Fantasy Football: 5 Rising WRs.

Week 2 of the preseason is about to be wrapped up which means us discerning managers should be taking the time to reevaluate our Rankings. If you're following the advice of my Draft Tips you've been paying close attention to the Preseason this far trying to puzzle out an advantage on your fellow managers. The preseason is a great opportunity for the discerning manager, certainly injuries will play a part in the changing Ranking landscape but there are other nuggets of information out there if you're willing to spend the time sifting their the filler. The eye test is a great mover of fantasy hype, and if you don't trust your own eyes then just tune in to the media. They'll quickly tell you which players are making waves in the preseason and that can help you narrow down you focus. Why are these players making waves? Are they passing the eye test, are they taking full advantage of the opportunities given to them, are they winning their position battles? We can also see which players are being used in ways we might not have expected back in June, glimpse at who might be playing a larger role in the offense than we expected or who might be playing a smaller role. I did warn you about filtering out the silt, so you will need to be aware of fools gold, players whose opportunity in the preseason won't turn into an opportunity during the season. That said, here are 5 players I'll be rising up on my draft rankings, and paying a closer attention to over the next two weeks.


Riser 1: Brandin Cooks

In PPR Cooks is currently coming off the board in round 3-4. This is a steal for what he offers. We can all agree he looked good against that porous New England secondary, but can we also agree he looked healthy? That should sure up some confidence issues you might have had when Cooks lost a chunk of last season due to issues with his thumb. Lets talk more about his opportunity, something that's currently planted him mid 30s in ADP. We all know the Saints are without J. Graham and K. Stills, but the two combined for 148 receptions last season, let alone their 208 targets. That's quite a bit that need to be spread around and Cooks has been far and away the bright spot of the Saints receiving group so far in the preseason. Josh Hill isn't taking the leap most are predicting, and Benjamin Watson is... well Benjamin Watson. M. Colston has been on the decline these past few seasons and while I'd expect a bump in targets you'd have to expect Cooks to receive the largest boost, how large a boost? Well Cooks was on pace for 110 targets last season before the injury to his Thumb. His role in the offense was also expanding as the rookie grew into the offense. He could easily eclipse 9 targets a game which would put him over 144 for the season. We can likely expect the Rookie catch rate to decline slightly as the Saints allow him to stretch the field further and further, but even with a 10% drop (moving Cooks to a 66% catch rate) He'd manage 95 receptions. That's exactly what you're looking for in an elite PPR receiver. Combine that possibility with the explosive playmaking Cooks has been showing off in the preseason and you have an easy case for a top 10 PPR WR.


Riser 2: Davante Adams    

I felt that Adams was going too late in drafts already, as the WR3 in GB he was going to offer WR2 fantasy numbers with upside. Now due to Nelson's injury Adams is going to become the defacto #2 Wide Out in GB and look to assist Cobbs in replacing Nelson's 151 targets from 2014. Now the biggest mover in this Injury is Adams, Cobbs was already seeing 127 targets last season and on the field every snap. Now he'll see a slight rise in value but he was already going in the second round in many drafts and has probably secured himself that position now. Adams however is going to see a large usage increase, becoming the #2 option in Green Bays passing offense regardless of where he ends up lining up. That means the sophomore receiver 66 targets from last season are likely going to double, and he'll have a real chance of securing 100 receptions of his own. Adams should be moved into the low 20s in the WR Rankings, maybe even higher for as high as Cobb was ranked as the #2 in this offense. However Adams is still an unknown commodity, but he has a great opportunity this season and that means it's a great opportunity for Fantasy Managers. If you're landing Adams after the fifth round now you're securing yourself a steal.


