August 17th 2017
Thursday Night Edition
Fantasy
Draft Watch
The Good Hands of Fantasy
Drafts boards are quickly filling up and
lots of names are getting tossed around, so I am just sharing some names that I
believe are worth watching for during your upcoming fantasy drafts.
Let’s take a look at the good hands folks
for this season.
In Los Angeles one my early to mid-round
favorites this season is Keenan Allen, The Chargers top wide receiver has had a
run of bad luck, but if you look at his first two seasons, he played in 29 of
32 games. In those first two seasons Allen averaged 112.5 targets, 74
receptions, 914.5 yards receiving and 6 touchdowns; this is likely his floor. A
more polished receiver now, only back in 2015 he was on pace (after 8 games) to
snag 134 balls for 1,450 yards and 8 touchdowns (this could be his ceiling). If
he’s back to 100 percent health, with Philip Rivers under center he’s got WR1
elite upside.
With Brandin Cooks getting traded to the
Patriots, the stage is set for 2nd year receiver Michael Thomas. After a huge
rookie campaign with 92 receptions and 1,137 yards receiving, Thomas figures to
be Drew Brees primary weapon this season. In his rookie stint Thomas saw his
fair share of targets with 121, fantasy owners can expect that number to climb
greatly with Cooks and his 117 targets departing this offseason. More targets
can only mean the likelihood of greater production; owners should target Thomas
(who finished as the number 9 fantasy receiver in PPR last season) early in
drafts.
We’ve got a lot of time until the season
kicks off and I have many players to share, so one more for tonight.
There have been a lot of changes in
Washington during the off-season, but perhaps one of the biggest with fantasy
implications that I like is the addition of wide receiver Terrelle Pryor. The
converted receiver in his 5th year brings a huge 6’4” frame to Washington’s
passing game and could be a huge benefactor in the red zone. Last season Pryor
converted 3 of 4 targets inside the 10 for three touchdowns; with Kirk Cousins
passing the ball those numbers could rise dramatically in 2017. Pryor finished
as the number 18 fantasy receiver in PPR last season with 140 targets last
season. His targets total from last season could be right in line for 2017, but
owners can expect a much better completion ratio this season. Pryor is being
drafted around the 3rd round which is pretty par for the course as a low WR2
with some upside.
That’s My Take.
~David Ortega
No comments:
Post a Comment