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Fakepigskin.Com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 1

Fakepigskin.Com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 1

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 1

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Adam Rainbolt (@adamrainbolt) Regan Yant (@ReganFP)

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Aaron Herman (@DE_aaron) Jackson Safon (@JacksonSafon) Aaron Marcotte (@MoreThanFantasy) Jay Holmes (@JayHolmes_FP) Adam Cook (@Fantasy_Schnerd) Jeremy Hardt (@FantasyGumshoe) Allen Bassett (@Allen_Bassett) Jim Dreher (@_mailman_ Allie Fontana (@AllieFontana) Jon Menna (@JonMenna) Amber Boskers (@Jakita10) Josh Honses (@SaidHeHadAStory) Andrew Nordmeier (@AndrewNordmeier) Justin Tarte (@TarteDaBeast) Andy Younce (@Aytopspin) Katrina Mahoney (@katrinajmahoney) Bee Salamat (@IDPwithBEE_8o8) Kayla Van Horn (@VixenRogue) Ben Rolfe (@benrolfe15) Ken Wang (@k_wang32) Blake Fiandaca (@BlakeDaca) Kyle Robert (@notoriouskro) Blake Meek (@BMeek23) Luke O'Neill (@ace_luke) Brandon Hodge (@BrandonHodge) Luke Taylor (@LTtheGreat) Brian Steinhause (@bsteinhause) Marty Stouffer (@Martifilus) Chad Dinkins (@DinkDumpDish) Matt Lane (@FFMattLane) Chris Hutchison (@CJ_Hutch) Mike Galuzka (@MikeGaluzka) Christopher Cheung (@FFDynasty101) Neil Donohoe (@NeilDonohoe) Damian Dabrowski (@D_bro1389) Paul Batts (@Unclepauly333) Danna Hanashiro (@DannaHanashiro) Richard Findura (@dukeandboy) Dave Cherney (@RoadWarrior_D) Rob Pallazola (@rojopal) Devin DiTullio (@dino915) Romeo Ramirez (@DaTrajik2) Don Davenport (@ADonDavenport Ron McCleese (@MaddogFF) Eric Harrison (@FFPrimeTime) Seth Short (@BigTimeSethyBob) Evan Hale (@EHaleYea) Steve Schulz (@SteveIDP) Gladys Louise Tyler (@neverenoughglt) Tyler Tobin (@Tobinator) Grant Harrison (@GrantHarrison91) Vance Meek (@vancemeek)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

FANTASY FOOTBALL RULES TO FOLLOW ON DRAFT DAY (JOSH HONSES) FakePigskin.com Top 35 2 PREVIEW (ANDREW NORDMEIER) FakePigskin.com Running backs (PPR Scoring) FakePigskin.com Running backs (Standard Scoring) FakePigskin.com Wide Receivers (PPR Scoring) FakePigskin.com Wide Receivers (Standard Scoring) FakePigskin.com Tight Ends (PPR Scoring) FakePigskin.com Tight Ends (Standard Scoring) FakePigskin.com Top Rookies (Redraft Format) FakePigskin.com Top Rookies (Dynasty Format) FakePigskin.com Top 50 Defensive Linemen (IDP Scoring, Redraft Format) Bee Salamat FakePigskin.com Top 50 Linebackers (IDP Scoring, Redraft Format) Bee Salamat FakePigskin.com Top 50 Defensive Backs (IDP Scoring, Redraft Format) Bee Salamat

ANATOMY OF A DYNASTY TRADE (MATT LANE)

CHICAGO BEARS (JOSH HONSES) (PAUL BATTS) (DAMIAN DOBROWSKI) (STEVE SCHULZ)

CIGAR REVIEW – BALMORAL ANEJO (DEVIN DITULLIO)

ATLANTA FALCONS (GRANT HARRISON) (TYLER TOBIN) (JOSH HONSES) (JOSH HONSES)

DALLAS COWBOYS (DAVE CHERNEY) (RICHARD FINDURA) (JUSTIN TARTE) REDSKINS (JIM DREHER)

ARIZONA CARDINALS (FAKEPIGSKIN.COM STAFF) BEER REVIEW – SAN TAN MOON JUICE (DEVIN DITULLIO) (MATT LANE) RAMS (JACKSON SAFON) SEAHAWKS (MIKE GALUZKA)

BALTIMORE RAVENS (ADAM COOK) FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 4

CINCINNATI BENGALS (BEN ROLFE) (PAUL BATTS) PITT“BU‘GH “TEELE‘“ LUKE ONEILL

HOUSTON TEXANS (SETH SHORT) (CHRISTOPHER CHEUNG) (GLADYS LOUSE TYLER) (NEIL DONOHOE)

BUFFALO BILLS (GLADYS LOUSE TYLER) (AARON HERMAN) (BEN ROLFE) (PAUL BATTS)

DENVER BRONCOS (JOSH HONSES) (KYLE ROBERT) OAKLAND RAIDERS (MATT LANE) SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (KYLE ROBERT)

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FANTASY FOOTBALL RULES TO FOLLOW ON DRAFT DAY (JOSH HONSES)

This is the third time I have written this article for the Draft Guide. As frivolous as it may seem, these rules have led me to multiple fantasy football championships and is something I bring with me to every draft. Learn from my mistakes and I hope this serves you well for the upcoming seaso. I wish you the est of luk ad let’s go wi soe hapioships!

I would like to think that every year I play fantasy football, I learn a little bit more than I did the previous year. Most importantly, I learn something new about how to handle being prepared for the following season. I put in crazy amounts of hours every year doing mock drafts, visualizing rankings and tiers, and trying to find that next big sleeper to help me, and thus you, win a league. I know how frustrating it is to see none of your hard work pay off.

My main focus in this article is to help you prepare for the upcoming season. Everything I tell you here has helped me in the past to win many fantasy championships, and I hope that it sees ou ell. Hees list of thigs to do to help ou sueed o uildig ou tea this season.

Last year does not matter anymore

Everyone loved headed into last season. He was a first-round talent in a high- powered offense that was set to light the world on fire. I wanted to approach my draft going receiver-hea i the fist ouple ouds eause I ast as high o uig aks headed ito the seaso. It ast like I knew such a fall-off for guys like Lacy or foresaw injuries for specific players. I saw more value in the first 12 receivers than I did the first 12 running backs.

No I eded up iig league, ut that doest ea I goig to hae to sae approach this season. I have no problem drafting Lacy this year and building my team with him. Every ea is a e ea. Just eause oe plae as geat o a etai stateg paid off doest ea it taslates o is the iig foula. Dot hase last eas statistis.

Know your league

It a see sill, ut I aot tell ou ho a people I hae talked to that dot ko whether it is a PPR, IDP, or even how many teams are in the league.

Things to know: - the scoring system

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- how many players on each roster - how many starters on each roster - how many teams are in the league.

People dot ealize ho this hages the a to appoah the daft. Fo eaple, i a PP‘ league, guys like and take a hit in value, while guys like David Johnson and get a bump because of how many passes they catch out the backfield. Rankings fluctuate based off of the type of league.

Gather as much data as you can

Oe ou ko hat kid of league oue i, ead as uh as you can about all players and positions. It may seem trivial, but something like knowing that a guy is in a contract year is a little tidbit to keep in your back pocket. Why is that important? Guys are going to want to get paid, ad its a hat hae ou doe fo e latel league. A geat eaple of this fo last year is Kirk Cousins, who both made a ton of fantasy owners happy with his production.

The good news for fantasy owners is you have so many options in doing research all over web that you can spend an ungodly amount of time organizing and separating players into rankings. Ee ette, if oue eadig this, the oue oe step ahead of the gae eause e hee at FakePigskin offer our expert rankings to you FOR FREE.

Our team works tirelessly to give you in-depth analysis and advice to help you win and will be made available in the near future. As if you needed another incentive, you will be privy to having all of your questions answered personally by our draft gurus to help make lineup decisions or another fantasy football needs you may have.

Assign value to each player

This is especially important for those of you in an auction draft. It is EXTREMELY helpful to know ho uh oe ou at to sped o a gu so that ou dot oepa for him. There is nothing worse than overpaying for a guy that ends up biting you in the ass when the value to expect is far less than the value returned. I would highly recommend doing this regardless of draft format because it also makes trading a lot easier.

Another thing this allows you to do is judge where you can get guys in the draft. If you think To ‘oo is a top QB, the ou its a o aie to ga hi i the th round instead of deciding between players who may not be in your lineup more than a couple weeks. It makes drafting easier, and allows you to gauge your options to see who is the best player available. This also leads e to et it of adie …

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Be flexible with your picks

I cannot stress enough how important it is to pay attention to your draft. If you take a RB with your first pick and most other teams pick a WR, then you need to know the value of the eeie ou ould get ith ou et pik. Dot take a eeie ho ou hae aked spots lower than a just to draft someone at that position. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DRAFT THE BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE.

My next bit of advice is something that has served me well. Unless you really want or , wait on a QB until the later rounds. Last year Peyton Manning was drafted in the 5th round of my 12 team league while I waited and took in the 9th oud. Its a no brainer who the better player was last year. I would much rather surround my QBs with ette skill plaes so I dot hae to el o the to ake up fo the est of tea.

Simple math tells you that 1 point for every 10 yards yields much better results than 1 point for every 25 or 30 yards. Guys like Matt Stafford, Philip Rivers, and Derek Carr are solid guys to play every week and can easily produce great numbers that you can get in later rounds.

Lastly, one thing I have picked up over the years is to not worry about bye weeks. Once again, always draft the best player available. Worry about the bye weeks later. I have tried to build my team around not sacrificing too much during the bye weeks, and it lead me to nothing but poles. Its hat ade e daft Fak Goe oe Alle ‘oiso last seaso. Dot ake the same mistake I did. Just worry about building the best team on draft day and worry about byes later. There is no telling what can happen with injuries, trades, and other roster moves as the season progress.

You cannot win your league on draft day

… ut ou a easil lose it. If ou go ito the daft ith a solid, fleile daft stateg of takig the best player aailale the ou ill e set up fo suess duig the seaso. That doest ea that ou dot hae to ok the aie ie o fee age, ut it akes ou life so much easier. There is nothing better than having three top 15 receivers to choose from every week instead of scraping the bottom of the barrel for free agents because you set yourself up with a good team on draft day.

We here at FakePigskin strive to be the best and work tirelessly to provide the best analysis for all of our readers. Be sure to follow me, @SaidHeSaidAStory, and the rest of the @FakePigskin football team on Twitter for any and all needs you may have.

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FakePigskin.com Top 35 Quarterbacks RAN K PLAYER TEAM BYE 1 Aaron Rodgers GB 4 2 Cam Newton CAR 7 3 IND 10 4 Russell Wilson SEA 5 5 Carson Palmer AZ 9 6 Drew Brees NO 5 7 Philip Rivers SD 11 8 Kirk Cousins WAS 9 9 Eli Manning NYG 8 10 Tony Romo DAL 7 11 PIT 8 12 Andy Dalton CIN 9 13 TB 6 14 NE 9 15 Matthew Stafford DET 10 16 Blake Bortles JAX 5 17 Matt Ryan ATL 11 18 Joe Flacco BAL 8 19 Derek Carr OAK 10 20 Alex Smith KC 5 21 CHI 9 22 BUF 10 23 MIA 8 24 TEN 13 25 Ryan Fitzpatrick NYJ 11 26 Brock Osweiler HOU 9 27 DEN 11 28 Josh McCown CLE 13 29 Teddy Bridgewater MIN 6 30 Colin Kaepernick SF 8 31 Blaine Gabbert SF 8 32 PHI 4 33 Jared Goff LA 8 34 Geno Smith NYJ 11 35 Robert Griffin III CLE 13 FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 10

2 QUARTERBACK PREVIEW (ANDREW NORDMEIER)

Weloe to the Fake Pigski Quateak Peie ad Daft Guide fo the seaso. Lets take care of a few things before we dive in. First, we went with ranking by teams and not individual quarterbacks. We know there is going to be a steep drop off from the starter to the backup. Other teams are going to have position battles rage at the position as we go through training camp. We have no way to know who will win out which is why we went by team.

We at pedit ijuies. Think about Trent Green tearing his ACL in the second preseason game and yielding to Kurt Warner in 1999. Warner runs the Rams into the Greatest Show on Turf and wins a Super Bol. You a also iagie ho losig a sta ide eeie a ipat a teas standing a la in Carolina.

We took the eotio out of the akigs ad looked at thigs the ues. Its stoe-cold analysis of the stats and not much more. Just because so-and-so is ou faoite uateak it doest ipat ou rankings one bit. We also took out bye weeks and perceived strength of schedule. This will force you to deteie ho pais ell ith ho fo the seaso. Its just like food ad ie. You at put a full- bodied Syrah with spaghetti but it goes well with a ribeye steak. Find the pairings that work the best for you. Are you going to take your lumps on one bye week or is a split concept going to work better? Wee stipped the aes off the ak of the jeses ad eoed the logos fo the helets. This is what e ae ak ith. Lets stat at the otto ad ok ou a up.

32. Quarterbacks: Case Keenum, Jared Goff Where do you begin on one of the worst teams in football for fantasy purposes? Once you get past Todd Gurley at running back, thee is e little to offe fo the uateak positio ad its a ig easo h the Rams are dead last in these rankings.

Last season, the Rams were in St. Louis and finished dead last in offensive yards (4,761), passing yards (2,805) and passing (11). When your leading receiver is with 681 yards, you are in some rather dire straits in the modern pass-happy NFL. Britt was second on the team with three touchdowns while Tavon Austin led the team with five scores. Austin was the only player on the team with more than forty catches last season.

The offseaso ast that geat fo the ‘as as the oed est ut fogot to add offesie eapos. After Britt and Brian Quick, none of the receivers on the initial 90-man roster had more than four seasons of experience in the league.

Tight end Jared Cook departed for Green Bay and left the Rams with nothing more than scraps at the positio. Lae Kediks ould e the pesued state ut he ast utilized uh last seaso. Despite a potential new color scheme and a splashy new stadium on the horizon, they are essentially the same team that has been mired in mediocrity for the last decade. It used to be give-the-ball-to-Steven- FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 11

Jakso fo a gae pla ad o its the sae thig ith second-year running back Todd Gurley. Additional running backs like Benny Cunningham add a little change of pace. Tre Mason ran into legal issues (marijuana) that will hamper his playing time.

I all hoest, it doest eall atte hih oe of the uaterbacks listed above actually takes the snaps. They flat out have nothing to throw the ball to and that includes Gurley who recorded 21 eeptios i gaes last seaso. The poeial at is out of the ag i hi ad it ot e supisig if he has a sophomore slump even if he plays in all 16 games in 2016.

Add to that plaig i the tough NFC West ad a hoile oeall shedule ad thees little hope hee. About the only time to use a Rams quarterback this season is when they face Detroit in Week 6 as a bye- week fill in. Yes, that game has all the makings of a futility bowl and could be the only time to play them at all this season.

31. Cleveland Browns Quarterbacks: Josh McCown, Robert Griffin III, Cleelad hast eall had athing worth more than a pile of beans at the quarterback position since Beie Kosa oe tha eas ago. The uet tio ot do athig to hage that peeptio. Whee do ou egi he ou thik aout Cleelads uateaks? Last seaso the had three of them start. McCown was moderately effective with 2,102 passing yards and 11 touchdowns against four in eight games. He battled injuries in the second half of the season and was never the same. Manziel was in 10 games with six starts and only racked up 1,500 passing yards with seven touhdos though the ai. Bos uateaks ee saked ties last seaso hih didt help matters.

Robert Griffin III spent all of last season on the sidelines in Washington as Kirk Cousins emerged and led that team to an NFC East championship. For Griffin III, this could be his only shot to reboot his career and he has to do something in Cleveland.

Of ouse, thees little fo help thats aailale to a of the. The goud gae as uttel ieffetie recording a league low four touchdowns from running backs. Isaiah Crowell had all of them and barely cracked the 700-yard mark for rushing. Duke Johnson was more of the receiving threat with 61 catches for 534 yards.

Tight end Gary Barnidge broke out and had a solid season with 79 catches for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns. Travis Benjamin added five more scores and 966 yards but he bolted to San Diego. After that, oue lookig at gus like Bia Hatlie ad Ade Hakis to e ou hope at eeie. Yuk. Thees also a oe aout Baidge eig ale to epeat his pefoae. The last Bos tight ed to put up solid numbers was Jordan Cameron in 2013 with 80 catches for 917 yards and seven touhdos. “ie the, hes posted athes fo ads ad fie touhdos … i to eas … across a total of 26 games with two different teams. Regression is expected for Barnidge in 2016 the only question is whether he follow the Cameron curve and fall off the map in a couple years. As of pess tie, Josh Godos futue as still up i the ai. He should get his fate deided i August ut lets ot get all uppit aout hi. We still dot ko eatl ho his uateak ill e, assuig hes

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 12 alloed to pla. If he oes ak, oside oig the Bos up a spot o to i these akigs ut its not significant enough to warrant using a Cleveland quarterback until Gordon proves it on the field. The only value Cleveland has is their bye week that falls on Week 13. Their outing against Dallas on Week 9 could provide potential usage for a Browns quarterback in 2016 as a bye week filler.

30. San Francisco Quarterbacks: Blaine Gabbert, Colin Kaepernick Lets stat ou aalsis ith the fat “a Faiso soed the feest poits i footall i ith a meager 238 points and 92 of them came from kicker . That leaves 146 points for the rest of the team and they scored a defensive . That gives the 49er offense 140 points in 16 games. Yikes.

Injuries played a big role in decimating the running game. had 470 yards and three touchdowns in seven games before missing the rest of the season with a foot issue. No other rusher had more than 275 yards and one touchdown for the team last season.

The receiving corps looks decimated to be polite. Anquan Boldin left as a free agent for Detroit. His team-leading figures of 111 targets, 69 catches, 789 yards and four touchdowns are going to be gone. That leaves as the top threat and he posted 663 yards and four scores last season. After Boldin, no receiver on the team had more than 35 catches. Beyond Boldin and Smith, only tight ends Vance McDonald and Garrett Celek scored more than one touchdown in 2015. They each found the end zone three times.

Gabbert and Kaepernick each had eight starts in 2015 so the stats are an apples-to-apples comparison. Gabbert was better in passing yards and passing touchdowns while Kaepernick held an edge in rushing yards by a count of 256-. Eah a fo oe touhdo so thees othig eall hee to diffeetiate the two of them.

The schedule does them no favors since they have a bye on Week 8, which is a bigger bye week. After an opener with Los Angeles, they are going to be crushed. They face Carolina, Seattle, Dallas and Arizona on a Thursday night in Weeks 2-. Thats ot poisig eithe.

There are many more question marks than answers here in San Francisco for the coming season and they barely rank ahead of the bottom two teams on this list.

29. Detroit Quarterback: Matthew Stafford Cali Johso etied i the offseaso ad took ost of “taffods fatas alue ith hi he he left. There is just no replacing one of the all-tie est plaes at the ide eeie positio. Well leae the Hall of Fame debate to someone else while we focus on the fantasy issues in the Motor City.

The Lios ouldt u to sae thei aes last seaso. Whe oue th in carries (354) and 32nd in yardage (1,335) you have a huge issue. led the team and still finished with less than 600 rushing yards last season. He has fumbling issues, which caused him to get glued to the bench often. had a team high four rushing touchdowns but is now a free agent. joined the team in the offseason but is coming off a torn ACL. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 13

We know Megatron was awesome and Golden Tate played the second banana role perfectly. Tate had a solid season with 90 catches for 813 yads ad si soes. Hees the est uestio o the Lios. Who was third in targets, receptions, and yards in 2015?

It ast Lae Mooe ad his ads. It ast tight ed Ei Eo either with 537 yards. The answer is running back Theo Riddick who had 99 targets, 80 catches, 697 yards and three receiving touchdowns last season. By comparison, Riddick ran the ball 43 times for 133 yards and no scores. The Lions signed Marvin Jones from Cincinnati but his role is going to have to e figued out. Hes ot the W‘ that you look for on a team and Tate should continue to play the same role he did last season. Detroit is lacking a tue ue oe eeie ad thats a huge flaw nowadays in the NFL. You at easoal epet Tate to step up and do what Steve Smith did in his career with Carolina and Baltimore. That is be a smaller sized receiver and still be the WR1 for the tea. Noadas its the igge odied plaes ho ae those top eeies ad the little guys are speedy.

Eo is goig to e ude pessue to pefo ad ell hae to see ho the thid-year player from North Carolina lives up to it. His other tight ends on the roster (i.e. Brandon Pettigrew) are primarily blockers which helps a little.

That goes to show how difficult the season will be in Detroit. This is just like the situation in Cleveland where one back is the runner and one is the receiver and we saw how poorly that worked out. The Lions went 6-2 in the second half of the season when Jim Bob Cooter was given the reins as offensive oodiato. The Lios at to uild o that ut ithout oestoe Cali Johso, its e diffiult to imagine it being done.

“taffod used to e alled the Costo Quateak eause his suess as tied to his high olue of passing attempts. We have no real idea what the Lions offense will look like this season so his value is unpredictable. The teams that are lower in the rankings can confirm they have nothing to work with. That possible upside is why Detroit is ranked here at 29.

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28. Chicago Quarterback: Jay Cutler The Chiago Beas ae goig to e a tea o a shap delie this seaso ad ou ot ant to run with Ja Cutle o ou fatas tea. Hees hee it et og. Matt Fote left fo the Ne Yok Jets ad chose to play for New England. That also is about 100 receptions and six touchdowns that left the team. Those were two ke plaes o last seasos tea ad thei asee puts a ig wrench in the passing game in the Windy City.

So what do they have? is still going to be that go-to target but option number two is a real crap shoot. Could it be Kevin White, the player with as many catches in the NFL as you have? Could it be a less-heralded receiver like Marquess Wilson or presumed starter tight end Zach Miller?

With Forte out of the mix, it sets up for a potential running back by committee approach with Jeremy Lagfod gettig the fist ak. KaDee Cae looks to hae a ole as a hage of pae ak ut eithe ill e ale to full fill Fotes shoes.

It still leaves a big question to be answered: Where is the offense going to come from? Honestly, we dot ko. Haig oe good eeie i Jeffe is h this goup oes i at o ou akigs.

27. Philadelphia Quarterbacks: Sam Bradford and The Eagles ould easil e a disaste i . Thee lost DeMao Mua to Teessee. The spent the second overall pick on a potential quarterback of the future but have issues at present. Bradford doest hae a eputatio fo eig health a pai of to ACLs o athig eselig solid pla ad the team handcuffed itself with the amount of money they spent on this position.

The running game looks to offer little assistance. Ryan Mathews looked good at times last season as a change of pace back, rolling up 700 total yards and six touchdowns in that role. The big question is whether can he rise to the occasion as a presumed feature back in Philadelphia. History says maybe. If the Eagles get a op of the esio , total ads ad si touhdos the its good. If its the esio ads ad oe touhdo, the its ot that great of a deal.

Jordan Matthews finished a hair shy of 1,000 yards and recorded eight touchdowns last year. Once you get past tight ed )ah Etz ads ad to soes, thees a pett shap dop off i talet. The Eagles had seven other players with at least 200 receiving yards but none of the seven had more than . Wee talkig aout ou, Nelso Agholo ad ‘ile Coope.

The Eagles have an easy front part of the season with Cleveland, Chicago, and Detroit in their first four gaes. Philadelphia has a Week e this ea hih doest gie uh hope fo a late seaso refresher for when the team falters. Weeks 11 through 14 feature four straight playoff teams in Seattle, Green Bay, Cincinnati and Washington. Yikes.

The NFC East was a weak division last year and it could be again this year. Tangling with the AFC North offers a potential cupcake or two in Baltimore and Cleveland. It also means they could be pounded by the Steelers and Bengals.

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Wentz is making a jump fo Noth Dakota “tate Uiesit to the NFL. Its ot a eas leap fo gus that played in the power conferences so it will be that much tougher for Wentz to grow into a quarterback this season. He should only see spot duty in 2016 barring the inevitable Sam Bradford injury.

The question marks are still looming large in Philadelphia. They barely edged out Chicago in a virtual coin toss to take this spot in the rankings.

26. Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota This will be one of the most puzzling teams from a fantasy standpoint in 2016. As in why-are-you-even- bothering-with-the? I shot its Delaie Walke. The tight ed has ee oe of the steadiest plaes at his position for the last few years and does so despite being on an awful team. In his three seasons with the Titas, Walke has put up athes fo , ads ad touhdos. Thats ot sha. The rest of the team around him makes you wonder what the plan is in Nashville this season. They picked up DeMarco Murray from the Eagles in free agency but then drafted Derrick Henry in the second round. You can surmise the plan could be run, run and run some more for the Titans and if all else fails, run the ball.

That ill zap Maiotas alue i fatas. Afte Walkes athes fo , yards, it drops off significantly with one of the worst receiving groups in football. No other player had more than 37 receptions, which includes Dorial Green-Beckham, Harry Douglas and . Yes, injuries played a part in this but more importantl Maiota didt hae tie to tho. He as saked o ee ninth or tenth dropback, mathematically speaking. He also had nothing that resembled a running game. Antonio Andrews has 523 yards and three scores to pace the team on the ground. Mariota was second ith ads ad to touhdos. Whe ou uateak is gettig eposed like that, its a huge pole. Maiota has the ailit to ake plas at the NFL leel ut hes usig the too ofte. Whe ou fato i the e uig aks, e dot epet Mariota to run much except to scramble out of the pocket. We think his value will be more tied into his ability as a pocket passer in 2016 and it looks unfavorable if he throws to anyone other than Walker. The Titans are the other team with the useless Week 13 bye so not even the schedule can save any real value for Mariota.

25. Atlanta Quarterback Matt Ryan This is the first surprise in the rankings to see Matt Ryan this low. Ryan has consistently posted seasons around 4,500 passing yards but his touchdown total fell to 21 last season. He also committed 21 turnovers (16 interceptions, five lost ) which dampen our enthusiasm for him. Then you add in the dependence in the passing game on Julio Jones. Jones led the league last season with 136 catches ad , ads fo eight soes. Just fo fu, ho as the teas second leading receiver in 2015?

If you guessed Devonta Freeman or Roddy White, you missed it. The answer is tight end Jacob Tamme ith ads. Feea had ad White added . The poit hee is that Atlata doest see to have that dynamic second receiver that they did in years past to pull heat off Jones. White used to be that player and was effective but gradually became less productive. He was released by the team in the offseason and leaves a surprisingly key role open. This is going to let defenses cheat a little more when they take on Jones and he could see a drop in production this season. It could still be 95 catches for FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 16

1,250 yards but it would be a sizeable drop. Teams are going to get smart quickly to the idea of Ryan dumping the ball off to Freeman after his breakout last season.

“o h ae e lo o ‘a? Fist, hes issig a eal W‘ o his oste hih is soethig hes ee ee ithout. “eod, the diisioal itelok ith the NFC West ist a faoale athup. Thid, the AFC West will also be a bitter pill to swallow for the Falcons. Fourth, Freeman looks like he is in line for a regression this season and finally, the Falcons fell apart in the second half of the season in 2015. They fell from 6-1 to 8-8 and need to shake off that funk before it lingers into 2016. If it does, they can drown their sorrows in $5 beers and $3 slices of pizza when they move into their new stadium next season.

24. Denver Quarterbacks: Mark Sanchez and The defending champions did it with defense last year. Peyton Manning limped through the season before riding off into the sunset with the Lombardi Trophy. Brock Osweiler was his backup and he was given $72 million reasons to head to Houston. That left Mark Sanchez and first-round draft pick Paxton Lynch as the two main contenders for the job under center (Sorry, ).

Lets eak do fats o “ahez. He has ee tho fo oe tha , ads i a seaso. He has one season with more than 18 touchdown passes (2011—26) and thrown at least 13 interceptions in seasons where he played 15 or all 16 games.

Thees little dout the hae the ight kid of ide eeies i Deaius Thoas ad Eauel Sanders. Tight end remains a bit of a question mark between Garrett Graham and Virgil Green. Denver should be able to run the ball effectively with CJ Anderson, Ronnie Hillman and fourth-round pick Devontae Booker factoring in.

Hees h I ot too high o this situatio. Fist, the AFC West defeses keep ipoig ad the quarterbacks in this divisio ill e athe halleged. “ahezs tie last seaso as a thee-game run in an 11-da spa, hih the Eagles lost all thee of the. The Philadelphia offese ouldt ee uste 20 points against Miami, Tampa nor Detroit, the latter of which was a 31-point stuffing on Thanksgiving Da. Hes ee oe of a jouea that gets late seaso ok. Atuall, he hast stated a gae i the month of September or October since 2012.

Its ot goig to e eas fo Dee as the ope ith Caolia ad Ciiati i to of the fist thee games. Their last three are New England, Kansas City and Oakland so there could be some late speed ups fo the Dee offese. Well at to see hat happens in the preseason but someone needs to emerge and seize the reins in Denver, quickly.

23. Baltimore Quarterback Joe Flacco He ist elite. Lets get that out of the a o. Flao ad the ‘aes had a utal seaso last ea thanks to injuries. It truly muddled their team identity in fantasy and made it tough to trust anyone not named Justin Tucker and even he was shaky at times.

How bad was it?

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After Flacco was done for the season, the Ravens had three additional quarterbacks (Ryan Mallett, Jimmy Clausen and ) each throw for at least 540 yards but no more than 570. The Ravens threw as many touchdowns as interceptions last season with 21 of each.

The ground game suffered after Justin Forsett broke his arm and was done for the season. Javorius Buk Alle stepped i ad as oka ut didt eall hae that sizzle at his positio. You ko it as a bad year when the leader in rushing touchdowns for the Ravens was none other than Flacco.

The ‘aes issues ste fo ot haig a eal threat in the passing game other than Steve Smith Sr. He was lost for the season with a torn Achilles and the Ravens were never the same. was the only Raven with more than 50 catches last season. Breshad Perriman missed his rookie season with a to posteio uiate ligaet PCL i his kee. Hes goig to e oe of these ild ad plaes like Kei White i Chiago i the seaso. You just dot ko hat oue goig to get out of hi. An even bigger question mark is tight end . If ou dot eee hi, he plaed i fou games late in 2013 after fracturing his hip in training camp. He rehabbed back and played in three games in early 2014 before fracturing his hip again. He missed the entire 2015 season so his availability let alone productivity for the upcoming season are total unknowns. He would be a pleasant addition to the ‘aes eeiig goup ut ee ot outig o hi as of pess tie.

Think about this when you go to your draft. Flacco has never thrown for 4,000 yards in any of his seven NFL seasons. Last season, a dozen quarterbacks threw for more than that amount. He was 29th out of 34 ualifig uateaks i ads pe attept ith .. It suggests he ast thoig the all dofield much and was relying on his receivers to make plays. The Ravens threw for 4,449 yards last season in total. Of those yards, 2,057 came after the catch. The receivers were making the plays in 2015 and nothing is present to show anything different in 2016. The Ravens need the receivers to make plays to ake thei uateak podutie eause he ist elite.

22. New York Jets Quarterbacks: Geno Smith, , Christian Hackenberg, Ryan Fitzpatrick? The Jets did something no other team in football did last season when they won 10 games and failed to make the playoffs. This team was scary good and could have been a problem in a wild card game had they made it. They had the right weapons on their team a decent enough defense to make things happen.

Last season, the Jets had a pair of 1,000 receivers who each scored at least a dozen touchdowns. Add in Chris Ivory, one of the seven backs with more than 1,000 rushing yards last season and the Jets were formidable on offense. That is after Geno Smith got popped in the jaw in training camp and Ryan Fitzpatrick took over under center.

Fast forward to this season. As of press time, Fitzpatrick is still trying to negotiate a deal with the Jets. Ivory saw dollar signs and took his dreadlocks to Jacksonville. The Jets were able to land Matt Forte from the Bears and should be able to add a new wrinkle to the offense in 2016.

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The new wrinkle is a more reliable pass-catching back. Forte is good for about 50 receptions a year and had a mind-blowing 102 in 2014. He can also run the ball well and has five seasons of 1,000 yards or more under his belt. (He finished three yards short of a sixth.)

The hesita to ak the highe is due to the uetait at uateak. “iths last full seaso as in 2014 when the team went 3-10 with him under center. He threw for 2,525 yards with 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Bryce Petty is an unknown and second-round pick Christian Hackenberg is an even igge uestio ak. Util thee is etait, ee leaig the hee eause of the upside. If Fitzpatik sigs ith the Jets, ell oe the to th on the list.)

21. Miami Quarterback Ryan Tannehill Miai is a loel it ith plet of flai. Of ouse, ee talkig aout the uildigs ad ot the Dolphins in fantasy football this season. Their schedule is brutal on both ends of the season. They have road games at Seattle, New England and Cincinnati (on a short week) for three of their first four outings. They end with hosting Arizona, visiting Buffalo and the Jets before hosting the Patriots on Week 17. Ad e haet ee juped ito the pesoel. The ig oe as uig ak Laa Mille headig to Houston and taking his 872 rushing yards and eight touchdowns with him. That leaves to head up the running game. Ajayi is the player who missed the first half of the season and saw 49 carries fo ads ad a touhdo. Thats the est unning back they have on the roster when you also see Daniel Thomas, Isaiah Pead and rookie .

The good news is that Jarvis Landry is still there. Landry was a PPR stud last season with 110 catches for 1157 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for a score and found the end zone on a kick return to add to his esatilit. But afte Lad, ou hae … ou hae … a sigifiat dop off to ‘ishad Matthes, Kenny Stills, DeVante Parker and a bland group of tight ends led by Jordan Cameron.

The rather pedestrian group of targets for Tannehill is why he is ranked where he is. Sure, he threw for 4,208 yards with 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions but he feels to have a regression in store for his owners in 2016. The questions are going to linger about where the offense will come from for this team. If Landry was hurt, Miami would be contending for a spot in the bottom five of the rankings. Add to that Tannehill had seven games with fewer than 250 passing yards and it makes Tannehill a risky proposition due to his inconsistencies.

The Dolphins should have an uptick late in the regular season when they take on San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Baltimore in Weeks 10-13. Expect Tannehill to start slowly and finish slowly if you draft him.

Miami looks like a team that will have to pass the ball a lot to get its offense rolling. Can Tannehill be trusted to run it well with it being almost one-diesioal? We dot thik it ill e effetie ad thats why he almost cracks the top 20.

20. Dallas Quarterback Tony Romo

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Dallas had as many starting quarterbacks as wins last season as the Cowboys limped home to a 4-12 record. Injuries to Dez Bryant and Tony Romo took their toll on the team and led to Kellen Moore, and starting games in 2015. Gulp.

Running back Darren McFadden actually survived a full season and thrived behind the Dallas offensive line with 1,417 total yards of offense and 10 total touchdowns. Yes, the same Darren McFadden who would survive to about halfway through the season before getting hurt and sent to IR.

A healthy Romo would be a big boost as would a healthy Bryant. The player to be concerned about is tight end Jason Witten who is starting to decline into the twilight of his career. He had six straight seasons with at least 940 receiving yards from 2007-2012 but has fallen off since. In his last two seasons, hes slid do to aout ads pe seaso. Aout ee thid ea, hes due fo a stog touhdo showing and 2016 could be one of those years. He scored nine times in 2010 and eight times in 2013. In between, he has 16 total touchdowns in four seasons. Witten has gone from a solid, no-brainer tight end to the middle of the pack and we fear he might drag Romo down a bit with him.

The rest of the Dallas eeies dot ispie uh ofidee. Cole Beasle -536-5) is a low-end optio ad Teae Willias ot podue the a he did i . Istead look ak at his stats fo 2013-14 to get a better idea. He was good for about 40 receptions, 660 yards and four touchdowns as a rough average for that time frame. Neither of which is stellar and dampens our enthusiasm on Dallas. There is hope in Big D and it comes in the form of fourth-overall pick Ezekiel Elliott from Ohio State. He averaged 300 touches, 2,000 total yards and 21 touchdowns in each of his final two years as a Buckeye. Thats all ell ad good ut he had aout eeptios a seaso hih doest help out his uateak uh i that egad. Thees o dout Elliott ill help the Dallas offense and it will be interesting to see how he gets worked in with McFadden and, to a lesser extent, Alfred Morris.

‘oos passig adage has dopped i eah of his last to full seasos ude ete. The passig touchdowns are still there with 65 of them in the last two seasons but how much longer will they be there? This might be the last chance to have Romo be a viable fantasy quarterback.

19. Cincinnati Quarterback Andy Dalton This is going to be an interesting year for the Red Rifle. He still has two good running backs in Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard but AJ Green is going to be very exposed at . The offseason was tough as Mohamed Sanu left for Atlanta and Marvin Jones bolted to Detroit. Then there was the bigger below. had ankle surgery in late May and could miss games early in the season. Eifert is the big question mark here. He is projected to be back for the season opener but you never know how people will heal. Last season Eifert led the Bengals with 13 touchdowns and he would be a huge loss in the passing game if he were gone for an extended period.

