Wednesday
Early Fantasy Sleepers to Consider Late
Well the new fantasy is well under way and if you are like me, you've already had your share of multiple mock drafts as we get closer to to the actual. There's no time of the year quite like this, when fantasy frenzy takes over and consumes all of us fantasy gamers.
The training camps are in full swing and the fantasy rumor mill is churning on high. If you've been paying attention there is a lot of information out there , so just make sure you don't get lost in the clouds and take plenty of notes.
Week 2 of the preseason kicks off tomorrow and before you know it the 2016 season will be kicking off, so let's not waste any time and start talking some fantasy football.
I haven't done too much digging to this point, but looking at some of the changes in the offseason and the new lineups, these are some of my early sleeper picks I will be looking to steal in the mid-to-later rounds of my upcoming drafts....
With the departure of DeMarco Murray to Tennessee, running back Ryan Mathews appears to be pegged as the lead back in Philly now. Durability may be a concern, but if Mathews can stay on the field he's has shown the ability to produce (5.1 yards per carry avg) and could very well improve on his 7 total touchdowns from a year ago. Mathews is should be available from the middle of the third round or later, and that's where I would take him.
There's no question in Pittsburgh there's only one name opposing DB's will need to be concerned with and that's Antonio Brown. But fantasy owners should be keeping an eye on Darrius Heyward-Bey. With Martavis Bryant gone for the season, DHB could be a flyer fantasy owners could target late in their drafts. DHB has the potential for the big play and his 15 yards per catch average last season were his best numbers since his 64-catch, 975-yards, and 15.2 yards average in 2012.
One more quick note for the night, a couple of tightends I like that should go later in drafts (6th-to-7th rounds or later) are Dwayne Allen (Indy) and Martellus Bennett (NE). With Fleener now in New Orleans, Allen inherits the lead role as the primary pass-catching tightend and with Andrew Luck throwing to him, his numbers will improve vastly this season.
Over in New England, Bennett's arrival returns to quarterback Tom Brady his bookend tightends. Gronk is Gronk and will put up his Gronk like numbers, but expect Bennett to improve his 2015 numbers (53 rec/439 yards/3 touchdowns) with Brady throwing to him. He's a mid-round TE2 pick with a lot of upside potential.
That's my take
~David G. Ortega
