down to sunny Jacksonville. This move has caused concern among Thomas owners as he is leaving one of the greatest QB s of all time in a team with multiple receiving threats to become the number one target for a second year QB. A product of the multiple receiving threat aspect of playing in Denver has made Thomas a touchdown monster in his first two full seasons in the league. In both years he scored 12 TD s with the ones in 2013 coming every 5.41 receptions and the 2014 ones coming at a stunning rate of one every 3.58 receptions. Naturally with less proven options in Jacksonville Thomas is going to be heavily covered in the red zone so do not be surprised if those numbers drop off as teams challenge Jacksonville to beat them another way. However, Thomas is going to be the top option in Jacksonville this year and therefore should see a bump in his yards per game (50 in 2013 and 35 in 2014). Look out for the injury risk with Thomas though as he has yet to play a full season in Denver and if he now sees an increase in playing time and receptions we could even see a few more injury troubles. However, the talent he has catching the ball and the position he plays makes him a premium player to target in fantasy drafts this year especially as his current ADP in the 8th round. Thomas has not been signed to a big contract to be a blocking tight end so expect to see Jacksonville use the big man inventively as well as to give Bortles a safety valve when under pressure and while I don t see the same TD pace I can still see him scoring 8-10 TD s with a potential yards making him a lock for a top five tight end this year. TEAM SLEEPER MARQISE LEE, WIDE RECEIVER FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 143

144 Marqise Lee intrigued me last year, and whilst he didn t set the world on fire, he definitely grew into the role as his rookie season progressed. After starting hot with a 62 yards on 6 catches performance he was then quiet until week 12. From week 12 onwards he was targeted at least eight times in four of the last five games (he still got six targets in the other game). In that five game stretch he had 21 receptions, 281 yards and one touchdown, so if we extrapolate that over a 16 game season we are looking at a 900 yard receiver with 3 touchdowns. That would give him 108 fantasy points on the season and put him in the low end WR 3 high end WR 4 range making him a useful matchup play. Now those late season games did occur with Allen Robinson injured, which served to make Lee the de facto number one option during that late season surge, whereas with Robinson back in 2015 Lee will likely shift over and become the number two option at wide receiver. When you add in Julius Thomas and you can shift Lee to the third best receiving option on the team. Initially that may look like a bad thing for Lee but when you consider that the #1 corner will likely cover Robinson and that any double teams will potentially be focused over the top of either Robinson or Thomas then Lee should find himself competing 1 on 1 with teams second cornerback. As a former Biletnikoff award winner from college these match-ups are something I expect Lee to be able to take full advantage of and if he can stay healthy then we could have a solid #3 receiver with potential #2 upside on our hands. This potential upside and expected regular playing time means that taking a flyer on Lee in the double digit rounds as your #4/5 receiver is a no brainer in my opinion. ROOKIES TO WATCH TJ YELDON, RUNNING BACK Yeldon is an intriguing pick for the Jaguars based on his pedigree and the fact they overlooked some more talented backs when they selected him 36th overall. Many people saw Yeldon as a much lower running back than the second round given his issues with fumbles, pass protection and lack of speed, meaning he struggles to be the big home run hitter of a top end NFL running back. However, what the Jaguars will have seen is a running back with three solid seasons playing for one of the most pro-ready teams in college football. In his worst season Yeldon averaged over five yards per carry, scored 11 touchdowns and put up a total of 979 yards whilst banged up. In the two seasons previous he was electric with over a thousand yards in each season as well as multiple touchdowns. Yeldon is a solid running back who can run up the middle or around the edges as well as being a solid pass catcher which should give him some decent PPR value in 2015 but his real talent lies at the goal line. College footage of Yeldon shows he is a goal line beast with a great nose for the gaps and when he is tackled he always seems to wriggle and fall forward a couple of yard which is something that means he should be interesting in fantasy even in a split job role. Something that will frustrate fantasy owners when they watch Yeldon is the tendency he appears to have to dance in the backfield looking to nail that big play rather than just take the small gains that have been opened up and that can lead to him losing yards and with it crucial fantasy points. The big upside for Yeldon is that the job is there to be won for him because there are no dominant running backs on the Jaguars staff, so if he can solve those issues I outlined above he could become the Jaguars starting running back early in FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 144

145 TENNESSEE TITANS (NEIL DONOHOE) TEAM OUTLOOK Dumpster fire! It was going to come up at some point during this look at the Titans, so why not get it out there early? Anyway, I digress, this is going to be a largely positive look at the Titans offensive skill players and their Fantasy prospects for couldn't have gone much worse for the men from Nashville. Their first year under new head coach Ken Whisenhunt was a disaster from start to finish. Jake Locker was once again perennially hurt. Second round pick Bishop Sankey was largely disappointing out of the backfield. The wide receivers were no better than average. The fact that Derek Hagan and Kris Durham saw significant playing time tells a huge story about that position group. The lone bright spot on this offense was tight end Delanie Walker, who was a very serviceable Fantasy starter for most of the season. So, what of the 2015 Titans? Is there anything to suggest this team can turn around their fortunes? The selection of Oregon QB Marcus Mariota with the second overall pick in the draft is certainly a start. A lot of how this team s skill positions players perform in Fantasy will be down to how the Flyin' Hawaiian adapts to the pro game. Personally, I think he can be a success. A lot has been made of scheme fit, and I can certainly see why, he is not a typical Ken Whisenhunt QB. That being said, the former Cardinals coach has always been successful with the really great ones. I don't think it is a stretch to suggest Mariota is more Warner and Rivers than Lindley and FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 145

146 Leinart! Mariota has a lot of solid and reliable weapons. The likes of Harry Douglas, Delanie Walker and Kendall Wright should keep his passing numbers up, but his rushing upside will be the key to his Fantasy value. I'd be confident in taking the over on 6 rushing TD's. Mariota is an intriguing late flier and i'm certain he will be a hot waiver add at some point in At the tailback position, the Titans have a handful of young prospects, but the situation is as clear as mud for Fantasy purposes. Bishop Sankey looks like the favourite to take the lion's share of the carries. He was the first back off the board in the 2014 draft, and the organisation will not just cast him aside, he'll have every opportunity to take on a big workload. David Cobb is the main threat to Sankey on the roster. A solid between the tackles back, Cobb is a good all rounder, but no ones idea of a game breaker. While I wouldn't be at all surprised if Cobb ate into Sankey's touches, I think the hype has gone a little too far on him. I still look to Sankey to make this job his own, regardless of how many feel about Cobb. Other complimentary pieces include Dexter McCluster, Antonio Andrews and Jalston Fowler. McCluster will (as usual) have no Fantasy value. Andrews can catch a little and would be interesting if either Sankey or Cobb went down, and I have this feeling that Jalston Fowler will be frustrating in a John Kuhn/Mike Tolbert sense. He won't be usable in Fantasy, but will take away touchdowns from the guys that are. The wide receiver group has been upgraded in my opinion. Regardless of your feelings on Hakeem Nicks and Harry Douglas, they are replacing the likes of Derek Hagan and Kris Durham on the Titans roster, and that in itself tells a story. Kendall Wright will return as the top option, I feel the coaching has to do better by Kendall. I get the impression that if he played for a New England or a Green Bay, he'd be an absolute monster. The Titans need to move him around the formation, and get the ball in his hands any way possible. He has the traits to be a Randall Cobb/Percy Harvin type move player, but the Titans use him in a more rigid fashion. It will be interesting to see how the Titans use Harry Douglas, he is adamant he wants to play outside, but surely he will be a big boon for their young QB playing in the slot. He'll be a safe pair of hands with some sneaky PPR value. Dorial Green-Beckham is perhaps the most intriguing piece of this puzzle. He is basically the prototype wide receiver as far as speed and athleticism goes. The Titans moved back 10 spots in the draft and still got their guy, and I personally loved the pick. He is a huge risk with significant character concerns but the Titans needed to take a shot at getting their very own Dez Bryant! Look for Beckham to be more involved as the season wears on. Add him a week early off waivers, otherwise you might need a whole lot of FAAB dollars after he flashes. Huge upside. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 146

147 Rounding out the position are Tre McBride, Hakeem Nicks and Justin Hunter. Hunter is a now or never case in my opinion. His first two seasons have been forgettable, but he will come really cheap and get plenty of opportunity. Maybe the addition of DGB will light a fire under him and he will have some TD dependant fantasy value. McBride and Nicks will be competing for the same roster spot in my opinion. Nicks looked dead legged in his year in Indianapolis, but he seems to have some fire about him since arriving in Nashville. McBride could legitimately beat him out, the William and Mary project has some impressive tape out there. He also had some day two hype around the draft process. He is likely a practice squad candidate, but don't be surprised if he makes a little noise in 15. McBride is more of a dynasty stash at present though. Delanie Walker was the Titans best receiver last season. He had a very under the radar season, and was a tight end one for Fantasy purposes. Walker came to Nashville with the label of stone hands and nothing more than a blocker. I actually thought that they had overpaid him initially but he has earned that deal for sure. If he stays healthy he will easily be a top 10 Fantasy tight end, and a huge part of the game plan. A nice value add, late in your drafts. Craig Stephens and Anthony Fasano round out the position. Stevens is a declining talent and not much more than a blocker. Fasano will no doubt be a nuisance in the red zone, but no one will ever start him in Fantasy. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Marcus Mariota, Zach Mettenberger RB: Bishop Sankey, David Cobb, Dexter McCluster (3RB) FB: Jalston Fowler WR: Kendall Wright, Justin Hunter, Harry Douglas, Dorial Green-Beckham TE: Delanie Walker, Craig Stevens K: Ryan Succop STUD PLAYER MARCUS MARIOTA, QUARTERBACK I thought long and hard about this, and it just had to be Marcus... I can't endorse any running back in a committee as a stud. Kendall Wright has capped upside because of how the Titans use him. Delanie Walker is solid, but not a stud Fantasy player. The fact is, no player on the roster has a higher Fantasy upside than Mariota! The Titans have to commit to using him properly. Lots of shotgun, lots of option, maybe shrink the field and give FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 147

148 him less reads to make. If it all comes together it could be very special indeed. I think Mariota has a huge ceiling, and his floor could be propped up by his rushing ability. He is a controlled and graceful runner with speed and vision. I'm certain he won't be reckless like RG3 was, nor do I think he will be too reliant on his legs, he has the arm to win through the air. It seems a reach to name a guy that hasn't played an NFL down as a potential Fantasy stud, but looking at the state of the roster and the fact that Mariota has Fantasy friendly skills, it was the only way I could go. Mariota is an intriguing back up QB on your Fantasy squad, with the upside to supplant your starter as the season goes on. TEAM SLEEPER BISHOP SANKEY, RUNNING BACK Here is a crazy piece of information for you. David Cobb, the Titans rookie 5 th round pick, has a higher ADP than Bishop Sankey. I find that insane. I also find Sankey's current round 9 price point superb value in Fantasy drafts. He is going a full 5 rounds after Carlos Hyde of the Niners, and I would argue that their respective upside is exactly the same. Both have a QB that is a rushing threat, both have rookie competition for carries (David Cobb,Mike Davis). Sankey is a better third down back than Hyde, and he doesn't have Reggie Bush to contend with on that down. A lot of this is perception based, but when you simplify it and look at the facts, as I said, the upside is similar. You could legitimately have a 3 down work horse, at around 9 price point with Sankey and that is an absolute gift in my opinion. You are banking on Sankey beating out Cobb handily, but if he doesn't then the cost was not that high. One of the better value late picks in drafts this summer. Let your league mates reach for Hyde and take a shot on Sankey, I certainly will be. ROOKIE TO WATCH DORIAL GREEN-BECKHAM, WIDE RECEIVER The drafting of Dorial Green-Beckham was a legitimate punch the air moment for myself as a Titans fan. After a few years of spending high picks on offensive linemen, and watching a pretty listless roster lose games. To see the club take home run swings on Mariota and DGB in the first two rounds of the draft was a huge breath of fresh air in my opinion. If you built a wide receiver from the ground up, you would build Dorial Green-Beckham. He is a monstrous 6' 5" tall and runs a 4.50 forty yard dash. He has significant character concerns, but make no mistake about it, that is the only reason the Titans were able to grab him in round 2. I was a little critical of DGB during the draft process. I felt he was pretty average after the catch and unrefined in his route running. If you look deeper into his tape though, you see the huge catch radius and the ability to dominate with size and speed and can't help but get excited. Mariota will love him, and i'm looking forward to many glorious years of that connection! Beckham could make noise in year one. He will be a little TD dependant initially but I expect him to be a big part of the Titans offense as the season wears on. Keep him on your watchlist, FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 148