This is going to force Green into doing his best DeAndre Hopkins imitation. He could lead the league in targets due to a lack of other viable downfield options in Cincinnati. Giovani Bernard (49 catches) is the much better passing option than Jeremy Hill (15 receptions). It was Hill in close plowing in touchdowns close to the goal line and he could do more of the same if Eifert is out for a month into the season, for example. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 20

So what do the Bengals have? They have Brandon LaFell, Brandon Tate and a bunch of rookies at the wide receiver position. At tight end, it could fall to Tyler Kroft and a rotating group of young tight ends. Wee goig to assue a health Eifet to stat the seaso ad keep Dalto aked hee. Wed dop Dalton and the Bengals four spots if Eifert starts to run into issues miss regular season games. Green is a great receiver but defenses will likely be double-covering him most of the season. The running backs dot add a lot i the passig gae ad if the hae to a it oe, Daltos alue ill otiue to slide. He is at this spot in the rankings primarily due to the non-human things AJ Green can do. A healthy Eifet akes hi a deet QB otheise hes a fle pla agaist the eake teas i the NFC West ad AFC North.

18. Kansas City Quarterback Alex Smith The ae Ale “ith is eough to ake ost fatas plaes goa i disgust. Hes also the fist of a group of four quarterbacks that can be middle of the pack and used almost interchangeably at this spot in the rankings. The line to separate these players was very thin.

“o h aet e goig to oit at the thought of plaig hi? Well, look at his production and see what he has around him. He lost running back Jamaal Charles to a torn ACL, the second of his career, but not before he rolled up 541 total yards and four total touchdowns on his shortened season. Jeremy Maclin started slowly but still piled up 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns. Tight end Travis Kelce had 875 yards on 72 catches and five touchdowns.

He has the pieces in place to build on to be a solid quarterback in fantasy if he would ever get let out of his cage by Andy Reid. The passing yardage was a little on the low side with 3,498 and his 20 touhdos ad see iteeptios dot eall get ou attetio.

Hees hat does: “ith a the all ties fo ads ad to touhdos. Yes, ou athe hae to lump Smith in the disussio ith the oile uateaks. He ist oe i the taditioal sese like Cam Newton or Russell Wilson but it still has to be taken into account. Smith finished fourth in rushing yards among quarterbacks, trailing Newton, Wilson and Tyrod Taylor.

The early buzz is that the Chiefs want to get Kelce more involved in the offense, which is a very good idea. He had nine games with fewer than 50 yards last season and scores three touchdowns over the final 15 games of the season. Kelce is primed to break out in 2016 and Alex Smith is going to get him there. Add a healthy Charles to the mix with solid backs to rotate in and this could be a formula for a opetitie fatas uateak. No if ol the Chiefs had a W‘ o thei oste ou ould out o…

17. Buffalo Quarterback Tyrod Taylor Speaking of Tyrod Taylor, we run into him here at the 16th spot. Hes a oug, oile uateak ith a ight futue ahead of hi i the league. Last seaso as a it ofusig as the Bills ouldt deide o a quarteak ight aa. Was it goig to e EJ Mauel o Talo? Talo o the statig jo ad didt really impress out of the gate with his arm. He had five games with fewer than 25 pass attempts and six games with fewer than 200 passing yards.

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Thankfully, he could rely on his feet to make up for some shortcomings. It turns out Taylor was the second-est ushig uateak last seaso ith ads ad fou touhdos o aies. Thats impressive when the running back duo of LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams had nearly 300 touches oied i the Bills uig attak. Buffalo as oe of the fe teas that a the all oe carries) than they threw (465 pass attempts) in 2015.

The big question here is how well the Buffalo receivers will perform. Sammy Watkins had a solid season ith athes fo , ads ad ie touhdos. The pole lies i the fat thees a uestio aout his health leadig ito ap. Thees also the uestio aout hethe the Bills ill pass oe this season. Will Robet Woods, Chis Hoga o Chales Cla eak out this seaso? It at all e Watkis fo the Bills.

The other thing that holds Taylor and the Bills back is their schedule. Weeks 2-4 are the Jets, Cardinals and a trip to the Patriots. After games with Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami, the schedule crunches the Bills again. Weeks 8-14 of the season: New England, at Seattle, BYE, at Cincinnati, Jacksonville, at Oakland and home against Pittsburgh. Yikes.

The rushing element and the prospect of three straight December home games in Buffalo helps to put hi i the iddle of the pak. It ouldt take uh to dop hi do ut e at see hi isig up much more than where he is.

16. San Diego Quarterback Philip Rivers The quarterback who finished second in passing yardage last season comes in at 16th o ou list. Youe probably scratching your head wondering how a quarterback with 29 touchdowns and 4,792 yards is this lo. Well, lets eplai it this a.

Rivers had a good group of receivers but that was because he took the Matthew Stafford path to fantasy goodness. He passed in bulk and led the league with 661 pass attempts, 34 more than second-place Drew Brees. This helps to explain why Keenan Allen was having a killer season before suffering a kidney injury that ended his 2015 campaign. missed the first four games and wound up with 630 yards and five touchdowns. This is what happens when you throw, throw and throw some more.

Of course the Chargers did that since they were grossly one-dimensional. The Chargers were 31st on the run last season with 1,358 yards and league-worst four rushing touchdowns. Two of those scores came in the first game of the season against Detroit. Melvin Gordon ran the ball 184 times for 641 yards and ouldt get ito the ed zoe. Ee othe plae ith at least ushig attepts last seaso soed at least once. Gordon had offseason knee surgery to try and correct him medically.

Danny Woodhead tried to get the Chargers going in the passing game. He led the team with 755 yards (688 after the catch) on 80 receptions (106 targets) and seven touchdowns. Woodhead was nothing more than the safety valve for Rivers and seemingly, nobody figured this out last season. On the whole, San Diego had a mind-loig , ads afte ath last seaso. Thats oe tha half of ‘ies totals. The offseaso oes didt help the Chages eithe. Malo Flod alled it uits. Ladaius Gee et to Pittsburgh to replace the retired . The Chargers signed Travis Benjamin from Cleveland FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 22

(more on that in a minute) and drafted Joey Bosa of Ohio State third overall. They drafted a defensive end despite being near the bottom in every major rushing category. Ooooookay.

The Benjamin signing should make you stop and think twice about drafting Rivers. Last season in Cleveland, he posted numbers of 68 catches for 966 yards and five touchdowns. Drill down in those ues ad oull see ho uh of a faud he is. His five touchdowns came from 4, 42, 50, 54 and 60 yards out. The longest four passes came from Johnny Manziel. If you remove those from his stats, he calculates to 64 catches for 760 yards and one touchdown. Additionally, in his last five games of the season he posted 14 catches for 140 yards and no scores. Which Travis Benjamin will the Chargers get— the home run threat or the guy who goes invisible for weeks at a time?

Util the Chages a get soethig goig o the goud osistetl, I ot uig into Rivers as a QB1. He has the ability to be a plug-and-play quarterback when the matchup seems like a shootout or is positie Week agaist the Titas, Week at Cleelad ut I at put fatas eggs i his asket. Ad dot ee get stated on the stadium drama or possible relocation after the season.

15. Oakland quarterback Derek Carr The Oaklad ‘aides ill i the AFC West this seaso. Wee goig out o that li o ad thees good reason to do so. The Raiders have a strong defense and their offense should be quite potent which FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 23 leads to Derek Carr being ranked where he is. We find Carr to be rather favorable this season. Last season Carr threw for a whisker shy of 4,000 yards with 32 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Those are solid numbers for a second-year quarterback.

His running attack has a true bell-cow in Latavius Murray, one of the handful of running backs to break the 1,000-yard barrier in 2015. The offensive line is poised to be one of the best in football and give Murray lanes to run. That is going to allow Carr to have some time to drop back and pass. When he does, Carr has real talent to throw to. was solid last season with 1,030 yards and six touchdowns. resurrected his career and posted a solid 85-922-9 line in 2015. and Mychal Rivera add solid options from the tight end spot.

My gut says Carr finishes with top- ues ut doest hae the fatas se appeal to ak that top 10 and the elite tier of fantasy quarterbacks. He should get there in the very, very near future. This could be your last chance to get Carr on the cheap before he blows up this season. Everything is in place for him to excel this season.

14. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson Before you start fillig io ith hate ail fo the state of Washigto, lets e hoest ad objective here when we think of Wilson. I find his value to be more in name than in actual talent. Last season, everything changed for him when Jimmy Graham tore his patellar tendon in the win over Pittsugh. Lets go iside the ues to poe this poit.

Prior to the tare (10 games): 199/295 passing for 2,378 yards with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. On the ground, 73 carries for 385 yards and no touchdowns.

After the tare (6 games): 130/188 passing for 1,646 yards with 21 touchdowns and one . On the ground, 30 carries for 168 yards and one touchdown.

Wilson went from ho-hum to holy cow after Graham blew out his patella. You can discount his final game performance when he threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns in a meaningless win over Arizona. Also, it was Week 17 when most leagues are done with and the Cardinals already wrapped up the # seed i the NFC so its ot like the ee tig uh.

Wilsos uig as o-existent last season. The fact he ran for 553 yards is still impressive but he failed to score a touchdown on the ground until an early December win over the Vikings. Alex Smith ran for 498 yards, only 56 less than Wilson, and scored more touchdowns. We know which one has the lower ADP than the other.

Marshawn Lynch retired and left the backfield to Thomas Rawls with Christine Michael and CJ Prosise joiig hi i the akfield. ‘als ist goig to add uh i the passig gae as he had nine catches all of last season. Prosise projects to be more of a third-down back and should see more attempts in the passing game.

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The tight eds ae of little help to Wilsos alue. Gaha posted ads ad to touhdos o catches in 10 games. Graham had four games with six or more catches but had seven games (including Pittsburgh) with four or fewer. Graham had less than 50 receiving yards in each game where he had fewer than four catches and failed to score. The other tight ends (Cooper Helfet and Luke Willson) oied fo athes fo ads ad oe soe so its ot a iale optio fo Wilso. It also akes o sese h the “eahaks didt at to get Gaha oe ioled last seaso. We ke he ould regress from his numbers in 2014 with the Saints, but this was insane.

But, ait its Doug Baldi to the esue! Baldi had athes fo , ads ad touhdos. Yes, he did. But he was with Wilson in terms of low performance before Graham popped his knee ligament and then went nuclear after the big tight end was carted off.

Baldwin reminds me of Dwayne Bowe circa 2011. Bowe came from nowhere and led the NFL with 15 touhdos i like Baldi did i . Boes touhdo total dopped the folloig season while his yards and receptions were nearly the same. After that, his yardage dropped to about 750 a season and the touchdowns faded down to zero four years after his breakout.

Wilso ill e a iale fatas state i ut lets ot get too az about him and his potential output. “eattles offesie lie has soe uestio aks o it too. Wilso has to el o his salig a little too often to instill confidence. The potential for a regression is there, be aware of it.

13. Minnesota Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater I ko oue thikig this poit that Ie opletel lost it. Wh is Bidgeate this high i the rankings on this guide? It starts with Adrian Peterson. He is the one-man mauling machine in the backfield that can and will carry this tea if he eeds to. Petesos skill o the goud opes a-on- man matchups in the secondary. It will also help that wide receiver Stefon Diggs will get some help in the form of first-round pick LaQuon Treadwell. Last season, Diggs had Mike Wallace to serve as second banana in the receiving game and Wallace was more like a mashed banana. Wallace posted 39 catches and 472 yards with two touchdowns—as the ue to eeie. It didt pass the ee test.

Tight end Kyle Rudolph will be an underrated player in 2016. Last season he racked up 495 yards and five touchdowns despite nine games with five or fewer targets. Bridgewater should utilize his tight end more in 2016, which leads to more chances for Rudolph.

Bridgewater quietly threw for 3,231 yards and completed 65.3 percent of his passes last season. He only threw for 14 touchdowns which is what limited his fantasy value. Last season he had nine games with less than 200 passing yards. This is the season where the Vikings need to see what Bridgewater can actually do and let his arm win games, not just the running of Peterson.

Dot foget the Vikigs hae a e idoo stadiu this seaso ad the Vikigs ol hae oe potetial cold weather game late in the season (Week 16 at Green Bay).

12. Houston quarterback Brock Osweiler

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Osweiler had 72 million reasons to leave Denver and commit to the for the next four seasons. He was the first of a few moves that are going to take the Texans offense from playoff joke to legitimate point producers i . Lets eplai ho this ill happe.

Houston has a receiving machine in DeAndre Hopkins. Last season he was targeted a mind-blowing 192 times and made 111 catches for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns. No other receiver had more than four touchdowns for the Texans. Keep in mind that was with the quarterback carousel of , TJ Yates, Ryan Mallett and Brandon Weeden spinning at full speed.

The Teas didt hae uh of a goud gae ith a eage see ushig touhdos last seaso. Alfred Blue was the only player with more than one score and he had two. Enter Lamar Miller, formerly of the Dolphins and now you have a decent running back without the health issues that plagued Arian Foster during his time with the team. Miller averaged about 930 yards and eight rushing touchdowns each of his final two seasons in Miami on about 200 carries a season. Add to that about 40 catches for 325 yards each season and the Texans have that real feature back they want.

The tight ed positio doest see to add uh i the passig gae fo the Teas ut that doest stop the akig fo eig hee it is. The ol doside is the teas philosoph is to poud the all and keep doing it repeatedly. Eventually, teams are going to stop the run and a tough schedule means its goig to e o Oseile to podue. Just a gut feelig, ut he ill ise to the oasio at ties ad can produce solid fantasy numbers. The Texans are should only get better and improve on their 21 points per game from last season.

11. Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck The Colts ae tea that e ko ill tho the all a uh this seaso. The at plausil out o an aging Frank Gore to take 300 touches in 2016 so this team will be a throw fest. Andrew Luck is healthy which helps immensely. Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton should see a bunch of targets and Donte Moncrief is poised to have a solid season. Tight end benefits from the departure of Coby Fleener to the Saints.

The Colts should be using plenty of three wide receiver sets so there is a ton of potential for the season ahead to be filled with passing and fantasy points for Luck. The Colts spent two of their first three picks upgrading the offensive line, which benefits Luck. They could use some help on the defensive side of the ball, but all that really does is give Luck more chances to score.

The Colts were a strong choice to make the Super Bowl this time last season. They should be a strong choice in fantasy when it comes to passing offense.

10. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning The Giants are like the Colts but with better weapons. Odell Beckham Jr. was a lights-out player despite missing games at the start of the season. Victor Cruz could be back for this season and they spent a second-round pick on Sterling Shepard. This all falls into place for Eli Manning to potentially have a huge season in 2016.

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The lack of a real ground game keeps Manning from being anything more than a low-end QB1. Rashad Jennings is OK but iosistet. “hae Veee is a good ak o passig dos ut doest do eough to be an every-down back. The Giants also are weak at tight end with a banged-up (neck surgery) and leading the way there.

Look past his name and see that Manning threw for 35 touchdowns and almost 4,500 yards last season. Production is production and Manning should do more of it this season.

9. Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston Yes, he really should be this high up. Tampa has several things going for it, which should make this a special season for Jameis Winston. First, he has a dynamic young receiver in Mike Evans and those two can be a solid QB-WR combo in real life and in fantasy for years to come. Veteran Vincent Jackson provides solid but not spectacular protection as his career winds down. He might make the move into the slot a la Larry Fitzgerald and we all saw what he did in 2015 from the slot.

Tight end Cameron Brate will battle Austin Seferian-Jenkins for playing time this season with Brate possibly being the better choice in the red zone. Doug Martin should be the plow in the running back stable while Charles Sims offers more value in PPR with his 51 receptions last season.

Last season, Winston started out slow but put up more than 20 fantasy points (standard format) in six of his final games. With Josh Norman being out of the division, it opens up chances to do damage against Carolina. Atlanta had defensive meltdowns last season and the Saints have historically been in shootout games much more often than defensive slugfests.

The Bucs have the feel of a team that can contend for the NFC South and put up a pile of points along the way. Winston will steer that ship and could steer your fantasy team to victory this season.

8. Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles is going to be one of the better players in fantasy football this season. It seemed difficult to think of even contemplating this sentence a couple of years ago but 2016 will be the year it truly happens.

Allen Robinson was unstoppable last season and Allen Hurns played a great second wide out role. Julius Thomas was underutilized but this could be a breakout year for him. The Jags added Chris Ivory into the mix in the backfield and he makes for a likely goal line option.

Botles has all the tools ad has deeloped ito a NFL state. Hes also a solid fatas optio ad ould e aked highe if ot fo his teas defese. Whe ou add Mles Jak, Jale ‘ase ad a eoeed Dante Fowler into the mix, it can be a problem. Bortles might not have the same number of pass attempts as last season and could be in situations to run the clock down instead of passing for yardage late i gaes. Thee ight e a little dop i stats eause of this. Yes, ideed, it is Botles tie to shine.

7. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees

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So why is Brees up here? Look at the past. Brees led the league four of the last five years in passing adage. The ea he didt, he the fo , … ad lost to Peto Maig i his -touchdown season. Hes issed to gaes i te eas i Ne Oleas so ou ko hes duale. Hes ee ale to master the art of the dump-off to practically anyone who plays running back. Brees has thrown the ball at least 625 times in each of the last six seasons so the olue is thee. Hes also aeaged o oe yards per game over each of the last five seasons.

Of course that was with players like Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston, neither of whom are still on the team. Brandin Cooks shows plenty of promise and Willie Snead is underrated and very productive. Coby Fleener came to the Big Easy from Indianapolis this offseason and could be a breakout candidate at the tight end spot in 2016. Rookie Michael Thomas will also play a big role in the offense, perhaps taking Colstos foe ole.

The Saints are going to spend a lot of time throwing high percentage passes this season. They will take their deep shots to Snead or Cooks but this is primarily a dink-and-dunk offense. The passes are safe and the rewards are there for taking in PPR formats with the Saints.

Id ik hi i fo , ads, passig touhdos ad iteeptios ad take that to the ak right now. Brees is always a solid choice for your fantasy quarterback and 2016 is no exception.

6. Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins Yes, I idig the uio hee. The ‘edskis look like a pass happ tea ith plet of eapos i 2016. DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon should man the outsides while tight end Jordan Reed, if healthy, can be one of the best in the game. Cousins threw for nearly 4,200 yards with 29 touchdowns last seaso. Thee solid ues ad, es, e like the. Dot foget that Cousis also ushed fo fie touchdowns last season in 26 carries and less than 50 yards on the ground in 2015.

Add Josh Doctson from TCU in the mix and this could be a very dangerous team on offense in 2016. Defensively, Josh Norman was acquired from Carolina and that adds a big punch in the secondary. Thees little dout the ‘edskis ill e ette o defese ad its goig to stiulate the offese ee oe. Dot foget aout the uig ak situatio i Washigto. Alfed Mois et to Dallas ad Matt Jones is the presumptive starter. Jones posted 490 yards and three rushing touchdowns and will be expected to do oe i . Its a eal uko if he a. If ot, ee see hat Cousis a do ad it looks solid.

5. Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer Palmer could turn out to be the best quarterback in fantasy football in 2016. Yes, really. Palmer has elite options at wide receiver with Larry Fitzgerald, and John Brown. David Johnson became the bell cow at running back after injuries to Andre Ellington and Chris Johnson in 2015.

Palmer is excellent with the deep ball, it was part of the reason why Arizona was 2nd in passing offense with 277 passing yards per game last season, and it can be easily projected to do the same this season. Their offense should be able to move the ball and the Cardinal defense should create plenty of opportunities for the offense. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 28

The Cardinals are not afraid to make quick short passes to get their offense going. Having a strong second-year running back in David Johnson gives Arizona a chance to have a legitimate ground game for the first time in many seasons. In short, the Cardinals will be one of the four best teams in the league in terms of points.

4. New England quarterbacks Tom Brady and The Patiots ae goig to e a solid tea agai i , uh to oods supise. The uestio is ho are they going to get there. Tom Brady is likely suspended for the first four games of the season unless the US Supreme Court decides to intervene. We can discuss Garoppolo later. is coming off a torn ACL in November and LeGarrette Blount has dealt with a hip issue for the whole offseason. fractured his foot in mid-season and is seemingly always hurt.

The key to the offense is Martellus Bennett, the acquisition from Chicago. Bennett gives New England that two tight end set they love to run their offense from. He could very well produce numbers (500 yards and five touchdowns) without a pesky murder conviction on his record.

“o hat aout Ji? Hes oe of a passig fa ad ist eoeded uless soeoe else gets hurt. An opener with Arizona is going to be tough. Miami, Houston and Buffalo all at home could be easier although JJ Watt is going to be a problem in Week 3 fo Gaoppolo. Hes upoe i the NFL ad I dot hae uh faith i Gaoppolo. The passes i the fist fou gaes should e shot, high- peetage passes ith little isk. The dofield gae oes ak he Bad does so dot e surprised if Edelman and Amendola start out slow.

The Patriots always find a way and this season is no exception. Brady should come back Week 5 to take on the hapless Cleveland Browns and get himself up to speed that week.

3. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger There were two major changes in the offseason for the Steelers. was suspended for violating the substance abuse policy. Heath Miller retired and was replaced by the less-chantable Lardarius Green from the Chargers.

Otherwise, Pittsburgh looks like it will be an almost unstoppable juggernaut in 2016. will ga a illio passes ad LeVeo Bell should hu alog all seaso o the goud. Pittsugh led the league in total offense last season and it should continue. Roethlisberger, despite health concerns, should be an easy QB1 each week for the season.

2. Carolina quarterback Cam Newton Think about this for a minute. The Carolina Panthers went 15-1 last season and made it to the Super Bowl without its top receiver in Kelvin Benjamin who was lost in training camp with a torn ACL. We saw Devin Funchess start to come out in his rookie season, Ted Ginn somehow scored 10 touchdowns last season and Jonathan Stewart continued to plow over opponents. Greg Olsen did what he always does and posted a quietly solid season, cementing his place in the top tier of tight ends.

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Losing Josh Norman makes their secondary beatable but it also means Cam will have to throw a bunch to keep up. Oh eah, thees also the hole thing where he ran for 10 touchdowns last season. That is soethig hes ee doe efoe ad ight ot do agai. Most of Netos touhdo us hae come inside the 10-yard line so his only real question mark is can he consistently get his team down the field without help from the defense?

1. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers So why is he the best in these rankings? Randall Cobb is solid as always. Jordy Nelson is coming back from a torn ACL. Eddie Lacy has hopefully slimmed down and is ready to roll in a contract season. Their tight ends of Richard Rogers and Jared Cook can both contribute. Neither will be confused for anytime soon but the potential is there for points to pile up.

Yeah, its kid of lad he ou get to the top of the list ad its lad at the otto of the list. You already could rattle off the top five to seven quarterbacks on this list. You could probably name most of the bottom six right away. The middle is what separates the winners from the losers. Finding the right second quarterback is what separates you from the rest of the pack.

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FakePigskin.com Running backs (PPR Scoring)

Ran k PLAYER TEAM BYE Rank PLAYER TEAM BYE 1 Jamaal Charles KC 5 43 Rashad Jennings NYG 8 2 David Johnson ARI 9 44 Ameer Abdullah DET 10 3 Todd Gurley LA 8 45 Derrick Henry TEN 13 4 Adrian Peterson MIN 6 46 Chris Johnson ARI 9 5 Ezekiel Elliott DAL 7 47 Isaiah Crowell CLE 13 6 Lamar Miller HOU 9 48 NYG 8 7 Devonta Freeman ATL 11 49 Karlos Williams BUF 10 8 Doug Martin TB 6 50 Devontae Booker DEN 11 9 Le'Veon Bell PIT 8 51 LeGarrette Blount NE 9 10 LeSean McCoy BUF 10 52 Jerick McKinnon MIN 6 11 Eddie Lacy GB 4 53 PHI 4 12 C.J. Anderson DEN 11 54 DeAndre Washington OAK 10 13 Mark Ingram NO 5 55 Paul Perkins NYG 8 14 Matt Forte NYJ 11 56 James Starks GB 4 15 Dion Lewis NE 9 57 Charcandrick West KC 5 16 Carlos Hyde SF 8 58 PHI 4 17 Giovani Bernard CIN 9 59 Spencer Ware KC 5 18 Danny Woodhead SD 11 60 Kenyan Drake MIA 8 19 Duke Johnson Jr. CLE 13 61 CHI 9 20 Thomas Rawls SEA 5 62 Chris Thompson WAS 9 21 DeMarco Murray TEN 13 63 Shaun Draughn SF 8 22 Jonathan Stewart CAR 7 64 Darren McFadden DAL 7 23 Ryan Mathews PHI 4 65 James White NE 9 24 Latavius Murray OAK 10 66 Alex Collins SEA 5 25 Frank Gore IND 10 67 Alfred Morris DAL 7 26 CHI 9 68 DAL 7 27 Matt Jones WAS 9 69 NO 5 28 Jay Ajayi MIA 8 70 Andre Ellington ARI 9 29 Jeremy Hill CIN 9 71 Josh Ferguson IND 10 30 Theo Riddick DET 10 72 Ka'Deem Carey CHI 9 31 Charles Sims TB 6 73 Keith Marshall WAS 9 FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 32

32 Arian Foster MIA 8 74 C.J. Spiller NO 5 33 Chris Ivory JAC 5 75 Tyler Ervin HOU 9 34 T.J. Yeldon JAC 5 76 Ronnie Hillman DEN 11 35 Justin Forsett BAL 8 77 Christine Michael SEA 5 36 DeAngelo Williams PIT 8 78 Cameron Artis-Payne CAR 7 37 Kenneth Dixon BAL 8 79 Khiry Robinson NYJ 11 38 Melvin Gordon SD 11 80 DET 10 39 Tevin Coleman ATL 11 81 Tre Mason LA 8 40 C.J. Prosise SEA 5 82 Stevan Ridley DET 10 41 Bilal Powell NYJ 11 83 Orleans Darkwa NYG 8 42 Javorius Allen BAL 8 84 Alfred Blue HOU 9

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FakePigskin.com Running backs (Standard Scoring) RANK PLAYER TEAM BYE RANK PLAYER TEAM BYE 1 Todd Gurley LA 8 43 Isaiah Crowell CLE 13 2 Adrian Peterson MIN 6 44 C.J. Prosise SEA 5 3 David Johnson ARI 9 45 Javorius Allen BAL 8 4 Ezekiel Elliott DAL 7 46 Ameer Abdullah DET 10 5 Jamaal Charles KC 5 47 Theo Riddick DET 10 6 Lamar Miller HOU 9 48 Wendell Smallwood PHI 4 7 Eddie Lacy GB 4 49 Chris Johnson ARI 9 8 Doug Martin TB 6 50 Devontae Booker DEN 11 9 LeSean McCoy BUF 10 51 Paul Perkins NYG 8 10 Mark Ingram NO 5 52 Jordan Howard CHI 9 11 C.J. Anderson DEN 11 53 Bilal Powell NYJ 11 12 Le'Veon Bell PIT 8 54 James Starks GB 4 13 Carlos Hyde SF 8 55 Spencer Ware KC 5 14 Devonta Freeman ATL 11 56 Charcandrick West KC 5 15 Jonathan Stewart CAR 7 57 Shane Vereen NYG 8 16 Matt Forte NYJ 11 58 Jerick McKinnon MIN 6 17 Thomas Rawls SEA 5 59 Darren McFadden DAL 7 18 Dion Lewis NE 9 60 Alfred Morris DAL 7 19 Jeremy Hill CIN 9 61 DeAndre Washington OAK 10 20 Frank Gore IND 10 62 Kenyan Drake MIA 8 21 Latavius Murray OAK 10 63 Tim Hightower NO 5 22 Ryan Mathews PHI 4 64 Alex Collins SEA 5 23 DeMarco Murray TEN 13 65 Darren Sproles PHI 4 24 Chris Ivory JAC 5 66 Keith Marshall WAS 9 25 Jay Ajayi MIA 8 67 Ka'Deem Carey CHI 9 26 Giovani Bernard CIN 9 68 Chris Thompson WAS 9 27 Jeremy Langford CHI 9 69 Josh Ferguson IND 10 28 Matt Jones WAS 9 70 Shaun Draughn SF 8 29 Duke Johnson Jr. CLE 13 71 Ronnie Hillman DEN 11 30 Melvin Gordon SD 11 72 Zach Zenner DET 10 31 LeGarrette Blount NE 9 73 Tyler Ervin HOU 9 32 Justin Forsett BAL 8 74 Christine Michael SEA 5 33 Danny Woodhead SD 11 75 Andre Ellington ARI 9 34 DeAngelo Williams PIT 8 76 Cameron Artis-Payne CAR 7

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35 Derrick Henry TEN 13 77 C.J. Spiller NO 5 36 Arian Foster MIA 8 78 James White NE 9 37 Tevin Coleman ATL 11 79 Khiry Robinson NYJ 11 38 T.J. Yeldon JAC 5 80 Tre Mason LA 8 39 Karlos Williams BUF 10 81 Lance Dunbar DAL 7 40 Kenneth Dixon BAL 8 82 Stevan Ridley DET 10 41 Charles Sims TB 6 83 Orleans Darkwa NYG 8 42 Rashad Jennings NYG 8 84 Alfred Blue HOU 9

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FakePigskin.com Wide Receivers (PPR Scoring)

RANK PLAYER TEAM BYE RANK PLAYER TEAM BYE 1 Antonio Brown PIT 8 44 Tyler Boyd CIN 9 2 Odell Beckham Jr NYG 8 45 Vincent Jackson TB 6 3 Julio Jones ATL 11 46 IND 10 4 A.J. Green CIN 9 47 Josh Doctson WAS 9 5 Jordy Nelson GB 4 48 DeSean Jackson WAS 9 6 DeAndre Hopkins HOU 9 49 Dorial Green-Beckham TEN 13 7 Dez Bryant DAL 7 50 Torrey Smith SF 8 8 Keenan Allen SD 11 51 Pierre Garcon WAS 9 9 Brandin Cooks NO 5 52 Mohamed Sanu ATL 11 10 Alshon Jeffery CHI 9 53 Corey Coleman CLE 13 11 T.Y. Hilton IND 10 54 Laquon Treadwell MIN 6 12 Demaryius Thomas DEN 11 55 DeVante Parker MIA 8 13 Randall Cobb GB 4 56 PHI 4 14 Brandon Marshall NYJ 11 57 GB 4 15 Mike Evans TB 6 58 Rishard Matthews TEN 13 16 Allen Robinson JAC 5 59 Sterling Shepard NYG 8 17 Larry Fitzgerald ARI 9 60 Steve Smith BAL 8 18 Jarvis Landry MIA 8 61 Darrius Heyward-Bey PIT 8 19 Julian Edelman NE 9 62 Devin Funchess CAR 7 20 Donte Moncrief IND 10 63 Brandon Lafell CIN 9 21 Doug Baldwin SEA 5 64 Jamison Crowder WAS 9 22 Amari Cooper OAK 10 65 Ted Ginn Jr CAR 7 23 Michael Floyd ARI 9 66 Terrance Williams DAL 7 24 Jordan Matthews PHI 4 67 NE 9 25 Sammy Watkins BUF 10 68 Mike Wallace BAL 8 26 Golden Tate DET 10 69 Will Fuller HOU 9 27 Jeremy Maclin KC 5 70 PIT 8 28 Kelvin Benjamin CAR 7 71 Kendall Wright TEN 13 29 SEA 5 72 Markus Wheaton PIT 8 30 Eric Decker NYJ 11 73 Chris Hogan NE 9 31 John Brown ARI 9 74 Jeff Janis GB 4 32 Allen Hurns JAC 5 75 Bruce Ellington SF 8

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33 Josh Gordon CLE 13 76 Albert Wilson KC 5 34 Emmanuel Sanders DEN 11 77 Jermaine Kearse SEA 5 35 Kamar Aiken BAL 8 78 HOU 9 36 Michael Crabtree OAK 10 79 Danny Amendola NE 9 37 Marvin Jones DET 10 80 Leonte Caroo MIA 8 38 Kevin White CHI 9 81 Reuben Randle PHI 4 39 Travis Benjamin SD 11 82 TEN 13 40 Michael Thomas NO 5 83 Rashad Greene JAC 5 41 Stefon Diggs MIN 6 84 Pharoh Copper LA 8 42 Willie Snead NO 5 85 Kenny Britt LA 8 43 Tavon Austin LA 8 86 Breshad Perriman BAL 8

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FakePigskin.com Wide Receivers (Standard Scoring)

RANK PLAYER TEAM BYE RANK PLAYER TEAM BYE 1 Antonio Brown PIT 8 45 Dorial Green-Beckham TEN 13 2 Odell Beckham Jr NYG 8 46 Torrey Smith SF 8 3 Julio Jones ATL 11 47 Phillip Dorsett IND 10 4 A.J. Green CIN 9 48 DeSean Jackson WAS 9 5 Jordy Nelson GB 4 49 DeVante Parker MIA 8 6 Dez Bryant DAL 7 50 Ty Montgomery GB 4 7 DeAndre Hopkins HOU 9 51 Laquon Treadwell MIN 6 8 Brandin Cooks NO 5 52 Pierre Garcon WAS 9 9 Demaryius Thomas DEN 11 53 Corey Coleman CLE 13 10 Alshon Jeffery CHI 9 54 Mohamed Sanu ATL 11 11 Brandon Marshall NYJ 11 55 Nelson Agholor PHI 4 12 Mike Evans TB 6 56 Terrance Williams DAL 7 13 T.Y. Hilton IND 10 57 Steve Smith BAL 8 14 Allen Robinson JAC 5 58 Sterling Shepard NYG 8 15 Keenan Allen SD 11 59 Rishard Matthews TEN 13 16 Randall Cobb GB 4 60 Devin Funchess CAR 7 17 Larry Fitzgerald ARI 9 61 Darrius Heyward-Bey PIT 8 18 Amari Cooper OAK 10 62 Jamison Crowder WAS 9 19 Michael Floyd ARI 9 63 Stevie Johnson SD 11 20 Doug Baldwin SEA 5 64 Ted Ginn Jr CAR 7 21 Donte Moncrief IND 10 65 Tavon Austin LA 8 22 John Brown ARI 9 66 Tyler Boyd CIN 9 23 Sammy Watkins BUF 10 67 Chris Hogan NE 9 24 Tyler Lockett SEA 5 68 Markus Wheaton PIT 8 25 Kelvin Benjamin CAR 7 69 Malcolm Mitchell NE 9 26 Jarvis Landry MIA 8 70 Mike Wallace BAL 8 27 Jeremy Maclin KC 5 71 Jermaine Kearse SEA 5 28 Eric Decker NYJ 11 72 Kendall Wright TEN 13 29 Julian Edelman NE 9 73 Will Fuller HOU 9 30 Jordan Matthews PHI 4 74 Bruce Ellington SF 8 31 Golden Tate DET 10 75 Albert Wilson KC 5 32 Allen Hurns JAC 5 76 Jeff Janis GB 4 33 Josh Gordon CLE 13 77 Jaelen Strong HOU 9

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34 Kevin White CHI 9 78 Danny Amendola NE 9 35 Kamar Aiken BAL 8 79 Sammie Coates PIT 8 36 Emmanuel Sanders DEN 11 80 Rueben Randle PHI 4 37 Michael Thomas NO 5 81 Leonte Caroo MIA 8 38 Marvin Jones DET 10 82 Rashad Greene JAC 5 39 Michael Crabtree OAK 10 83 Tajae Sharpe TEN 13 40 Travis Benjamin SD 11 84 Pharoh Cooper LA 8 41 Willie Snead NO 5 85 Kenny Britt LA 8 42 Stefon Diggs MIN 6 86 Breshad Perriman BAL 8 43 Vincent Jackson TB 6 87 Brandon Lafell CIN 9 44 Josh Doctson WAS 9

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FakePigskin.com Tight Ends (PPR Scoring)

RANK PLAYER TEAM BYE 1 Rob Gronkowski NE 9 2 Jordan Reed WAS 9 3 Greg Olsen CAR 7 4 Delanie Walker TEN 13 5 Travis Kelce KC 5 6 Gary Barnidge CLE 13 7 Tyler Eifert CIN 9 8 Julius Thomas JAC 5 9 Coby Fleener NO 5 10 PHI 4 11 Antonio Gates SD 11 12 SD 11 13 Martellus Bennett NE 9 14 Zach Miller CHI 9 15 Eric Ebron DET 10 16 Austin Seferian-Jenkins TB 6 17 Clive Walford OAK 10 18 Dwayne Allen IND 10 19 Ben Watson BAL 8 20 Jason Witten DAL 7 21 Will Tye NYG 8 22 Jimmy Graham SEA 5 23 Kyle Rudolph MIN 6 24 Charles Clay BUF 10 25 Richard Rodgers GB 4 26 Vance McDonald SF 8 27 Jordan Cameron MIA 8 28 Jared Cook GB 4 29 ATL 11 30 BAL 8 31 SD 11 32 Jacob Tamme ATL 11 33 Darren Fells ARI 9

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FakePigskin.com Tight Ends (Standard Scoring)

