So a few days ago I submitted my 5 Draft Tips for your viewing. This update I'm going to present to you 5 players that I like more than you do and will let you know why you should be valuing these players higher than you are. That doesn't necessarily mean you should select them higher, or reach for them, but it does mean that you might want to reconsider them as options and adjust your draft plan accordingly.
Player Number 1: Cam Newton
Cam Newton is currently floating around the back half of fantasy starting QBs from #7-#10 though he appears to be on the upswing as experts start to overlook his #14 finish last season and remember just what healthy Cam Newton has accomplished in the past for us Fantasy Managers.This past season Newton dealt with not only the loss of his entire receiving corps and a terrible O-Line, but also had a couple of injuries he was dealing with throughout the season. Prior to this past outlier of a season Newton had never finished worse than #5. Newton played through his injuries and has the body to absorb the punishment and looks 100% headed into this season. Additionally he's had a year with Kelvin Benjamin and the Panthers add Funchess to play opposite him, while still having Greg Olsen my pick for the #3 TE this season. While I can't promise you that they've solved their OLine woes the Panthers have certainly looked towards shoring that up bringing in Michael Oher and Jonathan Martin, while also returning Nate Chandler from a season ending knee injury and drafting Daryl Williams. However my #1 reason for liking Cam Newton more than you? His team faces only 2 projected top 10 fantasy defenses this season, and only 3 top 15 defenses. Better yet? They face #1 Def Seattle, then #10 Def Houston, and #15 Def Dallas. There is not an easier fantasy schedule out there at the moment, Newton is someone you'll be able to start with confidence week in and week out and it won't cost you a draft pick in the first three rounds to secure him.
Player Number 2: Mark Ingram
Mark Ingram isn't being given the credit he deserves this season. While fellow rushers Anderson and Hill sneak into the top 10 at the position, Ingram is slipping into the second or third round. ESPN has him in the late 20s on their 200 cheat sheets, and you'd be hard pressed to find him much higher. Ingram plays for NO and no one has ever been too sure what Payton was going to do with his committee, however if you were an Ingram owner last year you might be as high on him this season as I, and the Saints with their 4yr/16m extension, are. Ingram was another player who dealt with injuries last season and because of this his scoring was inconsistent and he felt well outside the top 10 at his position. Yet when Ingram saw the field, he averaged over 15 points a game. Payton chucked the committee approach out New Orleans and treated Ingram like the bell cow they drafted him to be. Ingram was firing on all cylinders early last season and when he came back at the end of the season he didn't miss a beat. I expect Ingram to see 20+ touches a game and to produce with those touches, you can't put 8 in the box against Brees and anyone hedging their bets against that areal offense is going to be giving easy fantasy points for Ingram owners. If the committee and specifically Spiller is still causing you to drop Ingram's stock, consider this, Payton has stated that the Saints need to be more balanced this season and the departure of Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills strips away a good deal of the targets Brees had last season. Compound those facts with their acquisitions on the OLine, The Saints drafted Andrus Peat in the first round with pick 13 while adding Max Unger in the trade that sent Graham to SEA, and I think you can put faith that NO is looking to use their new found running game more next season. Ingram is currently being had in the third round and I have full confidence he'll produce as an RB1.
Player Number 3: Jordan Matthews
Last season Jeremy Maclin was being drafted in a similar position to where Jordan Matthews is currently being drafted (to be fair, Maclin and Matthews are being drafted in a similar position this year as well, which should be a sign if you ask me). Maclin was coming off an injury and Chip Kelly's offense still wasn't fully understood. Maclin finished in the top 10 for WRs last season after posting a 85/143 - 1318 - 10 line. In Matthews rookie campaign playing across from Maclin, Matthews posted a 67/105 - 872 - 8 line. Matthews projects to be the primary target for Bradford going into next season and I believe will see a 40 target increase in workload over last season. Even if Matthews catch rate of about 64% and YPC of 13 didn't increase his line would like 92/145 - 1197 - 11 which is a significant jump from the projections you're seeing from experts. Sure Nelson Agholor will be starting but that bodes worse for Josh Huff or Riley Cooper than it does for Matthews. We're also assuming that the Eagles offense doesn't progress further with another year of Chip tutelage and with Sam Bradford under center. I'm very high on Matthews and I believe his floor and ceiling are both higher than being suggested. I'm drafting him before guys like Andre Johnson, Keenan Allen, Vincent Jackson, and DeSean Jackson. If your in a PPR league this guys value is a steal.