149 and get ready to add him when the time is right. I'd even say he was draftable in a deep PPR league. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 149

150 2016 TOP PROSPECTS BY BLAKE MEEK AND VANCE MEEK QUARTERBACK 1. Christian Hackenberg, Penn State: Playing behind a terrible offensive line, his numbers suffered, but on talent, he s at the top of the list. 2. Jared Goff, California: He needs to add some bulk to his frame, but he s a playmaker with the ball in his hands. 3. Cardale Jones, Ohio State: There s not a lot of film to get a true picture, but wow, what a three game run at the end of Gunner Kiel, Notre Dame: The former top recruit has the necessary tools to flourish in the NFL with a little more fine tuning. 5. Connor Cook, Michigan State: Highly thought of by many, he has the tools, and needs to become stronger in the pocket. 6. Jeremy Johnson, Auburn: He s big, strong, and athletic, but unproven as well, and will be an interesting watch this season. 7. Carson Wentz, North Dakota State: The small school prospect has NFL size and a howitzer for an arm, and could be an interesting prospect. 8. Trevone Boykin, TCU: Size will be an issue for the NFL, but he s an exciting player who can beat a team in more ways than one. 9. Patrick Towles, Kentucky: Playing at Kentucky means he has to be special to be noticed, but he has the talent to earn an NFL spot. 10. Kevin Hogan, Stanford: He ll be knocked for his mechanics, but if he can solve that problem, he has an NFL skillset. 11. Jacoby Brissett, NC State: With the ability to move the ball through the air, and on the ground, he will intrigue NFL scouts. 12. Cody Kessler, USC: His intelligence and accuracy say pro quarterback, but his lack of size and arm strength say backup. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 150

151 13. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State: With off-the-charts toughness and leadership it s hard not to like him, but he s still a developmental passer. 14. Jake Coker, Alabama: He s all potential at this point, but he s big and has a huge arm, so if he has a big year, he ll rocket up draft boards. 15. Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee: He was solid in 2014, but will need to take another leap, and he has the ability to do just that. RUNNING BACK 1. Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State Elliot is the best back in the nation and a prospect on Todd Gurley s level. Will be a stud from day one. 2. Derrick Henry, Alabama Henry, while not having Elliots speed and all-around game, is a huge back who will score touchdowns from day one. 3. James Conner, Pittsburgh As big as Henry is, Conner is bigger. He is another back that can step in right away and score touchdowns. 4. Devontae Booker, Utah Booker needs to add some weight, but has the rushing and receiving ability to make an impact early. 5. D.J. Foster, Arizona State Foster is as good a receiver as he is a running back. Needs to add size, but will instantly be a weapon on third-down. 6. Alex Collins, Arkansas Collins needs to improve in the passing game, but has the talent and size to be an immediate impact back in the NFL. 7. Jonathan Williams, Arkansas While he isn t the lead back for Arkansas, he is a talented back. He will enter the NFL with talent and fresher legs. 8. Byron Marshall, Oregon Marshall needs to add some size to stay at RB, but can catch as well as any back in the draft and is a big play waiting to happen. 9. Thomas Tyner, Oregon Tyner has the size and speed to play in the NFL. He was a top recruit coming in and has the talent to be a stud. 10. Storm Woods, Oregon State Woods isn t the most talented back, but is a good receiver and can add value there. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 151

152 11. Tra Carson, Texas A&M Carson is a talented runner who just needs more opportunities. A powerful back that can instantly be a short yardage back. 12. Aaron Green, TCU Green is an instinctual runner who is agile and can make people miss. Showed good hands and will have a role in the NFL. 13. Kenneth Dixon, Louisiana Tech Dixon shows very good hands and good speed. Is a hard runner who has good balance and can instantly be a 3 rd down back. 14. Johnathan Gray, Texas Gray was a big recruit who has yet to live up to what many thought he would be. If Gray is given more opportunities, he has the talent to step up in a big way. 15. Keith Marshall, Georgia Marshall is one of the most talented guys on this list. If he could stay healthy he can be a steal later in fantasy drafts. WIDE RECEIVERS 1. Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss Treadwell is the best receiver prospect in the nation in healthy. He has everything you want and can be an immediate number one. 2. Tyler Boyd, Pittsburgh Boyd has the size, speed, body control and the ability to make big plays that all teams love. Will step in right away and make a big impact. 3. Corey Robinson, Notre Dame Robinson has great size and an athletic pedigree. He will step into the NFL instantly as a red zone threat as well as being able to make big plays down the field. 4. Duke Williams, Auburn Williams is another guy with great size and speed to make big plays. Needs to work on concentration, but is a big time player. 5. Marquez North, Tennessee North is the type of big target that NFL teams want. He has great size, good speed and soft hands. 6. Travin Dural, LSU Despite poor QB play, Dural made his share of big plays for the Tigers. He combines size, speed and good hands to make big plays. 7. Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina Cooper is a big play waiting to happen every time he touches the ball. Also a big time return man, which adds to his value. 8. Demarcus Robinson, Florida Robinson needs to work on his drops, but he is a very smooth player. Combine his size and body control and you have a top notch prospect. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 152

153 9. Stacy Coley, Miami Coley is as talented as any in this class. He Is extremely fast and quick, but has had some issues with drops. If the quarterback play improves, his stock could skyrocket. 10. Mike Williams, Clemson Williams has very good size and good speed. Williams stepped up with Sammy Watkins leaving for the NFL. Williams could be in for a huge year. 11. Byron Marshall, Oregon I have Marshall on both my running back and receiver list because he can play both. Will be a great weapon in the NFL. 12. Mike Thomas, Ohio State Some think Thomas is a better prospect than recent second rounder Devin Smith. Thomas isn t the deep threat Smith is, but can make plays everywhere. 13. Josh Doctson, TCU Doctson became one of Boykins favorite receivers over the season. He showed the ability to separate with size, speed and a great ability to track the ball over either shoulder. 14. Devon Cajuste, Stanford Cajuste has great size, but also has shown some good speed. With Montgomery gone, Cajuste could be in for a great season. 15. Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia Mitchell has good size and speed, but can t seem to stay healthy. If he can, he can shoot up boards. TIGHT ENDS 1. OJ Howard, Alabama - A forgotten man in 2014, but he is big and athletic, and the best tight end prospect in the nation. 2. Hunter Henry, Arkansas - He combines the size and speed to be a good receiver with the strength to be a solid blocker. 3. Evan Engram, Ole Miss - While not as big as other prospects, he s a very good receiver who can make big plays. 4. Nick Vannett, Ohio State - A better blocker than receiver right now, but has the potential to develop into a good all-around player. 5. Kyle Carter, Penn State - His Freshman year was his best, statistically, but he s multitalented and could have a very good season. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 153

154 6. Johnny Mundt, Oregon - Blocking is a weakness, but he is a threat as a receiver who could move up boards quickly. 7. Billy Freeman, San Jose State - He hasn t registered big numbers, but he has shown he can make plays when he needs to. 8. Darion Griswold, Arkansas State - Terrific size and athleticism mean he has the potential to be a solid player at the next level. 9. Ryan Malleck, Virginia Tech - A good performance in Virginia Tech s spring game will send him into the season with momentum. 10. Bryce Williams, East Carolina - Impressive size combined with obvious athleticism could bring a big year for the East Carolina product. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 154

155 BUFFALO BILLS (ZHAN MOURNING) TEAM OVERVIEW As a die hard Buffalo Bills fan, I am happy to bring this part of the 2015 FakePigskin Fantasy Football Draft guide to you. As a card carrying (well ink carrying actually) member of the #Billsmafia I am very excited for the upcoming season and see Buffalo really making some noise. Sure they have already made big splashes in the off season with new head coach Rex Ryan as well as record setting season ticket sales. However I m excited to see what noise this team can make ON the field. That being said I have been able to contain my fandom when it comes to fantasy football, so here is an unbiased team overview for the Buffalo Bills 2015 fantasy football season. The quarterback position may be the most puzzling heading into fantasy drafts this summer. Matt Cassel, E.J. Manuel, Tyrod Taylor and Matt Simms all have a shot at the starting gig. It is also a possibility that all of them see some playing time at some time or another depending how performances and injuries play out during the regular season. While some of the talent and perceived value of a couple of these guys may look intriguing, it probably isn t worth drafting any of them. Maybe you could in the very last round of your draft as a backup or bye week replacement, but waiting and adding one of them off the waiver wire may be the best option. The wide receivers for the Bills appear to be a bit of a mixed bag regarding fantasy football. Obviously Sammy Watkins has shown he is the real deal. Percy Harvin has also be brought into the fold who is also a dynamic player. While both of these guys will be excellent for PPR leagues, it will be a bit tricky knowing where to draft them at. While the quarterback situation FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 155

156 doesn t appear to be the best, these two guys can still have success in the short to intermediate passing game, then rack up yards after the catch. The bigger question may be if Watkins and Harvin can stay healthy as both have show tendency to get banged up. Robert Woods, Chris Hogan and Marquise Goodwin are names to monitor but are probably best left undrafted. The running game looks to be where Rex Ryan and the Bills look to punish their opponents. The stable of running backs in Buffalo is pretty nice. The Bills have also made strides in recent year to shore up the offensive line, so it looks like there may be some value to be had in the Buffalo backfield in Obviously LeSean McCoy will be a top 15 pick, but behind him are some guys that will go later in drafts that could pay off. Fred Jackson continues to perform at the top of his game when healthy. Anthony Dixon, Bryce Brown and Karlos Williams all look to get some touches as well. Watch this situation throughout the preseason as I have a feeling at least one of these guys will get cut. I said before that the Bills are loaded at running back, trying to improve the offensive line and have Rex Ryan at the helm. That means the defense should take yet another step forward under this new regime. Expect the Buffalo defense to be one of the top 10 fantasy defenses in There will also be some value in IDP. While Kiko Alonso is gone, there will still be some a few sleepers to emerge in this defense and be ready to pounce on them in drafts or waiver wires. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Matt Cassel, EJ Manuel RB: LeSean McCoy, Fred Jackson, Bryce Brown FB: Jerome Felton WR: Sammy Watkins, Percy Harvin, Robert Woods, Chris Hogan TE: Charles Clay, Nick O Leary K: Dan Carpenter STUD PLAYER LESEAN MCCOY, RUNNING BACK The football world was in shock when news came this past offseason that the Bills had traded Linebacker Kiko Alonso to the Philadelphia Eagles for Running Back LeSean McCoy. You have to think this was a dream come true for new Head Coach Rex Ryan who is notorious for wanting to play defense and ruin the football. Some may that McCoy doesn t fit the power run style that Rex Ryan is accustom to. However I think that will be the roll to split between the other running backs on the team. I see the Bills relying heavily on LeSean McCoy in The quarterback situation isn t good, so not only will Buffalo be running the ball a ton, but I can see McCoy seeing plenty of short receptions and then working his magic in space after the catch. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 156