RANK PLAYER TEAM BYE 1 Rob Gronkowski NE 9 2 Jordan Reed WAS 9 3 Greg Olsen CAR 7 4 Tyler Eifert CIN 9 5 Delanie Walker TEN 13 6 Travis Kelce KC 5 7 Gary Barnidge CLE 13 8 Julius Thomas JAC 5 9 Zach Ertz PHI 4 10 Coby Fleener NO 5 11 Antonio Gates SD 11 12 Ladarius Green SD 11 13 Martellus Bennett NE 9 14 Eric Ebron DET 10 15 Dwayne Allen IND 10 16 Zach Miller CHI 9 17 Austin Seferian-Jenkins TB 6 18 Clive Walford OAK 10 19 Jimmy Graham SEA 5 20 Ben Watson BAL 8 21 Kyle Rudolph MIN 6 22 Jason Witten DAL 7 23 Will Tye NYG 8 24 Richard Rodgers GB 4 25 Charles Clay BUF 10 26 Austin Hooper ATL 11 27 Vance McDonald SF 8 28 Jared Cook GB 4 29 Jordan Cameron MIA 8 30 Maxx Williams BAL 8 31 Hunter Henry SD 11 32 Darren Fells ARI 9 33 Jacob Tamme ATL 11

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FakePigskin.com Top Rookies (Redraft Format)

RANK PLAYER RANK PLAYER 1 Ezekiel Elliott 19 Jordan Howard 2 Corey Coleman 20 Rashard Higgins 3 Laquon Treadwell 21 Austin Hooper 4 Josh Doctson 22 Jonathan Williams 5 Sterling Shepard 23 Jordan Payton 6 Michael Thomas 24 Paxton Lynch 7 Derrick Henry 25 Pharoh Cooper 8 Kenneth Dixon 26 Josh Ferguson 9 Alex Collins 27 Chris Moore 10 DeAndre Washington 28 Braxton Miller 11 Tyler Boyd 29 12 Devontae Booker 30 Carson Wentz 13 Paul Perkins 31 Tyler Ervin 14 CJ Prosise 32 Kenyan Drake 15 Malcolm Mitchell 33 16 Wendell Smallwood 34 Keith Marshall 17 Will Fuller 35 18 Jared Goff

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FakePigskin.com Top Rookies (Dynasty Format)

RANK KYLE RANK KYLE 1 Ezekiel Elliott 18 Jared Goff 2 Corey Coleman 19 Carson Wentz 3 Laquon Treadwell 20 Paul Perkins 4 Josh Doctson 21 Jordan Howard 5 Sterling Shepard 22 Pharoh Cooper 6 Kenneth Dixon 23 Demarcus Robinson 7 Michael Thomas 24 Keyarris Garrett 8 Derrick Henry 25 Rashard Higgins 9 Devontae Booker 26 Jonathan Williams 10 CJ Prosise 27 Paxton Lynch 11 Malcolm Mitchell 28 Wendell Smallwood 12 Leonte Carroo 29 Tyler Ervin 13 Tyler Boyd 30 Braxton Miller 14 Will Fuller 31 Chris Moore 15 Tajae Sharpe 32 Austin Hooper 16 Alex Collins 33 Kenyan Drake 17 DeAndre Washington 34 Keith Marshall

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FakePigskin.com Top 50 Defensive Linemen (IDP Scoring, Redraft Format) Bee Salamat

1. JJ Watt, DE HOU 26. Mario Edwards, DE OAK 2. Robert Quinn, DE LAR 27. Cameron Wake, DE MIA 3. Muhammad Wilkerson, DE NYJ 28. Robert Ayers, DE TBB 4. Ziggy Ansah, DE DET 29. Mike Daniels, DE GBP 5. Everson Griffen, DE MIN 30. Devin Taylor, DE DET 6. Carlos Dunlap, DE CIN 31. Derek Wolfe, DE DEN 7. Olivier Vernon, DE NYG 32. , DE NEP 8. Calais Campbell, DE ARI 33. Henry Anderson, DE IND 9. , DE NOS 34. Connor Barwin, DE PHI 10. , DE NEP 35. Geno Atkins, DT CIN 11. Aaron Donald, DT LAR 36. Ndamukong Suh, DT MIA 12. , DT PHI 37. Cliff Avril, DE SEA 13. Cameron Heyward, DE PIT 38. Sheldon Richardson, DE NYJ 14. Leonard Williams, DE NYJ 39. Corey Liuget, DE SDC 15. Michael Bennett, DE SEA 40. Jacquies Smith, DE TBB 16. Jason Pierre Paul, DE NYG 41. Dante Fowler, DE JAC 17. , DE CAR 42. Marcell Dareus, DT BUF 18. Jurrell Casey, DE TEN 43. Frank Clark, DE SEA 19. Malik Jackson, DE JAC 44. Charles Johnson, DE CAR 20. Danielle Hunter, DE MIN 45. Derrick Shelby, DE ATL 21. DeMarcus Lawrence, DE DAL 46. , DT NEP 22. Kawann Short, DT CAR 47. , DE PHI 23. Stephon Tuitt, DE PIT 48. Joey Bosa, DE SDC 24. , DE PHI 49. Michael Johnson,DECIN 25. Jaye Howard, DE KCC 50. Mario Williams,DEMIA

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FakePigskin.com Top 50 Linebackers (IDP Scoring, Redraft Format) Bee Salamat 1. JAMIE COLLINS, NEP 31. , PIT 2. NAVORRO BOWMAN, SF 32. STEPHONE ANTHONY, NOS 3. , CAR 33. TAHIR WHITEHEAD, DET 4. TELVIN SMITH, JAC 34. AVERY WILLIAMSON, TEN 5. CJ MOSLEY, BAL 35. KEENAN ROBINSON, NYG 6. , LAR 36. , LAR 7. LAVONTE DAVID, TBB 37. MYLES JACK, JAC 8. DEONE BUCANNON, ARI 38. , BUF 9. DEANDRE LEVY, DET 39. BENARDRICK MCKINNEY, HOU 10. SEAN LEE, DAL 40. JELANI JENKINS, MIA 11. BOBBY WAGNER, SEA 41. CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY, CLE 12. DERRICK JOHNSON, KCC 42. BRIAN CUSHING, HOU 13. BRANDON MARSHALL, DEN 43. ANTHONY HITCHENS, DAL . DQWELL JACK“ON, IND 44. , ARI 15. KARLOS DANSBY, CIN 45. , CLE 16. , PHI 46. ZACHARY ORR, BAL 17. VONTAZE BURFICT, CIN* 47. WILL COMPTON, WAS 18. , PHI 48. DONT'A HIGHTOWER, NEP 19. THOMAS DAVIS, CAR 49. DEVONDRE CAMPBELL, ATL 20. MALCOLM SMITH, OAK 50. BEN HEENEY, OAK 21. ERIC KENDRICKS, MIN 51. KEVIN MINTER, ARI 22. KWON ALEXANDER, TBB 52. WESLEY WOODYARD, TEN 23. DANNY TREVATHAN, CHI 53. RYAN KERRIGAN, WAS 24. PRESTON BROWN, BUF 54. DARRON LEE, NYJ 25. DENZEL PERRYMAN, SDC 55. PAUL POSLUSZNY, JAC 26. , PIT 56. KIKO ALONSO, MIA 27. KJ WRIGHT, SEA 57. DAVID HARRIS, NYJ 28. KHALIL MACK, OAK 58. SHAQ THOMPSON, CAR 29. JERRELL FREEMAN, CHI 59. JAKE RYAN, GBP 30. ANTHONY BARR, MIN 60. , NYJ

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FakePigskin.com Top 50 Defensive Backs (IDP Scoring, Redraft Format) Bee Salamat

1. Reshad Jones, MIA 31. Jason McCourty, TEN 2. Harrison Smith, MIN 32. Karl Joseph, OAK 3. Tyrann Mathieu, ARI 33. Adam Jones, CIN 4. , NYG 34. Janoris Jenkins, NYG 5. Eric Weddle, BAL 35. Shawn Williams, CIN 6. Morgan Burnett, GBP 36. Dwight Lowery, SDC 7. , BUF 37. Kurt Coleman, CAR 8. , PHI 38. Isa AbdulQuddus, MIA 9. HaHa Clinton Dix, GBP 39. Earl Thomas, SEA 10. Marcus Peters, KCC 40. Chris Conte, TBB 11. Trumaine Johnson, LAR 41. Rashad Johnson, TEN 12. Reggie Nelson, OAK 42. Jahleel Addae, SDC 13. , ATL 43. Byron Jones, DAL 14. Tashaun Gipson, JAC 44. , NEP 15. Eric Berry, KCC 45. Michael Griffin, MIN 16. Kam Chancellor, SEA 46. TJ Ward, DEN 17. Johnathan Cyprien, JAC 47. David Amerson, OAK 18. , BUF 48. Mike Adams, IND 19. Ron Parker, KCC 49. Jairus Byrd, NOS 20. Bashaud Breeland, WAS 50. , CLE 21. Clayton Geathers, IND 51. Ricardo Allen, ATL 22. Aaron Williams, BUF 52. George Iloka, CIN 23. Tony Jefferson, ARI 53. Glover Quin, DET 24. Calvin Pryor, NYJ 54. Bradley McDougald, TBB 25. Barry Church, DAL 55. Eli Apple, NYG 26. Kenny Vaccaro, NOS 56. , CAR 27. Jaquiski Tartt, SF 57. Rafael Bush, DET 28. Adrian Amos, CHI 58. Darian Thompson, NYG 29. , JAC 59. Sean Smith, OAK 30. Ibraheim Campbell, CLE 60. Miles Killebrew, DET

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ANATOMY OF A DYNASTY TRADE (MATT LANE)

The Art of Dynasty Trading Pt. I – Acquiring your Target With the NFL Draft complete, and most likely your Dynasty Rookie Draft as well, now is not the time to snooze. You can improve your roster through trades whilst you wait for the clock to tick down to Week 1, and there is a specific art of managing trades. This is especially for Dynasty Leagues but of course much of it can be applied to redraft leagues as well.

I think trades are a much undervalued and underutilized way of building a winning Dynasty Franchise. So much focus is put on the drafts and most players are very able when it comes to draft strategy but by increasing your knowledge of trading and trade techniques you can get that edge over fellow owners and master a winning formula.

My Offseason

I only play in one Dynasty League where I am the sole owner of the franchise, and last season I managed to find a way to finish dead last. This was despite scoring the sixth (out of 16) most points. Frankly this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I managed to use my picks to grab a host of players that would improve my weakest area (offense, as opposed to my IDPs) whilst keeping some top picks and not mortgaging my future. I would now class my roster among the best in my league and with a little more luck can reach the playoffs this time around.

After a veteran of so many trades, I thought it was only fair to share something I'd consider an at. That eig said, I o eas Va Gogh, eause I hae oth of eas ad ost of wits. This is merely a guideline that you can road test next time you want to make that big move for your guy.

The Golden Rules

There is no perfect set of methods for dynasty trading, but follow these steps and you can give yourself a solid foundation for future transactions when trying to acquire a player you love, and offload a guy who stinks.

1. Stay friendly with your league mates – Dot udeestiate the poe of gudges. If ou paade a i oe a league ate aoe ad eod the aeptale sak-talk, the ot foget it, ad he oue opetig fo a pized asset that is up fo gas, soe people ill happily accept slightly less if it means rubbing your nose in it. This can also be true for owners who are inactive for large periods, do not respond to trade offers, or make dozens of low-ball offers for players. Do not be that guy. You have to understand that to a large extent your league ates ae ell ifoed ad ot aept, sa, a sith-round pick and Quinton Patton for Michael Floyd, no matter which way you dress it up. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 50

2. If you offer a trade, be prepared for it to be accepted – This sounds so basic, but if you offer soeoe a deal ake sue ou ould e happ if the aepted! Dot idl offe a hadful of deals late at night just to see what it could potentially mean for your roster, you can work out these theoetiall itig the do. You dot at to ake up i old seats to fid your drunken offers have been readily confirmed.

3. Your initial offer should never be your best – If youe illig to pat ith sa, a seod oud pik fo a plae, ee go staight i ith that offe. You shouldt lo-ball league mates, but you should always give yourself more room to maneuver for future trades. Most good trades come after lengthy discussion and counter proposals.

4. Take time to evaluate your target – whether this is a target you want to trade for, or a osteed plae ou at to get id of, ou eed to e sue if its the ight hoie. Ask aoud (but outside of the league), read articles, and make sure that the value you have in mind is both fai ad good alue. You dot at to sped all offseaso hutig do a plae ad the fid that he ou hae hi it ast oth the effot ad the daage.

The Trade Process – Acquiring a Target In this example, say that you are extremely interested in a player because you believe he is udealued, o his situatio has just haged fo the ette. This plae oulde oe off a tough year or been hurt. Either way, you want this guy on you tea ad oue ead to oe plaes ad piks to get hi. Fo aguets sake, this plaes ae is Ben Rogers and he plays at Wide Receiver. Your value limit on Rogers is two 2nd round picks, or player equivalent.

Step 1 – Make first contact with the trade partner: This should not be a message or a trade offer directly for your guy. If you immediately say you want him you are already giving your partner an advantage. The best way to approach your partner is tentatively. Let him know you are interested i pikig up a W‘, ou dot ee eed to etio ‘oges ae at this poit. The ost ase seaio is that he tells ou he is off the board, but more likely he is open to an offer.

Step 2 – Make your first proposal(s): Now this should be a lower offer than you are prepared to give, without being insulting. Make offers for a handful of WRs on his roster, preferably for some that are better than Rogers if you can. You could offer 2 seconds for his top WR (knowing that he could well accept, but expecting a rejection) and then a second and a third for another top WR, and finally your offer for your real target should be 2 or 3 steps below your limit, in this case, two 3rd round picks.

Step 3 – Barter for your target:

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At this point your partner will reject all three trades, saying none are enough to tempt him – if he aepts a ou ko oue got ouself a asolute steal ad a alk aa happ. But rejections are to be expected. Now you can move in on your real target. You should begin your next trade offer, this time just for Rogers, but state that you are concerned about 1, 2 or 3 areas. You could mention any of the following, if they apply:

● Iju toules, doest eed to e eet, a steth ak to ollege. ● He doest ok ell ith his QB, is thee a change in the WR corps or QB? ● It ist a good sste fit, does he hae a e oah? Is it a passig offese? ● He has off-field toules, agai this doest eed to e eet. ● Hes too old, o he hast poed hiself at a NFL leel et if he has, ou can say he hast ee osistet eough. As I said, this has to be true, or your partner will wise up. Ultimately you are lowering the value of the player you want subtly. Never mention any positives, there is no need. In this offer you should slightly increase your original offer, in this case from two 3rd round picks to two 3rd round picks and a 5th. You eed to stess that this is a isk fo ou ad ou dot at to pa the Eath fo this gu. Fakl ou aet oel kee o the idea aa.

Step 4 – Gradually build up to your best offer: Assuming your second offer is not accepted, you can now continue to lower the value of your target and gradually increase your offer to your limit. Never go beyond your limit and do not appear too eager at this early stage. A few hours of silent consideration can go a long way. You can even throw in some players you are hoping to get rid of anyway, even some guys who are on your roster bubble. Make sure they are actually worth something and again talk up their recent pefoaes ad eethig aout thei situatio as a positie ... Id loe to keep hi, hes a solid plae ut I just at fit hi i statig lieup.

Step 5 – Make your best offer: If you get this far, do not consider it a failure. However at this point you must stress to your partner how far you have come from your first offer and that you really struggled to get this high. Pla the I' doig ou a ig fao hee, ood ould offe this uh fo ‘oges, ut I' so desperate to land him, this is fial offe. Its fie to e despeate hee, assuig ou have exhausted all other options.

Following these steps will not guarantee you a trade, especially if your partner is an experienced dynasty player and an active fantasy football enthusiast. But I guarantee it will improve your chances of getting the best possible deal. Some people will overvalue their own players so much a trade is impossible. Do not over pay and move onto a new target.

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Part Two I'll be back explaining how to get rid of a player you no longer need or want, and how to maximize a player's value in a trade.

The Art of Dynasty Trading Pt. 2 – Maximizing Trade Value In Part One I talked about how to go about grabbing your target and minimizing your spend. No ell flip it oe ad talk aout ho to jettiso plaes ou eall dot at, ad also ho to get the best value from a useful player.

The Trade Process – Maximizing Trade Value In this example, you have rostered too many RBs. You can only start a maximum of 2, and you have 3 you are very happy starting each week. The 4th player is not great, but could start on a ouple of oes ostes depedig o athups. Fo aguets sake the plaes ae is Noel Davidson. This example could also work if the player has come off a big season and you are ready to dispose of him at a high price whilst the value is still there. The same steps apply.

Step 1 – Identify potential trade partners This is easy. Look at your league mates, which is desperate at RB, who has spent a season plugging every known RB in the NFL into his lineup and picked up and dropped seemingly every RB you could name. This is your guy. The more potential partners the better in this situation. You want to start a bidding war.

Step 2 – Make first contact with trade partner(s) This should be done via a private message. Do not say that Davidson is available, tell your partner that you are looking to pick up draft picks, or that you want to improve at a position. He will compare rosters and see his weakness is your strength. Ask him to make you an offer, or ask hi hih plaes o positios he is iteested i. If at this poit he doest etio ‘Bs, ou a ed the deal thee ad the. Dot get despeate ad offe hi out dietl.

Step 3 – Make an offer/counter

If he hast ade ou a offe, ake hi a ouple fo a ouple of diffeet ‘Bs. Its up to ou what you request but make sure you ask for quite a bit more than they are worth of course. You ould ee tell hi, afte his iitial offe I so ut i ot interested in trading that gu, hoee I ight e ale to pat ith Daidso fo the ight pie If he offes fo oth.

Step 4 – Talk your player up You want to talk this guy up, everything about him that could be positive you need to mention, any negatives can be swept under the carpet and dismissed. You need to act as though this guy FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 53 is ou faoite plae ad losig hi as ot pat of the log te pla. If hes oug, hes pat of ou futue, if hes old the oue elied o hi so log. ‘eee, ou pate doest know you are actively trading him.

Step 5 – Initiate a bidding war Once you have grabbed interest from multiple owners, you can private message each of them, and let them know that there are multiple parties who want Davidson. This can rush teams into akig paiked deisios. You dot eed to let o hat has ee offeed, ad to sae ou soul fo the deil, ou shouldt lie eithe. But it does help stoke the fie.

Step 6 – Take the best offer Once you have got the best offer, you can let the other parties know you are going to accept it – unless they can beat it. Here you can get a couple of extra late picks or maybe the odd flier at othe positios to suppleet uet offes. Its all aout aiizig alue. In this example you will have got the best price possible for your player, as you let nobody know he was available, allowed your partners to think they were the ones making the initial interest, and then played them off each other to maximize the player's value.

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CHICAGO BEARS (JOSH HONSES)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com) QB: Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer, , Connor Shaw RB: Jeremy Langford, Ka'deem Carey, Jordan Howard, Jacquizz Rodgers, Senorise Perry FB: (TE), Paul Lasike WR: Alshon Jeffery, Kevin White, Eddie Royal, Marquess Wilson (inj),Marc Mariani (KR/PR), , Deonte Thompson,Cameron Meredith, Joshua Bellamy, Darrin Peterson, Derek Keaton,Kieren Duncan TE: Zach Miller, Ben Braunecker, , ,Gannon Sinclair K: Robbie Gould

TEAM OUTLOOK

The Chicago Bears left a lot to be desired last season last season from the offensive perspective. This is going to be a transition period for the Bears with it being their first season without Matt Forte. It was also evident that they need someone to fill the void for Brandon Marshall, a role that a hodgepodge of receivers struggled with adapting to last season. But the focal point of the offense is Jay Cutler and the success of the offense starts with him.

Cutler has the talent and arm strength to be a top 12 fantasy quarterback. He has shown flashes before that he can make the necessary throws all over the field and be the leader of the Bears offense. But the biggest problem with Jay Cutler has always been Jay Cutler. Can he stay otiated he thigs aet goig ell fo the Beas? Will he shake off that iteeptio he just threw while under pressure? When Cutler has the time to stay in the pocket, the Bears offense can be more than serviceable and he makes for a solid bye week replacement. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 56

Jeremy Langford proved he can carry some of the workload last season when Matt Forte went down. In the weeks that he was the starter, he found the end zone in all three games. The Bears addressed adding depth to the backfield with Jordan Howard in the draft. KaDee Cae is still thee ad a e a hage of pae ak, ut the jo is Lagfods fo o. Ho he espods i the upcoming season is one of the biggest question marks for the team and fantasy football players.

Alshon Jeffery stepped up in a big way with the departure of Brandon Marshall last season but he ouldt sta o the field ith a aiet of ijuies. Whe he as o the field, he as productive but the passing game suffered greatly with no true number two receiver. Kevin White should be fully healthy after missing his entire rookie campaign, but how he adapts to the NFL will be something fantasy owners will keep their eyes on. Eddie Royal is still there and has Cutles tust ut the Beas dafted Daiel Baea to opete fo that thid receiver slot. The receiving corps is improved and should shine with the Bears defense being as bad as it is at defedig the pass. Thell eed to soe poits to sta opetitie i gaes.

Lastly, Martellus Bennett is another big name that has left the Bears offense. Zach Miller poed he a e podutie if gie a hae ut its suh a sall saple size that its had to completely trust him. Only time will tell how explosive the Bears offense can be and if they worth investing for fantasy owners.

STUD - ALSHON JEFFERY

To sa Alsho Jeffe as a disappoitet last seaso doest do it justie fo fatas oes. When he was on the field, he was one of the best receivers from a fantasy perspective. He only started eight games last season but almost notched 100 targets during that span. With no Brandon Marshall anymore, Jeffery should continue to receive the majority of the targets even with the additions to the offense.

A healthy Kei White gies the Beas aothe eeiig optio opposite of Jeffe. Hes another big receiver that allows the Bears to move Jeffery around different formations to produce the best matchup all over the field. The new additions to the offensive line between free agency and the draft bodes well for Jeffrey because it should allow Cutler to stay in the pocket and deliver the ball to him.

If ou look at Jeffes shot aee, its eas to see hes oe of the peie oug eeies i the league. In his two fully healthy seasons, he surpassed 1,100 yards and 7 scores in those two seasos. Ijuies ae the ae of fatas footall ad thee ipossile to pedit. A plae a go do at a tie so that doest sa e aa fo iestig i Jeffe this fantasy

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 57 seaso. If his past podutio is a idiatio of hat to epet fo, its a ight futue fo fantasy owners.

SLEEPER – ZACH MILLER

I know that I spent some time downplaying Zack Miller in the Team Outlook, but I might be the highest believer of him outside of Chicago.

In order to see Miller as a sleeper, you have to look at the landscape of the tight end position. Rob Gronkowski is looking at missing his star QB for the first four weeks of the season. Delanie Walkes podutio higes on the arm of Marcus Mariota and how much better their young eeies a e so he ist the sole optio i the passig gae. Joda ‘eed is oe hit aa from CTE leaking out of his helmet. Travis Kelce is in a run-oriented offense and Tyler Eifert is still banged up from last season and is set to miss some regular season games. Those are the top five guys at the position. The tight end position is up for grabs this year that almost anyone can be a TE1 this season.

Miller played second fiddle to Martellus Bennett last season. When Bennett went down with an iju, he aaged to haul i fie soed oe a see gae steth. While that ist a igig edoseet oe suh a sall saple size, its had to ague ith his podutio duig that time.

Now Bennett is gone and Miller is slated to be the guy in Chicago. The Bears offense relies heavily on the tight end to catch balls over the middle of the field. Having big receivers Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White means more linebackers will be covering him in the passing game. Miller showed flashes last season of exploiting that matchup and will continue to be a red zone threat for Jay Cutler.

Ill e hoest, Mille ist soeoe ho I a ofotale ith eig ee eek state. But he is definitely a guy that I am willing to take a chance on late in the draft or plug in because of iju/e eek eplaeet. If eethig goes Milles a this seaso, its ot out the eal of possibility for him to finish in the top 10.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – JORDAN HOWARD

Howard is a big, bruising back that can absolutely run over the competition. He was projected as a late second or early third round pick that fell to the fifth round when the Bears snatched him up in the draft this year.

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While Howard may not have landed in a premiere position like Ezekiel Elliott, he will be given a chance to compete for the starting job. Jeremy Langford is the de facto starter because of his production last season but head coach John Fox has committed to giving every player an opportunity to compete for the starting job. This is partly due to Langford falling off at the end of last season. When the Bears needed him the most late into games, often he was stuffed at the lie o ast ale to get the fist do i shot adage situatio. This is exactly where Howard can excel for them.

The iggest pole that Hoad ill fae i Chiago is touhes. Hes a gu that eeds + carries a game in order to be effective. He also needs to be better in the passing game, as catching the ball out of the backfield is not his strong suit. But when he gets his momentum goig foad, hes a load to take do. I ouldt suggest takig Hoad ith the assuptio that hes goig to e the lead ak eause its eal i the seaso, ut hes a asolute ust grab for all Jeremy Langford owners as a handcuff.

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DETROIT LIONS (PAUL BATTS)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Matthew Stafford, Dan Orlovsky, Jake Rudock RB: Ameer Abdullah (KR), Theo Riddick (3RB), Zach Zenner (SD),Stevan Ridley (SD), Dwayne Washington, George Winn FB: Michael Burton WR: Golden Tate (PR), Marvin Jones, Anquan Boldin, TJ Jones (KR/PR), Jeremy Kerley, Andre Caldwell, Corey Fuller (inj), Andre Roberts, Ryan Spadola, Jay Lee, Quinshad Davis, Jace Billingsley TE: Eric Ebron, Brandon Pettigrew (inj), Cole Wick, Matthew Mulligan, Adam Fuehne, Ben McCord, Tim Wright (IR) K: Matt Prater

TEAM OUTLOOK

It was a tale of two season for the Lions in 2015. After starting the season 1-6 the team limped all the way across the pond to get throttled 45-10 in week 8 in Wembley Stadium, spelling the end of the era in The Motor City. Along with Mayhew went team president Tom Lewand and several coaches, most notably offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. What happened next was somewhat surprising as Quarterback Coach Jim Bob Cooter took over offensive coordinator duties and helped lead the team to wins in 6 of its last 8 games, along with a last second loss to Green Bay on Aaron Rodgers (in?)famous Hail Mary. The mini- resurgence of that Lions team was enough for incoming GM Bob Quinn to keep Jim Bob in his role as OC as well as retaining Head Coach Jim Caldwell and DC Teryl Austin. Time will tell if this was a wise decision by the first time GM but in the interest of continuity it can be argued that this will be solid move for a Lions team that is still young enough and has enough talent to FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 60 avoid a complete rebuild.

Unfortunately for the Lions, and NFL fans as a whole, future Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson shocked the football world by taking an early retirement at the young age of 30. Megatron will obviously be missed, as he was one of the best players in the entire league and has been the focal point for the Lion's offense for the better part of a decade. To help replace some of Calvin's production the Lions locked up ex-Bengals wideout Marvin Jones on the first day of free agency. Nobody expects Jones to replace the production of a player of Johnson's caliber, but I feel like Jones has underrated potential and at just 25 years old, should have his best years ahead of him. The Lions did little else to replace Johnson in free agency or the draft so his 156 targets will need to be distributed elsewhere. Look for Jones to get the Lion's share (pun intended) while Golden Tate, Eric Ebron and the running backs all see bumps in production. There's not a lot of top end potential on this team but I believe there are relative values to be had considering where these guys are being drafted. Quinn used his first draft to bolster the offensive line that was one of the worst in the league but features several high draft picks who are still young and developing. If this unit gels and matures it could bring sneaky good value for guys like Stafford, Abdullah, Riddick, Tate, Jones and Ebron.

STUD – GOLDEN TATE

O a tea deoid of a tue stud plae, Golde Tate is ou est et fo fatas podutio. Tate has earned the trust of his coaches and quarterback with his precise route running and sure hands (3 dropped passes last year) so I expect Tate to pick up where he left off in 2015. Tate was already second on the team in targets with 132 in and The Lions will need to replace Johnson's usage. As stated above, expect most of those targets to go to Jones but Tate should see a slight increase as well. I feel like a reasonable projection for Golden is 150 targets making 100 catches and 8-10 touchdowns well within reach; putting him squarely in WR2 territory with WR1 upside. Not bad value at his current 5th round ADP.

SLEEPER – THEO RIDDICK

Ill adit I et ak ad foth o this oe. I epet Ei Eo to fiall eak out ad eliee that Matthew Stafford is being overlooked in drafts this year. I ultimately decided on Riddick while researching average draft position on myfantasyleague.com. I was absolutely floored to see Riddick's ADP sitting at 125 To put that into perspective, Martavis Bryant is being drafted, o aeage, piks late. I ealize that Bat is a feak ut the dudes ot ee plaig this year (by the way, I filtered drafts that stated afte Jue , so that is Bats uet ADP. What you are getting in Riddick is a guy coming off an 80 catch season, was 3rd on his team in targets, and was RB18 in PPR leagues ... in the 10th round! In additional to those numbers, the coaching staff has hited at gettig ‘iddik oe ioled i the uig gae ad its had to iagie

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 61 he doest ipoe o his touhdos fo a ea ago. Ho thee ae uig aks eig dafted ahead of ‘iddik, I at eplai, ut it is a situation that I plan on exploiting until the market is corrected and I suggest you do the same. Oh, by the way, he dropped exactly zero alls last ea, if that does't eate tust fo ou uateak the I dot ko hat ill.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – DWAYNE WASHINGTON

In the interest of full disclosure, I think Washington is a long shot to make the team. After Abdullah and Riddick there is a logjam at the running back position. Zach Zenner flashed potential last year before going down with a serious injury and Stevan Ridley was brought in to compete for early down work. Washington is a raw prospect and a converted wide receiver who will have a hard time earning a spot. What the former Husky does bring to the table is freakish physical attributes and he was hand-picked by the current regime. If the rookie can show enough in camp to earn a roster spot, he has tremendous upside. My best guess is that he lads o the patie suad ut I ill e takig shots late i dafts just i ase he stiks. Hes mostly a dynasty stash for me, however.

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GREEN BAY PACKERS (DAMIAN DOBROWSKI)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Aaron Rodgers, , Joe Callahan, Marquise Williams RB: Eddie Lacy, James Starks, John Crockett, Brandon Burks,Brandon Ross, Don Johnson FB: Aaron Ripkowski, Alstevis Squirewell WR: Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Jared Abbrederis, Jeff Janis (KR), Ty Montgomery (inj), Trevor Davis, Geronimo Allison, Jamel Johnson, Ed Williams, Herb Waters, Harvey Binford TE: Richard Rodgers, Jared Cook, Justin Perillo, Kennard Backman, Casey Pierce, Mitchell Henry K: Mason Crosby

TEAM OUTLOOK

Over the past several seasons the Packers have been one of the most consistent and explosive offenses in all of football. With Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy and Jordy Nelson, Green Bay has a dominant skill position trio to pair with an opportunistic defense and reliable special teams. The franchise has won double-digit games in four the last five years and is a perennial Super Bowl contender.

That said from a fantasy perspective 2015 was an extremely disappointing season for this club, both collectively and individually. The offense finished 24th in total yards, 26th in passing yards and 29th i ads pe pla. Nues like that see uiagiale fo a uit thats led ‘odges, pehaps the ost taleted QB to ee pla the gae. Hoee, thees a pett logical

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 63 explanation for how this all came to be. Nelson tore his ACL in the preseason, Lacy ate his way out of gae shape ad oth ‘adall Co ad Daate Adas poed that thee fa ette suited as role players than go-to guys.

Yet despite these developments the fantasy outlook for the 2016 Packers remains extremely positive. Green Bay selected only one offensive skill position player among their six draft picks this ea, a lea sig fo aageet that thee ieig last seasos stuggles as a isolated incident. All indications are that Jordy Nelson is fully recovered from his surgery and Eddie Lacy appears to have had a far more constructive off-season this time around. The addition of free agent TE Jared Cook should bolster the passing attack even further and I fully expect this offense to resemble the dominant unit we saw from 2011-2014.

Vegas has set the over/under for Green Bay wins this year at 10.5, tied for the highest of any team. Now you may not think this has any relation to fantasy podutio, ut its a pett good idiato of oeall tea suess. Futhe, its patiulal useful he daftig o steaig defeses. You at a uit thats goig to e plaig fo ahead ad that should etail e the case with the Packers. Lastly, Ill sa that I aluig gus like ‘odges, La, Nelso ad Cobb virtually the same as we were this time last year.

STUD – AARON RODGERS

For me this is the top quarterback in the game right now, both in reality and fantasy. Be it by the eye-test or advanced metrics, Rodgers is an all-time great. Prior to last season and excluding 2013 when he only played 9 games, A-Rod has been a top-two fantasy QB every year sie . No I get that ou at just igoe ad those ith ee ias a ee ague that it has ieased eleae, ut I just dot see it haig a ipat oig foad. ‘odges stuggles last seaso ee dietl tied to injuries and underperformance within his suppotig ast, ot a delie i his skills o ailit. I ofidet that the Pakes offese has resolved the issues that plagued them in 2015 and if anything maybe those concerns will be able to get you a slight discount at the draft table.

Having said all that, my case for Rodgers is in the context of a vacuum relative to other options at the position. In practice, his ADP currently sits at 29.5 and I would personally never take a QB that early in a draft. Now I actually do believe that he can return third round value, but the problem is that the gap in ADP between Rodgers and guys like Eli Manning, Andy Dalton and Kirk Cousins is typically far greater than the expected difference in their production. And when paired with the opportunity cost, spending a top 40 pick on a QB is simply not my preferred strategy when building a roster.

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SLEEPER – JEFF JANIS

Its iedile ho polaizig of a plae Jais has eoe gie that ee talkig aout someone with fou aee egula seasos eeptios. Hes asiall the Chistie Mihael of ide eeies; a plae ith geat phsial tools ho fo oe easo o aothe at see to get o the field. No i the past Ie ee ilied to disiss Jais ased o a variety of situational factors. Neither Rodgers nor McCarthy seemed to be particularly fond of him and thee ee plet of uos aout his iailit to gasp Gee Bas ople passig offese. However some more recent developments have made me far moe optiisti aout Jais fantasy outlook for 2016.

First, Davante Adams had one of the most inefficient seasons for a WR in NFL history in 2015. Fo all the oplaits aout Jais, I hae a had tie elieig he ouldt e a ipoeet over that. And how could the Packers even know that without actually giving him a shot? Anyway, there are reports that Adams is now in danger of being cut and without a clear no. 3 option behind Nelson and Cobb, it sure looks as if Janis will finally get his opportunity in 2016.

Second, following a Cobb injury, Janis almost single handedly kept Green Bay in the game during their eventual overtime loss to the Cardinals in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. He finished that game with 7 catches for 145 yards including a 60-yard catch on 4th and 20 and a 41-yard Hail Ma o the last pla of egulatio. No I get that e dot at to oeeat to oe gae, ut its lea that Jais has the phsial skills to sueed i this league. Wee see it every year during the preseason ad o hes ee sho it to us o the ig stage.

Ill adit thees a ide age of outoes ith Jais ad its ee possile hes a oplete zeo this ea. That said thees also the hae that Nelso is slo oig out of the gates ad Janis takes oe as the teas pia deep theat. If eethig eaks ight I a see a -750- 6 season here.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – TREVOR DAVIS

As I mentioned before the Packers spent six of their seven draft picks on the defensive side of the all so thee eet a optios i this aea. Ad hile Ie ade affetio fo Jais e lea, thees o deig the fat that the ak-end of this receiving corps is full of questions. Neither Jared Abbrederis nor Ty Montgomery has cemented their roles yet and theres a elief that Dais ould e the teas log-te pla at the positio. Hes a eplosie athlete . , . etial ho tested e ell at the oie ad offes additioal appeal as a etu a. I ot peditig a ajo ipat fo Dais i 2016, but given his QB and offensive system he certainly has some appeal in deeper dynasty formats.

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MINNESOTA VIKINGS (STEVE SCHULZ)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com) QB: Teddy Bridgewater, Shaun Hill, Taylor Heinicke, Joel Stave RB: Adrian Peterson, Jerick McKinnon, , Jhurell Pressley, Blake Renaud FB: Zach Line WR: Stefon Diggs (PR), Laquon Treadwell, Jarius Wright, Charles Johnson, (KR), Mortiz Boehringer, Adam Thielen, Isaac Freuchte, TE: Kyle Rudolph, MyCole Pruitt, Rhett Ellison, David Morgan, Brian Leonhardt, Kyle Carter K: Blair Walsh

TEAM OUTLOOK

Believe it or not – ad Ie eified this though multiple sources – the Minnesota Vikings were the NFC North champions in 2015. Can they repeat in 2016? The Green Bay Packers stand in their way, but the excitement of a new stadium, a coach who is finally getting his due respect (and a new contract), and a young team rallying around an underrated quarterback should provide an etetaiig ad opetitie seaso fo Head Coah Mike )ies tea.

The purple pigskinners turned in an 11-5 regular season, capped off with a win at Lambeau Field over Green Bay to clinch the division. Following a 7- apaig i , oud thik the team would be happy with such an improvement, right? Perhaps, but in true Vikings style, the team blew what appeared to be a playoff win vs. Seattle when Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard chip shot – badly – sending the shocked Vikings to the showers.