Player Number 4: Andre Ellington
Ellington seems to be receiving some backlash for health issues from last season and perhaps a few too many experts having him on their teams after touting him as a first round back and finding him available in the second. This season Ellington has gone from overhyped to underhyped. I'll admit part of the reason I'm so high on Ellington is due to added value he brings in PPR leagues, but even outside of those he's perhaps being looked at a bit too late. He's currently being drafted behind guys such as T.J. Yeldon, Carlos Hyde, C.J. Spiller, Lagarrette Blount, Joige Bell, and Charles Sims... That's Criminal. Even if you were high on these untested RBs their situations are still a far cry from Ellington whose coming off an injury laden campaign that actually wasn't too horrific all things considered, such as injury woes to their QBs and those 8 man boxes. Ellington took his number of bumps last season being undersized for a feature back role where he carried the ball 200 times despite injuries. He's put on some muscle this season and still has bell cow duties while having an improved OLine and his starting QB back. Speaking of that improved Oline, Jared Veldheer's arrival last year sparked a turnaround for that maligned line, however the Cardinals weren't done yet adding rookie D.J. Humphries in the first round of the draft and 3x Pro-Bowl guard Mike Iupata in free agency. Ellington is poised to break onto the fantasy scene this season, looking more like his 5.5 YPC rookie self than his injury laden 3.3 sophomore campaign.
Player Number 5: Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Sefarian-Jenkins could be a player not on many of your radars, and that's probably due to the fact that he's outside the top 12 TE of almost every expert's cheat sheet for the position. Austin plays for Tampa Bay if you weren't aware, I most certainly wasn't before this past off season, and if you hadn't they've had a bit of a changing of guard. Two important changes are happening that are going to help this sophomore make a leap in production this season. First, the Bucs drafted Winston who should be an instant improvement over McCown and Glennon. Second, the Bucs have a new OC one Dirk Koetter who has a history of successful TEs in his scheme including the likes of Todd Heap, Zack Miller, Marcedes Lewis, and Tony Gonzalez most recently. At the very least, we know that Koetter will feature Austin much more consistently than the Bucs did last year where he saw action in only 9 games with two games over 5 targets and four games with 3 or less. Koetter likes to involve his TEs and that bodes well for rookie QB Winston and doubly so for Sefarian-Jenkins. This isn't a player you're going to have to change your draft plans for or even reach for, he's just someone to have an eye on late when you're looking to fill your roster with sleepers/high up-side talent. I'd definitely suggest tagging him if you're unsure of your starter at TE, Austin should have every opportunity for breaking out this season assuming he beats out Tim Wright for the starting spot. If Austin fails to do such and Wright secures the starting position, his flashes in NE last season warrants a roster spot in all formats.
There you have it, my 5 players that I like more than you. Comment below with players you like more than me, or perhaps you've a bone to pick about a certain mention that you're not nearly as high on as I am. I'll be bringing you 5 players that I dislike a whole lot more than you next so keep an eye out for it.
Player Number 1: Cam Newton
Cam Newton is currently floating around the back half of fantasy starting QBs from #7-#10 though he appears to be on the upswing as experts start to overlook his #14 finish last season and remember just what healthy Cam Newton has accomplished in the past for us Fantasy Managers.This past season Newton dealt with not only the loss of his entire receiving corps and a terrible O-Line, but also had a couple of injuries he was dealing with throughout the season. Prior to this past outlier of a season Newton had never finished worse than #5. Newton played through his injuries and has the body to absorb the punishment and looks 100% headed into this season. Additionally he's had a year with Kelvin Benjamin and the Panthers add Funchess to play opposite him, while still having Greg Olsen my pick for the #3 TE this season. While I can't promise you that they've solved their OLine woes the Panthers have certainly looked towards shoring that up bringing in Michael Oher and Jonathan Martin, while also returning Nate Chandler from a season ending knee injury and drafting Daryl Williams. However my #1 reason for liking Cam Newton more than you? His team faces only 2 projected top 10 fantasy defenses this season, and only 3 top 15 defenses. Better yet? They face #1 Def Seattle, then #10 Def Houston, and #15 Def Dallas. There is not an easier fantasy schedule out there at the moment, Newton is someone you'll be able to start with confidence week in and week out and it won't cost you a draft pick in the first three rounds to secure him.
Player Number 2: Mark Ingram
Mark Ingram isn't being given the credit he deserves this season. While fellow rushers Anderson and Hill sneak into the top 10 at the position, Ingram is slipping into the second or third round. ESPN has him in the late 20s on their 200 cheat sheets, and you'd be hard pressed to find him much higher. Ingram plays for NO and no one has ever been too sure what Payton was going to do with his committee, however if you were an Ingram owner last year you might be as high on him this season as I, and the Saints with their 4yr/16m extension, are. Ingram was another player who dealt with injuries last season and because of this his scoring was inconsistent and he felt well outside the top 10 at his position. Yet when Ingram saw the field, he averaged over 15 points a game. Payton chucked the committee approach out New Orleans and treated Ingram like the bell cow they drafted him to be. Ingram was firing on all cylinders early last season and when he came back at the end of the season he didn't miss a beat. I expect Ingram to see 20+ touches a game and to produce with those touches, you can't put 8 in the box against Brees and anyone hedging their bets against that areal offense is going to be giving easy fantasy points for Ingram owners. If the committee and specifically Spiller is still causing you to drop Ingram's stock, consider this, Payton has stated that the Saints need to be more balanced this season and the departure of Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills strips away a good deal of the targets Brees had last season. Compound those facts with their acquisitions on the OLine, The Saints drafted Andrus Peat in the first round with pick 13 while adding Max Unger in the trade that sent Graham to SEA, and I think you can put faith that NO is looking to use their new found running game more next season. Ingram is currently being had in the third round and I have full confidence he'll produce as an RB1.