157 Statistically LeSean McCoy has been pretty reliable as a fantasy commodity. He has eclipsed one thousand yards rushing in each season of his career with the 2 exceptions being his rookie season in 2009 and then again in 2012 due to multiple injuries. Speaking of injuries McCoy had some nagging injuries in the first few years of his career but has been virtually injury free since This will be his seventh season in the NFL, yet he is just 26 years old making his attractive in the dynasty formats.many think he will be hurt but the offensive being a little bit one dimensional due to the quarterback situation, but McCoy has a skill set that fluctuates enough to make him a threat whenever he is on the field and in any capacity. While McCoy can be viewed as a traditional single back, I think he will end up sharing the workload for a couple of different reasons. First being that it seems that most NFL teams have resorted more to committee situations over the past couple of years. The Bills have enough talent behind McCoy that there isn't a need to run him into the ground. That being said i actually think this helps him possibly avoid injury and maybe even opens him up as more of a big play threat on passing plays. LeSean McCoy will likely be one of the top five running backs off the board, going in the first two rounds of fantasy drafts. Fantasy owners should feel comfortable taking him there and look for him to once again have a great season and put up some points. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 157

158 TEAM SLEEPER PERCY HARVIN, WIDE RECEIVER It is amazing how in a matter of a few years a player can go from a second round pick in fantasy drafts, to being practically written off by many. Percy Harvin is a prime example of that. After exploding in his first few seasons, fantasy owners were clamoring to trade for him, or looking to draft him relatively high in the following years draft. Harvin suffered injuries, in multiple seasons, giving him the dreaded Injury Prone tag. It also didn t help things when he was traded to the Seahawks and then the Jets, which on the surface didn t fit the offensive scheme that Harvin would benefit in. He signed a one year deal with the Bills and I have a feeling he makes the most of it, to try and secure a future deal with either the Bills or another team. Sure the quarterback situation isn t ideal in Buffalo in 2015, but Harvin thrives as a wildcard player that can be used in a variety of ways. Buffalo is going to have to get creative in how they get the ball down the field and I think that fits Percy harvin s skill set perfectly. The major question is how many games will he actually play? He hasn t played in double digit games since 2011, making him a risky proposition. That combined with his situation is what is causing him to fall down most fantasy owners draft boards. This makes him a true sleeper and a player to keep an eye on during your drafts. I wouldn t even think of taking him until the later rounds. Maybe you could consider taking him in rounds nine or ten. At that point in the draft it s time to start taking gambles and filling out your positional depth. If you chose to draft Percy Harvin, I think the worst case scenario is that he is available for a handful of games, and hope he can pull off some big plays in those games. Best case scenario is he miraculously stays healthy and he becomes a decent flex play for you, especially in PPR formats. ROOKIE TO WATCH KARLOS WILLIAMS, RUNNING BACK Its no secret the Buffalo Bills are planning to run the ball a lot in The trend of the many NFL teams the last few years has been using multiple running backs throughout the season. This may be due to different skills sets each running back has, but also keeps them fresh and allow them to not take such a beating. The Bills have amassed a stable of running backs and all of them are good players. They should all see plenty of opportunities due to lack of quarterback talent and a run first style with new Head Coach Rex Ryan. Karlos Williams is one of those running backs and I think he has true sleeper potential. Despite him being buried on the depth chart, I think he will hold some value this season that could pay off. LeSean McCoy is the man, and while he can carry the load if need be, he is better used as a fitness back that can be a threat from anywhere on the field. Fred Jackson is a good all around back, but can he continue to turn back the clock and stay healthy? Next in line is Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown, who have both shown flashes of talent at times, but also come with question marks. I have a strange feeling that one of these two running backs will be cut before the season starts. The next man up would be the rookie out of Florida State, Karlos Williams. The former defensive back, turned running back, runs with serious power, always falling forward. he can also catch passes out of the backfield. Williams is a longshot to be a reliable fantasy option and I wouldn t even consider drafting him in your FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 158

159 fantasy drafts unless something drastic happens during the preseason. That being said be ready to snatch up him off the waiver wire if injuries plague the guys in front of him come mid season. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 159

160 MIAMI DOLPHINS (AARON HERMAN) TEAM OUTLOOK The Miami Dolphins are a team that has rarely been known for their fantasy dominance. Instead they have been a team that is constantly mediocre in almost all facets of the game, evident by their 8-8 record last season. Looking at their statistical rankings in 2014, you can see mediocrity across the board. They were the 14 th ranked team in total net offensive yards (5,601), they were 17 th in total passing yards (3,729), and 12 th in total rushing yards (1,872). While this was sadly a decent improvement under new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor from the year prior, the biggest sign of hope was found in points per game, where the Dolphins scored 24.3 ranking 11 th in the league, compared to 27 th in both 2013 and Under Lazor the Dolphins found a way to put more points on the board in 2014, and many people (myself included) expect more improvement in A lot of the improvement on offense can be filtered down to breakout seasons by two very important components of the Dolphin s offense: Ryan Tannehill and Lamar Miller. To start with Tannehill, he had his best statistical season of his career, throwing for over 4,000 yards and 27 touchdown passes. In the running game, fellow 2012 draftee Lamar Miller also had a breakout season in his third year. For the first time in his career Miller rushed for over 1,000 yards on only 216 carries. He was able to accomplish a rushing average better than 5.0 yards per carry FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 160

161 for the entire season while adding 8 touchdowns on the ground. Signs are pointing up for both of these young players, and they are not the only reasons for offensive optimism in The biggest roster turnover for the Dolphins from 2014 to 2015 can be seen in the receiving corp. Mike Wallace had over 850 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, leading the team in both categories, and he is now in Minnesota. Charles Clay was the team s best tight end in 2014 accounting for more than 600 yards of his own, and he is now in Buffalo. Brian Hartline led the team in average yards per reception, and he s now in Cleveland. Even Brandon Gibson contributed almost 300 receiving yards and similar to the others has found a new home. Four of the top five receivers for the Dolphins are no longer on the team. Combined they accounted for a whopping 2,236 receiving yards and 16 receiving touchdowns. Normally this would concern many teams, but believe it or not, many analysts believe the Dolphins are better off in 2015 with their revamped receiving corp. Out goes Wallace, in comes Kenny Stills. Stills not only had more receiving yards than Wallace in 2014, but he also had a better yard per reception average (14.8). The Dolphins also drafted DeVante Parker, one of the top receivers in the draft who averaged nine receiving touchdowns a year over the final three years of his college career. Add in veteran receiver Greg Jennings who has tons of experience and still put up more than 700 yards and six touchdowns last season, and you have a very talented group of receivers. Let s also not forget Jarvis Landry returns for his second season and will try to build on his reputation of catching everything thrown his way. Some would even argue that new addition Jordan Cameron is an upgrade at tight end over Clay (when healthy of course). Tannehill and Lazor have expressed their excitement multiple times about the potential of this new group of receivers, and as a fantasy owner you should definitely take note. While there is a lot of unproven potential on the offensive side of the ball, one place where the dolphins should be very impactful is on the defensive side of the ball. On the defensive line the Dolphins have one of the scariest duos in the NFL with Cameron Wake and Ndamukong Suh planned to line up next to each other. Add in the up-and-coming Olivier Vernon (11.5 sacks in 2013) and another big boy in Earl Mitchell (2.0 sacks in 2014) on the other side and this front four has the potential for a lot of sacks in the upcoming season. While the linebackers and secondary are young, they also have a lot of talent in third year linebacker Jelani Jenkins (110 tackles in 2014) and sixth year safety Reshad Jones (80 tackles in 12 games in 2014). Finally don t forget Brent Grimes who at the ripe old age of 31 has recorded nine interceptions in the past two seasons. This is a defense that might slide in your draft, but has a ton of potential especially with their first four games against Washington, Jacksonville, Buffalo, and the Jets. All in all the Dolphins are a young team with a lot of unproven talent but the possibility to be fantasy studs. This means that many of these players will be available later in your draft and they have the potential to do big things in FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 161

162 TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore RB: Lamar Miller, Jay Ajayi, Damien Williams WR: Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills, DeVante Parker (inj), Greg Jennings TE:, Jordan Cameron K: Caleb Sturgis (inj) STUD PLAYER RYAN TANNEHILL Before you start groaning as I call the Dolphin's young signal caller a stud, hear me out. Let s start by looking at his stats in his first three years in the NFL: Passing Yards Passing TDs Completion % Rushing Yards , % , % , % 311 Notice how in every single category he has improved each of his three years in the league. What s most impressive is Tannehill was a wide receiver his first few years in college, meaning it is possible he hasn t even peaked as a quarterback yet. Throw in the additional fact that he was learning a brand new offense last season and that he has been sacked 104 times over the past two seasons while being hit 2 shy of 200 times. That s an average of being hit more than 6 times a game, and in three years Tannehill has yet to miss a single game. This kid is tough! All of the above has signs majorly pointing up for Tannehill, but there is even more good news for fantasy players looking for a mid-round quarterback steal. Where Tannehill has really shown improvement is in using his athleticism to make plays on the ground. In 2014, Tannehill not only threw for more than 4,000 yards in the air, but he was also the second leading rusher on the entire team. In 2014 he even had a three game span where he had a run of 30 yards or longer in each game. Another reason why I believe Tannehill is going to be great in 2015 is due to his new weapons at wide receiver and tight end. While I m not going to sit here and bash Mike Wallace or Brian Hartline (the second of whom I was a personal fan of), it is clear that Tannehill s new receivers are much better suited to his strengths. Tannehill is not the type of receiver to throw deep bombs but instead thrives on short and intermediate passes, which is why the Dolphins organization has surrounded him with sure-handed possession receivers. Another area of weakness last season was Tannehill s ability to convert in the redzone. Now they have Parker standing at 6 3 and Cameron standing at 6 5 to give Tannehill a better shot at converting those very important jump balls in the back of the endzone. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 162

163 Tannehill is a young, smart, and very talented NFL quarterback who has an offense catered to all of his strengths. He has an amazing young core of wide receivers and tight ends. He has a revamped and (hopefully) improved offensive line to reduce the sack numbers, and he is now in year two of his new offense under the very creative Bill Lazor. I am a Tannehill believer and I can promise you he will be on many of my fantasy teams in 2015 and beyond. TEAM SLEEPER JAY AJAYI, RUNNING BACK Last July I selected Jeremy Hill of the Cincinnati Bengals as my rookie to watch and he didn t let me down. Here I am, one year later, and I have another rookie running back who should be on your radar this season. There has been a lot of talk about rookie running backs over the past couple months, with the majority of the focus revolving around Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon. Both were great college running backs, and both are going to teams where they will have plenty of opportunities to succeed in year one. However there is one low risk, high reward running back option who will be available later in your draft: Jay Ajayi of the Miami Dolphins. Setting aside Ajayi s knee concerns, let s look at what he was able to do in college: 2013: 1,425 rushing yards, 22 receptions, 222 receiving yards, 19 TDs 2014: 1,823 rushing yards, 50 receptions, 535 receiving yards, 32 TDs Not bad for a player who was drafted in the 5 th round of the NFL draft. Last year at Boise State Ajayi had more receiving yards than both Melvin Gordon and Todd Gurley combined. He also had the same number of total TDs as Melvin Gordon in He carried the ball a whopping 347 times, 4 more carries than Gordon had, all on his supposed weak knees. Ajayi has more than proved that he can be a productive RB at the college level. Now let s talk about why I think he will be successful in Miami. For whatever reason, the Miami Dolphins don t trust Lamar Miller to be their bell cow running back. Last season Miller didn t have a single game with 20 carries or more. In fact, out of 16 games last season there were only four games where Miller had more than 15 carries. Four! Bill Lazor wants to run an offense with a running back by committee approach, but the problem has been that the dolphins best #2 RB up to this season has been the dismal Daniel Thomas. Thomas, whose career rushing average is a pathetic 3.6 yards per carry, has been a thorn in the Dolphin s running game for the past four seasons. However, he still managed to average almost eight carries a game in addition to a couple pass attempts per contest. This season out goes Thomas and in comes Ajayi. It is a safe assumption that as a rookie Ajayi could have at least 50 rushing attempts and another targets in the passing game, and that is being conservative. In 2013, when Miller had 177 rushing attempts, Thomas was given the rock 109 times, so it is conceivable that if Ajayi impresses in minicamp that he could carve out 100 FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 163