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2015 saw the return of Adrian Peterson from suspension, and Peterson turned an age-defying performance (more on him later.) The other big story in 2015 was the success of the draft class. Although first-rounder CB Trae Waynes made only minor contributions, the down-ballot contributions of the 2015 draft class had Vikings fans forgetting about many of GM Rick “pielas daft isses. “eod-rounder Eric Kendricks immediately became a force in the Vikigs lieakig ops, joiig fello UCLA Bui Anthony Barr. The Vikings also got significant contributions from other members of the draft class, such as OT T.J. Clemmings, a fourth-rounder who was pressed into duty at right tackle after Phil Loadholt went down with injury; Stefon Diggs, a fifth-round WR whose quick feet and ability to separate made him one of QB Tedd Bidgeates faoite tagets. Defesie ed Daielle Hute also logged oe ad more snaps as the season wore on, and made the most of his opportunities while sharing a rotation with DE Brian Robison. In 2016, Waynes is looking to contribute more to the seoda, as is ookie Makezie Aleade. But s daft lass is all aout the ig W‘ at the top: Laquon Treadwell. For the first time, Bridgewater has a possession receiver who can use his od to o out defedes. While its still a u-first offense, Teddy will enjoy having a target with a nose for converting the 3rd-and-4 challenges.

The biggest question mark for the Vikings in 2016 is the same question mark as 2015: offensive line. Teddy Bridgewater was often met in the backfield as he was completing his drop from ete a foatio that faoed Petesos uig stle, ut ot Bidgeates uateakig style.) Left tackle had a better year in 2015 than 2, ut thats ot saig uh. Its a make-or-break year for him. Loadholt has already retired, replaced by free agent Andre Smith. At left guard, a new face, Alex Boone, brings some nastiness to the Vikings offensive line. Center John Sullivan is back from injury. There are reasons for optimism that Teddy will have more time to throw in 2016, but the unit still has a lot to prove after a subpar year in 2015.

STUD – ADRIAN PETERSON

Running back Adrian Peterson was born March 21, 1985, making him 31 as he enters the 2016 season. Typically, running backs on the wrong side of 30 are usually close to a career cliff that can mark a precipitous decline. Maybe that will happen to Peterson this year, but maybe not. Whe D. Jaes Ades fied Petesos to ACL with surgery, he marveled that the running aks kee didt sho a of the ea ad tea he ould epet fo a NFL uig ak ho akes his pahek platig had ad uttig o the kees. Ades said Petesos kee as like a eo a. This is why people are quick to say Peterson is some sort of superhuman. But father time catches up to everyone in the end.

Many believed Peterson would be affected mentally or physically by a long lay-off after he was plaed o the Coissioes Eept List due to child abuse charges filed against him. He ast. All the all-pro running back did was win his third NFL rushing crown with 1,485 yards, FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 67 and also led the league among running backs in attempts (327) and touchdowns (11.) People have strong feelings about Peterson off the field, but on the field he was the same running back.

Now that the Vikings invested a first-round pick on a wide receiver, should we expect more of a pass-happ offese fo Offesie Coodiato No Tue? Dot out o it. Turner is likely to stick with the concept he and Zimmer installed: ride Peterson on offense, stick with low-risk passig plas, let the defese lap do o the oppoet. “ue, thees likel to e a little oe life i a passig attak that oasted Mike Wallace and Charles Johnson as starting WRs last year, but the Vikings are still a run-first team in 2016.

For fantasy football, Peterson is still a hyper-safe pik. Hell get his aies ad hes still the number one option at the goal line. Backup Jerick McKinnon may be used more in pass potetio ad to spell Peteso, ut its still Adias offese.

SLEEPER – JERICK MCKINNON

Thee ae o oious sleepes o the Miesota Vikigs oste, if ou defie sleepe as someone who is likely to vastly outperform their expected output. Adrian Peterson is expected to e a stud, so he doest ualif. ‘ookie W‘ Lauo Teadell is likel to ae out a ole i the offese ad his u lokig ill get hi plet of saps, ut its tough to see Teadell wiig peoples fatas footall seasos ased o his uet ADP. “eod-year player Stefon Diggs might surprise with his production, especially if he gets more snaps in the slot, but his upside is apped the sste the Vikigs u. Thats the sae agument that prevents Teddy Bridgewater from getting a sleeper label. This is a run-fist tea ad that poal ot change in 2016.

That brings us to a scenario that would put running back Jerick McKinnon on the field more. If Adrian Peterson were to suffer an injury that kept him out an extended period, McKinnon is the hei appaet. “ue, Matt Asiata is likel to get soe saps, ut hes a plodde. MKio has all of the talet ad speed to see sigifiat aies i a asee of Petesos. Aothe factor that a get MKios ue alled oe ofte is pass lokig. It ould e geeous to Peteso to all his pass lokig a ok i pogess. MKio is ette i that aea, ad if the Vikings do want to take the top off defenses more often i , it ouldt e a supise to see more of McKinnon protecting Bridgewater.

Thees aothe easo the Vikigs a at to see oe of MKio this ea. Peteso ill be 32 next year and is due $18 million in 2017 salary. If the Vikings part ways with Peterson in the offseaso, ot a sigle dolla ould e lost i dead ap oe. Its had to see the Vikigs paying that kind of money to any running back, and they could want an extended look at McKinnon this year to see if he can carry the load if Peterson is gone next year. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 68

McKinnon is a late-round flier who could put up respectable numbers in the fantasy playoffs if Peteso at go. That, oied ith a poess of eliiatio of the othe plaes, akes McKinnon the best bet to be a sleeper on the Vikings offense.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – LAQUON TREADWELL

OK, lets ot get az ad gie the ookie the ikae of oe of the geatest eeies the league has ever seen, but the tongue-in-cheek moniker for the University of Mississippi product, Megaqon, should indicate how excited many Vikings fans are to have what might be the best possession receiver the team has had since Cris Carter.

Teadells . -yard dash at the combine should indicate this is not the receiver who is going to blow the doors off a and to the pylon. However, what Treadwell lacks in straight-line speed, he makes up for with receiving skills such as high-pointing the ball, using his body to gain position on the defender and utilizing his great hands to move the chains. Stefon Diggs and Jarius Wright can work the deep routes for the Vikings. Treadwell will be used in the red zone and, hopefully along with oft-injured TE Kyle Rudolph, to work the underneath routes to help Bridgewater convert on mid-distance third downs.

Ad ith the Vikigs u-first mentality, a big-bodied WR who can block is a huge bonus to the overall Vikings attack.

Treadwell is a rookie WR, so expectations should be tempered in the first year. However, with a feared running attack, a rebuilt offensive line, and a quarterback who has shown surprising poise fo the aout hes ee eate up, the passig attak ould appoah espetailit i 2016, and Treadwell figures to be a big part of that.

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 69

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 70

CIGAR REVIEW – BALMORAL ANEJO (DEVIN DITULLIO) The Balmoral Añejo XO was released last year at IPCPR in New Orleans. This cigar is packed in 20 count boxes and originally came in three sizes. At this year's IPCPR Balmoral is offering up three additional sizes, including a limited edition lancero. Balmoral is a brand under the Royal Agio Cigars umbrella based out of the Netherlands. Their other brands include Mehais, Pate, ad De Huifka. The Balmoral line is distributed in the U.S. by Drew Estates and is only available at their Diplomat retailers. Brand: Balmoral Wrapper: Brazilian Binder: Dominican Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan Strength: Medium Size: 5×55 Rothschild Masivo Price: $9.90 The presentation of the cigar is spot on. The dark brown wrapper looks tasty with a faint chocolate and earthy scent. There are two bands on this stick, the top one has a large embossed gold colored B with a grey background. The top band also has an eye catching red ribbon around the bottom. The bottom band is for more than just looks here, it includes the name the cigar along with size. First puffs- A smooth black pepper spice hits the back of your throat first. A couple puffs in and a hint of cedar flavor enters the mix. The draw is noticeably light and easy to take nice long puffs. First Third- Cedar is the dominating flavor in this part of the stick, although there is a subtle sweet undertone. The spice is now mostly present during retrohale. So far the burn line is staying mostly even and construction is top notch. Second Third- The sweetness is now transforming into a smooth creamy chocolate taste, while the cedar flavor remains the main attraction. The cigar is becoming more complex and the flavors are blending perfectly. The draw continues to be on the lighter side, and there is a heavy amount of bright white smoke with each puff.

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 71

Final Third- I statig to get a seet toao taste o. The eaiess has stepped up another notch, with the chocolate flavor toning down some. Ever present is the cedar and black pepper spice. This is a solid cigar with some great offsetting flavors. The construction is on point, producing a solid ash and an even burn line. The draw was enjoyable throughout the entire stick. I am recommending all of you give this one a try.

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 72

ATLANTA FALCONS (GRANT HARRISON)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Matt Ryan, T.J. Yates RB: Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman, Antone Smith FB: Patrick DiMarco WR: Julio Jones, Roddy White, Devin Hester (PR), Justin Hardy TE: Jacob Tamme, K: Matt Bryant

TEAM OUTLOOK The fist ea of Da Quis Falos as a tale of two halves, with the Dirty Birds starting the season on fire, with a 6-2 record at the midpoint of the season. The second half of the season was a completely different story, with losses to San Francisco and a Matt Hasselbeck led Colts team in back to back weeks, proving to be a particular nadir.

The offense reflected the up and down nature of the team perfectly, with players such as Matt Ryan and Devonta Freeman, fading badly down the stretch. Ryan in particular was singled out, justifial, fo itiis, as he stuggled i e Offesie Coodiato, Kle “haahas e offensive scheme. Ryan struggled to adapt to the new playbook and threw a far too high 16 interceptions, four of these coming in the red zone. These killer mistakes need to be eradicated from the Falcons quarterback this year, or the boo boys will certainly be talking about not only a change of coach but potentially the need for a new QB.

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The aforementioned Devonta Freeman was nothing short of a revelation in the 2015 season, giving the Falcons a much needed focal point in the running game and a potent red zone threat. Freeman scored 11 touchdowns on the ground and added another three scores through the air in 2015, very impressive numbers that may take a slight dip this season. Running Backs Coach Bo Tue has spoke of the eed to liit Feeas touhes i so he a eai fesh all season and be more efficient with his touches.

The man who will be taking some of these touches from Freeman is second-year back Tevin Coleman. Coleman had an up and down season in 2015, at times displaying the game breaking ability he was drafted for and also making poor decisions and fumbling at inopportune moments. Coleman struggled at the goal lie as a ookie ad his upight uig stle doest lend itself to success in the red zone. Owners who pick up the former Hoosier will be hoping that he can break some more of the long runs that made him such an exciting player in college.

Julio Joes: good at footall. Thats pett uh that fo the est eeie i footall. The est of the Falcons receiving corps was the problem in 2015, a decrepit Roddy White, stone hands Leonard Hankerson and a rookie Justin Hardy did not do enough to help get the Falcons passing game going.

In steps Mohamed Sanu in 2016, in an almost universally panned move, the Falcons elected to pay the former Bengal $32.5 million over five years. That is a lot of money for a man who has never been a consistent player during his time in the NFL, yet the Falcons have faith that he is the man to get this passing game firing. In his limited playing time in Cincinnati, Sanu has had success as a gadget player and on intermediate routes, where he can be schemed open and use his athleticism to create yards after the catch. Sanu should be in line for 100 targets minimum i Kle “haahas offese ad ould poe to e good alue at his uet ADP of the .. “aus detatos ill poit to his stuggles to sepaate ad his issues with drops in the past but at that point in the draft, the sheer volume of work he should see makes him a viable target.

Justin Hardy figures to man the slot for the Falcons in 2016, the former East Carolina Pirate struggled as rookie, failing to record over 36 yards in a game. Coming from a small school like ECU, Hardy was always going to be slower adapting to the rigors of the pro game. The Falcons, however, like his fit in this offense, with his ability to get open in tight spaces and exploit zones akig hi a geat adidate i the slot. Hads ailit to oet athes ito fist dos is another reason for his role potentially increasing in 2016, with 12 of his 21 catches being chain movers as a rookie. Hardy is currently not being drafted ad he alost etail shouldt e at this point, he will however be an interesting player to monitor as the season develops and we see how the Falcons offense will function.

The tight end position in Atlanta is a relatively interesting one this offseason, with the veteran Jacob Tamme the incumbent and highly drafted rookie Austin Hooper looking to take his job. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 74

Tamme was a reliable option for Matt Ryan in 2015 but he has very limited fantasy appeal as he is not an effective red zone option. Hooper provides that kind of upside that owners may be looking to harvest towards the end of the season, if he is able to usurp Tamme. Hooper has the size ad speed that NFL teas ae lookig fo i thei Tight Eds ut as a plae ho left college after his redshirt sophomore season, it may take a while for him to adapt.

STUD – JULIO JONES

Julio Jones is the best wide receiver in football and he just might be the first man to break the 2,000 yard receiving mark. Julio received 203 targets in 2016 and that number should not drop off much, if at all in 2016. If you combine that with even marginally better play from Matt Ryan and the mythical 2,000 yard mark is not completely out of the question. At the 1.01 I want guaranteed production and Julio Jones is that guy, I would not hesitate to pull the trigger on hi at that spot ad Id eoed that ou do the sae.

At the most stacked position in football, it takes a lot to differentiate from the pack and Jones does this with his ability to attack a game and change it, singlehandedly for the Falcons and fantasy owners. In half his games in 2015, Jones registered 135 yards or more and in ten games he had 9 receptions or more, an outstanding level of consistency. This kind of a floor is a rarity in fantasy football and it is why Julio is so valuable.

The main area for improvement for the Falcons offense and Julio in 2016 will be red zone efficiency, as highlighted earlier, Matt Ryan threw four picks there last year and Jones was not targeted anywhere near enough near paydirt, with marginal players such as Nick Williams, Levine Toilolo and Justin Hardy all receiving far too many looks.

SLEEPER – MOHAMED SANU

Mohamed Sanu as noted above, is currently being drafted on average at the 11.09 spot in fantasy drafts. The Falcons made a massive financial commitment to the former Rutgers standout and made his acquisition the focal point of their free agency spending and teams dot eeal theseles a oe tha he the hae to eped apital. B spedig that money on Sanu, the Falcons have shown how highly they think of him and how much they will feature him.

With the departures of Roddy White and Leonard Hankerson, there are 118 targets left over from the 2015 Falcons offense and Sanu should take the majority of those. 100 tagets is “aus floor in this offense and it could well end up closer to 120, the Falcons will surely be hoping that Jao Tae doest oad aothe tagets i . Whe “au as heail tageted by the Bengals in 2014 as a number one receiver he registered his best season, registering 780

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 75 yards and 5 touchdowns, largely without anyone of note drawing coverage opposite him. These totals appea to e “aus floo i ad ae etail soethig I ould etail take at the end of the 11th round in drafts. A solid floor with the upside for a 1,000-yard season, Sanu could end up one of the biggest bargains in fantasy.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – AUSTIN HOOPER

The Falcons rookie crop of 2016 focused mainly on adding speed and playmaking ability to the defence, with only two skill position players added, Stanford Tight End Austin Hooper and UCLA Wide Receiver Devin Fuller. Hooper is the one of the two that may have some upside this year, his ed zoe ailit ad sepaatio skills ould eid Matt ‘a hat its like to hae a somewhat dynamic threat at the position.

As a sophomore at Stanford, Hooper managed to create big plays on a regular basis, averaging 12. ads pe ath. I a passig offese as liited as the Cadials, thats eellet podutio for such a young player. Hooper also caught six touchdowns in his final season in Palo Alto, acquitting himself admirably as a red zone option for . The Falcons will be hoping he can hone his obvious physical gifts in a professional organization and be the replacement for To Gozalez the Falos thought the had i Hoopes fello “tafod alui, Leie Toilolo. In redraft, Hooper may not make much noise but early in the third round, he is excellent value in rookie dynasty drafts.

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 76

CAROLINA PANTHERS (TYLER TOBIN)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, (WR) RB: Jonathan Stewart, Cameron Artis-Payne, ,Brandon Wegher, Devon Johnson, Jalen Simmons FB: Mike Tolbert, Andrew Bonnet WR: Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Ted Ginn (KR/PR), Corey Brown (KR), Brenton Bersin, Stephen Hill, Keyarris Garrett, , Damiere Byrd, Miles Shuler TE: Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson, Beau Sandland, Scott Simonson, Jake McGee, Braxton Deaver, Marcus Lucas K: Graham Gano

TEAM OUTLOOK

Last eas seaso as iedile fo the Caolia Pathes. With a alost udefeated seaso, the Pathes ade thei a to the “upe Bol to face the . Unfortunately, due to an amazing defense and some mental errors on the part of Quarteak Ca Neto, the Pathes eet ale to ash i o thei seod try at a Super Bowl. Under Coach Ron Rivera the Panthers have developed a strong defense that only gave up 19.25 points a game and had an opponent turnover ratio of -20. However, the defense was only part of the story last season, as the offense and a couple of lesser known wide receivers put up some big scoring. The Panthers offense averaged 31.25 points per game and receivers like Ted Ginn and Corey Brown were picked up off of a lot of waiver wires. This season with the return of wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin the Panthers offense could be even better, hih should put fea ito the heats of opposig defeses. Last eas udedog status is goe as the Panthers are ranked 1st in most preseason power polls and it will be interesting to see how this season shakes out. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 77

STUD – CAM NEWTON

Last ea as a geat seaso fo the Fae of the Fahise Ca Neto. He as hose as the league's MVP and set a precedent for dual threat quarterbacks. The 2011 first overall pick, finally put together a year that was great for fans and not just fantasy players. He had 35 passing touchdowns and only 10 interceptions, while producing 3,837 passing yards. His passing stats were extremely impressive considering the injury to his number one receiver. He will also have Kelvin Benjamin, Greg Olsen, and Tedd Ginn to throw to this season. However, fantasy football players should be more excited about his rushing yards and his ability to run the football. Because of his dual threat status Cam is projected as a top quarterback in many fantasy draft projections. Last season he ran for 636 yards and registered 10 rushing touchdowns. His ability to use his legs to produce points is huge for most fantasy football plaes. Baig iju Cas pojeted ues ae o taget fo a siila seaso ad he should be a very popular pick this season.

SLEEPER – JONATHAN STEWART

You usually wouldn't consider the starting running back for a team a sleeper, but in the context of the Panthers offense that seems to be what has happened. With most opposing defenses focused on Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, and Kelvin Benjamin, a player like Jonathan Stewart is forgotten. J Stew ran for 989 yards and 6 TD's last season. No matter how many receiving weapons the Panthers have Coach Ron Rivera won't abandon the run. With Stewart healthy this season he could be looking at a 1,000+ yard season and 10+ TDs. He makes an intriguing fantasy play while everyone else is focused on Super Cam.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – KEYARRIS GARRETT

Most of the draft this season was spent on defensive players Vernon Bradley and . Both players who could play a significant role on an already formidable defense. However, the story this season could be the free agent signing of Keyarris Garrett. Garrett is out of Tulsa and stads at a hoppig pouds. He has the speed to eak fee fo the log all, ut also has the attributes of a possession receiver and could seriously benefit under the tutelage of wide receiver coach Ricky Proehl. If Garrett does well in the preseason and can find some playing time, he could establish himself as a compliment to an already deep wide receiving corp.

IDP PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

The Carolina Panthers have one of, if not, the best linebacking corps in the NFL. Luke Kuechly

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 78 and Thomas Davis combined for 151 total tackles last season as well as a couple of takeaways. Both players have the ability to make turnovers and potentially score once they have the ball in their hands. Kuechly was on the field for 767 defensive snaps last season and Davis was very close. Both guys should be at the top of any IDP list this season.

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 79

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 80

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (JOSH HONSES)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Drew Brees, Luke McCown, Garrett Grayson RB: Mark Ingram, Tim Hightower, C.J. Spiller, Travaris Cadet, Daniel Lasco, FB: Austin Johnson, Sione Houma WR: Brandin Cooks, Michael Thomas, Willie Snead, Brandon Coleman, Reggie Bell, R.J. Harris, Kyle Prater, Jared Dangerfield, , Jordan Williams, Tommylee Lewis, , Vince Brown (IR) TE: Coby Fleener, Josh Hill, , RaShaun Allen, Chris Manhertz, K: Kai Forbath, Connor Barth

TEAM OUTLOOK

There should only be one name to concern yourself with in New Orleans and that is none other than Drew Brees. The Saints as a whole were nothing special, but the individual pieces on offense made a lot of fantasy owners very happy. The New Orleans offense was the best in the league at throwing the ball last season, so naturally Brees was one of the best fantasy quarterbacks. He should be considered one of the top players at his position headed into the season.

The backfield down in the Big Easy was a rollercoaster last season. Mark Ingram showed he can be a top 10 talent in the league but his season was derailed by an injury right before playoff time in most leagues. Before going down though, it should be noted that Ingram averaged a hair below 12 fantasy points a game in standard leagues. That made him the fourth best RB in FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 81 the league behind Devonta Freeman, Adrian Peterson, and Todd Gurley. Tim Hightower stepped in immediately to contribute in a big way for the Saints down the fantasy playoff stretch. If you combined Igas ad Hightoes ues, that ould hae put the thid i the league overall in fantasy points. If Ingram can stay healthy, he should be a great value with high upside. Hightower is a must grab later in the draft as a handcuff.

Everybody expected Brandin Cooks to be a top 12 talent headed into last season and he delivered. The number two receiver spot was the talk of the town headed into the season and Willie Snead almost topped 1,000 yards himself. Now the Saints add Michael Thomas from the daft to step i ad otiute ight aa. Its ot az to thik that he uilds o “eads numbers as his floor to make an immediate impact.

Ben Watson has moved on to join the . Insert, in my opinion, one of the most undeated sigigs of the offseaso Co Fleee. I ot saig to epet Ji Gaha- esue ues fo Fleee ut dot e supised if he fiished soehee aoud the top five at the end of the season. He has a lot of similarities to Graham in that he ist the geatest blocker, but he will be a big target in the end zone for Brees.

The “aits hae a geat offese headed ito this seaso. Thees alue to e had aoss the board on all players involved. As long as Drew Brees can stay healthy, the outlook is bright for fantasy owners to get a piece of this offense.

STUD – DREW BREES

What a e said aout De Bees that hast ee said efoe? Hes oe of the geatest uateaks to ee pla the positio. I dot ko if its possile to e uderrated while being one of five players to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season, but he is often left out of the conversation of greatest players to play his position.

To put this in perspective for fantasy purposes, Brees has averaged over 4,850 passing yards ad touhdos a seaso sie joiig the “aits. Thats ette tha aoe i the league over that stretch.

Heading into this season, the Saints added some new toys to offense. Rookie receiver Michael Thomas adds a big body and speed, which will replace the aging Marques Colston. Brandin Cooks showed last season that he can be the possession receiver that Brees can rely on to make the tough catches. Willie Snead rounds out the top three receivers, whom Brees found for almost 1,000 yards as well last season. That makes for a young core of high talent guys.

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Coby Fleener is another guy that Brees has to like with big hands and athleticism. Ben Watson plaed geat last seaso ad its ot had to iagie Fleee postig siila ues, espeiall i the ed zoe. Dot foget a health Mak Iga ill also euie defese to pla the “aits honest, which means less defensive backs on the field to defend the passing game.

Everything that Brees has done until this point in his career has surpassed any expectations laid before him. His offense is better on paper than it was last season. Sean Payton, his head coach, signed an extension this offseason to stay in New Orleans. The backfield is stronger than it has ee i eet seasos; dot foget e hae et to see a full health C.J. “pille i a “aits uifo. Big thigs ae i stoe fo Bees ad this offese this seaso. Thees a easo h he has broken every record since he arrived. He shows no indication of slowing down and the “aits ill el heail o hi to lead this offese. If oue a fatas plae, ou at ask fo more than that from your starting quarterback.

SLEEPER – COBY FLEENER

When people think of the Saints offense, the first thing that pops into their mind is Drew Brees. Hes ee the est uateak i the league sie joiig the “aits. Natuall, the iggest benefactors of this has been the receivers for the Saints.

Now for me, a sleeper is any player that you are willing to be your ass on the line and take well efoe aoe else i the daft. It doest eessail ostitute takig a plae ood has heard about or some obscure 7th round rookie from the draft that benefits from an inju. I illig to e ek out hee eause I eliee i Co Fleee. I dot fid it az to see hi finishing as a top 5 player at his position. When you look at the numbers and other tight ends, its eall ot that az of a idea eithe.

Over the past five seasons, the Saints tight end has averaged over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. Now everyone will point to Jimmy Graham being the biggest reason why those numbers are so high. I do not think Coby Fleener will have Jimmy Graham numbers in this offese, ut dot e supised if he hoes soehee aoud thee oe the seasos ed. Ben Watson, who was a fantasy darling last season, had 825 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. I thik thats a ie aselie fo Fleee ad e easoale fo hi to obtain.

The biggest thing Fleener has going for him is the lack of skill at his position. Everyone knows Rob Gronkowski is one the best player at his position. After that, the line is much more blurred for who is elite at his position. Jordan Reed has a phenomenal year, but can he stay healthy ith all of the oussios thoughout his oug aee? Geg Olse has ee Ca Netos favorite target but how do they bounce back from the Super Bowl loss? How many targets does he lose with Kelvin Benjamin being back? Tyler Eifert is hurt from last season and Travis Kelce at lok i a u fist offese. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 83

Thees so a uestios at the positio that the eilig fo Fleee is highe tha a othe plae ot aed Gok. I illig to take a hae ad draft Fleener before his 9th round ADP. All tight ends in New Orleans have produced at a high rate of return and Fleener might be the biggest steal in your fantasy football draft.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – MICHAEL THOMAS

Going into the NFL draft, the Saints knew that drafting defensive players were the number one priority for the future. With the exception of the Dome Patrol, no Saints defense has ever been doiat. Ee i thei “upe Bol u i , edioe ad oppotuisti as the est way to describe the Gegg Willias led uit. Whe the dafted Mihael Thoas, its had ot to assume that he will be heavily involved in the offense for the upcoming season.

Thoas is a ig, eplosie eeie at ad pouds. Fo soe pespetie, Julio Joes is , . He ade his ak at Ohio “tate eatig oes ad eellig at athig the all away from his body. Having big hands absolutely helps and allows for him to track the ball to be explosive in single coverage.

Brandin Cooks is a smaller, quick receiver who will garner most of the heavy coverage from defenses. This should allow Thomas to go against single coverage and make quick cuts in his route running for Drew Brees to get him the ball. The best asset for Thomas heading into his rookie season is not having to step in and be the number one guy right away. He can develop chemistry with his quarterback and learn the playbook while not having to be the number one threat in the passing game.

The Saints desperately needed a big body opposite of Brandin Cooks. Marques Colston is a perfect example of what a big receiver can do in this offense. Thomas may not put up the great numbers like Colston did as a WR1, but he can absolutely be a WR2 with as much as the Saints throw the ball, especially with a bad defense. The Saints will need to put up points and Thomas will have ample opportunity to make fantasy owners happy. People can take chances on the othe ig ookie eeies fo the daft, ut I e optiisti that Thoas a podue at a high level in the upcoming season.

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 84

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (JOSH HONSES)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Jameis Winston, Mike Glennon, , Dan LeFevour RB: Doug Martin, Charles Sims (3RB), Mike James, Peyton Barber,Storm Johnson, Russell Hansbrough FB: Dan Vitale WR: Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, Adam Humphries, Kenny Bell,Louis Murphy, Russell Shepard, Donteea Dye, Evan Spencer, Freddie Martino, Bernard Reedy, Andre Davis TE: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Cameron Brate, Luke Stocker, Brandon Myers, Tevin Westbrook, Kivon Cartwright, Alan Cross K: Roberto Aguayo

TEAM OUTLOOK

Despite a 6- eod last seaso, thees a lot to e hopeful fo i Tapa Ba. The foud the face of their franchise in Jameis Winston. He was the number one overall selection and played far better than anyone expected in his rookie campaign. How he progresses in his second season has all eyes the former Florida State quarterback and in fantasy football leagues.

Doug Martin was sensational in his return from back-to-back injury riddled seasons. Tampa Bay was one of the best rushing offenses in the league last season despite having a below average offensive line. Charles Sims is a great pass catching back and really stepped up in the passing FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 85 game. He was one of the best catching the ball out the backfield in the league on third down. Mike James is still around but has little chance of making an impact on the team. He had one good game against the Seahawks his rookie season but has since faded into obscurity.

The Tapa Ba ig to ae Mike Eas ad Viet Jakso. Eas didt fid the ed zoe like his rookie season but still surpassed 1,200 receiving yards despite a slow start to the season. Viet Jakso ouldt sta o the field due to iju oncerns and only managed to start nine games. With him heading into the season healthy, look for him to have a great bounce back ea. Behid Eas ad VJa thees soe uetait. ‘ussell “heppad, Louis Muph, ad Kenny Bell are all competing for the last two receiver positions. Who wins the third receiver spot will unfold throughout training camp.

The tight end position is a mess for the Bucs. Austin Seferian-Jenkins was slated to have a great 2015 season. He was another big body for Winston in the passing game that many people had pegged fo a eakout seaso. Ufotuatel ijuies ad a ad attitude deailed A“Js seaso ad it is et to e see if he ill ee ake the tea. Hes alead ee kiked out of patie multiple times because of his poor work ethic and still not knowing the playbook. Cameron Brate has had some success in the offense but is an unknown at this point. This will be a situation to closely monitor.

STUD – DOUG MARTIN

Martin was a guy that definitely flew under the radar headed into fantasy drafts last season. Fantasy owners were worried how he would rebound from the previous two injury filled seasons. All Martin did would be return the third best performance from any running back in standard leagues.

This past offseason, the Bucs decided to part ways with Lovie Smith and promote Dirk Koetter fo offesie oodiato. Koettes pla stle is a u oieted offese, hih is h Tapa was one of the top five rushing offenses in the league last season. Consistency is always a good thing for a player after having a monster season.

As it stads ight o, Mati has a late seod oud ADP. Thats a steal fo a gu ho, he health, has ushed fo oe , ads i the seasos he hes plaed all gaes. Iju risk is a oe fo a plae so that shouldt sa ou fo daft Mati i ou league.

Last note about Martin was that he only had six games all season where he scored less than 9 fantasy points in standard leagues. Guys like Adrian Peterson and Devonta Freeman only had fou gaes of suh atue. Mati is aout as osistet as ou a ask fo he health. Hes a thee do ak that eels late i gaes he poudig the all agaist tied defeses. Hes

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 86 a must own across the board and a great foundation to build your team upon with number one running back potential.

SLEEPER – VINCENT JACKSON

Whe ou thik of Tapa Ba ide eeies, the fist thought it Mike Eas. Hes oe of the premiere young receivers in the league and is a massive receiving target for Jameis Winston. Vincent Jackson, on the other hand, flies under the radar and can be had in the 12th round of 12 a leagues. Hes old, hes o the delie, ad he at podue i this offese eause of playing second fiddle.

Well before you completely write off Vincent Jackson, know that he is only 33 years old. When the seaso stats, hell e the sae age as La Fitzgeald. If ou thik La Fitzgeald a still produce, then Jackson definitely has something left in the tank.

When you look at the ladsape of Jakso sie he siged ith Tapa Ba fou eas ago, hes notched over 1,000 receiving yards and averages over six touchdowns a season with the exception of last year when he was injured. This should tell fantasy owners that if Jackson can stay on the field, he is going to produce.

Lastl, if oue a eliee that thees ol so uh of the footall to go aoud i the Bus offense, Jameis Winston surpassed over 4,000 passing yards last season. Despite a run-first offense, Koetter will still have Jameis throwing the ball all over the field. Having Doug Martin in the backfield is a huge benefit to the offense because the defense has to play them honestly. Vincent Jackson will still have ample opportunity to make plays on the field and is a still for a 12th round selection.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – KENNY BELL

I tehiall heatig hee eause Bell spet the etiet of last seaso o ijued esee so he has et to suit up fo the Bus i a egula seaso gae. He hast had a hance yet to show his skill on the field, but people were raving about Bell according to reports from last seasos taiig ap. The etioed ho ell Bell as doig ith Jaeis Wisto thoig him the ball.

Bell is aothe ig eeie at ad 00 pounds. He has the size and speed, he ran a 4.37 at the oie i , to e a geat deep theat i this Tapa Ba offese. He ot hae to e the best receiver on the field because of Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson so that allows for the nickel corner or safety to be the one guarding him when they go with three wide receivers.

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The biggest impact Bell made at Nebraska in college was his big play ability. He excelled at catching the deep ball and plucking the ball out of the air. He still has to work on his route uig ad oig out of his eaks, ut that is soethig oahes a teah hi. Its ot clear right now whether Bell will even make the roster, but he is definitely a name to keep on your radar throughout training camp.

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FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 89

DALLAS COWBOYS (DAVE CHERNEY)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Tony Romo, Kellen Moore, , Jameill Showers RB: Ezekiel Elliott, Darren McFadden (inj), Alfred Morris, Lance Dunbar (inj), Darius Jackson, Rod Smith, WR: Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, , Brice Butler,, (PR), , Rodney Smith,Chris Brown TE: Jason Witten, Gavin Escobar, James Hanna, Geoff Swaim, Rico Gathers K: Dan Bailey

TEAM OUTLOOK

Coming off a surprising 12- seaso i , the Dallas Coos doad spial ega in free agency when their record breaking tailback Demarco Murray signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cowboys attempted to make up for the loss by signing free agent Darren McFadden to a two-year deal alongside Joseph Randle with the belief that any running back would be successful behind their outstanding offensive line.

Everything seemed to be back on track for another run at the playoffs. That quickly changed.

Beginning with the season opener against the New York Giants, Dez Bryant left the game in the fourth quarter with a broken bone in his foot. This proved to be problematic for his fantasy FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 90 owners the entire season. Forced into the top receiver position, Terrence Williams proved he was more Robin than Batman.

In week two, more bad news would strike as Tony Romo broke his collarbone and was placed on the eight-week injured reserve.

After three consecutive losses with Brandon Weeden, the team turned to Matt Cassel who was obtained via trade during the offseason. Both were subpar, especially for fantasy purposes; the skill players around them would suffer severely.

Romo would return on week 11 against Miami and end the seven game losing streak however the uprising would be short lived as Romo would go down again the following week against the Panthers. It was the same shoulder injury as before forcing the team to place him on season ending injured reserve. Kellen Moore would finish the campaign marking the fourth quarterback of the 2015 season.

In total, the passing game ranked 27th in the league averaging 220 yards per game. The running back position which had been a strength the previous year had mixed results. Originally expected to replace DeMarco Murray, Joseph Randle didt ake it halfa though the seaso efoe eig aied i Noee fo ehaio detietal to the tea. At eas end, he still led the Cowboys in total rushing touchdowns with four.

Darren McFadden carried the bulk of the load going forward and was slightly above average with 1,089 rushing yards but his three touchdowns left a lot to be desired.

The team that generated 148 rushing yards per game and 16 scores in 2014 would average 118 yards per game and eight touchdowns in 2015 as fantasy owners felt the full brunt of it.

Despite poor quarterback play, tight end Jason Witten had a serviceable year: 77 receptions for 713 yards. The real problem was he only scored three touchdowns with two of them coming in week one. All in all, he finished just inside the top 10 in PPR leagues and still has not missed a start since 2003.

Team officials believe last season was an aberration. Projecting how the Dallas Cowboys approach to the upcoming season, one would expect a return to the 2014 formula. Run the ball early and often. First round pick Ezekiel Elliott should help in short yardage situations allowing the offense to have more methodical scoring drives.

The 2015 Cowboys tied for last with 172 total offensive drives; 39 ending in three and out. They finished 30th in red-zone touchdown scoring percentage while entering the zone 2.8 times per game which ranked 21st. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 91

The defense finished 32nd in the league with 11 total takeaways which prevented the offense from getting extra attempts.

The running game should be solid. Behind Elliott the Cowboys signed Alfred Morris and retained Darren McFadden however McFadden broke his elbow in early June which could keep in out until the beginning of the regular season.

Looking at the schedule, the Cowboys play the fifth easiest ased o last eas stadigs ith 14 of 16 games featuring opponents whose defense ranked in the lower half of the league along with having a favorable finishing stretch.

STUD – DEZ BRYANT

The 2015 campaign for all-pro wide receiver Dez Bryant could be considered a nightmare, especially for those fantasy owners spending a first round pick.

It began early in the offseason with Bryant holding out awaiting a long term deal. Having placed the franchise tag on Bryant, the Cowboys were able to reach an agreement before the July 15 deadline; a five-year, $70 million contract with $45 million guaranteed. However, all of the offseason workouts had been lost.

During the season opener, a Sunday Night matchup against the New York Giants, Bryant left the game with a foot injury. Fantasy owners held their breath to no avail. An X-ray revealed a fracture in his foot that required surgery with an average recovery time between four to six weeks.

Bryant returned in Week 8 against the Seahawks and struggled, grabbing and underwhelming 2 receptions for 12 yards. The following week against the Philadelphia Eagles, Bryant caught his first touchdown of the season and accounted for five catches for 104 yards. Fantasy owners who held on had reason to believe.