Player Number 3: Jordan Matthews
Last season Jeremy Maclin was being drafted in a similar position to where Jordan Matthews is currently being drafted (to be fair, Maclin and Matthews are being drafted in a similar position this year as well, which should be a sign if you ask me). Maclin was coming off an injury and Chip Kelly's offense still wasn't fully understood. Maclin finished in the top 10 for WRs last season after posting a 85/143 - 1318 - 10 line. In Matthews rookie campaign playing across from Maclin, Matthews posted a 67/105 - 872 - 8 line. Matthews projects to be the primary target for Bradford going into next season and I believe will see a 40 target increase in workload over last season. Even if Matthews catch rate of about 64% and YPC of 13 didn't increase his line would like 92/145 - 1197 - 11 which is a significant jump from the projections you're seeing from experts. Sure Nelson Agholor will be starting but that bodes worse for Josh Huff or Riley Cooper than it does for Matthews. We're also assuming that the Eagles offense doesn't progress further with another year of Chip tutelage and with Sam Bradford under center. I'm very high on Matthews and I believe his floor and ceiling are both higher than being suggested. I'm drafting him before guys like Andre Johnson, Keenan Allen, Vincent Jackson, and DeSean Jackson. If your in a PPR league this guys value is a steal.
Player Number 4: Andre Ellington
Ellington seems to be receiving some backlash for health issues from last season and perhaps a few too many experts having him on their teams after touting him as a first round back and finding him available in the second. This season Ellington has gone from overhyped to underhyped. I'll admit part of the reason I'm so high on Ellington is due to added value he brings in PPR leagues, but even outside of those he's perhaps being looked at a bit too late. He's currently being drafted behind guys such as T.J. Yeldon, Carlos Hyde, C.J. Spiller, Lagarrette Blount, Joige Bell, and Charles Sims... That's Criminal. Even if you were high on these untested RBs their situations are still a far cry from Ellington whose coming off an injury laden campaign that actually wasn't too horrific all things considered, such as injury woes to their QBs and those 8 man boxes. Ellington took his number of bumps last season being undersized for a feature back role where he carried the ball 200 times despite injuries. He's put on some muscle this season and still has bell cow duties while having an improved OLine and his starting QB back. Speaking of that improved Oline, Jared Veldheer's arrival last year sparked a turnaround for that maligned line, however the Cardinals weren't done yet adding rookie D.J. Humphries in the first round of the draft and 3x Pro-Bowl guard Mike Iupata in free agency. Ellington is poised to break onto the fantasy scene this season, looking more like his 5.5 YPC rookie self than his injury laden 3.3 sophomore campaign.
Player Number 5: Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Sefarian-Jenkins could be a player not on many of your radars, and that's probably due to the fact that he's outside the top 12 TE of almost every expert's cheat sheet for the position. Austin plays for Tampa Bay if you weren't aware, I most certainly wasn't before this past off season, and if you hadn't they've had a bit of a changing of guard. Two important changes are happening that are going to help this sophomore make a leap in production this season. First, the Bucs drafted Winston who should be an instant improvement over McCown and Glennon. Second, the Bucs have a new OC one Dirk Koetter who has a history of successful TEs in his scheme including the likes of Todd Heap, Zack Miller, Marcedes Lewis, and Tony Gonzalez most recently. At the very least, we know that Koetter will feature Austin much more consistently than the Bucs did last year where he saw action in only 9 games with two games over 5 targets and four games with 3 or less. Koetter likes to involve his TEs and that bodes well for rookie QB Winston and doubly so for Sefarian-Jenkins. This isn't a player you're going to have to change your draft plans for or even reach for, he's just someone to have an eye on late when you're looking to fill your roster with sleepers/high up-side talent. I'd definitely suggest tagging him if you're unsure of your starter at TE, Austin should have every opportunity for breaking out this season assuming he beats out Tim Wright for the starting spot. If Austin fails to do such and Wright secures the starting position, his flashes in NE last season warrants a roster spot in all formats.
There you have it, my 5 players that I like more than you. Comment below with players you like more than me, or perhaps you've a bone to pick about a certain mention that you're not nearly as high on as I am. I'll be bringing you 5 players that I dislike a whole lot more than you next so keep an eye out for it.
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