164 carries for himself in his rookie year. It is also likely that he will be the third down back due to Miller s inability to pass protect, which should provide him plenty of opportunities for check down passes and screens, something he took full advantage of in college. The biggest thing to keep in mind is Miller s contract is up after this season and the Dolphins already have a lot of money invented in Suh and Tannehill for Ajayi is motivated to prove all the doubters wrong and if Ajayi can prove his worth in his rookie season he could end up the #1 RB in Miami for 2016 and beyond. I am excited that the Dolphins took a chance on me. I m ready to prove all the people wrong and prove the Dolphins right. Jay Ajayi ROOKIE TO WATCH DION SIMS, TIGHT END Originally my sleeper pick for the Dolphins was going to be wide receiver Jarvis Landry, but it s hard to call the team s leading receiver (in receptions) last season as a sleeper, which led me to ask myself, What is the definition of a sleeper? To me it is someone who probably isn t going to be drafted in a 16 team standard fantasy league, and if he is drafted he is sure to be someone in one of the last rounds. It is a guy who has tons of potential, but just hasn t shown it on the field yet. That or a guy that has the potential to have a huge opportunity next season based on certain circumstances that would need to take place. In this specific instance it is a backup tight end with only 30 career receptions who may surprise some people in Dion Sims is a name not a ton of people know. He is entering his third year in the league and has never had a huge opportunity due to being behind Charles Clay the past two seasons. The same Charles Clay who over that two year span with quarterback Ryan Tannehill was targeted 187 times, put up over 1,300 yards and accumulated nine touchdowns. However, last season Clay went down with an injury and missed two games leaving Sims to make up for his loss. Both games were on the road against good defensive teams (Denver and the NY Jets) and in Clay s absence, Sims put up 89 yards on 8 receptions. Certainly not mind-blowing numbers, but considering the teams he was playing against, they are worth noticing. It s also worth noting if he could hold that average over a 16 game span, it would add up to 64 receptions and over 700 receiving yards. For the last spot on your bench, that would not be a horrible stat line. Unfortunately Sims road to success is not that clear and free. While Clay is gone, he has been replaced by the very talented Jordan Cameron out of Cleveland. This is the same Cameron who put up 80 receptions for 917 yards and seven touchdowns in However, it is also the same Cameron who only played 10 games in 2014 and in his four year career has never played a full 16 game season. Odds are Cameron is going to miss some games in 2016, and Sims will be waiting in the winds for his opportunity. It is also worth noting that there has been so much FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 164

165 turnover in the Dolphins receiving core this offseason that Sims is one of only a few players returning this season who already has a rapport with Tannehill. A lot needs to go right for Sims to have a breakout season in 2016, but it is far from impossible. Last season both Lamar Miller and Ryan Tannehill had breakout seasons of their own, and the arrow is pointing up this offseason for the Dolphin s offense. Sims is just one injury away from having the season of his life in NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (BEN ROLFE) TEAM OUTLOOK The Patriots are a juggernaut in the NFL, but when it comes to fantasy they are less dominating due to their "every man has a role" policy. The Patriots are happy to spread the ball around multiple running backs and wide receivers during the course of a season while spreading the touchdowns around among tight ends. This year their landscape is a little different because one of their two absolute studs at their position, Brady, is suspended for the first four games of the season as it stands. This means that you are missing Brady for at least the first five weeks of the season (they have a bye early on) and even then he may need some time to ease himself back in when he does return. In his place will step up Jimmy Garoppolo, who saw limited action last season but will be thrust into the limelight for the first few weeks. I expect the Patriots to lean heavily on their run game in these early weeks so as not to expose Jimmy G too much too early lowering any potential fantasy sleeper value. This brings the running game into the focus and again we find a suspension with this one for LeGarrette Blount and only one game. Blount is the favourite to win the starting running back job and if he can then there is top potential there. The rest FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 165

166 of the running group is made up of Jonas Gray, James White, Brandon Bolden and Travaris Cadet, of which no one really stands out as another top 20 option. Wide receiver is a little better with both Edelman and LaFell capable of being good week to week options but again the Brady factor could hurt their value early and may even see them slip into sleeper value. Amendola flashed some interesting aspect last season but he is always hurt, Dobson is another injury prone guy and Brian Tyms and Josh Boyce are unlikely to see significant enough time to be anything more than one week flashes. At tight end there is Gronk, Gronk and Gronk basically with a little Tim Wright and Scott Chandler as redzone/one game threats. On the defensive side there are some intriguing options in Chandler Jones, Donta a Hightower and Jerod Mayo as well as some rookies who could make splashes and prove to be decent deep end IDP options. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Tom Brady (susp), Jimmy Garoppolo RB: LeGarrette Blount (susp), James White (3RB), Tarvaris Cadet (3RB) FB: James Develin WR: Julian Edelman (PR), Brandon LaFell, Danny Amendola (KR), Aaron Dobson TE: Rob Gronkowski, Scott Chandler K: Stephen Gostkowski STUD PLAYER ROB GRONKOWSKI, TIGHT END Who else was I going to pick really? Gronkowski is not only the best fantasy player on the Patriots team but he is also one of the best NFL fantasy talents on the planet. When Gronkowski is healthy the Patriots look like what they were last season, the best team in football, because he gives them so many options and he can dominate any defender who covers him. Gronkowski averages over 14 yards per reception for his career and has scored 10 or more touchdowns in four of his five years in the league. Over the last four years he is averaging around 75 yards per game with approximately five receptions per game. Last season he only started 10 games and still he managed 82 catches on 131 targets with 1124 yards and 12 touchdowns. To show you just how other worldly he is, just look at how the Patriots fortunes changed from week five onwards where they won 10 out of 11. In that span Gronk was targeted at least 10 times in seven games and got more than eight targets in three of the other four. Now for the other side of the coin because there are risks with Gronkowski, number one is that he is very injury prone because of the no fear style he plays the game and he has missed time in all of the last three seasons through injury. The second aspect is the unknown of his quarterback. Now normally he would have Tom Brady throwing him the ball but with Brady s suspension it is possible that Gronk could have Jimmy Garoppolo throwing him the ball for four weeks and how that will translate into fantasy success is still a slight unknown right now. However, Gronk is a monster and with his ability to beat defenders in all aspects of the game it is likely that he can still be successful even without Tom for a few weeks. However, if he does FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 166

167 get off to a slow start then week 3 may be the perfect time to go and buy low on Gronk because if he stays healthy then Brady will be throwing the ball his way regularly when he returns and 1000 yards with 10 TD s is a real possibility at the worst position in fantasy football. TEAM SLEEPER TRAVARIS CADET, RUNNING BACK I am going a little off the deep end here because honestly I don t know where else to go with this pick rather than because I feel really good about this one. The Patriots used Shane Vereen in a pass catching role out of the backfield and sometimes lined him up wide at times when he was a Patriot. Cadet is a fantastic receiving running back and that is something that neither Blount nor Gray stand out as being good at. Cadet caught over 70% of his targets for the Saints last year and his limited value as a rusher may actually benefit fantasy owners in terms of his utility for the Patriots. Early in the season the Patriots will lean heavily on the run game and the short passing/screen game so they may look to find ways to get Cadet in space in order to chip away at defences while Garoppolo is under centre. When Brady gets back the game plan may change so if nothing else there is potential for Cadet to be a last round pick that can contribute in PPR leagues mostly and then can be sold for a slow starting player in week 4/5 when the Patriots are entering their bye. Hopefully Cadet can lock down that third down role and have a 50 reception, five touchdown season for the Patriots to make him a deep PPR relevant guy. ROOKIE TO WATCH MALCOLM BROWN, DEFENSIVE TACKLE If you are looking for fantasy relevant rookies in the New England Patriots draft class then you are probably playing in an IDP league. The Patriots have just THREE offensive skill position rookies on their and all three sit at the bottom of their positional depth chart right now. Therefore, I am going to go relatively left field for my rookie pick and turn to the guy the Patriots selected with the 32 nd overall pick in the NFL draft. Malcolm Brown has some big shoes to fill as he will step into the position vacated by the legendary Vince Wilfork. However, Brown is a different player to the run stuffing Wilfork as he is a penetrating defensive tackle who should be able to help the Patriots disrupt the opponents QB as well as being stout against the run. With the Patriots having let their three best defensive backs leave this offseason Brown should have plenty of opportunities to go after the quarterback so in sack heavy leagues Brown is a late round flyer who could get five plus sacks as well as racking up 30 plus tackles in the run game. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 167

168 FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 168

169 NEW YORK JETS (GLADYS LOUISE TYLER) TEAM OUTLOOK This season New York Jets may be the most exciting team to watch. They enter the 2015 season with new head coach Todd Bowles. There is a new offensive coordinator in Chan Gailey. And there is Leonard Williams, Brandon Marshall and Darrelle Revis. The Jets have an adequate stable of running backs, headed by Chris Ivory. And there is Bilal Powell, who is their third down specialist. St. Louis Rams defecators Daryl Richardson and Zac Stacy. And perhaps the most anticipated is Stevan Ridley. The only problem is Ridley is coming off an ACL injury. But Ivory is more than sufficient provided he stays healthy. Last season Ivory was a top 20 fantasy running back. He finished the season with 821 yards and six rushing touchdowns. He also had 123 yards and one touchdown receiving. Ivory is your fantasy running back pick. The best news is his current ADP has him going off draft boards in the mid to later rounds. That is value. While the Jets may employ a two tight end formation, only one will be dependable. Go for second year player Jace Amaro. Amaro will be playing in a familiar scheme this year with Gailey s spread offense. Last season in an unfamiliar system he was targeted 53 times. He dropped six of 44 catchable balls while managing a paltry 345 yards. That was last year. Look for him to make strides towards being a fantasy sleeper this season. On the wide receiver's side the acquisition of Brandon Marshall during free agency makes the receiving game legit. Marshall and second year Jet Eric Decker are formidable weapons. The FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 169

170 addition of rookie Devin Smith gives them a legitimate deep threat. Last season Decker managed 962 yards and five scores. That was good enough for 28 th fantasy wide receiver. Marshall was often injured. Before he got his season ending injury Marshall was ranked 18 th in fantasy scoring. A healthy Marshall is a top ten wide receiver. Except. It all looks good and then reality hits. Quarterback? Is there a quarterback in the house? Geno Smith may or may not be the starting quarterback depending on the day and what way the wind is blowing. It s a dismal projection. Last season Smith finished as the 26 th fantasy quarterback. And then there is Ryan Fitzpatrick. In the 12 games Fitzpatrick played in 2014, he finished with more than 20 fantasy points four times. He finished the season as the 22 nd fantasy quarterback. But the glimmer of hope lies in the fact that when Fitzpatrick played for the Buffalo Bills with Gailey as his offensive coordinator, he completed 20 touchdown passes in each of those three seasons. The quarterback situation in New York isn t good for the Jets and even worse for your fantasy team. Bowles defense in Arizona blitzed more than another other defense in the last two seasons. Now he is in charge of one of the most talented defensive lines in the NFL. From a fantasy perspective they are phenomenal. Sheldon Richardson finished 8 th among defensive linemen in fantasy last season. Muhammad Wilkerson was fourth in fantasy scoring before the Jets week 11 bye. At the end of the season after missing three games he finished 22 nd. Either one is worth their fantasy weight in gold. Now add rookie Leonard Wilkerson and you have three potential top 10 fantasy players. And it doesn t stop on the defensive line. Though not talked about as often both Demario Davis and David Harris were top 20 linebackers in fantasy scoring last season. Harris finished 15 th and Davis 17 th. Both had over 100 tackles. Davis added 3.5 sacks while Harris added six sacks. The secondary is where the Jets have improved. However, for IDP purposes the better cornerback on the field is not necessarily the best fantasy option. Free agent acquisitions Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie and Buster Skrine certainly give legitimacy to a secondary that could only get six interceptions last season but their fantasy value is skewed. While Revis is an elite cornerback he is only a so-so fantasy option. Cromartie is the pick. He will be a midrange option that has good value. Skrine will see limited action so for fantasy purposes is only valuable in game-by-game decision. If Calvin Pryor is allowed to go back and play at strong safety, he is your waiver wire gem. In traditional leagues look for the Jets to be a top five defense. The Jets are acquiring the personnel to make your fantasy season worthy of a couple of pickups. Now if they could only get a quarterback. TEAM DEPTH CHART FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 170