That was quickly dashed as his performance continued to be hindered by the foot injury and lack of competent quarterback play. The season unfortunately ended for Bryant on Dec. 30 when the Cowboys decided to place him on injured reserve. Limited to 9 games, Bryant had 401 receiving yards and three touchdowns. On Jan. 6, 2016, he underwent foot and ankle surgeries.

For the upcoming season, the optimist will point to his career stats: 84 games; 412 receptions; 5,825 yards, 14.1 average, 59 TDs prior to this injury; the pessimist will find another way to spend their first round pick. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 92

SLEEPER – TERRENCE WILLIAMS

Until the aforementioned disaster which was 2015, Williams was a classic boom-bust bye week filler making a consistent yet unremarkable impact on the Cowboys offense since being drafted in 2013.

His initial campaign presented him as the number two receiver, opposite Dez Bryant where he accounted for 44 receptions totaling 736 yards and five touchdowns. Fantasy owners were quite pleased with their late round return.

The following season saw a slight regression in receptions and yardage but a definite increase in the scoring department with the stat line of 37/621/8.

However, in 2015 when Williams was forced into the role left by Bryant, Williams struggled against the top in the league.

Lost in all of these struggles was the fact Williams is coming off a year in which he set career highs in receptions and yards; 52/840. His total touchdowns of three reflected the struggles the entire offense had.

On Williams behalf, the quarterback play was substandard for most of the year and there were several points where he was open and Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel either missed seeing him completely or badly missed the throw.

Looking at the upcoming season there is reason for optimism grabbing the receiver at his generous ADP. He is in the final year of his rookie contract and will become an unrestricted free agent. In addition, the Cowboys did not draft a receiver this year.

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He has showed some high-end moments where he demonstrates his value, the fact he does look like an effective compliment for an offense centered around running the ball and Dez Bryant, and he is eteel duale. He hast issed a gae duig his -year stint.

Williams has averaged just over 2.5 receptions and 40 yards a game in his career and has yet to hit the 1,000 yard make for a season. In total, Williams has 133 catches for 2,197 yards and 16 touchdowns.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – EZEKIEL ELLIOTT

Fantasy owners drooled when they saw the Cowboys draft Elliot with the fourth overall pick. But history suggests two sides to this coin.

O oe had, the loal histo is o Elliots side. The peious to uig aks dafted i the first round for the Cowboys are now entrenched in the Hall of Fame: Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett. On the other hand, recent draft history hasn't been kind to the highly drafted backs. Zeke has the ability to be the rare three down back and many project him to be on the field early because he checks every box: power, vision, long speed, pass blocking and receiving. However, the 20-year-old totaled a whopping 650 touches at Ohio State, which is a lot of mileage yet he has proven to be durable through the campaign. Looking back on his college career beginning in 2013, Elliott worked behind the now 49er Carlos Hyde and toted the rock only 30 times for just over 260 yards and three touchdowns. Elliott gained a glance of NFL scouts with his performance down the stretch in 2014 beginning with the Big Ten Championship game against Wisconsin where he totaled 220 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns followed by his performance in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama scampering 230 yards on yet another 20 carries and two more scores including one of 85 yards. In his final performance of the year, the National Championship against Oregon, Elliott would once again shine with a stat line of 36/246/4 He would eventually become the every down workhorse, carrying the ball 273 times in 15 games for 1,878 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also chipped in 28 receptions for 200 yards. Elliott entered 2015 with huge expectations with notable performances against Indiana (23/274/3), Illinois (27/181/2) and Michigan (30/214/2). In total, his final season Elliott rushed 289 times for 1,821 yards and 23 touchdowns. On a side note, he rushed for at least 100 yards and scored a touchdown in all but one game. In the NFL, Elliott will have to be more consistent as a receiver and as a pass blocker, but it's tough to find weaknesses in his game and will likely be selected in the first round of your upcoming fantasy draft.

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NEW YORK GIANTS (RICHARD FINDURA)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Eli Manning, , Josh Woodrum, Logan Thomas RB: Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen (3RB), Andre Williams, Paul Perkins, Orleans Darkwa, Bobby Rainey, Marshaun Coprich FB: Nikita Whitlock, Will Johnson WR: Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, (KR/PR),Victor Cruz, , Myles White, Roger Lewis, Tavarres King, Anthony Dable, Darius Powe, KJ Maye TE: Will Tye, Larry Donnell, Matt LaCosse, , Bryce Williams K: Josh Brown

TEAM OUTLOOK

As the New York Giants enter the Ben McAdoo era, there are a few things that they carry with them. A two-time Super Bowl MVP Quarterback coming off two of his best statistical seasons and arguably the best Wide Receiver in the NFL. Beyond that? A lot of question marks. Eli Manning has thrived under Ben McAdoo, at least in regard to fantasy stats. I Elis fist seaso under McAdoo he threw for the second most yards and TDs in his career (4,410 and 30 respectively). Proving this was no fluke, he came out last year and topped both those numbers, 4,432 yards passing to go along with a career best 35 TDs. Entering his 13th seaso its oth noting that his numbers have surely been buoyed by the emergence of Odell Beckham Jr. How much credit goes to McAdoo? Ho uh to Bekhas talets? Ho uh to Elis eas ude FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 95 center? One thing is for certain, the Giants offense will need both Manning and Beckham to be healthy and effective. Behind Beckham on the depth chart is a former Pro-Bowler who has missed the last season and a half of football, a couple of rookies, a man who was brought in to return kicks, and two young players who failed to make an impact last year. With Rueben Randle out the door (thank God), the opportunity is there for someone to step up and be a major contributor this season. My money's on Sterling Shepard, the rookie from Oklahoma (you can read more about him below). Not that I taking much of a chance, Shepard would basically need to fall flat on his face during training camp to lose the no. 2 job to the likes of Myles White or Geremy Davis. The Giants hope Victor Cruz will man the slot with Dwayne Harris backing him up. Lets see ho Cuzs sugiall epaied kee ad alf espod duig camp however. If there is one deep sleeper for dynasty leagues, Roger Lewis, an undrafted WR from Bowling Green could be the guy. Thees a hae he doest ake the tea, ut also a chance depending on how the chips fall that he can have an impact. That, as they say, is why I love fantasy football.

Id like to take a uik seod to etio ho uh the Giats like TE Will Te. Down the steth last seaso, Te eae Eli Maigs seod faoite target. Although muddied by the fact the Giants brought back Larry Donnell after his season ending neck injury, Tye could be a perfect bye week TE with a chance to have some quality weeks.

Id also like to take a uike seod to etio that the Giats have running backs on their roster. Most of hih I ouldt touh ith a te-ad pole get it? Cause its footall. “hae Vereen is a late round flier in PPR leagues for sure. The ge i hee is a ookie out of UCLA … dot o, I hae plet to sa about him later on. STUD – ODELL BECKHAM JR.

Is thee soethig to sa aout OBJ that hast alead ee said? Coming off a ridiculous 12 game rookie campaign, OBJ cemented his place atop draft boards with an equally impressive sophomore season. Setting the record for most receiving yards through two seasons in NFL history (2,744) and coming in at a not too distant 2nd in receptions (187) and second in TDs (25). “o asiall, Odells aeage gae is athes fo ads ad a TD. Beckham has many attributes that you look for in dyno: age (23), fixture at QB (Eli), and no real threat to siphon targets. His ceiling is one that no WR or Lionel Ritchie himself could reach. There will be some drafts where Antonio Brown comes off the board first, maybe even some homers that will take Julio Jones or DeAndre Hopkins over OBJ. These people are basically gift wrapping your first oud pik fo ou. Ee Josh Noa ouldt let hi slide too fa do the daft oad.

SLEEPER – PAUL PERKINS

No ae I heatig hee, ut I pikig aothe ookie as sleepe. Paul Perkins out of UCLA was projected by many to be a 3rd oud pik, so its o supise that a ae o saig FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 96 the Giants got a steal in round 5. Pekis sallish statue , pouds is really the only knock on his game. Pehaps the ost elusie ‘B i this eas daft, Pekis displas geat vision and an ability to put defenders in highlights for all the wrong reasons. His quickness and size have drawn comparisons to Jamaal Charles ad thats ot suh a ad ae to e associated with. Of course I can talk about Perkins abilities all I want, but the reason he is so appealing in fantasy is the fact that his path to a starting role is mired by mediocre talent. Rashad Jennings is the ofte ijued iuet, ad aout as eitig as … hell I dot ko, something not exciting at all. Words really cannot describe how awful Andre Williams has been in his first two NFL seasons. And Shane Vereen is locked in as a 3rd down option. Only a couple things need to be seen during camp to give Perkins a good shot at playing time right away. Can he be reliable catching the ball out of the backfield? Can he protect Eli Manning on passing downs? I would not be shocked if Paul Perkins has a similar impact to the end of your fantasy season as David Johnson had for the Cardinals last season. All he needs is the trust of Ben McAdoo and he may be off and running.

ROOKIE TO WATCH - STERLING SHEPARD

When the Giants drafted Shepard in round 2 of the NFL Draft, many pundits labeled it a steal. Who am I to disagree? Ma looked to “hepads NFL-ready route running and hands. These are the same things that were lauded upon Odell Beckham after the 2014 Draft. Shepard has already turned heads at OTAs and is nearly a lock to be the second man up behind OBJ. You will not find a bigger fan of Victor Cruz, but we need to be realistic here. A torn patellar tendon uied Cuzs ad the a to alf uied his . While I hope Cruz can regain some of his quickness and speed, it is far from a sure thing. Even if Cruz is healthy and manning the slot, expect Shepard to slide outside and bring some ability the Giants just never got from Rueben Randle. Randle looked to be coming into his own in 2014. He racked up 127 targets, hauling in 71 passes for 938 yards and 3 TDs. His big leap in 2015 never came. In fact, his numbers (57 receptions, 797 yards, 8 TDs) look better than his actual performance. The Giants made no effort to re-sign Randle this offseason leaving no real threat to steal targets from the talented rookie (Cruz, Dwayne Harris, Will Tye, Myles White, Roger Lewis, Shane Vereen). Lets take ‘uee ‘adles aeage oe the past to seasos e, ads, TDs ad la that do as “telig “hepads floo this season.

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PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (JUSTIN TARTE)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Sam Bradford, Carson Wentz, Chase Daniel, McLeod Bethel-Thompson RB: Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles (3RB), Wendell Smallwood, (PR), Kevin Monangai WR: Jordan Matthews, Rueben Randle, Nelson Agholor, Josh Huff (KR), Chris Givens, Cayleb Jones, T.J. Graham, Jonathan Krause,Marcus Johnson, Xavier Rush TE: Zach Ertz, , , Chris Pantale, M.J. McFarland K: , Cody Parkey

TEAM OUTLOOK

With Chip Kelly gone, the 2016 season brings a lot of unknown fantasy mystery. The once fast paced and coveted offense is not as sexy as it was. The hiring of at least gives a sense of what will follow. He was part of the Andy Reid era and I personally expect to see a repeat of that balanced attack of pass and run.

After a very disappointing 7-9 season in 2015 most of the same offensive players returned, hethe thats a good thig o ot e ill see. Ma things went wrong last year, Sam Bradford struggled to complete passes, Demarco Murray failed to break big runs (small runs too), and Jordan Matthews did not follow his breakout campaign with a solid 2015.

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Some bright spots were Ryan Mathews who thrived last year in Chip Kelly's quick hit offense while on the field. After Demarco has been shipped out of town, Matthews will get his chance to shine this year. The Eagles also traded up in the draft to tab Carson Wentz as their QB of the future. I am undecided on Wentz long term but for redraft leagues I do not see value in Wentz immediately. Jordan Matthews will look to rebound into that must start form he showed as a rookie. Zach Ertz has also flashed his ability to catch and make big plays given the opportunity. Philly brought in veteran wideout Rueben Randle and Chris Givens who may be just to motivate Nelso Agholo. Agholo has the speed ad talet et at see to ath the footall o a consistent basis. One of these options will be the number two WR for the Eagles, though likely it ot atte. I eliee )ah Etz ill e the ue to pass optio fo Badfod.

STUD – RYAN MATHEWS

Pikig a stud fatas optio o this eas ostes is a tough seletio to ake. Last ea ‘a Matthews averaged 5.1 yards per rush attempt that was good enough to be the second best such average among RBs. I know that he only had 106 attempts and was stuck watching Murray plod to his 3.6 average, but he is ready to make that leap this year. The one thing that has held hi ak so fa i his aee has ee ijuies. “o I illig to et o his talet to popel hi into the top 15 RBs if he remains healthy.

The offensive line was fair at best and seemed to tire easily of the ramped up pace Chip Kelly demanded. I am hoping the slower pace in practice and in the games will help the O-line be more dependable and hold up for the entire season. An improved O-line may make it easier treading for Matthews to break out.

SLEEPER – SAM BRADFORD

The Eagles trading up to draft a quarterback to essentially replace Sam Bradford, followed by Bradford demanding a trade does not seem like the best recipe for fantasy success. Bradford needs to have a good year. In his career he has been called many things: brittle, overrated, overpaid, draft bust, inaccurate and plain out just not a good NFL QB. If Bradford wants to continue to be a starter in this league he will need to prove it this year as this may be his last chance. I do not think he has the talent nor the talent around him to be great this year, but I can certainly see fantasy relevance. I can envision him as a viable fill in for bye weeks and think he can stay in that 10-15 point per week range all season a la Jameis Winston last year.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – WENDELL SMALLWOOD

Wendell Smallwood needs to be on your radar now. If Matthews gets hurt, which is certainly iale, “allood is the et a up at ‘B. He is ot oel fast o a ig uise. At ad

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208 pounds, he is just quick enough with his 40 time of 4.47 to combine all aspects and be a good RB. The West Virginia RB lead the Big 12 conference in rushing with 1,519 yards. Not to mention, he did that on what was supposed to be a pass first West Virginia team. Keep an eye on Smallwood, he could very well pay huge dividends.

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WASHINGTON REDSKINS (JIM DREHER)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Kirk Cousins, Colt McCoy, RB: Matt Jones, Chris Thompson, Keith Marshall, Silas Redd, Mack Brown FB: Joe Kerridge WR: DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Jamison Crowder (PR), Josh Doctson (inj), Ryan Grant, TE: Jordan Reed, , Niles Paul (inj), ,Derek Carrier (inj), Marcel Jensen K: Dustin Hopkins

TEAM OUTLOOK

I poal the last gu i the old that thought benching RG3 would be the answer to every ‘edski fas paes, ut gie Ja Gude pops fo takig the leap of faith. The Washington Redskins were the exact opposite of what they have been for the better part of a decade, a soul crushing, talent starved wasteland that had to overpay for big name contracts just to sell tickets to their next string of defeats. Who would have thought that a player that was drafted to hold a clipboard would be the savior for the franchise. Who would have thought that DeSean Jackson, although frequently injured could make it through a season without holdig out fo a otat o Piee Gao atig like he ast a assie fee age ust FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 101 sie eloatig to Washigto a fe eas ago. If oue a ‘edski fa, these are all great thigs, ut fo the est of us fatas footall plaes, its aout tie e got soe useale pieces out of this offense.

You at pedit the futue fo ee skill positio plae o this tea ithout aalzig the play of Quarterback Kik Cousis. Hes ot se, hes ot flash. But he had the uietest , ad total touhdo seaso i eet eo. Thik Ale “ith, if he ast afaid to throw the ball 12 yards or more. Kirk Cousins led the NFL in completion percentage (69.8) while starting all 16 games. He also threw a touchdown in every game he played. Even though the Redskins were one of the more conservative offenses in terms of throwing the football with only 555 attempts (20th), Cousins made up for it with efficiency. He threw 11 interceptions; all but two were in the first 8 games. After week 8, Gruden allowed Cousins to take some more chances and he responded. None of this would have been possible without Jordan Reed. The oft injured tight end finally realized his potential in 2015. Proving he can be one of the very best players at his position, and Cousins peppered him time and time again. Reed accounted for 20 percent of the ENTIRE Washington Redskins target share in 2015 (114 targets).

The only legitimate question mark heading into 2016 with this team is the running game. To say the Washington Redskins sorely lacked a consistent ground game is an understatement. Matt Jones looked dominant at times, but also showed issues at ball handling, pass protection, and missed holes consistently all year long, contributing to his pathetic 3.4 ypc average. However, Washington has done nothing in free agency or the draft to add competition for him. Coach Jay Gruden acknowledged as much by saying the team was taking a gamble on him by letting Alfred Morris walk in free agency. Jones had 144 carries in 2015, five of which resulted in fumbles. The Redskins were clearly concerned with this as he only received more than 11 carries 3 times in any game he played (13 games). And outside of an explosion against St. Louis in week 2 (19 carries, 123 yards and 2 TDs) and an outburst in week 10 against New Orleans (187 total yards, 1 td) he was mediocre at best. He is only 23 and has the prototypical body type to be the bell cow of this offense, , pouds, ut elig o hi to e athig oe tha ou RB3/FLEX is playing with fire. Even though Jones is plenty capable of playing on 3rd down and being a good receiving option (19 rec., 304 yards, 1 td), Chris Thompson will most likely handle the 3rd down/pass catching back role, but barring an injury/demotion with Jones, he can be ignored in redraft.

STUD - JORDAN REED

Jordan Reed enjoyed a career year in 2015. His injury history is long and riddled with soft tissue and concussion ailments. He is truly an enigma. He is the player on your roster that will be the reason you win your league this year, or will very well be the reason you lost it. Finishing the 2015 season as the TE3, Reed and Quarterback Kirk Cousins developed a chemistry that few other tandems possess in the NFL. Cousins bombards Reed with targets and Reed (usually) FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 102 catches them. Make no mistake, Jordan Reed is a special player, he always has been. His body has let hi do oe ties tha ot, ut he hes o the field, he is Gronkish (and I do not use that term lightly.) In fact, Reed had more receptions than Gronkowski (87) and had a higher ath ate as ell ‘eed peet to Goks . The also aught the sae aout of touchdowns (11). If the concussion injuries are behind him, Reed could very well finish the seaso as the TE i . That is a giat if though. ‘eed has ee fiished a gae seaso in his three-year career. And last year was the first time he has gone over 500 yards receiving. His average draft position as of this writing (June) is 4.03 in redraft leagues, as the second tight end off the board, only behind Gronkowski. With the tight end landscape as barren as it is, I have no issue with that ranking. If you miss out on Gronk, but you still want the statistical advantage of having a superior talent at a position of scarcity, look no further than Reed. But if/he he goes do, ou at sa ou didt see it oig.

SLEEPER - JAMISON CROWDER

‘ight o, its oded fo Code. I , he aught passes fo ads ad TDs. He played behind Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, mainly in the slot. This year, the second year pro, has to deal with rookie Josh Doctson as well. Right now though, Crowder looks like he has the slot ide eeie positio loked do. Pe E“PNs Joh Kei, Code has looked decisive and explosive in his routes, and the Redskins will be reluctant to remove him from three receiver sets because of how good he has looked. That is geat es osideig of NFL teas a oe plas fo pesoel tha a othe goupig i ‘B, TE, 3 WR.) And with the run game struggles they had last year, I would look for Redskins wide receivers to be fed opportunities early and often. If Crowder can build off of the strides he made last year, he could prove to be a major PPR asset that will very likely be overlooked in the majority of fantasy drafts this summer.

ROOKIE TO WATCH - JOSH DOCTSON

With the 22nd pick in the 2016 draft, the Washington Redskins selected Wide Receiver Josh Doctson out of TCU. Perhaps the best red zone/jump ball receiver in this class. Doctson has the talent to be the top receiver of the draft, and the landing spot could not have been better. We could be looking at an up and coming offense led by Kirk Cousins, and not much in his way to ascend rapidly up the depth chart. With both DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon headed for free agency in 2017, Doctson could be the de facto WR1 of the team by this time next year. In dynasty leagues, he is a slam dunk top 5 rookie pick and should certainly be targeted late in redraft/keeper leagues as well. The knock on Doctson is his size and fragility. This spring he has missed considerable time because of an Achilles injury, and his lack of bulk (only 202 pounds) ist helpig his pogess ad tiig ith the offese. ‘ookie ide eeies ae alas the penny stocks of the NFL, very rarely do they pay up, but if he hits, we are talking top 15-20 WR

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 103 for the et deade. I dast/keepe leagues, Get o the goud floo o, hile its heap. This time next year, his cost will very likely double.

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ARIZONA CARDINALS (FAKEPIGSKIN.COM STAFF)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton, Matt Barkley, Jake Coker RB: David Johnson, Chris Johnson, Andre Ellington, Kerwynn Williams, Stepfan Taylor, Jared Baker WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, John Brown (KR), J.J. Nelson (PR), Jaron Brown, Brittan Golden, Jaxon Shipley, Amir Carlisle,Damon Powell, Chris Hubert, Jeff Beathard TE: Darren Fells, Jermaine Gresham, Troy Niklas, Gerald Christian,Ifeanyi Momah, Hakeem Valles K: TEAM OVERVIEW (ANDREW NORDMEIER) The Arizona Cardinals know this is the tie to get the jo doe. Its agual thei est hae to get to another Super Bowl and finish the task this time. Last season, they finished a 13-3 season with a first-round bye and win over Green Bay before getting dump trucked in Carolina in the conference final. They have the talent on both sides of the ball to win a championship. Lets eaie the offesie side of the tea fist. When they went to Super Bowl XLIII, they did it with passing. The 2016 Cardinals could do it with their aerial attack as well. It all starts with quarterback Carson Palmer who is enjoying

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 105 some of his best seasons in the NFL. Palmer has done a solid job distributing the ball around and getting his top three receivers involved in Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown and Michael Floyd. The tight ed positio hast ee oe thats podued fo Aizoa i oughl the last eas so ou shouldt epet uh fo Daiel Fells o Jeaie Gesha. The uig aks ae one of the more talented groups in football. David Johnson looks to be the lead back for the Cardinals. He burst on to the scene as a rookie and really took over late last season when he was pressed into service due to injuries. Chris Johnson is still there for a change of pace and Andre Ellington is still on the roster, for now. The offensive line is going to be one of the best in football after the addition of Evan Mathis at ight guad, ut thee is a uestio ak at ight takle. DJ Huphies ot e haded the jo but the second-year player could wind up with it. How does this team look in fantasy? In a word, excellent. Palmer shapes up to be a QB1 that can be started every week. David Johnson has shown his ability to be a devastating weapon in both rushing and receiving. The talk this summer is that he is a first-round caliber player and that asolutel tue. Hes ee desigated as the ell o uig ak fo the Cadials ad it will happen. When he was drafted, said he was a mini-Matt Forte. So far, Arians is right and 2016 will only solidify this into fact even more. Chris Johnson makes a good handcuff and could be a flex play in run-heavy games. At wide receiver, you have Fitzgerald as a solid WR2, especially in PPR formats. John Brown will be a low-end WR2/high-end WR3, especially when the matchups are favorable. Floyd is more of a uestio ak as hes ee iosistet ut should e highl otiated i a otat ea. Floyd makes more of a flex play than an every-week starter. The Cardinals tight ends are best left on the waiver wire. Kicker Chandler Catanzaro projects to be one of the better ones in the game and is an every-week starter at that position. The defense should also be a top-tier unit in 2016 with the additions of Chandler Jones and Robert Nkemdiche providing more pressure. STUD – DAVID JOHNSON The Arizona running game was not that productive for the last few years. David Johnson changed all that last season. The rookie from Northern Iowa burst on the scene with a touchdown on his first NFL touch, a 55-yard reception against the Saints. He scored on his second NFL touch, a kickoff return against Chicago and the legend was born. It took a little for the legend to grow. He teamed with Chris Johnson last season and started off a little slowly. Chris Johnson was the lead back and had the bulk of the carries and rolled up four games with more than 100 rushing ads efoe Week . Daid Johso as the hage of pae ak ad didt hae oe tha seven carries in a game until Week 10. All David Johnson needed was a break and Chris Johnson gave it to him in Week 12 at San Francisco. That was when Chris Johnson fractured his tibia and

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David Johnson got the spotlight. He had three straight games of more than 30 touches and led the Cardinals to three wins in a row. So why is he the stud on the team? First, Johnson has the size and durability to take the punishment of the NFL. Chris Johnson is 31, which puts him over the hill for most running backs and sends him to the backseat of the depth chart. Ellington offers little risk of taking touches aa so this is tul Daid Johsos akfield. With the Aizoa passig gae eig as dageous as it is, Johso shouldt e seeig too many boxes stacked against him. Add to that an offensive line with road graders of Jared Veldheer, Mike Iupati and Evan Mathis and this will give Johnson some amazing blocking down the field. Holes should be there for him to run through and find solid yardage. Johnson was able to add 457 receiving yards last season despite his limited usage early in the season. We can only imagine the kind of numbers he will roll up as the lead back on this highly talented team. The volume could be there for David Johnson as 300 touches may not be out of the question for him. He averaged 115 total yards per game over the final six games of the season and scored six times in the final six games. He forces missed tackles and piles up the yards after contact, which only adds to his value. Johso is a ‘B i fatas ithout a dout. He doest hae iju oes of a LeVeo Bell or Jamaal Chales ad is poe ulike Ezekiel Elliott of the Coos. Hes uh ouge tha an Adrian Peterson and plays on a balanced team unlike Todd Gurley of the Rams. Eethig is goig ight fo Johso. Hes a state i the NFL, he got aied i the offseason ad is epetig his fist hild i Jaua. Whethe oue talkig fatas o ealit oe ieitale tuth stads out. Its Daid Johsos old ad ee eel liig i it. SLEEPER – MICHAEL FLOYD An Arizona wide receiver is a sleeper this yea i fatas footall ad its ot ho ou ould epet. Its Mihael Flod, ot Joh Bo, ad ell eplai h. Thees o dout Flod has the talet to eel i the NFL ut he hast pefoed that ell. Last seaso, he as the thid leading receiver on the team and the numbers support it. Larry Fitzgerald led the way as you would expect but John Brown was second in every category. Brown had 101 targets and 65 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns. Floyd finished with 89 targets and 52 receptions with 849 yards and six touchdowns. Breaking it down further, Floyd had a miserable first half of the season. In September and Otoe, Flod had tagets ad athes fo ads. He didt soe util the sith gae of the season. The rest of the way, he had five games with more than a hundred yards receiving and finally started to produce what you would expect in the Arizona offense. The Cardinals were second in points last season with 489 and only Carolina had more (500).

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Its also tough to figue out ho Flod is goig to e used. Thees little osiste ad it shows in his stats. For example, in the win at Seattle he posted a 7-113-2 line but the next week against San Francisco it was one catch for 14 yards. The week after against St. Louis it was 7- 104-0. Floyd is a rollercoaster pocked with inconsistency. When he is getting fewer than five targets a game, he becomes practically invisible. In those games last season, he failed to break 60 receiving yards. This trend has also followed him in his entire career so the bigger question is why are the Cardinals not throwing his way more? Beause of that Flod hast eall had a ig gaes i his aee. He has thee ultiple- touhdo gaes out of the has plaed i fo his aee ad hes oly broken the 150-yard mark three times. Two of those games were Week 17 contests at San Francisco, which are meaningless for fantasy purposes as most leagues are done by then. The other was a 2013 game against Jacksonville where had a career-high 191 yards. The motivation should be there for Floyd in 2016. This will be the final year of his rookie contract, which is always a motivator in the NFL. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald might be out of the picture next season which potentially opens the door for Floyd to step up into the top spot at the positio. Its a little-ko fat that Fitzgealds otat is oid fie das afte the “upe Bowl. Floyd needs to produce in order to cash in. The Cardinals need to start throwing it to him more for him to have a chae to do oe. Bo is a speedste hos good ith the deep all. Fitzgerald is one of the best receivers to ever play the game. Floyd should have a role carved out fo hi i etee those to. The Cadials dot utilize the tight ed a hole lot ad the presence of David Johnson in the backfield should open more 1-on-1 matchups down the field for Floyd. Its Flods tie to shie ut ol tie ill tell if this Golde Doe is pite i pads.

ROOKIE TO WATCH (BEE SALAMAT) – ROBERT NKEMDICHE Normall ed die ito a offesie plae ut the Cadials et a diffeet oute i the NFL Daft ad eal passed offese as a hole the did daft a ete so I goig to go ahead ad gie ou hats to oe ith thei eeptioal ookie the stole in the first round: Robert Nkemdiche. He was once a top five talent heading into the draft until media destroyed hi eause of his haate ell, Nkedihes to lae too ut he fell ito the Cadials lap at pik ad Aias ouldt e a oe fired up than what he was at that time. He went to the ight tea, the ight oahig staff thatll help hi eah his potetial. Aog the defesie eds i the daft, Nkedihe posted the fastest ad top etial ad thell defiitel take their chances with Nkemdiche. He can disrupt the backfield, collapse the pocket with his brute strength and move offensive linemen into the next galaxy. Nkemdiche definitely has a chip on his shoulde ad is otiated to desto opposig offeses; he is paied ith great teammates/players like Calais Campbell and Chandler Jones who will gladly teach him the ways ad ake sue hes foused. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 108

The Cardinals were blitz happy last season with a league high 45 percent of the time, Nkemdiche can help bring that down some when he applies pressure. He gets compared to a former Cardinal, Darnell Dockett, but Arians says Nkemdiche is a little bigger, stronger and faste! I the IDP ouit, Nkedihe is defiitel gettig slept o ut thatll hage ig time as we approach training camp. It is a crowded line he has to deal with but I have zero dout hell hae a had tie aig out a ole fo the egiig ad I a see Nkedihe eaig a statig ole opposite Calais idseaso. Hes goig to help i all aspets hether its stoppig the u o gettig afte the QB hih poits to iediate ipat poided Nkemdiche. You can expect to see him produce 40-45 tackles and 5- saks ad thats impressive because rising star Danielle Hunter of the Vikings put up 31 tackles, 5 sacks last year in rotation and it was good for DE38.

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 109

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 110

BEER REVIEW – SAN TAN MOON JUICE (DEVIN DITULLIO)

Moon Juice used to be a special release for San Tan, but is so popular they now make it all year. This beer features Galaxy and Nelson-Sauvin hops and 4 different malt varieties. This beer is only available in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.

Style: West Coast IPA ABV: 7.3% IBU: 65

Appearance: The artwork on the can is attention grabbing with its lime green and red theme. There was no head on either of the two pours I did for my review. This IPA has a bright golden yellow color, and is fairly hazy. There is very little carbonation.

Aroma: Moon Juice has a great citrus and fruity fragrance. There are also hints of pine and spice.

Palate: This is a medium bodied beer that is easy to drink. It's a great IPA for summer, as it drinks more like a session ale. I think this drinks smoothly due to the low carbonation.

Taste: As with most IPAs you get a nice burst of hops to start, without it being overwhelming. The first flavors I'm tasting are orange and lemon, with a just a bit of pine. Also tasting pineapple and some malt. It finishes with more lemon and is just a tad bitter.

Overall this is a great IPA. I think hard core hop heads and casual IPA drinkers will like FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 111 this beer. It isn't too bitter and the hops don't annihilate your Palate, while still giving you the West Coast IPA flavor. While I'm not a fan of San Tan's Hop Shock IPA, I really enjoyed this one. In fact this is my second favorite beer from them, the first being Sex Panther.

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LOS ANGELES RAMS (JACKSON SAFON)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Jared Goff, Case Keenum, Sean Mannion, RB: Todd Gurley, Benny Cunningham (3RB), Malcolm Brown (RFA),Aaron Green, Chase Reynolds, Trey Watts, Tre Mason (res) FB: Corey Harkey (TE) WR: Kenny Britt, Tavon Austin (KR/PR), Brian Quick, Pharoh Cooper, Michael Thomas, Marquez North, Paul McRoberts, , Bradley Marquez, Isiah Ferguson, , Kain Colter TE: Lance Kendricks, Tyler Higbee, Justice Cunningham, Temarrick Hemingway K: Greg Zuerlein,

TEAM OUTLOOK

Welcome to the City of Angels. The Rams had the number one pick in the NFL Draft and that ast ee the teas iggest stolie this offseaso. The ‘as ae oig ak to Los Angeles and are looking to rejuvenate the franchise. That might not be possible for Mr. 8-8 himself, head coach Jeff Fisher, but with an always-stifling defense and an improving offense, the Rams will be trying to make the playoffs in its first season back in LA.

The 2015 Rams offense is comparable to the 2015 Minnesota Timberwolves season: mostly terrible but a few really bright spots. Both teams have a future superstar and a bright future. While the Rams finished 7-9, they won three of their last four games, and averaged 25.25 poits pe gae oe that steth, hih oulde een good for 10th in the NFL last season, ahead of teams like the Eagles and Packers.

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STUD – TODD GURLEY

Stud of studs. He started slow last year because of an injury, but exploded onto the scene. Take his 11 games and pro-rate them over a 16 game season ad Gule oulde fiished ith 1,608 yards and 14.5 touchdowns to go along with 30 receptions and 273 receiving yards. Gurley is vastly underrated as a receiver, and if the Rams offense as a whole is improved, he has an outside chance to push for 2,000 total yards. One of maybe two running backs who deserves consideration as a first round pick in PPR leagues.

SLEEPER – LANCE KENDRICKS

While Kediks hast doe uh so fa i the NFL, hes ee eall gotte the hae to start, and definitely neve ith a atual uateak. Goff a e a ookie ut hes alead the best QB Kendricks has had the chance to play with. Coming out of college, Kendricks was actually a really strong prospect, being drafted in the mid-second round. Athletically and college production-wise, he compares well to a bevy of young, successful tight ends in the NFL like Tyler Eifert, Zach Ertz, Martellus Bennett, Eric Ebron, and Jermichael Finley. Similarly to Cooper, his ceiling will be limited by the limitations of the Rams offense, but Kendricks can play and he will get his shot this year.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – PHAROH COOPER

Cooper was a little bit of an odd pick for the Rams, as he is a very similar player to Tavon Austin, but he will bring a little more polish to a receiving ops thats lakig it. While he doest hae great straight-lie speed, Coope is eteel uik ad a ake gus iss i spae. At he ot e a doiat ed zoe theat ad he doest hae a to of elite athleti taits, ut simply put, Cooper is a good football player. He consistently made plays in college and did so all over the field. While nobody is expecting the Rams offense to be truly electric, Cooper has a hae to eoe fello ookie Jaed Goffs top optio fo da oe.

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SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (MATT LANE)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Blaine Gabbert, Colin Kaepernick, Jeff Driskel, Thaddeus Lewis RB: Carlos Hyde, Shaun Draughn, DuJuan Harris, Mike Davis,Kelvin Taylor, Kendall Gaskins WR: Torrey Smith, Bruce Ellington (KR/PR), Quinton Patton, DeAndre Smelter, Eric Rogers, Jerome Simpson, DeAndrew White (KR/PR), Aaron Burbridge, , Devon Cajuste, , DiAndre Campbell TE: Vance McDonald, Garrett Celek, , Bruce Miller (FB), Je′‘o Hamm, Busta Anderson K: Phil Dawson, Corey Acosta, John Lunsford

TEAM OUTLOOK

The 49ers have a change of coaching staff this season with former Eagles and Oregon man Chip Kell takig oe fo Ji Haaugh at Leis “tadiu. Kell is ko fo his fast-paced style and over the past two seasons, no team has run more offensive plays than Philadelphia. In the draft the 49ers bolstered the defense and both sides of the line heavily, selecting three offensive players in round 6: Jeff Driskel (QB), Aaron Burbidge (WR) and Kelvin Taylor (RB). Kelly made a lot of additions on the other side of the ball and the 49ers once heralded defense should be much improved on last season where they were rank awful. DeForest Buckner should help reignite a pass rush and this should make the 49ers D/ST in fantasy a lot more appealing ad soehat udealued at peset ADP. Dot e saed fo last seasos figues he the team lost all heart and motivation (and Patrick Willis, Aldon Smith, Justin Smith, Chris Borland).

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STUD – CARLOS HYDE

Hyde had his second season cut short by injury after seven games after a foot injury. His first season saw him take reps behind Gore but last year he was given the starting job and took 62 percent of team rushing attempts whilst he was on the field over this period, though it seemed he was getting more responsibilities up until his injury, as his last 3 games saw close to 80 percent of team carries handled by the bustling runner. Running back value is tethered to field time and Hyde is likel to see the lios shae this seaso.

The es oulde take a ak eal i the daft ut delied to take a util the th. Hdes competitors for the top job at running back include Shaun Draughn and DuJuan Harris along with rookie Kelvin Taylor. None of these inspire confidence whilst Hyde has proven he can oe the all ofidetl. Hdes ues last seaso oulde etapolated to a fial seaso rushing figure of 278-1141-10 (over 17 weeks). This would put him as RB7 (non-PPR) just ahead of David Johnson and behind Todd Gurley with a total of 174.10 points.

One stumbling block for Hyde is the strength of divisional opponents Seattle, Arizona and Los Angeles (just feels plain wrong to type that). However Hyde has managed to have success in small doses against Seattle and L.A. albeit in his rookie season. Hyde ist a pass athig ak by any means but he was under-utilized in this role last season (11 catches on 15 targets), and has openly stated he wants to be a part of the passing game in 2016 - Kell said of Hde: He a do eethig, the oah aed. Youe lookig fo a ak that a do it all. Youe lookig for a guy who can be a three-do ak, ad thats etail hat Calos is.