Riser 3: Devin Funchess

Another mover due to Injury, Funchess is going to be thrust into the #1 role, much like Kelvin last year. The Panthers aren't likely to bring in another receiver and it will be trial by fire. Kelvin certainly had opportunity last season being targeted 145 times despite struggling at times (his catch rate was an abysmal 50%). What this says to me is that even if Funchess struggles as the #1 in this offense, he'll retain that position and continue to see targets each week (Kelvin averaged 9 a week). Funchess has a lot of ranks to rise, being outside the top 50 at his position. He now has a good chance to be seeing more than 9 targets a week. That's the sort of opportunity you look for in your fantasy players, they can't produce if never given the opportunity. This also says nothing for what Funchess might make of the opportunity. Funchess is a BIG wide receiver, at 6-4, and while his 4.5 40 time drooped him to the second round. Did you happen to know that A.J. green is 6'4 and ran a 4.5 40 time? Or that Dez Bryant runs a 4.5 40 time? So while you might hear a lot of noise about Funchess being a slow receiver, you shouldn't let that dissuade you from thinking that he has the potential to explode onto the scene like those two did. He's certainly being presented with the opportunity to. You'll have to raise Funchess a bit on your board, but he should be around after the 6th round. When your buddy goes ahead and grabs Seattle in the 7th round, you can land a 9+ target 6'4 monster of a receiver to your lineup.


Riser 4: Nelson Agholor

This Riser may be more in my confidence of his draft position than a posturing of moving him higher. His ADP has already been rising and his recent success in the preseason will likely move him forward a bit more. Agholor started Rankings behind the likes of guys like T. Smith, P. Garcon, Charles Johnson, R. White, and E. Decker. He should be going ahead of these individuals. He's demonstrated in the preseason that he can be trusted in the role that we knew he was going to be placed into. That role? the vacated X position of Jeremy Maclin and all 144 targets (If you couldn't tell I'm a big targets fan). As I noted above that's an average of 9 targets a game and that's what you're looking for from WR1s. Agholor is being drafted with the WR2s! Sure Jordan Matthews is listed as the top dog in Philly, but his role isn't changing this season, he's maintaining what he did last season while Agholor is stepping into Maclin's shoes just as Maclin stepped into Jackson's shoes last season. This role that Agholor is stepping into in Chip Kelly's offense, produced Jackon's career season in 2013, and Maclin's career season in 2014 (it should be noted it's guaranteed to produce career high's for Agholor in 2015... no?). His current draft position seems to be due to unfamiliarity of the product and Experts and Managers being unsure of the role he'll be given in Kelly's offense. However! After two weeks in the preseason Agholor currently has 9 receptions for 106 yards and a TD while lining up in that role we've been talking about, add one that the Eagles are already firing on all cylinders and you can explain the why Nelson has been picking up some hype as the preseason playing out so as I mentioned his ADP should be rising on its own, just be sure to not miss out on this year's Maclin!


Riser 5: Allen Robinson

Allen Robinson exploded onto the fantasy scene last season! However his would be memorable season ended early when he broke his right foot in November. In 9 games last season (leaving out week 1 when he was invisible to the Jaguars) Robinson managed 48 receptions for 548 yards and 2 TDs on 80 targets. In his first game starting for the Jaguars (week 3) he was targeted 10 times. Indeed after week 2 Robinson averaged 9 targets a week until his injury (now you should know how I feel about guys receiving 9 targets a game!). His fantasy production with those 9 targets was even worse than Kelvin's but the two were rookies and Bortles was terrible himself last year. We, and the Jaguars, have faith that the two will be better this year and that will result in better production from Robinson's given opportunity this up coming season. To those of you who are worried that Robinson might not receive the same opportunity as he did last year now that Julius Thomas is in town and Hurns and Lee had a chance to establish themselves, WalterFootball.com has kept track of Preseason Targets so far and has shown that Allen Robinson continues to be far and away Blake Bortles favorite target. Robinson's been targeted 9 times from Bortles in the limited time the two have shared the field during these two weeks of preseason football. Julius Thomas? 1 target in two weeks from Bortles. Now, Robinson isn't so far down the rankings as Agholor, but he's still being drafted later than the fourth round with guys like Watkins, Tate, Cooper, and Maclin. While I could see a case based on upside and hype for Cooper to go before Robinson, the other 3 in my mind have far less promising situations for opportunity. Marshall, Waktins and Maclin are in heavy run first schemes while Tate's targets and production fell off a cliff once Megatron returned healthy last season. I'll tell you this, if I was drafting between the five of them, Robinson would be my pick.

So there you have it, my 5 Risers, guys I'll be paying closer attention to over the next two weeks of preseason football and be judging their spot in my rankings. I like the upside of all 5 a bit more than the players currently graded around them and if they're not moving a full round up they're definitely my first option off the board in those rounds. You'll have to move those two injury risers up your board if you want a chance at them however, don't be caught sleeping on your rankings. Preseason football may be the light beer of football, but it's still beer!