171 QB: Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick RB: Chris Ivory, Stevan Ridley (inj), Zac Stacy FB: Tommy Bohanon WR: Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, Jeremy Kerley, Devin Smith TE: Jeff Cumberland, Jace Amaro K: Nick Folk STUD PLAYER CHRIS IVORY, RUNNING BACK Okay I know you are surprised. But you shouldn t be. Don t be. Ivory will be the offensive stud for the New York Jets 2015 season. First the stats: 2013: 182 rushes for 833 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 4.6 rushes a carry. 2014: 198 rushes for 821 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 4.1 yards a carry; 18 receptions for 123 yards and one touchdown. Second let s remember we are talking about the Jets. They are not necessarily a juggernaut offensively. But that is not our concern here. What we care about is who will be the stud on the offensive side of the ball for fantasy purposes. The running back pool on the Jets sideline is deep. There is Bilal Powell, Daryl Richardson, Stevan Ridley and Zac Stacy. But don t worry, new head Coach Todd Bowles has firmly stated that Ivory is running back number one in this pool. Last season sharing the ball with Chris Johnson, Ivory played 42 percent of the snaps. Now there is a new offensive coordinator. Chan Gailey has been out of the league for a while. But there are indications to what his offense will resemble. Chan Gailey runs a spread offense. He has been known to operate an offense that employs three wide receivers, one running back and one tight end. Gailey s spread offense spotlights running backs. Specifically running backs who can play in space and catch the ball out of the backfield. According to Pro Football Focus, Ivory ranked tied for ninth in rushing in That was sharing time with Johnson. That was also with a offensive line that finished in the bottom of all teams in run blocking. RotoViz asserts he also averaged 3.0 yards after contact per rushing attempt in His missed tackles per attempt rate is Ivory has never averaged less than 4.0 yards a carry during his career. Okay, so no one will confuse Ivory in a fantasy football draft as a top 20 running back. But for this purpose we are talking about Jets stud and fantasy value for you. As we have said earlier, FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 171

172 the Jets offense will not be mistaken for a juggernaut offense even with the acquisition of all everything wide receiver Brandon Marshall. So stud in this sense is relative. Ivory s current average draft position (ADP) in traditional leagues isn t the value of what studs are made. His overall ranking is 95 th. He is the 33 rd running back picked. And his auction value currently sits at $3.00. In Yahoo leagues he is being picked 41 st. In ESPN leagues he is going 33 rd. In PPR leagues his value is projected even lower. He is being drafted 103 rd in PPR mock drafts. He is the on average the 36 th running back picked. While many are shying away from Ivory because they believe that he will be slowed by a running back by committee approach, here is why he is your stud. Ridley, his main competition is recovering from a massive knee injury. His return time is questionable. Powell will be employed the way he always has been employed with the Jets, not a threat to Ivory s early downs and goal-line carries. And Both Stacy and Richardson have to get the taste of St. Louis out of their system and learn a new playbook. Ivory is the number one back. He is playing on a team that will start a questionable quarterback, yep either one. And he is reliable and for the last two season sturdy. For the Jets offense that spells stud. (2015 Projected Stats rushing attempts 1005 yards 10 touchdowns 4.3 average) TEAM SLEEPER JACE AMARO, TIGHT END While everyone is looking towards wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker don t be led astray. Most will be going off last season. Last season Amaro played in 14 games. He had 38 receptions for 345 yards and two touchdowns. Amaro was targeted 53 times last season. He also had no games over 100+ receiving yards. But that was in Marty Mornhinweg's West Coast offense. Now there are changes. Gailey is known for employing a spread offense. And Amaro played in a spread offense at Texas Tech. That means this year Amaro will be playing in an offense he is familiar. That only should improve his stats. But wait there is more. With Marshall and Eric Decker, Amaro is the perfect afterthought. Marshall and Decker will give Amaro room to roam. And they will definitely draw coverage away from Amaro. That will also improve his stats. Head Coach Todd Bowles has indicated he will utilize two tight ends. This is at odd with what Gailey has been known to utilize, but hey Gailey has been out of the game for some time. So if there are two tight-ends, Amaro will most likely occupy the space to look for favorable matchups, the H back and F back roles. This will permit Amaro to move around the formations. This also plays to his weaknesses as standing in formation and blocking weren t his forte. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 172

173 While everything is stacked up for Amaro to double his production from last year, it unfortunately isn t all in his hands. Amaro will be relying on the every shaky quarterback situation that is the Jets. Forget Bryce Petty s proclamation that Geno Smith is a stud. Clearly that term is relative. Smith s completion rate last season was 59.7 and that was considered good. He only tossed 13 interceptions and that was down from his previous year. In 29 starts Smith has one game with more than two passing touchdowns. So it isn t all up to Amaro. If it were Amaro would be a sure fire top ten tight end. As it is he is a late round sleeper. Count on seeing Ryan Fitzpatrick before the fourth game of the season. This change in quarterback is the reason Amaro s stats will improve. It is the reason you are getting a bargain in the later rounds. Amaro is the typical match-up based tight end. (2015 Projected Stats - 45 receptions 636 yards 5 touchdowns 65 targets 3 games over 100+ yards) ROOKIE TO WATCH - DEVIN SMITH, WIDE RECEIVER Devin Smith was the 37th pick overall in the second round The Jets wide receivers last year accounted for eight total touchdowns. Now in addition to Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker they have added a deep threat in rookie Smith. In the words of NFL analyst Mike Mayock, Smith tracks the deep ball as well as any college wide receiver I ve seen in years. It seemed like every catch he made this year was for a touchdown. Smith is slight of frame. However, he is quick with game breaking speed. He averaged 28.2 yards per catch with 54.5 percent of his catches in 2014 went for 25 yards or more. Last season he led all college football averaging 28.2 yards per catch. He has rare speed that will make him more than an adequate deep threat for the Jets. He is a definite vertical threat, albeit on a team with a questionable quarterback situation. That may not be his only problem. Smith played in a system in college that allowed him to play one spot go long. Now he has to learn to run routes. He has to learn to play any spot and the slot for the Jets. Wide receivers coach Karl Dorrell has stated that during rookie minicamp and organized team activities Smith may have had some problems adjusting. Dorrell told NJ Advance Media, He came in thinking, OK, I m coming in from a great program, they re going FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 173

174 to put me in one spot and play. Well, you re wrong. You re going to play more than one spot, and you re going to do that on the practice field. Dorrell also told the Jets team website that Smith, a tremendous talent who has size, speed, and quickness---things that I think are great assets for any receiver to have. But now, we ve just got to get him ready to play. So the question is can Smith learn to play in pro formations? Before making a fantasy football decision keep an eye on him during preseason. His deep threat capabilities are not in question. But if he can t run routes you can t depend on the quarterback to get him the ball. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 174

175 DENVER BRONCOS (JOSH BERGER) TEAM OUTLOOK The Denver Broncos have continued to be one of the most dynamic offensive teams for the past 3 years, and this upcoming season looks to be no exception. With Peyton Manning averaging over 4,950 through the air each season since he signed with the Broncos, there is very little downside on this team. NFL records have continued to pile up for the Peyton and his offensive weapons, and overlooked receivers continue to excel under the veteran quarterback s tutoring. This team is solid gold for fantasy owners, but with so much change in the organization there have been a lot of people questioning whether the numbers will continue in Can Peyton, now 39 years old, be an elite quarterback one more time? After two seasons of an injury-riddled line, Peyton Manning s hits added up to a torn quad that seriously inhibited his offensive ability. Manning s numbers went from being the top quarterback of the first half of the season to the low QB2 range, averaging only 13 points per game after Week 10. For comparison, Andy Dalton and Alex Smith averaged 13 points during the same span. This team will rise and fall with Peyton, so before you draft it is best to make sure you are confident in how he will do with all of the changes to the Denver Broncos. Because this team revolves completely around Peyton Manning. The Broncos are a team with something to prove, and this year is going to have another set of stellar numbers. The elite options on this team are poised for another year of excellent fantasy numbers, and CJ Anderson and likely the young Cody Latimer will benefit from the Peyton FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 175

176 Manning bump. There is also potential from either Owen Daniels or Virgil Green to become a valuable TE option, but this battle will likely continue late into the preseason. On the ground, currently the man to own is CJ Anderson. He has a great team around him, but one misstep and the job could fall to Montee Ball. CJ Anderson is a talented player, but not elite on his own. He has great leg strength and good maneuverability, but he and Montee Ball are similar players with similar abilities. Caution would be wise before going all-in on both player, and handcuffing these two for safety may work well. The Broncos have tended to start off seasons testing out their running backs, so neither is considered a true RB1 option going into Week 1. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Peyton Manning, Brock Osweiler RB: C.J. Anderson, Montee Ball, Ronnie Hillman FB: Joe Don Duncan WR: Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Cody Latimer, Andre Caldwell (KR) TE: Owen Daniels, Virgil Green K: Connor Barth STUD PLAYER EMMANUEL SANDERS, WIDE RECEIVER There are so many studs on this team it can be difficult to highlight just one player. So for this summary we will focus on the lesser known Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders has proved that he has what it takes to become Peyton Manning s every-down option, forming a deadly combination with Demaryius Thomas. Sanders is a lightning-quick receiver (4.41 seconds his 40 yard dash) with great hands. Formerly playing in Pittsburgh, Peyton refined Sanders into a PPR monster in just a few short games. But what benefits Sanders the most is his ability to seamlessly peel defenses off of him. His pivots and jukes are uncanny, and the technique paid off last season when he was Peyton s best receiver in many of their most difficult defensive battles. And with the dominant threat of Demaryius Thomas, Sanders can continue his productive spree without the main eye of defenses on him. Add in the loss of Julius Thomas and Wes Welker, and you can rest assured that Sanders will be finding a lot of targets coming his way. As of this writing, Sanders is going outside the top 30 in standard scoring leagues. My recommendation is to confidently draft Sanders as your WR8 in the middle of the 3 rd round. TEAM SLEEPER CODY LATIMER, WIDE RECEIVER FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 176

177 Cody Latimer is entering his 2 nd season in the NFL, having only made 2 receptions in his rookie year. The 6 2 wide receiver was phenomenal at Indiana, and now he has been given a gift few young receivers are handed: the chance to be tutored by Peyton Manning. Last year Latimer missed out on the opportunity, being outclassed by Emmanuel Sanders and Wes Welker. Reportedly, Latimer even began to check out mentally as the season progressed. But a new season is upon us, and Latimer has been filling in for the missing Demaryius Thomas in OTAs and rising to the challenge. What does this young buck have to offer? At a glance, one can quickly see that he is the Broncos ideal receiver. At 215 pounds he runs a 4.4 on the 40 yard dash. Latimer is strong, quick, and has excellent maneuverability. He excels in 3WR sets, and offers Peyton the chance to be another big man target. With over 150 receptions disappearing from last years roster in offseason team moves, Latimer is poised to take the lion s share of the targets. He is still raw and working on his chemistry with Manning, but he is getting more time in practice than any rookie has in recent memory. Manning has already admitted that Latimer is ready to take on a major role in this team. Currently Latimer is going outside the top 60 wide receivers. Take him at WR45 and enjoy watching the Manning boost in action. ROOKIES TO WATCH Originally Jeff Heuerman was the natural fit for a rookie to watch on the Denver Broncos. But a torn ACL in rookie training camp has ruined any chance of him being viable for this fantasy season. The 6 5, 254 pound tight end does show a great deal of promise as a dynasty option if Manning chooses to return for another season. But for most leagues he is out of consideration even in the dynasty format. Let the young bucks protect the old man. Rookies Ty Sambrailo and Max Garcia are going to play a crucial role by protecting Peyton this upcoming season. If they rise to the occasion good things are in store for the entire Broncos offense. The combo at left tackle and center are already solidifying their starting positions even early in OTAs, two spots where the Broncos were desperately weak last season. This young team will be tested early with the first two games being against Baltimore and the Chiefs, so even a passable performance at the beginning of the season will be an excellent sign for things to come in Denver. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 177