Hyde is being drafted at the turn of the 3rd and 4th round in 12 team leagues and I believe he can break the top 8 at ‘B this seaso i oal soig. Dot hesitate to ake hi ou fist ‘B off the oad if oue kee to ulk up o those ig hittig W‘s.

SLEEPER – VANCE MCDONALD

The 49ers team is filled with (deep) sleepers, and I could just as easily have written an article on Bruce Ellington or even Blaine Gabbert who I believe is being criminally under-drafted this year, ut I thik the stadout is Vae MDoald. Eteig his th ea, Vae hast pulled up a trees since being selected in the second round in 2013, but with San Francisco giving up on the Vernon Davis Project last year in a trade to the Broncos mid-season, McDonald was thrust into the starting position. He grew into the role as the season faded for the 49ers, but from week 11 oads the receiver out of Rice totted up a nice stat line of 23 catches for 281 yards and 3 TDs. These numbers were posted against the likes of Seattle, Arizona and Cincinnati with Blaine Gabbert at QB. Even more impressive, all of his TDs came in the red zone, and with Boldin out of the building the 49ers need a RZ weapon. With a full preseason under his belt and the

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 116 starting job locked down (49ers next TEs are Garrett Celek and Blake Bell), I believe Mac can thrive as he has good if not great athletic assets and he will be on a team who need to get the all do the field. Lets fae it, the es ae ot goig to e leadig a gaes goig ito the fourth quarter. I believe McDonald can grab 600-900 yards this season with 4-7 touhdos. Hes goig udafted i a lot of leagues so snag him toward the very end of the draft as a TE2 stash.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – DEFOREST BUCKNER

The 49ers rookie draft was not very fantasy football friendly as they bolstered their line on both sides of the ball and focused on their ailing defense. My pick here is that DeForest Buckner is going to help put the 49ers defense back on the map again and considering they are going undrafted in almost all leagues, this is a team to keep your eye on through weeks 1-4 and be ready to pick them up on the waiver wire.

I watched every game last season and the defense was absolutely awful. With such a loss of talent, including the leader Patrick Willis, the 49ers just never recovered. Throw in a coach who ee ated to e thee all seaso ad ouve got a recipe for disaster -- thats hat the es season was. This season is different, the 49ers have fresh impetus and a whole new coaching staff. Whilst I think Vic Fangio was the best defensive coordinator in the NFL a few years ago, Chip brought i Ji ONeill ho has oesee a poud if uspetaula defese i th i points allowed) and a record-breaking 2013 Bills unit. By building the defense in the draft over 2 years they now have fresh faces in Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Aaron Lynch and have clearly set out to counter the divisional threat with pass rushing Quarterbacks and shutting out Running Backs. For me NaVorro is the best linebacker in football and showed that even before Willis retired he was a leader on the defense -- he is too proud to let his team quit like they did last year and the renewed vigor will push the 49ers from fantasy irrelevance to a free shot at a top 10 group at D/ST.

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SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (MIKE GALUZKA)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Russell Wilson, Trevone Boykin, Jake Heap RB: Thomas Rawls (inj), Christine Michael, C.J. Prosise (3RB) (inj),Alex Collins, Zac Brooks FB: Tre Madden, Tani Tupou WR: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett (KR/PR), Jermaine Kearse, Paul Richardson, Kevin Smith, , Kasen Williams, Antwan Goodley, Douglas McNeil, Jeff Fuller, Deshon Foxx, Tanner McEvoy TE: Jimmy Graham (inj), Luke Willson, , Cooper Helfet,Brandon Williams, Brandon Cottom (FB) K: Steven Hauschka

TEAM OVERVIEW

2016 begins a new era in football, as they try to move on from the epic career of running back Marshawn Lynch. The offense will arguably be more dynamic moving forward from "Beast Mode," and with quarterback Russell Wilson at the helm, the future and present state of the Seahawks is bright. With four straight playoff appearances and counting, Seattle will rely on a host of great fantasy options at every skill position in the offense. Russell Wilson is always a reliable option at the quarterback position, and with a consistent commitment to a successful running game, the running back position will be extremely relevant to fantasy owners. Seattle also employs great talent at the wide receiver position, with Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett both having productive years in 2015. The team should only get better in their offensive efficiency should All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham return to even approaching his level of play he showcased in New Orleans for five seasons. As a whole, a team that has been as

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 118 successful as the Seahawks have been for the past four seasons is a team in which you should be targeting players for your fantasy team to be successful. 2016 will be yet another year for Seattle's players to shine on the field, and in your box scores of your leagues.

STUD – RUSSELL WILSON

The Seahawks must-own player for the 2016 fantasy season is without a doubt, quarterback Russell Wilson. The Seattle signal-caller has finished as the third highest scoring quarterback in standard leagues for the last two seasons, including 2015 where he had his best passing numbers in his young career to this point. After finishing with a stat line of 3,475-20-7 through the air in 2014, he vastly improved upon those numbers in 2015 with 4024 yards passing, 34 touchdowns, with only 8 interceptions. His rushing numbers, as expected, declined last season from an other-worldly 2014, though he still finished with a respectable 553 yards on the ground, good enough for third best among quarterbacks.

Wilson owners benefited from an impressive late season playoff run from the Seahawks where Wilson tossed 24 touchdowns with only 1 interception from week 11 to week 17, averaging better than 27 fantasy points per game. Also benefiting Wilson owners going forward into the 2016 season is Seattle's shift from a traditionally run-heavy offense towards a more balanced attack. The Seahawks had the highest percentage of running plays in the NFL for three straight seasons (2012-2014), before dropping to the fourth highest in 2015 at 50.56 percent.

Pete Carroll has shown the desire to let Wilson throw the ball more, with his passing attempts increasing every year, and that trend should only continue in 2016. With Thomas Rawls' slow recovery from ankle surgery casting a cloud of uncertainty on the running game, Wilson's arm will be relied upon more than ever, and he will surely set a career high in attempts this season.

The receiving core for Seattle is talented, with Doug Baldwin setting career highs in every major receiving category in 2015, as well as the speedy Tyler Lockett emerging as a future star. In addition, tight end Jimmy Graham will be back from an injury plagued 2015 soon, and Seattle drafted CJ Prosise, a running back who excels in the passing game. Since 2012, Wilson has also averaged better than 600 yards rushing per season and 3 touchdowns, making him an elite option to target for your team, given the upside he provides on the ground in addition to his passing numbers. While he most likely won't replicate the 6 touchdowns he rushed for in 2014, he should be able to find the end zone in 2016 more than he did in 2015, when his total fell to just 1. With an average draft position (ADP) of 39 to this point, Wilson provides drafters outstanding value without having to reach for a quarterback too early. Given Seattle's recent success, his upside in the running game coupled with his steadily improving passing numbers, drafting Wilson will surely win you your fair share of games in 2016.

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SLEEPER – JERMAINE KEARSE

In 2015, the Seahawks offense benefited from breakout performances at wide receiver by veteran Doug Baldwin, and rookie standout Tyler Lockett. Quietly snagging 49 receptions with 685 yards and 5 touchdowns was receiver Jermaine Kearse, who could be poised to have another good year with fantasy relevance. Kearse has been a part of the Seattle offense since 2012, signing with the team as an undrafted free agent. He has played in some incredibly important games, and has performed well under the big lights. in 2014 against the Packers in the NFC Championship game, Kearse caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson in overtime to send the Seahawks to their second straight Super Bowl. In that very Super Bowl, Kearse caught a 33 yard desperation pass from Wilson late in the fourth quarter that should have set up the game-winning score for Seattle. With all of that being said, Kearse is a very capable receiver who could be on the verge of a breakout season for the Seahawks for a variety of reasons.

To start, Kearse ended last season on a high note, snagging 11 receptions for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Panthers in the NFC Divisional Round. He entered free agency following that game, where Seattle made a 3-year $13.5 million commitment to the wideout. With the team committing that much money to Kearse, he will again be an integral part of the offense that took flight in the second half of the season.

As I previously stated, when it comes to Seattle's offense, they have been incredibly run-heavy over the past few years. The coaching staff seems to be intent on moving the offense more and more toward the passing game, and more passing attempts equate to more opportunities for Kearse to break out. On top of that, the uncertainty in the running game is already going to lead to more passing from the offense, and with defenses surely looking to contain Doug Baldwin in the slot, Kearse will reap the benefits on the outside. I think most importantly of all, in addition to making some of the biggest clutch catches over the last few seasons in the playoffs, Kearse will have the trust of Wilson going forward after only dropping 8 total passes thrown to him in the last 3 seasons combined. With all of these factors going in the right direction for Kearse, there is no doubt that he can have a relevant season for fantasy owners in deeper leagues. Kearse could easily set career highs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, and he's the sleeper for Seattle that you should be targeting.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – C.J. PROSISE

If you're looking for a rookie with the potential to impact your fantasy squad early on, look no further than running back C.J. Prosise. Drafted by the Seahawks in the third round out of Notre Dame, Prosise will have the opportunity to contribute right away with the uncertainty

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 120 surrounding Thomas Rawls following an ankle injury suffered in week 14 of the 2015 season. Even if Rawls is ready for training camp, he surely won't be pushed too hard, leaving Prosise to garner a decent portion of the reps with the first-team offense. With a good showing in camp, there is no doubt he could get early down work in the regular season to prevent Rawls from re- injuring the ankle. Prosise is also in a great spot from the jump, as he's already penciled in by head coach Pete Caoll to e the teas thid-down back regardless of the injury to Rawls.

At Notre Dame, he was a wide receiver before being moved to running back. As a running back in his senior season, Prosise rushed for 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns, and also caught 26 passes for 308 yards and a touchdown. Having played receiver at such a high level of competition, Prosise will definitely own the "third and long" downs, as well as any passing situations for that matter. Having excellent hands, it's also not out of the question to see him split out wide at receiver with Rawls on the field in some packages. With his size and obvious skill in the passing game, Prosise has earned many comparisons to Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson. While I don't know if Prosise can replicate the production Johnson had in his ookie seaso, the opaisos defiitel thee.

Prosise can learn from Johnson's 2015 season, as he was also behind on the depth chart and used mainly only in passing downs early in the year. Despite being given few opportunities to produce, Johnson made the most of them, scoring on big plays and forcing fantasy owners to make him an option on their teams. With Prosise's role essentially a lock heading into training camp, he could very easily become a major factor for the 2016 season if he capitalizes on the opportunities provided to him, especially if Rawls does happen to go down again. Considering where he was drafted, his obvious talent, and opportunity to shine early in the season, C.J. Prosise is far and away the rookie you should be targeting in Seattle.

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FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 122

BALTIMORE RAVENS (ADAM COOK)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Joe Flacco, Ryan Mallett, Jerrod Johnson, Josh Johnson RB: Justin Forsett, Javorius Allen, Kenneth Dixon, Lorenzo Taliaferro, Terrance West, FB: Kyle Juszczyk WR: Steve Smith, Kamar Aiken, Mike Wallace, Breshad Perriman (inj), Michael Campanaro, Chris Moore, Jeremy Butler, Keenan Reynolds (RB/KR), Chris Matthews, Kaelin Clay, Daniel Brown TE: Benjamin Watson, Maxx Williams, Crockett Gillmore, Dennis Pitta, Darren Waller (susp), (susp) K: Justin Tucker

TEAM OUTLOOK

The Ravens have not had to endure a losing season dating all the way back to 2007 before the disaster of a season that 2015 was. The always durable Joe Flacco suffered a season-ending injury, the ageless Steve Smith blew his Achilles, their first round pick Breshad Perriman ouldt get o the field, offesie etepiee Justi Fosett oke his a, ad defesie leader even joined the injury party. Hey, at least they beat the rival in Week 16 to almost knock them out of the playoffs.

There are questions still unsolved heading into training camp. Steve Smith has no clue when he will return to the field and even so recently said he wants to return just to try and eclipse 1,000 career receptions. Perriman still may not be able to be unleashed after another recent knee FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 123 scare. The defense has not been the same since the losses of stalwarts , Ed Reed, and Haloti Ngata.

2016 brings a new year and the Ravens are ready to get back to their winning ways. Ozzie Newsome and John Harbaugh are not known as losers, so a quick bounce back can be expected. We will see starting on Sept. 11 against Rex Ryan and the .

STUD – JUSTIN TUCKER

No one was expecting a kicker here huh? Well looking at the Ravens positional players, Tucker is the ol plae ho ill stat out the seaso as a egula state i tea leagues. Lets take a quick rundown:

Joe Flacco- My 24th ranked QB Kenneth Dixon- My 32nd ranked PPR RB Justin Forsett- My 35th ranked PPR RB Kamar Aiken- My 40th ranked PPR WR Mike Wallace- My 55th ranked WR Steve Smith- Not in the top 60 at WR Breshad Perriman- Not in the top 60 at WR Benjamin Watson- 23rd ranked PPR TE

As you can see, the options for the Ravens offense are not that appealing. The Ravens are a e taditioal tea, so I dot epet Tuke to lose out o a eta poit oppotuities. Baltimore is content to win sloppy 19-13 games on the right leg of Justin Tucker. In 2015 Tucker only missed one field goal 49 yards and under and did not miss a single extra point despite the distance being extended. He only hit 4 out of 10 50+ yard field goals last year, but the fact that he attempted 10 in total is a good sign. He was 9th in fantasy points in standard Yahoo scoring last year and that was with uninspiring quarterback play. At least Tucker will be in fantasy starting lineups Week 1 and you cannot say that for the rest of the Ravens offensive players.

SLEEPER – KAMAR AIKEN

Aiken was the last man standing the Baltimore receiving corps last year after Steve Smith and Breshad Perriman suffered injuries. To his credit, Aiken took full advantage of the opportunities granted. He was very consistent in 2015 totaling 7 plus targets in 11 out of the last 13 games and he topped 50 plus yards in 8 out of the last 9 games. Looking back, I may have to move Aiken up in my PPR rankings from the 40th spot. I see top 30 PPR WR potential in 2016. Kamar looks to be the No. 1 WR for the Ravens heading into the 2016 campaign. His touchdown production was low last year (5), but I could expect an increase with a healthy Joe Flacco

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 124 slinging the rock instead of the likes of Ryan Mallett, Jimmy Clausen, and Matt Schaub. No. 1 ideouts i Ma Testas offeses hae ied fatas gold. Whe Testa as the Beas head coach in 2013 and 2014 Alshon Jeffery totaled 80 plus catches both years and Brandon Mashall eahed i . No Aike ist as phsiall gifted as those to plaes, ut the poit is that the taget upside is thee. Dot sleep o Kaa Aike as I epect him to lead the Ravens in receiving this year.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – KENNETH DIXON

Many draft experts had Kenneth Dixon ranked as the 2nd running back behind Ezekiel Elliott heading into the 2016 NFL Draft. He ended up lasting all the way until the 4th round, but fell into a perfect landing spot with the Ravens.

The depth chart climbing should not be a daunting task for Dixon as the only players he has to beat out for meaningful touches are mega-bust Trent Richardson, JAG (Just-A-Guy) runner Javorius Allen, and an aging Justin Forsett.

Dixon was a baller at Louisiana Tech often carrying the offense despite minimal talent around him. What do fantasy players like to watch their players do on Sundays? Score touchdowns! Dixon knows what a touchdown feels like as he scored 28 total touchdowns in 2014 and 26 total touchdowns in 2015.

Kenneth Dixon was widely considered one of the best pass catching running backs in the entire draft. In Baltimore he will be playing under an offensive coordinator that loves to use the uig aks i the passig gae. Lookig at Testas last eas oahig as fa as uig back receptions go: Matt Forte had 74 receptions in 2013, Matt Forte had 102 receptions in 2014, and Javorius Allen and Justin Forsett combined for 76 receptions in 2015. The potential for Dixon to catch 60 plus passes this year is real. I will be selecting Dixon over Forsett in drafts this August as I tend to bet on talent winning out in the long run.

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 125

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 126

CINCINNATI BENGALS (BEN ROLFE)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Andy Dalton, A.J. McCarron, Keith Wenning, Joe Licata RB: Jeremy Hill (SD), Giovani Bernard (3RB), (WR),, Bronson Hill FB: Ryan Hewitt (HB) WR: A.J. Green, Brandon LaFell, James Wright, Tyler Boyd, Brandon Tate (KR), Jake Kumerow, , Cody Core, Angelo Russell,Rashawn Simonise, Alex Erickson, Michael Bennett TE: Tyler Eifert (inj), Tyler Kroft, C.J. Uzomah, Matthew Lengel, John Peters K: Mike Nugent

TEAM OUTLOOK The Cincinnati Bengals seemed well on their way to a wild card round victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers until a late by Jeremy Hill and a poor decisions by both Vontaze Burfict and Adam Jones put the Steelers in position for a game winning field goal. Hue Jackson left during the offseason to become the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. All that said the Bengals enter 2016 with a chance to have a productive offense and strong defense. Ken Zampese will take over as offensive coordinator and should employ much of the same offensive scheme as they had in previous seasons. He was the quarterback coach prior to the promotion and has a good rapport with Andy Dalton. Zampese might even give Dalton more opportunities in the passing game.

Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill should both see a ton of work and remain viable fantasy optios. HIlls didt lie up to the late fist o eal seod ADP a people took hi at ut he ast that teile. He should eai a touhdo ahie ith upside. He is uetly FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 127 coming off of the board in the 5th round and can be a low end RB1 or high end RB2 depending on how your first four picks go. Tyler Eifert may miss some time due to an ankle injury. He has had surgery and should be back in early August. Time will tell how quickly he can get up to speed. Dot foget aout Ad Dalto i dafts if ou ae aitig o uateak. He a e a top 10 option coming off the board as QB15 per fantasyfootballcalculator.com. Lets take a look at some of his targets.

STUD – AJ GREEN

Antonio Brown, Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr. garner a ton of talk when fantasy drafts roll around and for good reason. All are incredible wide receivers that produce year in and year out. The ae eeptioal talets that gae the lios shae of the ok i thei offeses. A ae ofte left out of these disussios is A.J. Gee. Mae its eause the Begals eet e good fo a hile o ae its eause Ad Dalto is his uateback but all the guy does is produce elite fantasy wide receiver numbers. He has 415 catches, 6,171 yards and 45 touchdowns over his 5 years with the Bengals. That is good enough for 6th most yards and touchdowns over that span. He has had more than 1,000 in every season he has played. Noted Wide Receiver guru Matt Harmon pointed out that Randy Moss is the only other wide receiver to do that in his latest column of must own wide receivers. Green has also scored double digit touchdowns in three of his five seasons. 2016 has the potential to be the best season Green has ever had. The opportunity is there for Green to see 180 to 200 targets and be incredibly productive with those opportunities. He is my 4th rated wide receiver and would be very happy to draft him in round 1 of drafts.

SLEEPER – BRANDON LAFELL

I know, I know we should be doing this again but here we are. Brandon LaFell is never going to be someone who can be a top 20 wide receiver or someone fantasy owners will want to rely on but this season there is going to be opportunities from someone across from A.J. Green to get targets and LaFell can be that guy.

In his two full seasons across from Green, Marvin Jones saw 183 targets. While it is not safe to assume that someone has to get those targets like its a pie to diide up the potetial fo LaFell to see in the range of 75- tagets ad potetiall oe doest see ipoale. He has a aee ath ate of peet hih ist geat ut ith a aeage ads pe ath of . he can be productive with the catches he gets. He also sets up to have a golden opportunity early with Eifert potentially missing time and the other options being rookie and Brandon Tate. He is worth the gamble at the very end of drafts especially in non-PPR leagues. The best part is you ill ko eal if he a e a fatas optio this seaso ad if he at podue the ut hi and move on to the hot waiver wire add that week.

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 128

ROOKIE TO WATCH – TYLER BOYD Like I mentioned with LaFell, there is an opportunity for a wide receiver or two to step up opposite Green. Tyler Boyd has the skill and potential to seize that role. Boyd was an incredibly productive receiver during his time at the University of Pittsburgh. He caught 254 balls for 3,361 yards and 21 touchdowns during his thee seaso. Bod ade up . peet of Pitts receptions in his final season with the Panthers. He is ahead of the curve for most rookies as he has displaed eeptioal oute uig skills. He is ot the iggest ad pouds o the fastest (4.58 40 yard dash) but can get open with his route running. He also displays solid hands and should catch a lot of what comes his way. Boyd is worth a late round add especially if ou hae ide eeies oue fie ith eal ad ae lookig fo pue upside.

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 129

CLEVELAND BROWNS (PAUL BATTS)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown, , Austin Davis RB: Isaiah Crowell (SD), Duke Johnson (3RB), ,, Glenn Winston FB: Malcolm Johnson WR: Josh Gordon (susp), Corey Coleman, Andrew Hawkins,Rashard Higgins, , Jordan Payton, Terrelle Pryor,, Darius Jennings, Marlon Moore, Rannell Hall TE: Gary Barnidge, E.J. Bibbs, Seth Devalve, Randall Telfer, Connor Hamlett K: Travis Coons (inj), Patrick Murray, Jaden Oberkrom

TEAM OUTLOOK

The Cleveland Browns are a team in disarray. After limping to a three-win season in 2015, owner Jimmy Haslam decided a regime change was in order, ousting General Manager Ray Farmer and head coach Mike Pettine. After years of disappointment (The Browns have not had a winning season since 2007), Haslem decided to take a somewhat unconventional approach to structuring his front office. Former team General Council Sashi Brown was promoted to Executive Vice President and will have final say over the roster while former MLB exec Paul DePodesta was brought in to help with player development and day to day operations.

While neither Brown nor DePodesta has experience in NFL player evaluations, both are analytic epets ad ill epotedl use a Moeall appoah to u the tea. Its a iteestig move, to say the least, but a move that Browns fans hope will pay big dividends down the road. Highly regarded offensive coordinator Hue Jackson was lured away from Cincinnati to become FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 130 the Bos th head oah i see eas. Jakso igs epeiee to a iepeieed tea as should aid in the development of its young talent. I expect the offense to exceed expectations under Jackson making for some nice under the radar values for your fantasy team.

STUD – DUKE JOHNSON

I ko it souds az to hae a akup uig ak as the de fato stud fo a tea, ut hear me out: Johnson is THE pass catching back on this team. Vegas oddsmakers have Cleveland slated as underdogs by 3 points or more in every single game this year. What does that mean for us? You guessed it: a lot of playing from behind, which means a lot of passing the ball which ill iease the seod ea aks plaig tie hethe he is the state o ot.

Duke was third in targets in 2015 with 77, and the leader (Travis Benjamin) bolted to San Diego. I epet Johsos tagets to skoket to ell oe as he poides a ie seuit laket for newly acquired quarterback Robert Griffin III. One hundred targets from a running back poides a ie floo ut hat akes Duke so appealig is that ou at disout the possiilit of Johnson taking over lead back duties from Isaiah Crowell. Crowell has talent as a two down thumper but offers very little in the passing game and has shown a penchant for getting himself in trouble, a quality that the new regime will have little patience for. If Johnson were to take over as the lead back, you would have an absolute steal at his 6th round average draft position.

SLEEPER – JOSH GORDON

I know I will get a ton of flak for choosing Gordon as my sleeper. After all,we are talking about a guy who may not even play this season. A guy who has had every chance to succeed and has blown every last one. However, as I write this, Josh is scheduled to apply for reinstatement Aug. 1 and I see no reason why he would be denied. The NFL has received a ton of pushback on its drug policy, especially on marijuana, and suspending Gordon further will give them a headache that the just dot at. I ot hee to gie oeta o ho I feel aout the uet policy, I am here to tell you which player currently on the Cleveland Browns provides the most upside relative to where he is beig dafted, ad that plae is Godo ad its ot lose. It is hard to argue that Gordon is anything but a WR1 for your fantasy team if he plays (I think he ill ad if ou get a W‘ at pik uet ADP. Its a league ie, plai ad siple.

If Gordon makes you squeamish then I believe there are several values on this team, especially in deeper leagues. Jordan Payton is flying way under the radar and is basically free right now. The Browns wide receiver depth chart is wide open after 1st round draft pick Corey Coleman and I believe that Payton will see playing time early because of his polished route running and sure hands. Keep an eye on running back Terrell Watson as well. Hue Jackson coached Watson in Cincinnati so he is very familiar with his skill set. Jaksos e fist oste oe as atig

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 131 head coach was to pluck the 240 pound bruiser off of The Bengals indicating that he likes hat Watso igs to the tale. Its ot had to see Jakso usig Watso uh like he used Jere Hill i Cii ith Johso atig as Cleelads esio of Gio Bead.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – COREY COLEMAN

After trading away the number two overall pick in the draft, Sashi Brown made Coleman his first draft pick as acting GM. Brown chose Coleman over receivers Laquon Treadwell and Josh Dotso eause he eliees that Colea as the ost eplosie plae i the daft ad hes not alone. Draft guru and highly respected fantasy football analyst Matt Waldman called Colea the ost eitig eeie i the draft and most scintillating big play threat of any positio i the daft ad a NFL.o daft guu said Colea is speial ith the all i his hads.

Coleman steps in as the no. 1 wide receiver from day one on a team that is likely to be passing a lot. A hundred targets is his floor and I expect him to approach 150 or more if he can stay health, hih ould e a huge oo fo his fatas oes. Coes upside is teedous because he is a threat to take it to the house on any play as evidenced by his 20 TDs on 74 athes as a juio at Balo. Ill do the ath fo ou: Colea soed a TD ette tha out of every 4 times he touched the ball in 2015.The outcome of the Gordon reinstatement may or a ot affet Coleas aket shae of the Cleeland passing attack. I do expect Gordon to e eistated ut I ouldt e supised if he is dealt the tea iediatel upo reinstatement. I have nothing to base that on besides gut feeling but if that were to happen it could possibly mean an uptick i oth Coleas ad Godos alue. It ill e iteestig to see how that plays out in the coming month.

As a side note, if you happen to have any Browns (or Titans) on your roster, the NFL inexplicably made week 13 a bye for the Browns and Titans. I know that this won't affect playoffs for most readers but I play in several leagues where the playoffs start early so be mindful of this as it may or may not affect you.

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 132

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 133

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (LUKE O’NEILL)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Landry Jones, , Dustin Vaughn RB: Le′Veo Bell susp, DeAngelo Williams, ,Daryl Richardson, , Christian Powell FB: Roosevelt Nix WR: Antonio Brown (PR), Markus Wheaton (KR), Sammie Coates,Darrius Heyward-Bey, , , Issac Blakeney,Levi Norwood, Shakim Philips, Tobias Palmer, Canan Severin,Martavis Bryant (susp) TE: Ladarius Green (inj), Jesse James, , David Johnson (FB), David Reeves, Jay Rome K: Chris Boswell

TEAM OUTLOOK

Last season, the Steelers' transition from defensive powerhouse to offensive juggernaut manifested itself absolutely. The team finished 5th in scoring, averaging 26.4 points per game. They finished 3rd in total yards and passing yards per game (395.4 and 287.7, respectively), and 16th in rushing yards per game at 107.8 yards per game, in spite of All-World RB Le'Veon Bell appearing in just 6 games, and Ben Roethlisberger missing 4 full games and parts of several others with injury.

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 134

The team finished with a 10-6 record, eventually snatching a wildcard playoff spot, where they faced the rival AFC North champion Bengals, securing their first playoff win since 2010. They lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Broncos in the Divisional round, missing the offensive firepower of Bell, Antonio Brown and DeAngelo Williams.

The offensive line was thrown into turmoil last season, with Maurkice Pouncey failing to play a regular season snap, and starting left tackle Kelvin Beachum being lost for the season after just 6 games. Pouncey should return this season, and appears to be back at full health. Alejandro Villanueva steadily improved as the season wore on as Beachum's replacement, and the team quietly signed Ryan Harris in free agency, adding a Super Bowl left tackle in a move that is flying under the radar. Ramon Foster and David DeCastro are as solid a duo at guard as any in the league, and right tackle Marcus Gilbert is one of the best linemen in the league that nobody is talking about. Under the continued tutelage of , this should be one of the better units in the league, and should continue to protect Roethlisberger well (in spite of the missed games, last season was the fewest amount of sacks Big Ben has absorbed in his NFL career).

Roethlisberger's stats from last season extrapolated over the course of a 16 game season read as follows:

625 passing attempts 5251 passing yards 28 passing TDs 21 interceptions 20 rushing attempts 39 rushing yards

Realistically, the TD total seems low considering the huge yardage, but it falls in line with Roethlisberger's average, having never tossed more than 33 scores in any season. Provided he can stay healthy for the whole season, he has a legitimate shot at over 5,000 yards passing again, and a safe bet for around 30 passing TDs, with the chance for a rushing TD thrown in for good measure. Per Fantasy Football Calculator, he's being drafted as the 5th QB off the board. We've advocated for Big Ben as a value draft pick in the past, but this year he's going a little earlier than we'd like. With QBs like Eli Manning and Philip Rivers lasting 3 rounds later on average, Big Ben's capped TD upside may not be worth that high a pick.

Shortly prior to the time of writing, it emerged that Le'Veon Bell is facing a 4 game suspension for a missed drug test. Dynasty owners may have pause over his long term value, but it presents an interesting opportunity to acquire Bell at a discount in redraft leagues. Bell leads the league in yards from scrimmage per game since entering the league, and if he slips in drafts he could be a potential league winner if you can snag him in the second or third round. Bell's running mate DeAngelo Williams was a revelation when pressed into service following Bell's injury last FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 135 season, finishing 10th in rushing yards and joint top in TDs, in spite of starting just 10 games. Williams holds enough value to draft as a standalone asset, but the ideal play in drafts will be to draft Bell earlier with Williams as a handcuff. Williams' ADP is likely to spike with this news, and depending where he starts going, he may not be worth the return on investment, as Bell is likely to take the lion's share of work when (or indeed if) he returns. Bell's situation is one that should be monitored, but even if he misses 4 weeks, he'll still be an RB1.

Outside of Antonio Brown, the Steelers have question marks at wide receiver. Martavis Bryant's suspension for the season robs them of one of the most electric playmakers in the league, with 15 scores in just 21 games played. We've been bullish on Markus Wheaton for a long time and his week 12 explosion against Seattle highlighted his potential: 9 receptions for 201 yards and a score against the Legion of Boom is nothing to sniff at. He finished the season with 749 yards, 5 TDs and 17 yards per catch, within the top 10 in the NFL. After just 1 TD catch before the week 11 bye, Wheaton subsequently caught 4 in the last 6 games.

Roethlisberger's increased trust in and rapport with Wheaton was obvious, and that should only benefit him in the upcoming season. Over 1000 yards and 8 TDs seem reasonable expectations. Many are expecting 2nd year size/speed prospect Sammie Coates to take the "Bryant" role, but Wheaton's increased familiarity with the system give him the inside track. Coates, along with depth WR Darrius Heyward-Bey and whichever young WR(s) make the 53 (be it Eli Rodgers, Shakim Phillips, or rookie Demarcus Ayers) shouldn't crack more than 400- 500 yards.

The team is experiencing a transition at tight end this season, with the retirement of Roethlisberger favorite Heath Miller and blocking specialist Matt Spaeth being released. To combat this, the team made a splash in free agency (by their standards, at least) by signing Ladarius Green. Green's athletic profile is staggering, with a 4.53 40 yard dash time at 6'6", 240 pounds. Green had spent his Chargers career behind one of the all time great tight ends, and in his 5th NFL season finally gets a chance to spread his wings. Look for Green to register somewhere between 700-800 yards and 6-8 TDs.

STUD – ANTONIO BROWN

Let's be honest: who else was it going to be?

Antonio Brown should not be as good as he is. He's not the fastest player in the league, he's far from the biggest. He came from a small school as a 6th round pick. And since he entered the league, he has been rewriting the record books.

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 136

Over the last three seasons, Brown has 375 catches for 5,031 yards and 31 TDs. He has 2 of the 10 highest single season receiving yardage records and 2 of the 4 highest reception totals in NFL history. He was the first player to record over 1,000 yards receiving and returning in the same season.

He is, quite simply, a phenomenon.

Brown will never be a bully in the red zone like Dez Bryant, nor will he have the catch radius of Calvin Johnson. Brown wins as a technician, selling defenders with deft route running and preternatural short area quickness. He's also in the perfect system to maximize his talents, with offensive coordinator Todd Haley consistently putting him in position to make plays, and a quarterback with whom he seems to share a telepathic connection.

Brown's consistency will be key to his outlook for this season. His numbers over the last three seasons average out to 125 catches for 1,677 yards and 10 TDs. However, his numbers took a nosedive last season during the games that Roethlisberger missed, averaging under 6 catches and 60 yards per game with no scores. However, in the last 16 games in which Ben has played at least 70 percent of the snaps, Brown has 152 catches for 2,039 yards, per Evan Silva (@EvanSilva). If, and it is obviously a huge if, the pair can stay healthy next season, Brown has a chance to see more records tumble at his feet.

Many will argue that a complicating factor this season will be that without Bryant, and at least temporarily without Bell, opposing defenses will be able to key in on Brown, with the Steelers lacking other superstar threats. This line of reasoning assumes that opposing defenses have not already been game planning for Brown.

In the 9 games Brown played with both Bryant and Roethlisberger in 2015, he averaged:

14.1 targets 10 receptions 129 yards 0.89 TDs 28.3 PPR points per game

In the (admittedly small sample size) of 3 games with Ben but without Bryant, he averaged:

11.7 targets 9.7 receptions 146 yards 0.66 TDs 28.2 PPR points per game FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 137

Yes, without Bryant and Bell, opposing teams will know that they have to stop AB to stop the Steelers. But opposing teams have known that for a long time. Knowing and doing are very different things.

Draft Antonio Brown.

Draft him high.

Draft him with confidence.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – DEMARCUS AYERS

This profile was not a difficult one to choose, as Ayers is the only "skill position" player the Steelers took on offense (in spite of many being of the opinion they could have used depth at running back as well as wide receiver).

Ayers was the Steelers' second last selection of the draft, all the way back at pick 229 in the 7th round. Measuring in at only 5'9" and 182 pounds, many have pegged Ayers as too small for the NFL. He also ran a 4.7 40 yard dash in the 40, leaving many to speculate that he would also be too slow to make it in the league. In order to stick to the roster, this late round draft pick will have to excel on special teams.

Stop me if you've heard this before.

Obviously, it would be a huge stretch to conclude from this that Ayers can become even a fraction of the player that Brown is, but given the similarities it also seems foolish to write him off just yet. Ayers put together an impressive final season in college, racking up 98 catches for 1,222 yards and 6 TDs in his last season at Houston, his yardage ranking 18th in the nation.

Truthfully, Ayers was drafted more for his special teams prowess, with Kevin Colbert claiming he evaluated Ayers as the best return man available in the draft. However, as noted above, outside of Antonio Brown, the Steelers lack proven playmakers at the WR position. He may have an opportunity to force a role for himself on offense.

He'll only need to look around the WR meeting room for the best inspiration to do so.

SLEEPER – SAMMIE COATES At the time of writing, second year WR Sammie Coates has an ADP of 12.02 per www.fantasyfootballcalculator.com, as the 55th receiver off the board. He is currently

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 138 being drafted behind players like Josh Gordon, Vincent Jackson, and the fetid corpse of Steve Smith. While there's far from any guarantee that Coates plays a huge role in the offense (as outlined above), his potential is tantalizing, and he could extremely easily outperform this draft slot. Outside of Bryant, no Steelers' WR comes close to the physical upside Coates provides. Last year's 87th overall pick stands 6'2", weighs in at a rocked up 212 pounds, and blazed a 4.43 40 yard dash in the combine. While it's (reasonably) safe to assume that Markus Wheaton will take up the no. 2 WR duties across from Antonio Brown, Coates could be used in a similar fashion to Bryant was in his first season - a deep ball threat. Per PlayerProfiler.com, Coates boasts 99th percentile athleticism, a notion reinforced by his 21.8 yard per reception average in college. If Coates can come close to replicating this sort of figure in the NFL, he'll more than justify his selection in your draft. This shouldn't be considered too implausible. As noted above, Wheaton averaged 17 yards per catch and his role was not that of a designated deep ball threat. Coates will require a leap of faith this season, as he has such limited experience - just 36 regular season snaps played in the NFL. Prior to the Divisional game against the Broncos, Coates had just two targets, one catch, and 11 yards. When the Steelers lost Brown before the Divisional game, Coates by necessity became a bigger part of the game plan. He garnered 3 targets in the game, totaling 2 catches for 61 yards. The one pass he did not catch resulted in a 12 yard defensive pass interference call. Coates showed both yards after the catch ability and a physicality no other Steelers WR provides, including Bryant. SteelersDepot.com did a good job of breaking down his plays here. But leaps of faith are exactly why we have "sleeper" articles. Coates profiles very similarly to current breakout superstar Donte Moncrief, and was actually drafted in the NFL Draft before both Moncrief and Bryant. Coates has immense ability and upside, and the events that have transpired in Pittsburgh mean he may soon have the only thing he missed in his first year - opportunity. It wouldn't be surprising to see Coates put up 500 yards and 3 TDs, but there's also a very real chance he usurps Wheaton as the team's WR2 and he flirts with 1000 yards and 7-8 TDs. As the 55th WR off the board, that's a chance you should be willing to take.

