07/29/14 - Fantasy Football - Who's Hot, Who's Not.
I'm excited to do this Who's Hot, Who's Not as we get into the last week of Training Camp before the preseason. Headlines are going crazy with the impact some of the rookie wide receivers might have on the playing field. Whether it was Sammy Watkins Insane One-Handed Catch, or Cardinals Rookie John Brown being uncoverable, Rookie Pass Catchers are making a splash early this year. I'll break down a couple of them in this "Who's Hot, Who's Not."
WHO'S HOT
1. Houston Texans - Jadeveon Clowney
For those of you who may actually live under a rock, Jadeveon Clowney was drafted #1 overall to the Houston Texans in the offseason. And apparently it didn't take him long to make a significant splash at Training Camp. In this GIF posted by Twitter's @CaptRobBRB, Clowney is shown bursting through the line with an amazing first step, letting up just in time to spare the RB. With JJ Watt and Clowney, the Texans should have about as scary a pass rush as there is. Making Houston a legitimate candidate for the starting DEF position in your Fantasy League. Although there are better options out there, don't be too upset if the Texans defense lands in your hands.
2. New England Patriots - Rob Gronkowski
Quickly becoming one of the biggest risk/reward candidates in Fantasy Football, "Gronk" presents an owner with both a blessing and a curse if drafted. Gronk has been an absolute menace when healthy. Posting 43 career touchdowns over 50 games. If I need to say it, that's very efficient. However, the nagging injuries of the past two years have kept Gronk sidelined when Fantasy Owners needed him the most. With a bunch of surgeries behind him, Gronkowski is hoping to be ready for week 1 this year, which sounds oddly reminiscent of last year. If Gronk does stay healthy all year, he'll challenge Jimmy Graham for the best TE in the game. But if he gets hurt again, you'll be wishing you waited for a TE in the later rounds. I put him in the Who's Hot this time because of his seemingly impressive preseason and training camp work. We'll see though. I wouldn't draft him higher than fifth round.
3. Buffalo Bills - Sammy Watkins
I'm a firm believer in Sammy Watkins. So i'll have to put my bias aside to write about the third guy on our Who's Hot list. On one side of the argument, Sammy is an untested rookie in an offense that runs the ball and has a relatively inconsistent quarterback in E.J. Manuel. On the other side, Sammy is one of the most impressive play makers I've seen, who creates plays after the catch, who made Tajh Boyd look great at Clemson. As a fantasy prospect, Sammy is probably a Good WR3 with potential to be a WR2 given a good year. Draft accordingly.
4. Denver Broncos - Peyton Manning
I swear this guy doesn't age. Last year Peyton Manning was nothing short of amazing. After a great campaign, the Broncos fell incredibly short to the immovable object that is the Seattle Seahawks defense. This offseason the Broncos lost Eric Decker to money the New York Jets. But they gained the services of Emmanuel Sanders on offense, and added some weapons on defense in Aqib Talib, TJ Ward, and Demarcus Ware. This should take some of the pressure off the offense, but I would be willing to bet that the points still hit the board fast. In my League of Record, Peyton is almost a consensus first overall pick. Keep that in mind when you draft him this year. If he lasts out of the first 5 picks in most leagues I'd be surprised.
5. Kansas City Chiefs - Jamaal Charles
After a training camp hold out that seemingly lasted all of about 25 seconds, Jamaal Charles joined his teammates for what will hopefully be another successful season. In a standard league, this guy is probably my third overall pick behind Shady McCoy and AP. But if you're in a PPR league, Jamaal should go #1. He's that good. There isn't much to say about this guy. He's in a perfect situation to score a ton of points. Two years removed from an ACL injury, Jamaal is ready to repeat as the best RB in the NFL. He's a top 3 pick in any league.
WHO'S NOT
1. Cleveland Browns - Front Office
Help me with this logic, you draft a guy that knowingly likes to party. A guy that loves to have a good time, loves to stand out, and loves to be the front page of the tabloids. A known play maker, and a great football player, Johnny Manziel brings to an NFL franchise what very few players could, immediate and massive media attention. Is that not what you wanted Browns? We're you not aware of what drafting him meant? You guys lose this preseason for me. You draft somebody for the attention and then complain about the attention. This franchise is a mystery that seems like it'll never be solved. Not to mention they seem to be sticking with Hoyer at the starting QB position. Do us all a favor and start Johnny Football, you'll thank us later.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars - Justin Blackmon
Coming into the league, Blackmon was one of the most exciting prospects in recent years. In the following years, he fell well short of his ceiling. Going from a must-see rookie to a guy who makes us roll our eyes when he's in the news, Justin Blackmon is the next great nobody. I'll never understand what makes someone like him want to be in the negative media attention so much. Lay low and play ball. I wouldn't draft this guy in a 14 man PPR league in the last round. Save yourself the headache.
3. Seattle Seahawks - Marshawn Lynch
I live in the Seattle Area. I have a Marshawn Lynch jersey. Marshawn Lynch retweeted my tweet once, making me very giddy. But I am just so disappointed in Lynch and his recent decisions. This has future "30 for 30" documentary written all over it. The runningback who had it all, the skill, the fans, the loose leash to say and do whatever he wanted and people would laugh and cheer. He had a 4 year,$30 Million contract that would have probably taken him to his retirement. But for some reason that wasn't enough. Marshawn is showing no signs of showing up to camp or Preseason games. And the Hawks show no sign of meeting Lynch's demands. Check the news, if nothing gets better soon, my guess is that Lynch retires. Which means don't draft him.
4. Baltimore Ravens - Ray Rice
He assaulted his Fiance. Other than that, last year showed us that he's lost that Ray Rice spark that once existed just a short two years ago. This dude isn't doing that well right now. If he has a good season, hes a good value, seeing as this guy is probably a 7th round pick at best with his two game suspension. But if you get the same Ray Rice that you did last year. You wasted a 7th round. This guy is a huge risk. Choose wisely.
5. The NFL
Ray Rice assaulted his Fiance and got a 2-game suspension. Josh Gordon smoked marijuana and is facing a full year suspension. See what's wrong here? I'm surprised more people are irate about this. That's just crazy to comprehend.
That wraps up our "Who's Hot, Who's Not" for now. We'll revisit it shortly. Some of it is fantasy advice, some of it is reading material. Use it how you will, but make sure you use it.
-Mr. Know It All