178 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (BENTON MCDONALD) FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 178

179 TEAM OUTLOOK Year 2 under coach Andy Reid saw the Chiefs finish with a mediocre 9-7 record, missing the playoffs for the 8 th time in the last ten years. The offense lead by quarterback Alex Smith finished 22 nd overall by the grading system at profootballfocus.com and most notably had zero touchdowns caught by a receiver. That feat was the first since 1964, a time when passing the ball was foreign in the NFL. The 2014 season also brought another great Jamaal Charles season who at 28 is a locked in RB1 for Longtime tight end Anthony Fasano saw his release at 31, opening the door for Mini Gronk also known as Travis Kelce. Kelce, who saw himself finish as TE8 last season after posting a 67/862/5 line in his sophomore campaign has a great shot at increased production. He only saw 66 percent of the Chiefs offensive stats last year, compared to 81 percent for consensus TE1 Rob Gronkowski and 97 percent for the Panthers Greg Olsen. An increased snap count, bigger role in the offense and a sophomore season to build off, Kelce is primed for a top 5 tight end season. The offseason brought a shakeup on the wide receiver position. Stud turned dud Dwayne Bowe was released after 8 years as a Chief along with lesser knows Donnie Avery and AJ Jenkins. Rejoining his former coach, Jeremy Maclin signed with Kansas City for 5 years and 55 million after posting career highs in receptions and yards under Chip Kelly. Maclin immediately comes in as the best receiver for Alex Smith and will play the Z role for Andy Reid. DeSean Jackson played the Z from under Reid and saw four seasons of 90 plus targets and 900 plus yards. Regression is expected leaving Chip Kelly but Maclin should see a nice low-end WR2 season. A defensive focused draft saw John Dorsey and the front office select 2 offensive players of note receiver Chris Conley from Georgia and tight end James O Shaughnessy from Illinois State in the 3 rd and 6 th rounds respectively. While O Shaughnessy looks to be a third FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 179

180 stringer at a position where rookie production is already tough, Conley has a shot. Currently only behind Albert Wilson and Jason Avant a strong camp could put the metrics freak on the field faster than most think. A good offseason coupled with no major changes on the coaching staff ultimately have the Chiefs looking at a similar fantasy outlook as last year. Alex Smith projects as an extremely mediocre fantasy backup with a slightly increased touchdown upside with the addition of Maclin. Jamaal Charles is locked and loaded for his fourth straight year as the focal point of this offense. Barring injury, another RB1 season is in the cards. Jeremy Maclin will surely break the Chiefs wide receiver touchdown drought and projects as Smith s go to in the pass game. 100 plus targets should put Maclin on the low end WR2 list. Travis Kelce finally freed from the chains of Anthony Fasano, will build on his solid sophomore campaign and looks likely to follow the year three tight end breakout plan. Rookie Chris Conley sophomore Albert Wilson and veteran Jason Avant also will contribute in one way or another although there true value lies in the real NFL world for 2015, not fantasy. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Alex Smith, Chase Daniel RB: Jamaal Charles, Knile Davis (KR), Cyrus Gray FB: Anthony Sherman WR: Jeremy Maclin, Albert Wilson, Chris Conley, Junior Hemingway TE: Travis Kelce, Demetrius Harris K: Cairo Santos STUD PLAYER JEREMY MACLIN Going against the consensus pick here of Jamaal Charles, I m going to profile Jeremy Maclin as the stud in KC. Joining the team this past offseason on a 5 year 55 million dollar deal, Maclin is reunited with longtime coach Andy Reid. Hoping to revitalize the position in KC after a touchdown less 2014, Maclin is sure to see a lot of targets come his way. 2009:62/1156/9 WR3 overall 2010:47/1056/6 WR13 overall 2011:58/961/4 WR25 overall Those are former Eagle DeSean Jackson s statistics as the featured Z in coach Andy Reid s offense. Jackson saw target numbers of 117, 95, and 104. Maclin should see a floor of 100 targets in year 1 being Alex Smith s go to receiver and already in sync with the offense in Kansas City. At 27, Maclin is right in the middle of his prime years and has shown consistent improvement each year in the league. Stuck behind Jackson for Maclin was able to FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 180

181 produce quality WR3/4 seasons each year sans the season he missed in From Maclin had consecutive seasons of 850 yards, 60 receptions and 5 touchdowns. Building off of those he was able to finally explode last year under Chip Kelly. A career year in just about every statistical category, Maclin was the WR9 and 20 th overall scorer in fantasy last year. Looking at average draft position in current mock drafts, Maclin is being drafted as the 28 th receiver and in the mid 6 th round overall. That is great value for a guy that will eat targets and receptions. The floor alone is worth it to take Maclin in the mid 6 th round. Players like Brandin Cooks, DeSean Jackson, Keenan Allen, Vincent Jackson, and Kelvin Benjamin all who are being drafted ahead of Maclin have much higher variance. In the early rounds of your drafts, a healthy floor is key. Always looking to target players with established roles and who have shown consistent production. Maclin fits the bill for that, especially in Kansas City where he has no competition for targets. If you went by ADP and drafted RB/WR/WR/RB/WR/WR/QB you could theoretically have Maclin as your 4 th receiver. That is really great value for a guy with such a high floor. With a floor of say 70/950/6 an ideal line for your WR3/4 with a very high chance to hit above that, Maclin has stud potential written all over him. Maclin s draft position is slowly dropping as well. Starting in January when he was still an Eagle his ADP was right around the start of the 3 rd round slowly dropping the last 6 months, Maclin has now dropped 3 full rounds to the mid 6 th. The perfect storm of elements is leading into Maclin as an ideal target this season. The production has been shown, the opportunity is there, team belief is present (55 million dollars of it), and most importantly the high floor and stud ceiling that is available in the mid 6 th round. With Maclin s value likely to continue dropping, go out and buy the Chiefs stud at his extremely cheap price and reap the benefits. TEAM SLEEPER ALBERT WILSON, WIDE RECEIVER In one of the best rookie skill player classes in history, the Chiefs failed to draft a receiver in Their lone UDFA receiver was 5 9 Albert Wilson from Georgia State. Wilson who arrived at Georgia State during their inaugural football season quickly became their most accomplished player in 4 short years. His 6235 all-purpose yards rank 36 th in NCAA history. The pride of Port Lucie; Wilson averaged an 18.2 career YPR and an NFL looking 71/1166/8 line during his senior year. He also showed some rushing prowess, carrying the rock 24 times for 251 yards, a 10.6 YPC average. Elite College production has been linked to every single player in the top 20 dynasty players ranked by our staff here at FakePigskin. Wilson, one of the more sought after undrafted free agents last year, saw himself stick in Kansas City and make the 53-man roster. Only appearing in 8 games, Wilson saw more than 60 percent of snaps in only 4 of those, two of those with quarterback Alex Smith resting. Regardless, he was effective when given the chance. Week 16 against Pittsburgh saw Wilson catch 5 balls for 87 yards along with 49 total YAC, 136 total. He finished the season with a line of 16/260/0, not great but ranked 3 rd among UDFA receivers. A 5 9 UDFA receiver who showed little in his rookie year? A perfect remedy for a sleeper. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 181

182 Wilson is dead meat if he is on most other NFL teams. Luckily, he landed in the jackpot of Kansas City. He is currently the 3 rd receiver on the team behind Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant. Last year, squashed behind Dwayne Bowe, Avant, AJ Jenkins along with tight ends Travis Kelce and Anthony Fasano and of course focal point Jamaal Charles, Wilson was at the bottom of the food chain. This offseason he was able to survive the onslaught that saw the Chiefs release Fasano, Jenkins, Da Rick Rogers and Bowe; Wilson is suddenly moving on up. Two things stand out to me based on the above mentioned situation: 1) Wilson was able to stay on the 53 man roster the entire season despite barely playing and 2) The Chiefs thought enough of him to keep him and trust him with a growing role. Watching his college highlights and reading various articles on him, I am growing to like Wilson even more. Despite being 5 9 he plays, as he said himself, like Steve Smith. His use of clubs and shoves to beat his man off the line give him a physical advantage against weaker corners. But the best part of Wilson s game, and one great for fantasy purposes, is his ability after the catch. His vision, evident with his YPC and YAC stats at Georgia State compensates for his size and allows him to pad his stats. A year in Andy Reid s system, a major advantage for the complicated system, along with his place on the depth chart, Wilson has a chance at decent production this season. A starting role on the outside in the quick pass west coast offense could lead to a reception heavy system and Wilson doing what he does after the catch. A non existent price tag, he s a waiver wire guy, and a role on a team looking to feature WR more, Wilson is a great sleeper. ROOKIE TO WATCH CHRIS CONLEY, WIDE RECEIVER Bucking the ongoing trend of taking receivers in the first 2 rounds, the Chiefs instead opted to wait for the third round to select Georgia receiver Chris Conley. Conley is best known for winning the NFL combine this year. Conley ran the third fastest 40 time at a blazing 4.35, followed up with the highest vertical and broad jumps ever for a receiver. Looking at Conley s spider web over on mockdraftable, we see he ranks in the 100 th percentile in both the broad and vertical jump along with a 92 nd percentile 40 yard dash as well as the 91 st and 82 nd percentile in arm length and hand size. He s big, fast and long, and just a bit explosive (99 out of 100 explosive score on mockdraftable). There s one thing to lead your fellow rookies but Conley broke 2 combine records in one weekend, talk about a freak athlete. Looking into Conley s college career at Georgia, the production was just not there. 117 receptions over 4 years is extremely mediocre (compared to the 228 in 3 years for Raiders receiver Amari Cooper) The YPR, yards per reception, at 18.3 is very intriguing going into his NFL career. The ability to stretch the field and stretch the play after the catch is pivotal as an NFL receiver especially in a west coast offense like Andy Reid s. One of my favorite parts of the lull of the summer offseason is beat reporter talk. NFL teams gradually begin to report to OTA s and mandatory minicamps before training camp at the end of July. Beat reporters large in part to twitter began to tweet out blurbs from the respective FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 182

183 team workouts and camps. While many may just be coach speak or teams just experimenting while they still have time in June, some of the stuff you hear can be pivotal especially for sleepers like Conley. Chiefs Digest writer Herbie Teope who attended OTA s wrote Chris Conley is hard to miss on the practice field and the observation isn t based solely on his frame. Chief s receivers coach David Culley also remarked The thing we like about him physically, the tools are there. He s had some familiarity, obviously with Aaron {Murray, Chiefs backup} having been his quarterback for a couple of years. I think the sky's the limit for him. Now looking towards rookie year opportunity. Conley is currently in a logjam with second year receiver Albert Wilson and veteran Jason Avant for the second receiver behind Jeremy Maclin. The night before OTA s the Chiefs released super sleeper Da Rick Rogers opening the door wider for Conley. Jason Avant, who has never left Andy Reid s side excluding 11 games for Carolina last season should see a lot of snaps due to the trust Reid has in him and his knowledge of the offense. Maclin and Avant on the field leave 1 spot left for either Conley or Wilson. Wilson, the 2014 UDFA saw extremely limited production being stuffed on the depth chart as a rookie. One thing he does have over Conley is a year learning Reid s extremely complicated variation of the west coast offense. It will be an intriguing camp battle to watch but Conley s size, physical tools and ability to learn on the fly should win out. Conley s year 1 outlook is not very high, a pretty low floor looking at the receiver logjam coupled with the rawness of Conley s skills. He is more of a dynasty target but if he does win the WR3 job and begins to show his physical skills more than anticipated he is a great redraft stash or early waiver wire add. Side note: Conley produced a 26 minute Star Wars film while at Georgia that is stupendous. Seriously, go watch it. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 183