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HOUSTON TEXANS (SETH SHORT)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Brock Osweiler, Brandon Weeden, Tom Savage RB: Lamar Miller, Alfred Blue, Jonathan Grimes, Tyler Ervin, Akeem Hunt, Kenny Hilliard FB: WR: DeAndre Hopkins, Jaelen Strong, Cecil Shorts, Will Fuller,Braxton Miller, Keith Mumphery, Wendall Williams, Josh Lenz TE: Ryan Griffin (inj), C.J. Fiedorowicz, Anthony Denham, Stephen Anderson, Eric Tomlinson K:

TEAM OUTLOOK

The Houston Texans are a Fantasy Offense on the upsig. Bill OBie likes a up tepo stle that ill help fill up the stat sheet, just last year the Texans ran the most plays per game in the NFL. That fact added with offseason additions across the board to complement Nuke Hopkins could lead to the Texans being one of the most fantasy friendly teams in the league.

Last ea plaig a hos ho of hos ot at uateak the Teas ade a aggessie pla for the little used Brock Osweiler. Despite the lack of talent at QB last year the Texans up tempo offense passed for 29 TDs and only 12 INTs (playoffs obviously not included). Is Osweiler a huge upgrade? That is yet to be seen, it is hard to compare his stint last year in the ultra-conservative Gary Kubiak offense to what he might be able to do in his new situation. I am not going to put all hips i o Oseile ut I dot thik he ill hide Hopkis o aoe else i this offense. Osweiler is a QB2 in this offense for fantasy purposes.

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At running back the Texans made my favorite fantasy move of the offseason by bringing in underused Lamar Miller. Miami refused to give him the ball consistently but when they did he put up big numbers. Always a YPC monster, he has also increased his receptions each year since he has joined the league. Last year Texans RBs caught 85 passes, Arian Foster had 22 in 4 games with 7 targets per game. Now Lamar Miller gets that role in a full capacity. Lamar Miller will be a top 5 PPR scoring running back this year.

The presence of Miller will only open up things for DeAndre Hopkins on the outside. Hopkins is a stud ad ill e dafted as suh. But he ist aloe o the outside. The Teas ade old moves in the draft and bring a plethora of talent at wideout. In the 1st round they drafted Notre Dame home run hitter Will Fuller, in the 3rd round they selected potential Swiss Army Knife Bato Mille, to go alog ith last eas rd rounder Jaelen Strong and incumbent Cecil Shorts. Any of these four could see major time this year. This is the battle to pay attention to this summer.

Reports are that Jaelen Strong has looked motivated and much improved during OTAs. Braxton Miller could end up as the slot receiver if he converts well in his second season playing WR (1st at pro level). Then there is always the question of Shorts health or should I just say hamstring. If he misses time that will open up the possibilities of 1 or 2 of these young guys taking over on a full time basis.

The other pass catchers are not guys you will be looking at drafting. Texans tight ends offer little upside and a low floor.

As far at the defense goes, they do have J.J. Watt so they will undoubtedly get drafted. They are a middle of the road fantasy defense with upside, especially if Jadeveon Clowney gets healthy and performs.

STUD – LAMAR MILLER

The iediate eatios to the stud plae i the Teas offese is DeAde Nuke Hopkis and he is. But for this season although Nuke will be very good for your fantasy team and will undoubtedly (barring injury) finish as a top 10 wide receiver. The guy from the Texans offense you want most is Lamar Miller. In 2016 there are 10-15 bonafide no. 1 wide receivers with a deep second group, on the flip side top notch running backs are much harder to find. With the league wide approach favoring running back by committees the true three down running back is hard to find.

The Teas ad Bill OBie ae a tea that aet opposed to uig ith oe gu. Aia Foster when healthy over the past two seasos ude OBie aeaged aies pe gae i 2014 with almost 5 targets and 16 carries (only eight in his first game back in a part time role, at FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 141 least i eah of the othe thee ith see tagets. No OBie has a uh ouge ad healthier guy to lean on in Miller who has proven to be a home run threat with ability to catch the ball out of the back field. Just last year he caught 47 of his 57 targets with the Dolphins. I additio to shea okload, the tpe of offese, ad OBies illigness to change his offense to best utilize his weapons creates a very fantasy friendly environment for Lamar Miller. In 2016 the Texans up tempo style equated to the most plays per game, more plays equals more opportunities and more touches. Miller will be the biggest beneficiary, last year the Dolphins ran the 26th most plays at 61 per game, The Texans at 70.4 ran 150 more plays throughout the season. Miller shared a lot of time last year with multiple backs. This year he should be on the field more and with a lage ole. I pojet Milles aies to jup to the - 300 range and at his career YPC mark of 4.6 that would give him between 1,288-1,380 yards rushing.

1,300 yards rushing is a fine season but where the big payoff will come is in the receiving game. If Miller gets the seven targets a game that Foster received last year, which would total 112 targets this season and catching those at an 80 percent clip would equate to a 90 catch season. 90 catches is a real possibility and at his 7.6 yard per catch mark it would get him to 684 yards netting Miller about 2,000 yards from scrimmage. Even if you dial back his targets back to 80, he would end up with 64 catches or 4 per game. A very nice addition in PPR leagues. Lastly the Texans running backs accounted for 12 touchdowns last season, Miller had 10 himself. He should easily be able to equal if not better his number from a year ago. I would project 12 from Miller. So if Miller stays healthy you could be looking at a 1300/70/600/12 season. Those numbers ae e siila to Le'Veo Bells .

SLEEPER – BROCK OSWEILER

In 2015 the Houston Texans ran a high tempo pace despite using four different quarterbacks. Even though their QB position was constantly in flux last year the Texans were able to get decent production from the position as they combined to throw for 29 TDs and only 12 INT. This production was fine and won the weak AFC South putting the Texans in the playoffs. In that playoff game Brian Hoyer and the Texans QB position showed its true talents, throwing a miserable four interceptions in the first half. This offseason the Texans made a big play to shore up that position and signed Brock Osweiler.

Now nothing Osweiler did last year with the Broncos would wow you. He managed the game in a very conservative offense, letting the electric Broncos D take over and was able to go 5-2 as a starter. Osweiler threw for 10 TDs and almost 2,000 yards in the eight games he played. Fine numbers but nothing you would want to use in fantasy.

This season Osweiler is moving into an up tempo offense with a lot of shiny new weapons and a chip on his shoulder after being benched for Peyton Manning going into the playoffs last year. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 142

Osweiler had to sit on the sidelines watching a team that he was leading go on and win a Super Bowl. Narrative Street will be busy this season for Osweiler, with that ammunition along with the likes of uateak guu Bill OBie, e ould see Oseile ath o slightl eat the Texans production from last year. If Osweiler finishes the season with 4,500 yards, 29 TDs, and 12 INTs he will be a valuable late round flier.

He has the weapons to make this work with Hopkins, Shorts, and all the young wideouts added in the past two drafts. Plus the addition of Lamar Miller will give him a talented check down optio. If oue i a QB league o at to eall ait i a deepe league Oseile is oe gu to get on your roster. I would draft him over the likes of Tannehill, Matt Ryan, Cutler, Alex Smith, or even the ever so brittle To ‘oo. Oseile is i a ette positio to sueed ad he hast failed o disappoited us as uh just et. Oseile has the potetial to e this eas Blake Bortles.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – BRAXTON MILLER

Braxton Miller is the guy I am watching. Yes, Will Fuller was drafted first, but I feel he is going to be playing on the outside competing for playing time with Jalen Strong. Fuller in his first year will be used sparingly on deep routes, whereas Braxton Miller has a real shot to be the slot guy in this offense.

He is essentially competing with Cecil Shorts for this position. If Miller shines and wins the job Shorts could also matter on the outside as well. That is if Shorts can stay on the field. Shorts has some talents but in each of his five seasons he has missed time, mostly because of recurring hamstring issues. At some point this season smart money would be that these issues reoccur, so even if Miller loses out in the camp battle he could find himself on the field at some point this season.

Miller has the ideal skill set for an NFL slot receiver. At the combine last year he posted top times in all of the agility drills, showing the ability to change direction quickly which will translate into short routes run out of the slot. In addition, the Texans have already mentioned using Miller in a multi-dimensional role. He could be used on bubble screens, tunnel screens, and reverses as a receiver. Miller could also see looks as a wildcat quarterback and straight hand-offs in the backfield. Last year in his first game in such a role with THE Ohio State Uiesit he had aies fo ads ad TD plus eeptios fo ads ad a TD. Hes now had over a year to refine his skills at his new position. This is a guy that will be utilized from day 1. How much work he will see depends on how his transition to wide receiver progresses. He does have the advantage on other QBs switching to wideout as he made the switch while still in college as opposed to others who are making the switch in year 1 in the NFL.

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This ist a gu ou eed to daft -- at least not yet. I do recommend following his progress throughout the preseason and really pay attention to how much time he is playing with the first team. If he is to win the slot receiver role he could be very usable in PPR formats. I would assume he would be getting three easy screens and two plus carries every week on top of the regular production he could get in the offense. If he wins the job, I would put his ceiling at Percy Hais ookie ea ith a few big games and a few where he is used more as a decoy. Oeall the Teas ookies dot pojet as ig fatas podues i ea oe ut oth Fulle and Miller should be on your radar in Dynasty Leagues. Fuller is a big play threat and will only continue to refine the rest of his game, I see him more along the lines of a Mike Wallace type player. I project Miller to be a more consistent contributor long term as I think he will develop ito a elite leel slot gu. ‘eee Bill OBie ae fo the Patiots system that values that slot role more than any other franchise. Long term Miller could be a much more dynamic version of Wes Welker or Julian Edelman.

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INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (CHRISTOPHER CHEUNG)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Andrew Luck, Scott Tolzien, Stephen Morris RB: Frank Gore, Robert Turbin, (KR), Josh Ferguson, FB: Abou Toure WR: T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief (inj), Phillip Dorsett (KR/PR), , , MeKale McKay, Chester Rogers, Marcus Leak,Tavaun Smith, Joshua Stangby, Daniel Anthrop, Andre Dubose, (IR) TE: Dwayne Allen, Jack Doyle, Erik Swoope, , Emil Igwenagu, Darion Griswold, Nick Truesdell, Mike McFarland (IR) K: Adam Vinatieri

TEAM OUTLOOK

The proud franchise that has seemingly unlimited fortune in landing franchise quarterbacks at seemingly every decade. Their future is now tied in to their 2012 first-round draft pick Andrew Luk. We ot e deate hethe he has eaed this e otat or not, because that would take a whole new article. Instead, the implications of tying up an exorbitant amount of cap in just the offensive side is setting this team to become like it always has been offense heavy & defense light. While this may sound amazig to the fatas oes eas, I ould hae to caution that teams who traditionally have a bad defense put their offense in position to make tuoes o espeiall has a egatie oelatio to the uig gae. Wee alead ko that Andrew has the propensity to throw interceptions, and with a shoddy offensive line, he

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 145 might be actually need some luck on his retirement portfolio or become a TD Ameritrade ® customer.

But lets get a fous o Idiaapolis outlook i the fatas sese fo . Could this team be the collective post-hype sleeper offense? Last year, owners were super excited about how eplosie of a offese the os i lue oulde ee. But all that deailed he Luk got smacked around like a ragdoll, and eventually had to be shut down. Led by Matt Hasselbeck and a whole host of unnamable QBs, the offense was one of the worst. The ground game sputteed, as defeses didt eliee that the ould e halleged dofield, ad ee Goe had issues with fumbling.

The Offseason

On the verge of firing both head coach and general manager, the Irsays did something super unconventional. He rewarded both men with an extension. Boys and girls, this is what happens he ou dot hae a left takle, thigs just fl out of the left field. With much apprehension I thought this team would continue on their downward spiral to become another bottom feeding team again. Yet, the organization decided to do the right thing in the offseason (for the most part anyways). The draft was focused on OL and defense. Both are really significant needs for the tea. While the dot hae iediate fatas ipat uless oue plaig IDP, the I highly suggest grabbing Morrison), they are important if we want Luck to last all 16 games. Looking forward, Coby Fleener skipped town for a little beignet and jambalaya. Andre Johnson shoed his age thus the Colts shoed hi the doo. Thats tagets that left to. While most expect next man up to be Phillip Dorsett, I present you three other viable names as my Stud, Sleeper, and Rookie

STUD – DONTE MONCRIEF

Motto: Feed the Moief

I Feua he oulde falle ude the sleepe atile, fast foad oths ad Hao bump later, he is now nearly being taken as a high-end WR2. He does have everything going for him including the size, talent, and improved route running. In year one Moncrief surprised me with his vertical game. His ability to track deep balls was sensational. In year 2 he improved his route running skills coming off of a rookie season where he was compared to Reggie Wayne. Just lookig at his ollege tape though I didt see a of it. But last ea I ega seeig a little more of the Wayne-like skills he brought to the game. Visible improvement for any NFL player can only mean more trust by the oahes to let plaes sta o the field. Lets look at ho those improvements translated to stats.

Years Rec Targets Yards TD FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 146

2014 32 49 444 3 2015 64 105 733 6

He nearly doubled all his stats in year two. One could only speculate what may have happened if Luk had staed health i . O fil hes ot uite the sooth athlete that ‘eggie Wae is but he has time to become that. Moncrief is impressive to say the least both in the way he attacks the zones and after the catches the football. Once the ball is in his hands, he shows off quite the impressive wiggle and burst. You can see how easy it would be for Moncrief to become any QBs favorite target, and he just so happens to be playing with a once-in-a-decade type talent of a QB in Indianapolis. While I am high on him, there are certainly other owners ho is ee highe o hi. I dot hae a pole platig flag o hi.

As a third year breakout candidate Moncrief just checked off the list of things to look out for. But again, in the NFL nothig is guaateed. Youe takig a hae o a plae ho ol put up four 100-yard or more games, two times each of the years he played. The next highest receiving yardage total was 75-yd in a game. Every other game he has not been helpful to you. Perhaps in PPR he is even worth considering a WR3. To ask a WR3 to jump to a consistent every week WR1 is uite a leap of faith. But that ight just hat ee asked to do, ad take a leap of faith ith Moncrief. The best kind of breakout player, is the one that surprises unsuspecting owners who overly rely on historical data before buying in on a player. At this tie Moief is eig take as a top W‘. The pie is a little steep ad it shouldt surprise anyone if Moncrief start the year slow. By all accounts Ty Hilton is still the primary targeted WR. If Moncrief starts slow, do everything in your power to buy him from the disappointed owner. For myself, I would be quite aggressive in obtaining Moncrief from the owner who drafted him before I have a chance to.

SLEEPER – JACK DOYLE AND ERIK SWOOPE

Oe of the should e plaig opposite Dae Alle. It oulde ee too eas to oiate Phillip Dorsett, but I think his time is only coming in 2017 not this year. However, the TE spot is easy to overlook, since Allen is the clear cut starter. One guy already showed a capability to ath passes fo Luk hile the othe gu hast plaed ogaized footall ut is ko fo his potetial eause asketall akgoud aise ou had if oue head that efoe. Lets discuss each individually. Jack Doyle has some TD in his resume and has looked the part of a Josh Hill-type of traditional TE (you know the ones that score TD one week, then disappears for another 3-4, before coming in with another TD game? Yeah those). Here are his career stats: Years Rec Targets Yards TD 2013 5 7 19 0 2014 18 22 118 2 2015 12 14 72 1

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These stats are as exciting as counting the hairs of a lama. Nevertheless, I tabbing him as the better replacement for Fleener.

On the other hand, Swoope is still on the team and the coaching staff are still excited about his upside after three years. This could be his chance to carve out a role. Pre-season and camp battles are the best time to monitor who can find that role opposite Dwayne Allen. Unfortunately, there is no stat for him to see any type of tangible improvement. Even his pre- season stats were nothing more than pedestrian with one or two catches in each of the year. So why exactly are players excited about him? Coaches are excited about him and now he has that oppotuit to oe out of ohee. If oue i a shallo league oside puttig hi o ou ath list. If oue i a uh deepe foat, oside stashig hi at ed of oste o tai squad. Sneakily, if Allen does get hurt (I hope not!) I think both can be a factor, albeit eat into eah othes podutio.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – JOSH FERGUSON

Coming into the NFL draft, Ryan Grigson decided to go the route of not touching any skill position player.

That left the RB position extremely thin at depth. The Colts will have to bank on Frank Gore being the workhorse back once more. Robert Turbin was brought in to be the spell back but he is recovering from an injury that got him cut from the Seahawks and was recently arrested for possession of marijuana. It remains to be seen if he will be suspended under substance-abuse policy or personal player conduct. Either way we can safely expect one to four game suspension. Behind him was another RB who tragically died from an accidental discharge of a firearm. This leaves Josh Ferguson a rookie out of Illinois who was somewhat of a Shrine Game standout to the scouts. He profiles closely as a scatback type, weighing in under 200 lbs. But he is shifty. Most notable fro his ollege aee is that hes osistet. Feguso has fiished i the 700+ rush yard range in his last three season as a fighting Illini. Add to him as a weapon as a catcher and you might have a mini-Sproles or Woodhead type. Although, he will never be a RB1 at any range, the Colts really are quite thin at the position. He is definitely a rookie to watch, with so few competitions. Perhaps Colts will bring in a RB through FA, but even in the FA pool, thee ist uh. Wh ot stat eakig Feguso i. Who knows, he could surprise.

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JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (GLADYS LOUSE TYLER)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Blake Bortles, Chad Henne, Brandon Allen RB: T.J. Yeldon (3RB), Chris Ivory (SD), Denard Robinson (WR),, Corey Grant, Joe Banyard WR: Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee, Rashad Greene (PR), Bryan Walters, , Shane Wynn, Tony Washington,Rashad Lawrence, Shaq Evans, Jamal Robinson, , (susp) TE: Julius Thomas, , Nic Jacobs, , Neal Sterling, Braedon Bowman K:

TEAM OUTLOOK

The Jacksonville Jaguars finished last season 5-11. By any account the Jacksonville Jaguars won the off-season. They were on the path to postseason play before losing their last three games. Their defense was putrid. The offense finished last season with the third best fantasy quarterback, and the fourth and 14th best fantasy wide receivers.

Of the seven draft picks six went to defense players. The only offensive draft pick was a quarterback in the sixth round.

For the off-season they did acquire running back Chris Ivory to add with second year player T.J. Yeldon.

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The Jaguars have no excuse this year. Last season no one in the AFC South was outstanding. Jaguars finished third in the division with 5-11 record. They were in playoff contention until losing the last three games of the season. This season the Jaguars have made improvements on both sides of the ball. They should be solid contenders for top dog in the AFC South.

IDP REPORT IF you were playing traditional fantasy football in 2015 the Jaguars should have never ever been in your line-up. While there is considerable and understandable hype concerning the upgrade of the defense. But looking at their schedule, the Jaguars play against some formidable offenses. Traditional fantasy line-ups may look elsewhere. IDP players should look no further.

STUD – BLAKE BORTLES

Did you know that Blake Bortles was the third best fantasy quarterback last season? Yes, he tossed a shit ton of interceptions but he was the THIRD best quarterback last season. His offensive line was porous and his running game was disappointing. And he was still the THIRD best quarterback last season. This season his offensive line should be better. And look at the sleeper list. Yep, I am expecting BIG things from Bortles.

Linebacker Telvin Smith collected 128 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks and one interception last season. Smith missed two games last season and was still a top-10 linebacker with 99 solo tackles.

SLEEPER – CHRIS IVORY AND MYLES JACK

Last season Chris Ivory rushed 247 times for 1070 yards and seven touchdowns. He also had 30 receptions for 217 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. Yes, it was with a different team and a different quarterback. But this might be a better situation for Ivory and those who draft him. Ivory needs to keep defenses honest and help keep Blake Bortles upright. He with T.J. Yeldon should do just that.

Myles Jack is only considered an IDP sleeper because of concern about his knee, otherwise he would be the stud. That the Jaguars acquired him in the second round could be considered a felony. Yes, Jack has a degenerative knee condition that might require microfracture surgery in the futue. But at that e said of alost ee plae i the NFL?

Jack has unique skills. Jack can play weak, middle or strong linebacker. He has size, speed and elite cover ability. The Jaguars are flushed at the linebacker position, so where Jack will play and how much he will play is questionable. Look for him to start as LB3 but could very well end up LB2.

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ROOKIE TO WATCH – BRANDON ALLEN

There is not a ton of rookie options to choose from when it comes to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Those in IDP leagues already know about and Myles Jack. Both are elite talents that should have an impact right away. They should be additions that make the Jaguars D/ST a sneaky play this season.

On the offensive side of the ball the player that stands out is quarterback Brandon Allen. I know hat oue thikig, ho aes aout a thid stig uateak. At this poit thee is little reason to care about Allen. However if Bortles continues to make mistakes and be turnover prone the former Razorback quarterback could get a serious look. Allen is worth stashing in deep dynasty or superflex formats but beyond that is just a name to keep on your radar.

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TENNESSEE TITANS (NEIL DONOHOE)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Marcus Mariota, Matt Cassel, Alex Tanney RB: DeMarco Murray, Derrick Henry, Dexter McCluster (3RB),Antonio Andrews, David Cobb, , David Fluellen FB: , Sam Bergen WR: Rishard Matthews, Tajae Sharpe, Kendall Wright, Dorial Green-Beckham, Andre Johnson, Harry Douglas, , Tre McBride, Damaris Johnson, Andrew Turzilli (susp), Nick Harwell, Ben Roberts TE: Delanie Walker, Anthony Fasano, Craig Stevens, Phillip Supernaw, K: Ryan Succop

TEAM OUTLOOK

In this very guide last year, I feel like I prefaced every bit of advice I gave on the Titans and their FF prospects with a warning, or a less than optimistic outlook. I'm sorry to say this, but I'm going to have to do it again!

I'm not excited about the Titans coaching staff. Mike Mularkey wasn't my idea of a great head coaching hire and Terry Robiskie wasn't the offensive coordinator I had in mind either. I don't see either of them as the men I want to steer Marcus Mariota's fledgling career, but it is what it is and as a long suffering fan of this team, I'm probably just going to close my eyes and hope for the best.

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Without doubt the most positive aspect of the Titans offseason has been the hire of John Robinson as general manager. A student of , Robinson arrived in Nashville via Tampa Bay, where he was the Director of player personnel. Robinson has certainly not been shy about retooling the Titans roster. He has made several high profile trades including trading the number one pick in the NFL draft away for a big return, and sending the late rounder which ended DeMarco Murray's Eagles nightmare.

So what does this mean for the Titans in Fantasy Football? They have a potential Franchise QB, they have traded for a former all pro running back, and their new coaching staff wants to ipleet a offese ased aoud eoti sash outh. What ould possil go og i Nashville?

The Titans offense will go as far as Marcus Mariota goes. Coming off an impressive rookie year, where he threw 19 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. He did all this behind a paper thin offensive line, with receivers that couldn't separate. I firmly believe that he would have won Rookie Of The Year honours had he been healthy for the entire 16 games.

Joiig Maiota i the Titas akfield ill e the thude ad thude oiatio of DeMarco Murray and reigning Heisman winner Derrick Henry. I was as shocked as anyone when the Titans selected Henry in the second round of the draft. The move immediately set alarm bells ringing about Murray's ability to carry the load. I just don't think the two backs complement each other at all, and of the pair of them, I'd have to say that Murray is the more accomplished third down back. It will be extremely interesting to see how this shapes out for Fantasy, but I'm of the opinion that Henry is insurance for the Titans, in case Murray's dead legs from the 2015 season are not an anomaly.

The receiving core has a pair of new additions in the shape of talented free agent Rishard Matthews and 5th round rookie Tajae Sharpe. Matthews has always impressed me as a talent. He was criminally underused in the early stages of his career in Miami. He flashed in a bigger role for the Phins in 2015, and I'm excited to see how he forms a connection with Marcus Mariota.

Aside from Matthews I expect Dorial Green-Beckham and Kendall Wright to hoover up the most targets. DGB showed some things in 2015, hauling in 4 scores on only 32 receptions, this depth chart is wide open for him to become a true target monster at some stage, but I wouldn't be sure that it will happen in 2016. As for Wright, I'm pretty much done with him in Fantasy. He couldn't separate as an X receiver last season and when he moved around the formation he was getting dinged up taking hits over the middle. I've been a big proponent of his ability since the Titans drafted him, but last season changed all that. He had an opportunity to step up and become Marcus Mariota's favourite target, and he wasn't up to the job. No excuses, to my eye, he just wasn't good enough. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 154

Speaking of Mariota's favourite target, Delanie Walker will return in the tight end position for the Titans and he will probably be a stud in one of the shallower position groups in Fantasy.

Moving on to the other side of the ball, the Titans promoted Dick LeBeau to the defensive coordinator position after he oversaw some improvements as an assistant to in 2015. I think the Titans front seven has a sneaky chance to be really good. Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo are a good pair of outside pass rushers,and will be supplemented by 2nd round rookie Kevin Dodd. Jurrell Casey will be his usual destructive self in the middle. Where I think this unit falls down for Fantasy Football purposes is the secondary. Their top corner, Jason McCourty has had a hard time getting healthy and beyond him they have a pretty unimpressive group of guys. The safeties have a lot of upside, but I think teams will be able to pass on the Titans this season, which is not ideal for a Fantasy D/ST unit. I see them as no more than a streamer with upside in favourable match ups.

STUD – MARCUS MARIOTA

I feel like a compelling case can be made for Mariota being the stud fantasy player to come from the Titans ranks in 2016. While I stated earlier in this piece that I wasn't overly happy with the coaching hires that the Titans made, I think their philosophy married to Marcus' extremely Fantasy friendly skill set can put up points for your squad.

The Titans have certainly tried to put Mariota in the best position to succeed. They have two new runners in DeMarco Murray and rookie Derrick Henry, a bevy of wide receivers who could emerge as legitimate targets and one of the best tight ends in the game in Delanie Walker. The Titans also used their first round pick on Michigan State tackle , who should book end the offensive line with former first round pick . The Titans must keep Mariota upright and Conklin and newly signed centre Ben Jones will go a long way to helping with that.

You probably won't be drafting Marcus Mariota as your starting QB in shallower leagues. The position is pretty deep for Fantasy, and I could probably name ten guys that I'd be more comfortable with. Here's the thing though...only about half of those guys have the upside of Mariota. A lot of things have to go his way, but if they do, you could steal a top five Fantasy QB in the later rounds of your drafts. He'll be fun to own, and fun to watch.

SLEEPER – RISHARD MATTHEWS

I believe Rishard Matthews can be a playmaker for this team. He had somewhat of a breakout season with the Dolphins in 2015 where he parleyed 43 catches into 662 yards and 4 scores in a

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 155 complementary role. Early buzz from OTA's has Matthews running with the first team as the X receiver He is a great after catch receiver with strong hands and should be a massive upgrade to a group that started Harry Douglas in most games last season.

An eight touchdown season would not surprise me in the slightest from Matthews. He is more talented than every Titans receiver not named Green-Beckham.

He probably won't be drafted in shallower leagues, but he is certainly one to keep on your watch list He could be a big part of an offense that could take off with Marcus Mariota at the helm.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – DERRICK HENRY

It was a legitimate shocker when the Titans used one of their three second round draft picks to select Derrick Henry. They had just traded for and paid DeMarco Murray making all the noises about him carrying the load and staying on the field as he did in Dallas. Henry doesn't (in my opinion) complement Murray at all. They are both big, between the tackles backs that need carries to get into their stride. I believe Henry was drafted as insurance in case Murray's dead legged 2015 season was not an anomaly. Outside of Ezekiel Elliott I don't think there is a rookie back with as much upside as Henry! If he were to wrest the job away from Murray, he will basically be an all ou a eat ue i a offese that is plaig to e sash outh.

Henry is one of the best draft and stash away guys available in 2016. I don't see any way that he and Murray can split carries. I think the Titans will ride the hot hand, and my money is on Henry to win out in the end. Henry could legitimately be one of those guys that wins you a championship down the stretch. All that's required is the patience to wait and see how this situation shakes out.

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FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 157

BUFFALO BILLS (GLADYS LOUSE TYLER)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Tyrod Taylor, EJ Manuel, Cardale Jones RB: LeSean McCoy, Karlos Williams (susp), Mike Gillislee, Jonathan Williams, James Wilder Jr., Dan Herron, Cierre Wood, Dri Archer FB: Jerome Felton, WR: Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, Dezmin Lewis, Greg Salas,Leonard Hankerson, Marcus Easley, Kolby Listenbee, Marquise Goodwin, Greg Little, Jarrett Boykin, Walter Powell TE: Charles Clay, Jim Dray, Nik O′Lea, Chris Gragg, Blake Annen,Jacob Maxwell K: Dan Carpenter

TEAM OVERVIEW

Here is what we know: The Bills underachieved last season finishing 3rd in the division with 8-8. Quarterback Taylor was a pleasant surprise. He finished the season with a 99.4 passer rating. He was also the second best rusher on the team.

The defense was a surprising failure. It was the worst defensive finish by a Rex Ryan team. Now, Rob Ryan will be trolling the defensive side of the ball, coming from a season where his previous defense ranked 32nd out of 32nd. Mario Williams is gone will be replaced by first round pick Shaq Lawson, who is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Number one wide receiver Sammy Watkins is recovering from offseason foot surgery. Handcuff possibility FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 158 running back Karlos Williams first showed up for OTAs 20 pounds overweight then he got suspended by the NFL four games for violating the leagues sustae ause poli. Wait, there is a bit more. Rookie running back Jonathan Williams got arrested for a DUI. And cornerback as a no-show for voluntary workouts. He is looking for a new contract. >Whew<

The Bills have not reached the playoffs in 16 consecutive years.

They have the 10th hardest NFL schedule for 2016 and will start three new faces on the defensive side. Their offensive line is Jekyll and Hyde. The left side is good. The right side not so much. They possess the best rushing tandem (trio) in the league with McCoy, Williams and Taylor. So while they are underachieving on the field, there is fantasy gold in them thar Bills.

IDP WATCH

It is unusual for a Rex Ryan team to underperform on defense as badly as the Bills did last season. The Bills went from being fourth in the NFL in defense playing the 4-3, to 19th in total defese ad postig up fee saks i ‘as -4.

The question is, has the defense adjusted? And how much are you willing to gamble? DL : Jerry Hughes was the best of the Bills pass rushers last season. Unfortunately, the bar was set very low. He had five sacks last season, half of what he accumulated in 2014. But now Williams is gone, Hughes should be set.

The upside he is in a position to get back to his 2014 form and get sacks in the double digit age. The uestio is a he do it osistetl? Will he do it? Its a gale. His uet ADP is . Dot go a ealie.

LB: Pesto Bo ill e allig the plas i ‘as defese. He also has stated that last season he underachieved. Knowledge is power. Consider that in a down season he finished in respectable in IDP land. Look for Brown to be a top 15 player this season.

DB: Corey Brown finished 34th among safeties according to Pro Football Focus. But if your league is scoring heavy on tackles, get Brown. Brown led the team with 127 tackles last season. He missed a miserly three tackles on 104 attempts.

STUD – REGGIE RAGLAND

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Reggie Ragland fell in the draft. He was the 2015 SEC Defensive Player of the Year anchoring the iddle of the Alaaa Ciso Tides defese. He aassed takles i . He fell to 41st overall in the draft with the Bills going up to get him.

So boxes checked: chip on his shoulder, check. Talent, check.

SLEEPER – SHAQ LAWSON

The only reason Shaq Lawson is relegated to sleeper status is the shoulder surgery. The 19th overall pick is a stud. Last season at Clemson he accumulated 12.5 sacks. He is the consensus replacement to Williams. But the shoulder surgery will most likely sideline him all of preseason and a nice chunk of regular season. No matter. He has sleeper possibilities written all over him.

STUD – TYROD TAYLOR

Last season Tyrod Taylor finished with 20 passing touchdowns and six interceptions. He also included 568 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. He finished the season as the ninth best fantasy quarterback last season. Taylor is also playing out a contract, so he is betting on hiself. The left side of the offesie lie is golde. The ight side of the offesie lie…eh. Its oka. Talo is a dual theat uateak. Epet hi to eel past his ADP .

SLEEPER – MIKE GILLISLEE

The Bills were number one in rushing last season. It was a tandem accomplishment. Chances are aging McCoy will perform admirably, with an equally great chance he will share duties and get hurt. The Bills are a team you definitely want to handcuff your running back. Hello…Gillislee eloe to the fold. Karlos Williams is bigger than expected having packed on 20 pounds. And oh yeah, he also will be suspended for four games in the season having iolated the leagues sustae ause poga. ‘ookie Joatha Willias is faig a DUI arrest, hoee he ost likel ot e faig suspesio util et seaso. Hoee, Gillislee finished the 2015 season with a 5.68 YPC average. He had problems when asked to be the featued ak. But e aet lookig fo hi to e a featue ak, just part of a league leading rushing tandem.

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MIAMI DOLPHINS (AARON HERMAN)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore, Brandon Doughty RB: Arian Foster, Jay Ajayi, Damien Williams, Kenyan Drake (KR),Isaiah Pead, Daniel Thomas WR: Jarvis Landry (KR/PR), DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills, Leonte Carroo, Jakeem Grant (PR), Rashawn Scott, Matt Hazel, Griff Whalen, A.J. Cruz, Tyler Murphy TE: Jordan Cameron, Dion Sims, Thomas Duarte, MarQuies Gray,Dominique Jones K: Andrew Franks

TEAM OUTLOOK

Many people look at the Miami Dolphins, and the ods fatas poehouse doest eatl oe to id. This is a tea that has lied i mediocrity ever since the departures of Dan Marino and years ago. This is the team that completely underutilized Lamar Miller in 2015 as well as held back rookie DaVante Parker until mid-way through the season. It is safe to say that many people are going to be hesitant drafting many Miami football players this upcoming fall, but I am here to tell you that avoiding this team may be a huge fantasy mistake. Yes, this team finished 2015 ranked 19th in passing yards, 23rd in rushing yards, and 27th in points for. However, the 2016 Dolphins are not going to be the same as the 2015 Dolphins, and let me explain why.

I the Dolphis ee led Joe Phili, oe of the ueasiest footall oahes i the NFL. They also had an inept offensive coordiato ho ot ol didt tust his plaes, ut also held them back from taking chances and had one of the most predictable playbooks in the league. Thankfully that coaching staff is gone, and in walks Adam Gase. Considered by many to FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 161 be the hottest coaching candidate of the offseason, Gase is the man who helped turn Tebow into a playoff winning NFL quarterback as well as the man who made Jay Cutler look watchable on Sundays. He supposedly has a knack for creating offenses that anyone can succeed in, and if true, this could be good news for many players on the Dolphins roster, most of all Ryan Tannehill.

Tannehill is probably one of the most polarizing players on the Dolphins roster. Most fans either want to run him out of town, or crown him the next Dan Marino in the making. The truth of the matter is he basically falls in-between the two extremes. He is a player still showing growth, which is understandable since he played wide receiver his first few years in ollege. Ma also dot ealize that he finished 9th last year in passing yards, 15th in passing touchdowns, and 12th in interceptions. All of this was accomplished by being sacked 45 times, tied 3rd in the league. No one will deny that Tannehill has never had a good offensive line, and until eetl, his eeie goup hast ee too eitig. Taehill is a uateak ho i 2013, only his second year in the league, threw for almost 4,000 yards with his leading receiver being Brian Hartline. Fast forward to 2016 and replace Brian Hartline and Mike Wallace with Jarvis Landry and DeVante Parker, add in Adam Gase, and 2016 is looking up for Ryan Tannehill. While the passing game should be improved, the running game is more of a question mark. Lamar Miller left for greener pastures in the offseason, but in all honestly, he was never used to his full potential in Miami anyways. This leaves a backfield of second year Jay Ajayi, rookie Kea Dake, Daia Willias, Daiel Thoas, ad Isaiah Pead. Cofotig, ist it? The truth is, little is known about the Dolphins backfield. That all being said, I would still keep an ee o Ajai, ut Ill get ito that late.

Finally, comes the Miami Dolphins defense. Lead by one of the oldest duos of defensive ends in the league, Cam Wake and Mario Williams may be old, but both know how to get after the quarterback. Add in Suh coming up the middle, and this dolphins defense is in a position to rack up lots of sacks in 2016. However, outside of Reshad Jones in the backfield, the rest of the defense is very suspect. Unless your league gets lots of points for sacks and interceptions, I would probably avoid this defense early until we see how the defensive backs and linebackers perform. Add in a new defensive coordinator that we know little about, and this defense is a very risky draft prospect, especially with early games against Seattle and New England.

