Thursday Edition
August 16th, 2012
David’s Daily Digest
A
Look Back at 2011
The
Big Ballers
(And
this year’s 1st Rounders)
These players are far from any secret
in the fantasy world, but if we are going to start any conversations regarding
fantasy football it’s starts with these guys; Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Calvin
Johnson, and Ray Rice. Rodgers like Brees, is becoming one of the more
consistent elite passers putting up huge numbers, but probably his most
impressive stat is his durability; has only missed two games in past four
seasons (just one due to injury).
Megatron and Rice rule at their
respective position by simply out-performing the competition. Johnson has ruled
the air with 2,800 yards receiving and 28 touchdown receptions the past two
seasons, while Rice handles the ground work with 3,700 total yards (rushing
& receiving) with 21 touchdowns over the same span.
A couple of other names that need to
be grouped here would included Arian Foster (scored in 8 of his last 9 games in
2011), Tom Brady (39 passing TD in 2011), and LeSean McCoy (20 touchdowns in
2011). Without question you don’t need much argument to justify a first round selection
with any of these picks.
All of these players have the pedigree
to be considered early fantasy draft picks and heading into the new season,
there’s no reason to think these fantasy studs won’t pull their weight once
again. These proven commodities in the fantasy world are consider safe picks,
but while these ballers get the job done quite easily, there is a short list of
names from a year ago that have made enough noise to draw early round
consideration as well.
Surprises
from 2011
There was some talk and a little
preaching about a certain Graham in New Orleans emerging as a big target and
red zone weapon for Drew Brees and Saints offense, but few had any idea tight
end Jimmy Graham would blow up in 2011 as he did; 99 receptions, 1,300 yards.
His numbers were like another wide receiver. His strong showing from a year ago
has many folks talking about a repeat performance and at 6’7” and a world of
athletic talent it seems very possible.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski was equally
impressive with his strong 2011 showing (90 rec, 1,327 yards, 17 touchdowns)
and as big a surprise. At 6’6’ he give Brady lots to work with and last season
did they work it well.
Like the tight-end twins, a few other
surprises that could impact the early rounds of drafts this season would include
Saints running back Darren Sproles. Although not a feature back his 1,300
combined yards, 86 receptions, and 9 touchdowns could keep him from slipping
too far past the first round (especially in PPR leagues).
A pair of wideouts that could be very
interesting in the coming fantasy drafts would include Packers wideout Jordy
Nelson (15 receiving touchdowns) and Giants receiver Victor Cruz (1,536
receiving yards). With the Packers high-octane passing game there certainly
seems to be plenty of balls to go around and Nelson could easily see an
increase in his 94 targets from a year ago making him an attractive early
receiver option. On the other side Cruz is coming off a big season and with the
absence of wide receiver Mario Manningham (signed with the 49ers), there could
be more room for this talent to blossom even more.
The 2012 season is just a few short
weeks away and we still have plenty more to talk about, don’t you just love
Fantasy Football?
By David Ortega
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