184 OAKLAND RAIDERS (BRIAN JODOIN) TEAM OUTLOOK (AARON MARCOTTE) For the past few years the Oakland Raiders haven t given us much to cheer about from a fantasy perspective. From a football perspective they have won just eleven games in the past three years and haven t finished above third in their division since 2002 when they won the AFC West under Rich Gannon. Now that you re overly excited about the Raiders prospects for the 2015 season, let s dive into why some of the numbers above could change this year. The Raiders used their #4 overall pick to take Armani Cooper, arguably the best talent in this year s draft. They haven t had a 1,000 yard receiver since Randy Moss blessed the field back in 2005, but Derek Carr should be relieved that Cooper will be lining up on the outside across from free agent acquisition Michael Crabtree. The addition of these two talented wide receivers, coupled with Carr s arm strength, could lead to some big numbers in The running back situation has been a mess recently in Oakland and but Latavius Murray is here to finally turn things around. No more Darren McFadden, no more MJD, just a 25 year old athletic freak in his first season as a full time starter. Murray does have some history of health issues, which warns fantasy owners to proceed with caution, but the upside is there for this youngster. He has passing down specialist Roy Helu Jr. backing him up, with recent bust Trent Richardson waiting in line. Richardson doesn t project to be an immediate threat, so the job should be Murray s to lose. Murray had an impressive 5.2 ypc last year, slightly bolstered by a FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 184

185 90 yard beauty against Kansas City in week 12 of last year. All in all, the backfield switch up should help the Raiders improve their offense this year. Derek Carr had quite a rookie year given what he had around him. Carr put up a TD-to- INT ratio, which is terrific for a rookie, but his 58% competition leaves something to be desired. The addition of the receivers mentioned above should really help Carr in his Sophomore season. Couple that with the new and improved running game and the rookie has his work cut out for him this year. Mychal Rivera didn t pan out as most hoped last year and now has Clive Walford, a Miami Hurricane product, breathing down his neck. This competition will likely result in some improved play from the tight ends in Oakland this year. While the defense projects to be sub-par yet again, the offense should greatly improve and finally help fantasy owners out. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Derek Carr (inj), Matt McGloin RB: Latavius Murray, Roy Helu (3RB), Trent Richardson FB: Marcel Reece WR: Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Rod Streater, Andre Holmes TE: Mychal Rivera, Clive Walford K: Sebastian Janikowski STUD PLAYER KHALIL MACK, LINEBACKER No one on the Raiders defines the word stud more than Khalil Mack. He is a beast, a monster, a machine, he's whatever hyperbole you want to use to say "really really really... really good". The 5th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft was a gift for Oakland. The best defensive player, possibly best overall player, fell right into their laps. He didn't disappoint. Now don't get me wrong, it's a lot of hype for a guy who had just 75 total tackles last season but trust me, it's deserving. Mack was everywhere on the field. There were so many plays where he didn't get the tackle but he changed the course of the play. Mack was Pro Football Focus' second-highest graded 4-3 LB last season, that's impressive for anybody, not just a rookie. He is the center of a defense that will probably see the field a lot. He now has a year of pro ball under his belt, he should only get better and Mack getting better is a scary thing for opponents. I would definitely look for him to increase his tackles and sacks this season as he gets stronger and is able to finish the plays more often. He faded a little bit over the last few games and I think that can be attributed to the longer season. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 185

186 After just one season, he's already one of the better defenders on the edge, specifically against the run, and he's shown that he can pressure the QB. There's no learning curve this season, Mack doesn't get a pass for a few early week games because he's a rookie anymore, those days are gone. Don't be surprised if new head coach Jack Del Rio use Mack similar to how Von Miller was used in Denver. While Mack may not be the natural pass rusher Miller is, Mack can cause pressure in similar ways and perhaps with Del Rio's schemes, Mack will be able to wreak even more havoc on opposing backfields. Obviously when it comes to Mack, you're only going to be drafting him in IDP leagues. I'm not a huge IDP fantasy player BUT I do know that Mack should be one of the first few linebackers off the board in your draft. Leagues that weigh tackles very heavily will definitely see Mack go fairly early on as his production is only going to go up. He's the epitome of the word stud, don't miss out. Also fun fact, if you type "Khal" in google, Khalil Mack is the second most searched option after Khaleesi. Pointless trivia for everyone! TEAM SLEEPER CLIVE WALFORD, TIGHT END The sleeper on the Raiders, you know who it is, you've probably read 200 articles about Clive Walford. Wait what? Brian, don't you mean Roy Helu? No I don't. Helu lost his sleeper status around article #117. Clive Walford is very quietly going to have a solid season for Oakland. Is he a guy you want to reach on and plug in every week? Probably not but he has a lot of things going his way that could lead to a surprising season. First, the Raiders will be run-oriented and Walford is a good blocker, a better blocker than Mychal Rivera even. Better blocker leads to being on the field more often. More snaps leads to more opportunities, more opportunities leads to more catches, and more catches leads to more yards and touchdowns. One thumbs up. Second, word out of Oakland is that the Raiders will run more two-te sets this season. Copy and paste that last paragraph here because the results are the same. The best part will be FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 186

187 when Walford and Rivera are on the field at the same time, the attention goes to Rivers while Walford sneaks out into the flat and gets the first down. Rivera's the better receiver but Walford is more than capable of holding his own in the passing game. Two thumbs up. Third, his only competition is the aforementioned Mychal Rivera, who is not that great of a player. I would say he's a slightly, and I stress the word SLIGHTLY, above-average tight end in the NFL. One drawback for Walford is that Carr & Rivera showed some chemistry later on in the season which could quite possibly delay some extra chances for Walford. However again, Rivera is not great. Thumbs middle. Finally, the Raiders made it a point to get Carr some weapons on offense. Outside of Cooper, Walford is the next best addition to this offense. Reggie McKenzie is not a risk taker so I find it very hard to believe that he would draft a guy and not use him. Walford can fit in anywhere on offense, the Raiders know that and they will put him in the best places to help them win. Another thumbs up for Walford. All in all, Walford will get his chances at some point this season. If you have deep rosters, he's worth a stash. I really think Walford will outplay Rivera within the first few weeks and he will become a popular candidate for streaming throughout the season. If everything plays out the way I think it very well could, you may see Clive Walford being the #2 option in the passing game by midseason. Walford's potential is that high. ROOKIE TO WATCH AMARI COOPER, WIDE RECEIVER Going into the NFL draft, as an Oakland Raiders fan, I did not want all the talk of the Raiders taking Amari Cooper to true. I wanted defense to go with Khalil Mack. Reggie McKenzie and the Raiders went with Cooper and after some time to think it over, I'm pretty happy with the decision. Cooper has the potential to be a game changing talent which is something this offense desperately needed. Every time Cooper lines up, he's a home run waiting to happen. The Raiders offense needed something like this to give a jolt and help it compete this season. As a rookie, I think Cooper will be the default #1 WR on this team and even though Oakland may be a run first type team, when Carr drops back, I highly doubt someone else is going to be his first read very option. There were games last year at Alabama that Cooper would be double or triple teamed because they didn't have any other WRS, he still performed. He was one of, if not the most effective WR in the NCAA last year and was drafted as just that. He is the most pro ready, he can play all over the field, he's got the speed and the best route running of this rookie class. The Raiders are in no position to draft a guy that high and not use him or at least put him in the position to be a top weapon for their young QB. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 187

188 Let's face it, it's not like Cooper will have a ton of competition for targets. Michael Crabtree? Yuck. Andre Holmes? No way. Rod Streater? Can't stay healthy. Oddly enough, the only thing that can hold Cooper back besides himself, is the offensive line. If they can't protect Carr, then Cooper won't be able to do his thing effectively. Another thing on the plus side for Cooper is the fact that despite the Raiders likely be a runoriented team, they are likely to lose a lot of games. This could mean that they will be down early and often, leading to more pass attempts as they try to catch up. Cooper is exactly the type of player you need in those situations, a guy who has the chance to take it to the house in the blink of an eye. I am a bit weary about where he is going in drafts. He's a guy I want on my teams but at the right price. I have a feeling in his rookie season, Cooper will be boom or bust each week. It's okay to have those guys on your teams but you need to pay the right price. Overpaying for 1 big game every 3 weeks isn't going to win you many games. FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 188

189 FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 189

190 SAN DEIGO CHARGERS (ANDY YOUNCE) TEAM OUTLOOK There has been plenty of change this offseason in San Diego. When talented and versatile but-oft injured Ryan Mathews left for Philadelphia, the organization replaced him by drafting the supertalented and super-versatile Melvin Gordon. When Eddie Royal bolted for Chicago, the Bolts quickly replaced him with Stevie Johnson. The team welcomed former Ram Austin Pettis to their wide receiver corps and added Orlando Franklin (formerly of Denver) and Joe Barksdale (San Francisco) to solidify their offensive line. The additions of Franklin and Barksdale along with the re-signing of long-time Charger King Dunlap help offset the retirements of Nick Hardwick and Jeromey Clary along the offensive front. Something that remains unchanged, however, is the depth chart at the quarterback position. Despite various trade rumors leading up to the NFL Draft, Philip Rivers returns for his tenth year as the Chargers starting QB. The Chargers finished the 2014 season with a 9-7 record, missing out on a Wild Card spot by one game. They do not figure to be a legitimate contender for the 2015 AFC West Division unless something unexpected happens to one Peyton Manning. There is, however, plenty to like about this team both in real-world football and (why you are reading this Draft Guide) fantasy-world football. The offensive skill positions contain a good mix of solid, steady veterans and exciting, talented young players. Rivers is the obvious leader of the group. In 2014, Rivers completed 379 (tied for 7 th among starting QBs) of his 570 pass attempts (11 th ) for a completion percentage of 66.5% (4 th ). He threw for 4,286 yards (8 th ) and 31 touchdowns (8 th ). Unfortunately, he also tossed 18 interceptions, which was the most in the league. Look for similar stats in 2015, as Rivers remains a good bet to finish the year as a low-end QB1. If you do FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 190

191 not land Andrew Luck or Aaron Rodgers, my recommendation would be to wait on the Rivers, Romo's and Tannehill's, rather than opting for the Wilson's, Brees, and Newton's. The Chargers are counting on Gordon to be a star and not just a future star. He will play early and he will play often. Branden Oliver and Donald Brown remain on the squad, but Danny Woodhead will garner the fantasy points from the running back position that Gordon does not. Third-year wideout Keenan Allen will likely once again be the team s top pass-catcher. Johnson and Malcolm Floyd are the other receivers that may or may not be on the radars of fantasy players in August. Before last season, many had written the fantasy obituary for future Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates. He had just turned 34 years old and was coming off a somewhat disappointing 2013 finishing the year with just four touchdowns, while averaging only 56.5 yards per game (7 th among Tight Ends, but his third-lowest total since becoming the team s starter in 2004). The consensus opinion among the fantasy community was that 24 year-old Ladarius Green would pass Gates on the depth chart and begin his ascent up the tight end rankings. That did not happen. And it will not happen in 2015 either. Look for Gates to once again post big numbers and finish the year as a solid TE1. Defensively, in 2014, the Chargers tied for 13 th in points allowed (21.8 per game), but only finished 29 th in sacks (26), and 27th for turnovers forced (18 seven interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries). Obviously, all of those numbers particularly sacks and turnovers forced must improve for the Bolts to be a relevant fantasy defense in Mike Nolan, with 20+ years of NFL experience as a head coach or defensive coordinator, is the team s new linebackers coach. The organization re-signed cornerback Brandon Flowers and used four of its five draft choices on defensive players. None, however, figure to be day-one starters for the Chargers. The team s defensive stalwarts once again figure to be defensive tackle Corey Liuget, linebackers Donald Butler and Melvin Engram, and defensive backs Flowers and Eric Weddle. If you play the IDP format, Weddle and Liuget figure to be top options at their positions. At the minimum, the team should see marginal improvement in each of the three statistics noted above Kicker Nick Novak connected on 22 of 26 field goal attempts in 2014 for a percentage of 84.6% (tied for 17 th ). Field goals made and field goals attempted both tied for 23 rd among NFL starting kickers. One would think the lack of field goals attempted would be due to the offense scoring touchdowns instead of settling for threes. That is not the case, however, as his 40 extra points made tied Matt Bryant and Randy Bullock for 13 th. Novak is a good kicker and the Chargers should generally be considered a Top 10 (or so) offense, but the statistics just do not justify selecting him over the Gostkowski's, Parkeys', or Vinatieri's of the fantasy kicking world. TEAM DEPTH CHART QB: Philip Rivers, Kellen Clemens RB: Melvin Gordon, Danny Woodhead (3RB), Branden Oliver FB: David Johnson WR: Keenan Allen, Malcom Floyd, Stevie Johnson, Dontrelle Inman FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 191

192 TE: Antonio Gates, Ladarius Green K: Nick Novak STUD PLAYER KEENAN ALLEN, WIDE RECEIVER How many people reading this article won their league championship in 2013? And how many of those grabbed Allen off the waiver wire after his Week Five performance against the Indianapolis Colts? I know I did. The rookie burst onto the fantasy scene that week, with nine receptions (on 12 targets) for 107 yards and a touchdown. The 3 rd round selection out of California (76 th overall and drafted behind the likes of Tavon Austin, Robert Woods, and Aaron Dobson) surprised just about everyone that season, leading the team in receiving yards (1,046) and receiving touchdowns (8, actually tied with Royal). He finished second in targets (105, behind only Gates) and third in receptions (71, behind Gates and Woodhead). Many self included expected a huge sophomore season from Allen in According to fantasyfootballcalculator.com, his average draft position (ADP) for points-per-receptions (PPR) drafts held in late August/early September 2014 was 3.04 (11 th among wide receivers). For standard-scoring formats, his ADP was 3.07 overall (also, 11 th among wide receivers). There were certainly highlights for the former Golden Bear during the 2014 season: a ten catch, 135 yard effort against the Jaguars; nine catches for 73 yards and a score versus the Broncos; and most notably, an 11 reception-for-121 yards-two touchdown performance in a thrilling win over the Ravens. However, while his reception totals improved from 71 in 2013 (21 st among wide receivers) to 77 in 2014 (26 th ) and his number of targets rose from 105 (tied for 32 nd ) to 121 (26 th ), Allen s yardage and touchdown numbers both fell dramatically. He finished 2014 with only 783 yards (41 st and down more than 250 yards from the season before) and only FOUR touchdowns (tied for 42 nd ). According to ESPN s final 2014 rankings, Allen finished as the 48 th best receiver in fantasy-terms FAR BELOW the Number 11 projection discussed in the previous paragraph. Not only that, but Allen finished well below fellow teammates Floyd (29 th ) and Royal (32 nd ) in the wide receiver rankings. Honestly, a strong case for Fantasy Stud could be made for Rivers, Gates, and Allen. I expect all to be Tier 1 players at their respective positions. I personally believe that Allen is being undervalued and anticipate a big bounce-back year from him in For leagues with standard scoring formats, his ADP for the upcoming season is 5.11 and 25 th among receivers, according to fantasyfootballcalculator.com. For PPR leagues, Allen s ADP ranges from 4.11 and 21 st among receivers at fantasyfootballcalculator.com to 4.02 and 19 th among WRs at fftoolbox.com. (Note: the ADP calculations from fantasyfootballcalculator.com are based on more than 500 drafts completed between June 14 th and June 19 th ). FakePigskin's composite rankings (found in this Draft Guide) rate Allen as follows: Redraft, Standard Scoring 15 th (among wide receivers); Redraft, PPR Scoring 16 th ; Dynasty, Standard Scoring 22 nd ; and Dynasty, PPR Scoring 20th. In my opinion, all of these projections/rankings are on the low side. Allen is talented, consistent, and has the trust of Rivers and the coaching staff. San FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 192

193 Diego s schedule includes games against high-octane offenses such as the Lions, the Steelers, and the Packers. And then there are the two showdowns with the Broncos. Even the Chiefs and Raiders appear to be better offensively than they were a year ago. A combination of those opponents and the Chargers having a strong offense themselves and an average defense should lead to many high-scoring affairs, meaning plenty of opportunities for Allen to post big numbers Projected Stats: 135 targets, 90 receptions, 1,200 receiving yards, 9 touchdowns; highend WR2 in both Standard and PPR formats. TEAM SLEEPER DANNY WOODHEAD, RUNNING BACK Let us be clear about a few things. Gordon is San Diego s starting running back and will be for years to come. Woodhead is the team s third-down specialist for this year and maybe one more. First round pick Gordon is 6 1 and 213 pounds. Former undrafted Division 2 free agent Woodhead is 5 8 and 200 pounds. Gordon is definitely stronger. Gordon is certainly faster. Gordon is eight years younger. Gordon is clearly the better player. And Gordon is the better fantasy football prospect not only in Dynasty formats (obviously), but in Redraft leagues as well. Having said all that, Danny Woodhead and not Melvin Gordon is the better value pick for the 2015 fantasy football season. Yep, I said it. I know, I know. Hear me out Check out the current ADPs of the two players. According to fantasyfootballcalculator.com, for 600+ mock drafts that took place from June 15 th to June 20 th, Gordon s ADP was 3.03 (13 th among running backs) for standard scoring formats and 3.06 (again, 13 th among RBs) for PPR scoring formats. Players with similar ADPs to Gordon include C.J. Anderson, Alfred Morris, and Mark Ingram for standard formats and Jeremy Hill, Justin Forsett, and Frank Gore for PPR leagues. Pretty big names, huh? Meanwhile, using the same draft data, Woodhead s ADP for the PPR format was 8.10 (good for 39 th among RBs) similar to the ADPs of Charles Sims, Chris Ivory, and Bishop Sankey. Do you really have a high degree of confidence that ANY of those guys are going to be fantasy-relevant in 2015? (Note: I do not include Woodhead s ADP for standard scoring leagues, because I do not feel he is a relevant option in those leagues). So, you can either target a backfield combo of Gordon/Sankey or one of Forsett/Woodhead. Personally, I am going with the latter every single change I get. As noted above, Gordon will catch some balls. Woodhead is going to catch A LOT of balls. While I do expect Gordon to finish as a Top 15ish RB, I expect Woodhead to finish as a Top 25ish RB (again, PPR leagues only). The difference in where you would have to draft Gordon and where you can draft Woodhead makes ol Number 39 the better value pick for this season. Woodhead first became (somewhat) fantasy-relevant in 2010 when he rushed for 547 yards, caught 34 balls, and scored six times for the Patriots. He caught 40 balls again two years later for the Patriots and parlayed that success into a two year, $3.5 million contract with the Chargers. Woodhead made an immediate impact in San Diego, flourishing as a third down FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 193

194 specialist and change-of-pace back, with 76 receptions, 1,034 total yards, and eight total touchdowns during the 2013 season. Despite Mathews being the unquestioned starter, Woodhead was poised for another big year in Unfortunately, a serious leg injury (fractured fibula and high ankle sprain) in a Week 3 win over the Bills ended his season. Woodhead is back healthy again and the feeling here is that he is a player that even the most successful fantasy owners are sleeping on in As talented as Gordon is, he is still a rookie. He has never pass-protected at this level. Woodhead has. Gordon has never been on an NFL field during a two minute drive. Woodhead has. Let s face it there are a lot of third downs during an NFL game and there are many games that come down to the last drive or two. The former Chadron State College star will very likely be the one on the field during those moments. Another thing to consider is ball security. Head Coach Mike McCoy and Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich trust Woodhead, who has fumbled just TWICE in his six year professional career. Gordon must show the coaches that he can protect the ball at this level. After all, he did fumble seven times in his senior season (losing six of those). Once again, advantage Woodhead. So, you are convinced, right? 2015 Projected Stats: 400 rushing yards, 70 receptions, 600 receiving yards, six total touchdowns; low-end RB2/high-end RB3 in PPR formats. ROOKIE TO WATCH MELVIN GORDON, RUNNING BACK Gordon looks like Jamaal Charles. He runs like Jamaal Charles. Will he be as successful as Jamaal Charles? Time will tell. The Chargers traded up from the 17 th to the 15 th spot in May s Draft to ensure that Gordon would be theirs. The former Wisconsin star shattered all kinds of records in his college career. 4,915 rushing yards as a Badger. 49 total touchdowns. In a win over Nebraska last season, he rushed for 408 yards. He amassed at least 200 yards in games against Bowling Green, Northwestern, Purdue, Iowa, and Auburn. Many expected Gordon to be the first back taken in the 2015 NFL Draft, but the Rams instead grabbed Georgia s Todd Gurley with the 10 th overall pick. As the only offensive player taken by the Chargers in the 2015 Draft, Gordon is the easy pick to be the team s Rookie to Watch. The organization drafted him with the idea that he will be the team s bell-cow and that is exactly what he will be. In February, Gordon measured in at 6 1 and weighed 215 pounds at the Draft Combine in Indianapolis. He ran a 4.52 forty yard dash at the Combine good for fifth among running backs participating in the event. Gordon and his camp had expected a bit faster time, but that is plenty fast to succeed as an NFL back especially when also considering his impressive physique ( shredded is a description I have seen more than once). I had seen Gordon play several times in college. Living in the South, I had seen Gurley on many more occasions. My FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 194

195 belief was always that Gurley was the complete package and Gordon was the speed back. After further review, my thoughts on Gordon changed. At the combine, he repped 225 pounds 19 times (good for 15 th among running backs). However, his shuttle times were extremely impressive 4.07 seconds in the 20 yard shuttle (second among running backs, behind only Ameer Abdullah) and 11 seconds flat in the 60 yarder (tops among those who competed). My guess is that his forty time and his bench press numbers will increase a bit this offseason. Gordon is an extremely versatile player and takes great pride in providing the Chargers a threat as a runner, receiver, and blocker. Gordon will not be used as an every down back at least not during the 2015 season. Woodhead is healthy and the team has a significant role carved out for him (see below in Fantasy Sleeper ). There is room for both backs to be productive in this offense, though. Gordon will run inside and outside on first and second downs, catching the occasional pass, and will get the first and likely only shot at goal line carries. Gordon is not seen as a passcatching threat just yet. However, he can catch the ball. After only three catches in his first three seasons combined, Gordon hauled in 19 receptions during the 2014 season, scoring on three of those. Becoming a bigger threat as a receiver is one of Gordon s top goals heading into preseason camp. He is seen as a third round/top 15ish running back in Redraft leagues. However, if you play the Dynasty format of fantasy football, Gordon along with Gurley and Oakland s Amari Cooper is likely to be off the board early (as in Top 3 picks and most likely THE top pick) Projected Stats: 1,250 rushing yards, 25 receptions, 200 receiving yards, nine total touchdowns; RB2 in both Standard and PPR formats FakePigskin.com 2015 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 195

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