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STUD – JARVIS LANDRY

How do you define a stud? When researching this article, I went to urbandictionary.com and faoite defiitio of a stud as soeoe ho is a adass ad the fist Miai Dolphi that oes to id he I thik adass is Jais Juie Lad. Haig been overshadowed by his college teammate Odell Beckham Jr., Landry has always had a small chip on his shoulder and he ou ath hi pla footall, he is soeties flat out doiat. Ma dot ko ho dominant he has been since the Dolphins are often oelooked i the NFL, ut Juie i his to years in the NFL, set the NFL record for receptions over his first two seasons with 194. Add in almost 2,000 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. You are only starting to scratch the surface of what he has accomplished in only 32 NFL games. He has rushed for an additional hundred yards on the ground, adding another touchdown to his total, and more than 1,800 and even another touchdown. I can keep going but I think you are starting to see how much he has doe fo hat has otheise ee a udehelig offese. Lets ot foget he ee has a . QB atig ad a . QB‘! While it as ol oe pass fo ie ads, hat at this kid do?

This 23 year old stud has single handedly carried the offense both as a receiver and as a kick and returner and he only seems to get better. Previously he was the top target on the offense and was being covered by some of the best corners in the game. While playing against the Jets in November, Landry caught 13 of 16 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown. Not bad for a player many believed to be too slow to succeed in the NFL and was pegged as a slot receiver at best. That was something he did when he was the number one target, now things are changing in 2016. DeVante Parker is expected to be fully healthy and the Dolphins true #1 wide receiver in 2016, leaving Landry to fill the number 2 role. This means you will now have teams 2nd and 3rd best corners covering the shifty Landry, meaning there is lots of room for this kid to improve on his previous accomplishments. While many believe that the emergence of Pake is goig to hut Lads alue, the tuth is it atuall should help it. While Lad has had great stats over the past two years, you have to remember that the Dolphins total offense was still in the bottom half of the league. With the emergence of Parker it should only open up the offense more, allowing both Parker and Landry to have outstanding campaigns in 2016. Throw in Adam Gase who epotedl is ifatuated ith Lads skill set, a ipoed offesie line, Jordan Cameron at tight end, and Tannehill who is expected to take another step forward in 2016, and we could see a top five passing offense in Miami in 2016.

While Juie ight ot e a steal i fatas footall, he ist eatl eig the fist ide receiver taken off the board either. In current MFL drafts, Landry has an ADP of 28, making him the 16th wide receiver off the board. Assuming you play in a PPR league (which most are these days), you should have no fear in taking Landry in the late 2nd, early 3rd round. This is a player

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ho is the tue defiitio of a stud ad if dafted, he ill help a ou tea to the fatas playoffs.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – JAKEEM GRANT

There are two rookies in Miami that everyone seems to be talking about, running back Kenyan Drake and wide receiver Leonte Carroo. Both are being drafted fairly high in rookie drafts with Drake going in the early 20s of most drafts and Carroo going in the late 20s. However, I think these players are both being overdrafted, and here is why.

Lets stat ith Dake. He has a lot of potetial to e the thid do, hoe u theat fo the Dolphins in future seasons. He was a great backup in Alabama, but the point is he was a backup there, and at least for the time being, he is probably going to be a backup here. Miami brought Arian Foster into the mix to get the 3rd down and goal line work. Jay Ajayi is still the presumed starter and odds are he is going to be getting the majority of first and second down work. He is also only in his second year, so assuming he does a good job, he should have the job for a while, making Drake his backup for many years to come. Yes, there is potential Drake could cut into Ajai ad Fostes okload ut that sees ulikel aig iju to oe ad poal oth players.

Next comes Carroo. A very talented wide receiver that the Dolphins traded up to get, but there is one big problem with Carroo, where is he going to play? Wide receiver is one of the Dolphis deepest positio goups. Pake ad Lad ae the lea # ad # eeies. Lets not forget about Stills who is their speed threat and third on the depth chart. Unless Stills is cut (unlikely due to his low salary) or traded away, there is very little opportunity for Carroo. Even if he can manage to get the #3 role, there are just too many mouths to feed in Miami for him to get any real fantasy production unless you are playing in a 32 team league.

The question now comes who do I think is a rookie you should keep an eye on in Miami? The answer may surprise you, as it is one of the smallest guys on the roster, recently nicknamed ight ouse. Jakee Gat is listed at foot , ut the kid has speed like ou haet see before. He made headlines when at his pro day he ran a reported 40 yard dash in 4.1 seconds, even though the school marked it down as a 4.34. Either way, Grant will be one of the fastest players in the NFL this upcoming season, and there is plenty of potential for him to earn playing time. At the least he should be the Dolphins kick returner so that Landry can focus primarily on playing offense. For deep leagues that reward special teams points, this guy can be had very late in your rookie draft, and can contribute fantasy points from day 1.

That all eig said, dot thik that speial teas is all Gat is goig to do. I his fial seaso at Texas Tech, Grant caught 90 passes for almost 1300 yards, breaking Michael Crabtrees school record. Grant can play wide receiver at his small size, and has the potential to become the next FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 164

Darren Sproles or Tavon Austin. According to Tannehill, Grant is already turning heads at patie, Hes akig plas all oe the field. Hes oe of the fastest gus Ie ee see. He has that lo ete of gait. Hes ale to e eall, eall shift oig i ad out of his uts. He akes a lot of plas so fa.

Fantasy football is all about risk/reward. If you can find a Tom Brady in the 6th round, you have set ou tea up fo eas to oe. No dot get e og, I ot saig Gat is goig to be the top scoring fantasy player in 2016, but at his current price, what do you have to lose?

SLEEPER – JAY AJAYI

Last year when writing for this draft guide, Ja Ajai as ookie pofile setio. Lets ot forget why I thought this player was someone to keep an eye on throughout the early deelopet of his aee. Belo ae Ajais ollege stats, ad the ae etail ee opeig. ● 2013: 1,425 rushing yards, 22 receptions, 222 receiving yards, 19 TDs ● 2014: 1,823 rushing yards, 50 receptions, 535 receiving yards, 32 TDs Not bad for a player who was drafted in the 5th round of the NFL draft. While at Boise State Ajayi had more receiving yards than both Melvin Gordon and Todd Gurley combined. He also had the same number of total TDs as Melvin Gordon in 2014. He carried the ball a whopping 347 times, 4 more carries than Gordon had, all on his supposed weak knees. Ajayi has more than proved that he can be a productive RB at the college level, and now is his time to shine at the NFL level.

Lamar Miller is gone, and as stated earlier there is no clear frontrunner to take the lead back role in Miami. Ajayi is the presumed starter with Foster to be mixed in, likely on third down and goal line situations.

No I ot sa that Ajais stats ere record breaking last year as he only had 49 carries for 187 yards, but it is worth noting he added seven receptions for 90 yards which was an average of 12.9 yards per reception, not bad for a backup running back. At the end of the day, the Dolphins need a starting running back, and in fantasy football where there are only 32 starting running backs, whoever holds this position in Miami will carry some value with them. Speaking on WQAM, a local radio station in Miami, head coach Adam Gase came out and said Ajai, has put soe distae etee hiself ad the othe uig aks o the oste. All sigs ae pointing to Ajayi being the running back to start the offseason for the Miami Dolphins and that is worth noting.

Currently Ajayi has an ADP of 87 according to MFL. He is being drafted as the 23rd running back off the board, coming in behind other backs such as DeMarco Murray, T.J. Yeldon, and Jeremy Hill. Whats also oth otig is that i Ada Gases last stop, he as a ig fa of utilizig

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 165 running backs, providing Matt Forte and Jeremy Langford with tons of fantasy production. Miami also recognized their offensive line woes this offseason and drafted Laremy Tunsil, one of the top offensive line prospects in the draft to team with perennial pro-bowlers Mike Pouncey and Brandon Albert. With an upgraded line and a new head coach who knows how to give the running back the rock, whoever wins the starting running back position in Miami has a to of fatas potetial, ad at a ADP of , I takig the bet that Ajayi will be that running back.

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NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (BEN ROLFE)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Tom Brady (susp), Jimmy Garoppolo, RB: Dion Lewis (3RB), LeGarrette Blount (SD) (inj), James White (3RB), , Donald Brown, , Joey Iosefa FB: WR: Julian Edelman (PR), Danny Amendola (inj), Chris Hogan, , , Malcolm Mitchell, Matt Slater, Keshawn Martin (KR/PR), , D.J. Foster, DeAndre Carter TE: Rob Gronkowski, Martellus Bennett, , A.J. Derby,Bear Pascoe, Michael Williams (IR) K:

TEAM OUTLOOK

Now it has been a topsy turvy off season for the Patriots but mainly for non-footballing reasons. They have managed to retain all of their big play guys on offence and have added some potential diamonds through free agency and the draft. The big question entering drafts this year will be the Tom Brady conundrum and whether you can carry him for the first four weeks of your season. We all the talent he has and that he can be a gamebreaker on any given day so in shallow leagues where the streaming options are plentiful he is a no brainer. In deeper leagues handcuffing your Brady selection with Jimmy G is the safe way to go as I think the Patriots can use the strengths of the young QB and still get good numbers out of this offence. In the running game they will once again rely heavily on LeGarrette Blount with Dion Lewis playing his role of game breake. The uestio aks oe Leis eoe ill offe uestio aks

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 167 about his elusiveness but he should still be a big fantasy option in this offence. On the deeper side James White and Brandon Bolden will at some point do something that makes them worth an add but predicting it could be impossible. The receiving core looks very similar with just the addition of Chris Hogan who will provide a similar threat to Julian Edelman and Danny Aedola as a possessio gu ho a oe the hais. This ist going to be a big play group but they should put up relatively consistent numbers if they can stay healthy. Going deeper we have Keshawn Martin, Nate Washington, Aaron Dobson and the rookie Malcolm Mitchell. One of these will likely emerge as useful and I hope it is the rookie as I think he could be the biggest contributor in fantasy. At the tight end position they have a potential two headed monster that could have defences scratching their head about how to shut them down. For fantasy purposes both could finish as top five options.

On the defensive side of the ball they lost their best pass rusher in Chandler Jones in a trade but the addition of could reap massive fantasy rewards if they use him right. The main talent is at the linebacker position ith Jaie Collis, Dota Hightoe ad “hea MClelli all guys I could get excited about. Devin McCourty is my only real defensive back of interest in many leagues but still that would have to be a fairly deep IDP league. Overall I am not convinced this defence will give you great consistency but I am sure they will be well drilled and will likely end up a top 10 D/ST come seasons end.

STUD – ROB GRONKOWSKI

The issues still raging around Tom Brady made this a really easy selection again this year with no one else on the Patriots team being in the same league as Gronk. The big man followed up a geat haig a euall as geat ith TDs ads o tagets. What was impressive was that he upped his yards per reception to 16.3 in 2016, a career high. That is the thing with Gronk, not only is he dominant at going up to get the ball but he is also dominant with it in his hands. Some of his runs after the catch last season will leave defenders shaking in their boots when watching film this season. Now the Tom Brady issue does have some repercussions on Gronk because it does mean he could spend the first four weeks of the season relying on Jimmy Garoppolo feeding him the ball. However, the talent is so great for Gronk that there is simply o a Ji G doest get hi the all i oe a o aothe so o atte who is QB for the Patriots to start the season Gronkowski is a late first/early second round option for me this season.

SLEEPER – MARTELLUS BENNETT

This was quite a tough selection because come the start of the season the hype train on Martellus Bennett could be rolling and the value not be there. The other option here was the Patriots free agent addition at wide receiver in Chris Hogan who could see a ton of targets this

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 168 year. However, Bennett is the guy I can see ending the season top five at the position who is being drafted nowhere near that range. Bennett is going to benefit from the match-up nightmare that is Gronk as offences are going to have to pick their poison when it comes to covering these guys this season. Bennett has been successful with Jay Cutler throwing him the ball so I am pretty sure he can be successful when it is Tom Brady on the other end of the passes. Bennett and Gronk are going to be the big play guys in this offence given that Amendola, Edelman and Hogan are chain movers rather than big play guys and that is a role I thik the a oth e pospeous i. No it ight e tough eal seaso if Bad ist QB as Jimmy G may not be able to utilise all of the weapons early in his career but when Brady is under centre this could resemble the Gronk/Hernandez Patriots offence from a few years ago where both were unstoppable on a regular basis. A late round pick in Bennett as your tight end could reap huge rewards whilst allowing you to stock up on running backs and wide receivers in those middle rounds.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – MALCOLM MITCHELL

Ma I hate pikig W‘s as ookie piks fo the Patiots. Bad ad this offee is so heail based around trust and knowing the playbook that it can be tough for a rookie to come in and have success immediately. However, Mitchell is a very talented dude who had 58 receptions for ads ith TDs at Geogia last seaso. It is goig to e all aout the oute uig ad the reliability of his hands if he is going to succeed this season but with Keshawn Martin as the only other big play burner in this Patriots offence I think Mitchell could be given every chance to grab that role in training camp and preseason. Mitchell is someone who will likely end up being a waiver wire add after coming on strong in the second half of the season so in deeper re- draft leagues he is definitely worth the stash if you have the bench spot because he could be an explosive option.

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NEW YORK JETS (PAUL BATTS)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith, Christian Hackenberg, Bryce Petty RB: Matt Forte, Bilal Powell, Khiry Robinson, (susp),Dominique Williams FB: Tommy Bohanon, (LB) WR: Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, Quincy Enunwa, Devin Smith,Charone Peake, Kenbrell Thompkins, Jeremy Ross, Robby Anderson, , Titus Davis, Joseph Anderson, Kyle Williams TE: Jace Amaro, Kellen Davis, Zach Sudfeld, Brandon Bostick, Wes Saxton, K: , Ross Martin

TEAM OUTLOOK

The Jets looked to be a team of destiny in 2015, riding journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to an improbable ten win season. They found themselves heading into a week seventeen matchup with division foe Buffalo. The scenario was simple for the Jets, beat the Bills on the road and first year head coach Todd Bowles earns a ticket to the playoffs. Unfortunately for Bowles and company, former Jets headman and current Bills coach Rex Ryan had slightly different plans for his new rival and the Bills won the game 22-, oustig Gag Gee fo the playoffs.

Jets faithful have plenty of reasons to be excited for what 2016 brings. Not only do the Jets return two 1,000 yard and double digit touchdown receivers in Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, the team also added the top running back on the market in Matt Forte to help an offense that exceeded expectations in 2015. Jets fans and fantasy owners alike breathed a sigh FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 170 of relief when quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick inked his deal. Fitzmagic led the Jets to ten wins while throwing for almost 4,000 yards and 31 touchdowns a season ago.

STUD – BRANDON MARSHALL

Bado Mashall has alas ee a elite eeie. Eal i Mashalls aee he as kown as a troublemaker and would do things that could have easily derailed his career. This resulted in him bouncing around the league for the first few years. Thankfully Marshall got the help he needed and the resulting maturity has given us the player we have today. With all of the stories of plaes aees aishig eause of touled pesoalities, Mashalls tuaoud is a tue success story.

At the beginning of this preview I mentioned that there is value to be exploited on the Jets and Marshall is a prime example. Brandon finished 2015 as the 5th overall player and the 3rd receiver in fantasy leagues behind only Antonio Brown and Julio Jones. With Marshall you are gettig a plae ho doiated his teas tagets i ith ad had ads and 14 touhdos..i the d oud! Call it old a alue o the uetait of the situatio ut Marshall is a stud and is a tremendous value as the 16th wr off the board.

SLEEPER – ERIC DECKER

When Eric Decker was signed in 2014 to be the number one receiver in New York he was itte off a. People attiuted Dekes suess i Dee to his uateak Peto Maig ad disoutig Dekes ailit as a eeie. At fist glae, Eis ues i his fist year as a Jet (74/962/5) would seem to confirm those thoughts, but I disagree. While those numbers are hardly eye-popping, what does stick out is that he led the team in all three ategoies i . What ot sho up i the stats is that that as a ‘e ‘a tea that clearly had decided to take the all out of Geo “iths hads ad i ith defese, leaig e little oppotuit fo Deke to ake a ak. Its also e likel that Deke as isast as a number one wide receiver(his best years in Denver had Demaryius Thomas to play that role) but in 2015 Marshall assumed that role, allowing Decker to flourish.

Decker finished 2015 as the 13th wide receiver in ppr leagues and is currently being drafted as the 29th. Last year Eric was targeted 137 times, more than doubling the 3rd most targeted Jet(Bilal Powell,63). Decker also led the team in red zone targets with 28, making him the second most targeted player in the NFL behind Deandre Hopkins who had 30. As the 55th player off the board in your draft, Decker provides great value making him my favorite sleeper on the team.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – CHARONE PEAKE

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The Jets used their 7th round selection in the 2016 to draft wide receiver Charone Peake out of Clemson. Peake was highly recruited out of High School but injuries cost him both his Sophomore and Junior years. He was able to stay healthy for his Senior year in Death Valley and performed well but his lack of overall production dropped him to the Jets late in the draft.

Peake is the type of size/speed athlete that Clemson has become known for (Hopkins/Watkins/Bryant) which should translate well into the NFL if he can stay healthy. Peake laks the ollege esue of those plaes ut his speed . ad height poide enough upside to take a chance on late.

Cha Gailes offense utilizes multiple receiver sets almost exclusively and after Marshall and Deke laks epeiee. You ould do ose tha a plae ith Peakes upside at the ed of your fantasy bench.

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DENVER BRONCOS (JOSH HONSES)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Mark Sanchez, Paxton Lynch, Trevor Siemian RB: C.J. Anderson, Ronnie Hillman, Devontae Booker, Juwan Thompson, Kapri Bibbs FB: Andy Janovich WR: Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders (PR), Bennie Fowler,Cody Latimer, Jordan Norwood, DeVier Posey, Marlon Brown,Jordan Taylor, Durron Neal, Kalif Raymond, Mose Frazier, TE: Virgil Green, , Garrett Graham, Richard Gordon,John Phillips, Nick Kasa, Manasseh Garner, Henry Krieger- Coble,Anthony Norris K: Brandon McManus

TEAM OUTLOOK

There may not be more questions surrounding a team that is coming off a Super Bowl victory in NFL history. This is a completely different team as we sit here in 2016 as opposed to a year ago. Thees o oe Peto Maig o Bok Oseile under center. The one positive is the defense that dominated down the stretch last season can be relied upon with Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware leading the charge.

Mark Sanchez in not someone people want as their starting quarterback. He was a product of the tea aoud hi i Ne Yok ad the utt fule is egaied i the ids of footall fans all over the world. With that being said, Sanchez did manage to lead two teams to an AFC Championship game. He may not be the guy people to build a team around and all he needs to do is not lose the game for the Broncos to be competitive.

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C.J. Anderson leads the rushing attack for the Broncos. Inconsistency is an understatement to describe his time in Denver. The Broncos drafted Devontae Booker to push Anderson and ‘oie Hilla as the state i the offese. Thees talet hee fo the Dee akfield ad only time will tell who will get the rock. Whomever emerges as the starter will be relied upon heavily this season and should be an every week starter for fantasy purposes.

Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are one of the best receiving combinations in the NFL. The only problem is who is throwing them the ball. While Thomas has shown his explosive ability, he also drops easy balls and disappears from games at times. Sanders has proven in his to eas i Dee that hes oe of the est slot eeies i the league. Joda Noood ad Cody Latimer round out the top four receivers, but neither one of them has produced enough to warrant much discussion as difference makers in the offense.

As it stads o, Vigil Gee is the state at Tight Ed. Oe Daiels ast etaied fo the previous season but he was nothing more than a spot starter/bye week filler in fantasy circles. They did sign Garrett Graham from the Texans but Green is a great blocker, one of the best in the league, ad has the statig spot loked up t. Though, the tight ed positio ot e uh of a factor in the offense with two great receivers in a run first offense.

STUD PLAYER – DEMARYIUS THOMAS

While Thoas ist aatig the high daft pik of eas past, dot thik this gu still ist a top gu at his positio. If ou thik I az, look o futhe tha Bado Mashall ad Ei Decker from the Jets. Ryan Fitzpatrick was overpaid and a game manager, much like Mark Sanchez has been, but revived his career last season with two great receivers. The Jets from last season are a perfect mold of what to expect from the Broncos this season.

Last season the Broncos quarterback position was a mess. Peyton Manning was a shell of his former self and Brock Osweiler was getting his first experience as a quarterback at the NFL level. Even with all of that being said, Thomas still managed to catch 105 balls for over 1300 yards. Thats ot soethig ost people eee fo last seaso. He as still a W‘ ee with the inconsistent quarterback play.

This offense has a lot of questions headed into the season. Mark Sanchez does have the arm strength to get the ball down the field and Thomas is one of the better receivers in the league at usig his ig fae to i jup alls. The othe positie is Thoas hast issed a gae since getting the starting job four years ago. No matter who is throwing him the ball, he is still going to produce at a high level. While other fantasy owners may be down on Thomas headed into the season, he should be a steal in the third round to build your team around. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 174

SLEEPER – DEVONTAE BOOKER

Booker will have his work cut out for him this season. C.J. Anderson will get the majority of the aies as it stads o, ut dot out out Booke to eall pess hi fo aies ad plaig time.

The Broncos offense runs a zone blocking scheme. If you dot ko hat that eas, the offensive line all moves in one direction and it is up to the running back to find the running lane and cut back into it. A power run game is a lot of one on one blocking from the offensive line that has a specific hole for the running back to run through. Head coach Gary Kubiak is one of the few coaches that still runs the zone blocking scheme. This suits this line well because of the lack of talent the Broncos have for the upcoming season.

C.J. Adeso ist a oe ut runner. He is more of a straightforward, downhill runner that likes to hit the running hole at full speed. Booker, on the other hand, excels in this running style and is one of my dark horse draft picks I plan on taking in fantasy drafts. He had some of the best vision of any running back in the draft and his ability to hit the hole after one cut makes him an ideal fit in the Broncos offense.

The other positive for Booker headed into the season is his ability to catch balls out of the backfield. He had 80 catches last season in Utah and has proven he can pass protect when called upon. He has the talent to be the number one guy in the Broncos backfield. If given the opportunity, he has the upside to be one of the top running backs in the league and could be a steal on draft day.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – PAXTON LYNCH

Mark Sanchez is firmly planted as the starter headed into the season. But how many times have we heard that a highly drafted rookie is set to hold the clipboard and he ends up lining under center week one of the regular season? He was selected 26th overall by the Broncos to be their quarterback of the future. Nothing is stopping them from letting him sink or swim when the season opens up in September.

Lynch is a raw talent that has plenty of growing and adjusting to the NFL game. What he has goig fo hi is his size, hes , supee a stegth, ad athleti ailit to e a oile quarterback. He is a more mechanically polished Colin Kaepernick at this point as a rookie. Much like Kaepernick, Lynch is going to a good team with a great defense to help him win

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 175 games. All he needs to do is manage the game and make accurate throws to Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.

The talent is there for the Broncos to continue to be competitive in the AFC West. Lynch could be the best quarterback of this draft class because of the guys around him. With Mark Sanchez only being a stop-gap fo the tie eig, it ouldt supise e to see Lh get his opportunity at some point during the season. All it takes is a couple bad games from him to open up the door for Lynch to step in and be given an opportunity. He has the most talent of any player at the position for Denver. He could be just another body on the roster for his first season or he could wind up being the difference maker that the Broncos need at QB.

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KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (KYLE ROBERT)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Alex Smith, Tyler Bray, Aaron Murray, Kevin Hogan RB: Jamaal Charles, Spencer Ware, Charcandrick West, (KR), Darrin Reaves FB: Anthony Sherman, Trey Millard WR: Jeremy Maclin, Chris Conley, Albert Wilson, Rod Streater, De′Atho Thoas, Demarcus Robinson, Tyreek Hill, Frankie Hammond, Seantavius Jones, Da′‘o Bo, Mitch Mathews, Kashif Moore, Mike Williams TE: Travis Kelce, Jaes O′“haughess, Demetrius Harris, Brian Parker, Ross Travis K: Cairo Santos

TEAM OUTLOOK

2015 was a strong bounce back season for the Kansas City Chiefs. The had an amazing run to close out the season winning their last 10 games to finish 11-5. The rolled the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round and lost by 7 to the Patriots in the divisional round although it never actually felt that close. All of this winning came with Jamaal Charles on the bench with a torn ACL, but we are here to talk about the Chiefs from a fantasy perspective. Beyond Charles, Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce are the names most owners will want to target and for good reason. Maclin can be a very solid WR2 this season and should see plenty of work. Kelce has the upside to be an elite tight end and the safety to be in the top oesatio ee if he ist peppeed ith tagets. Quateak Ale “ith is fa fo se ut that doest ea he is useless. He a e a stog QB i supefle ad to quarterback leagues. The best part is his very affordable price tag. He can also be a reliable fill i optio i oe uateak leagues ad a e foud o a aie ies. Lets take a look at the rest of the Chiefs you should be targeting. FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 177

STUD – JAMAAL CHARLES

It may be hard for some to trust a 29 year old running back coming off of a second ACL injury but Jamaal Charles is absolutely worth drafting. He is a top 5 fantasy running back for me in both standard and PPR leagues. Charles is a massive part of the Chiefs offense. In 2014 Charles accounted for 33% of the Chiefs offensive touches and 25% of the Chiefs yards. In 2013 Charles made up 42% of the Chiefs total touches and 35% of the Chiefs total offense.

It may be easy to be worried about Charles missing oe tie i eause he is iju poe hoee pio to last seaso Chales issed a total of to gaes oe a thee ea span. Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West proved they could be reliable replacements in 2015. Andy Reid and the coaching staff will find ways to utilize both players in 2016 to help keep Chales okload do ut dot let that dete ou. I ad Kile Dais had carries. Seasons in which Charles was the number one PPR running back in 2013 and number seven in 2014. Charles should remain a huge part part of the Chiefs offense in 2016 and be in the top 5ish running back once again.

SLEEPER – CHRIS CONLEY

There is an opportunity for someone to step up as the wide receiver two opposite Jeremy Maclin in the Chiefs passing game. Chris Conley has the potential to step in and fill a role in the passing game. Jamaal Charles, Travis Kelce, and Maclin will be the primary targets for quarterback Alex Smith. They are all short to intermediate targets that will see volume. However Conley has the deep speed and explosive playmaking ability that can add an extra dimension to the offense. According to Playerprofiler.com Conely has a 97th percentile height adjusted speed score and 99th percentile catch radius. He also ran a 4.35 40 yard dash which shos his lazig speed. Cole ast iedil podutie i ut the talet as apparent. His best game came against the Steelers catching six balls for 63 yard and a touchdown. As a late round flier Conley is absolutely worth a look and I would gladly draft him over names like Jeff Janis and Breshad Perriman.

ROOKIE TO WATCH – DEMARCUS ROBINSON

Deaus ‘oiso ot lo ou aa ith oie ues ut that doest ea he should be ignored. The Kansas City Chiefs took him in the 4th round of the 2016 NFL draft. He is another player that could have a role in the passing game this season, though likely not right away. Robinson is not a pure burner but runs good enough routes that he can get separation. He also shows a nice ability in space to make defenders miss. Something Alex Smith will appreciate when Robinson takes a 7 yard in or a slant and turns it into a 20 plus yard gain. He FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 178 also played in a run focused offense during his time at the University of Florida and showed an ability to be a solid run blocker. This is something Andy Reid loves from his wide receivers and could have him on the field sooner than most rookies. This a name dynasty owners should get to know. His price in dynasty is basically free at the moment and absolutely worth stashing at the end of your bench.

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OAKLAND RAIDERS (MATT LANE)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Derek Carr, Matt McGloin, Connor Cook, RB: Latavius Murray, Deandre Washington, Taiwan Jones, Jalen Richard, George Atkinson III FB: Marcel Reece, Jamize Olawale WR: Amari Cooper (PR), Michael Crabtree, Seth Roberts, Andre Holmes, Johnny Holton, Max McCaffrey, , Joe Hansley,K.J. Brent TE: Clive Walford, Mychal Rivera, Lee Smith, Gabe Holmes K: Sebastian Janikowski

TEAM OUTLOOK

The Raiders have ended a long period of complete irrelevance in both NFL and fantasy terms, after a comeback from 3-13 to 7-9 last season. Bearing in mind the Raiders were in a division with eventual Super Bowl winners Denver (12-4) and Kansas (11-5) they put in some impressive displays and their offence finally came alive with the Derek Carr/Amari Cooper relationship in bloom. Add to this the defensive dominance of Khalil Mack who staked a claim to be the best young pass rusher in the NFL with 15 QB sacks, just behind JJ Watt on 17.5.

STUD – AMARI COOPER

Coope had a teedous ookie seaso aoes stadads, othig ads ad TDs on 72 receptions. He developed a very good relationship with QB Derek Carr early on in the

FakePigskin.com 2016 Fantasy Football Draft Guide Page 180 season, and had 5 games of over 100+ yards. In non-PPR Leagues Coop finished 23rd, bearing in mind a 3 week spell on the sidelines (absorbing a bye week), he would have finished top 20 for the year, making him a solid WR2 in 12 team formats. One thing i noticed from watching Cooper was how polished he was, I often find WRs find great difficulty translating their dominance from college to the pro level, it can take 2-3 years for even the best WRs to hit their stride and reach their potential, but Cooper hit a thousand yards in his first season, in Oakland. Among current NFL WRs that puts him in the company of Odell Beckham, Mike Evans, AJ Green and Keenan Allen. Cooper played alongside Michael Crabtree who put up career figures after a very average spell in San Francisco, and between them they amassed 276 targets on the season. No other Raider claimed over 60 targets and Carr routinely hit his Receivers with confidence. With Cooper playing a full season, and the Raiders honing a pass attack that only really came alive last season, we can expect Cooper to get somewhere between 155 and 175 targets on the year, this would give him a stat line of 90-1360-7.5, putting him around the top 10-12 WRs on the season. That being said I think is ADP is about fair, we can expect more targets and trust after his rookie season, and working with Carr and Crabtree for another offseason should cement the relationship further. It was pleasing to see the Raiders didt feel the need to bulk up their passing attack in the draft, it shows confidence in the current personnel. Crabtree and Cooper should see a bulk of the passing targets this season, i can only see perhaps Clive Walford handling a few more than last yea ut this shouldt e a ause fo concern.

SLEEPER – CLIVE WALFORD

In the annual hunt for the next Jordan Cameron/Martellus Bennett/Gary Barnidge, we should not overlook the Oakland Tight End who had a quietly productive rookie campaign last year. Fighting for looks in a passing offence with Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper limited Walfods utilisatio, ut he eae a igge pat of the offee as the seaso otiued. Before their Bye in week 6 Walford had just 3 catches for 38 yards from 6 targets, but in the final 4 weeks his targets grew to 5.3 per game. Walford proved to be a competent mid level receiver, with an average reception yardage of 11.75, on par with Delanie Walker and higher than Jordan Reed. It is certainly not beyond the realms of possibility that a Raiders team hoping to reach the playoffs will be passing the ball even more in 2016 as I expect them to compete in every game opening up more targets for the peripheral guys like Walford, who should expect to see 80-90 targets. This would give him an estimated stat line of 55-600-4.5, putting him in the TE 12-16 area. I think Walford is about right at his current ADP, but watch out for him in the late ouds. If oue takig a peiu TE the Walfod is oe tha apale to e ou high- upside backup in the final few rounds whilst everyone else is deliberating over which kicker to take.

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ROOKIE TO WATCH – DEANDRE WASHINGTON

Oaklads daft as ot aash ith offesie piees, ot a geat supise osideig thei relative strength and balance on offence going into 2016. However one pick they made did give me hope that we could find a good rookie that can make an impact this season for your fantasy tea, ad that is Teas Teh ekig all DeAde Washigto. Washigto had a solid college career, his highlight was in his senior year where he was rushing 20x per game on average and finished with a stat line of 233-1492-14, add to that his 30 catches for 328 yards and you have a promising résumé. His rival for carries this season will be Latavius Murray who had a breakout last year and lead the Raiders rushing attack, finishing as RB11 in fantasy points (non-PPR). However Murray was patchy to say the least, scoring 9 or fewer points on 10 occasions, and he only got over 100 yards rushing twice on the whole season. and his end to the seaso as, uh like the ‘aides as a hole, a it of a hipe. While I dot thik Washington can challenge for the starting job in Oakland, he his skills in the open field and utilizes his elusiveness giving Oakland a totally different option to use on third downs and in more creative plays - this is hee he a eat ito Muas plaig tie a little. Washigto ould also e used i the etu gae i Oaklad gie his size ad speed, so if oue league eads etu ads o TDs thees a slight up to his alue. Washigto is the d ‘B off the oad ad is goig afte the likes of Kea Dake ad Wedell “allood hos value depends on injuries to teammates. Washington will be getting field time from the off and if he can produce he could be the dynamic weapon Oakland need on offence. I think Washington has good upside and could grow into the season and is one of the better options in the last few rounds.

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SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (KYLE ROBERT)

DEPTH CHART (courtesy footballguys.com)

QB: Philip Rivers, Kellen Clemens, Zach Mettenberger, Bryn Renner,Mike Bercovici RB: Melvin Gordon, Danny Woodhead (3RB), Branden Oliver,Dreamius Smith, Kenneth Farrow FB: Derek Watt, Chris Swain WR: Keenan Allen, Travis Benjamin (PR), Stevie Johnson, Dontrelle Inman, Javontee Herndon, Tyrell Williams, , Torrence Allen, Jamaal Jones, Dom Williams TE: Antonio Gates, Hunter Henry, Jeff Cumberland, Sean McGrath,Asante Cleveland, Tim Semisch K:

TEAM OVERVIEW

The San Diego Chargers enter 2016 with a ton of optimism, mostly because they have nowhere to go but up. They were dealt injuries on both sides of the ball including to Keenan Allen and Melvin Gordon. They also started the seaso ithout Atoio Gates, thei M. ‘eliale. This season they have a healthy Allen and Gordon. They also added Travis Benjamin and James Jones in free agency to and Danny Woodhead as the main complements to Allen. This all sets up for quarterback Philip Rivers to have another strong season in San Diego. As for the pieces of this offese ou should e tagetig? Lets take look.

STUD – KEENAN ALLEN

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Welcome back Keenan Allen. His 2015 season came to an abrupt end in 2015 when he lacerated his kidney in Week 8. At the time Allen had 67 catches or ten less than his career high. While he was a guy that had flashed during his time in the NFL including 1,000 receiving yards in his ookie seaso, he as haig a full eakout. If ou doule Alles uers to get 16 games played, he would have had 134 catches on 178 targets tallying 1450 yards and 8 touchdowns. The crazy part is he might even be able to best those number in 2016.

Allen has an impressive ability to get open and runs really good routes. Something that quarterback Philip Rivers has noticed. Allen will get to the spots where Rivers can be most successful. The Chargers will have a full compliment of weapons with Gates, Benjamin, and Johnson. They also have Gordon and Danny Woodhead to be viable pass catchers out of the back field.

The return of is a great this for Rivers and the pass attack. The fact that Whisehut ats to hae a alaed offese ist a ad thig fo the Chages passig gae. Rivers had his best season in 2013 including getting career highs in yards (4,478) and touchdowns (32). It was a season that saw Rivers finish as the 6th best fantasy quarterback. It was also a season that saw the Chargers finish 6th in rush attempts and 13th in yards. Im expecting another really good season from Rivers who I am drafting as my QB1. He gives owners the ability to wait at that position and gain value throughout the draft.

I expect Allen to have a massive season on the receiving end of Rivers passes. He is my number 15 wide eeie i stadad leagues ad jups to ue eight i PP‘ foats. Id look to draft him on the two/three turn and do backflips when it happens.

SLEEPER – DANNY WOODHEAD

The traditional sleeper is something that is all but nonexistent in fantasy football. There are too many smart people producing excellent work to have a virtually unknown fantasy relevant player. The term sleeper has gained new legs as a term describing an undervalued player or someone who is being slept on. Danny Woodhead is the epitome of the new definition.

Last season Woodhead was the number 10 running back in standard leagues and number three in PPR. In his two full seasons with the Chargers, one of which came with Coach Whisenhunt calling plays Woodhead had 76 catches on 86 targets and 80 catches on 106 targets. There is little doubt that Woodhead will not be a part of the passing game again this season. He likely ot e a huge podue i the u gae ut should otiute i the eighohood of yards rushing. As I mentioned Whisenhunt likes to utilize the run game when he can and was something he did in 2013.

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The biggest obstacle coming into 2016 for Woodhead is the return of Melvin Gordon who was a first round pick that was expected to do big things. This was a running back that looked impatient and not very productive during his 184 carries. He averaged 3.5 yards per carry in his 14 games and fumbled the ball 5 times. He will need to display more ball security and better vision if he wants any serious amount of work. There are some that are touting a big season from the second year back but I have serious doubts.

This is a player that is coming off of microfracture knee surgery. This is something that all but ended the careers of Penny Hardaway, Amare Stoudemire, and Chris Webber. Travis Kelce, Vontaze Burfict and Marques Colston are NFL players that returned to the field after having the surgery and were productive. , a running back with a similar speed and agility combo was not as successful. I think Gordon can get healthy and be a factor at some point but I ot sue if its this seaso o ho uh of a okload the oug uig ak ill get he he plays. The Chargers can easily let Woodhead shoulder much of the load with Gordon getting spot carries while getting adjusted at the next level.

Woodhead is currently coming off the board as RB34, 8 spots behind his teammate Gordon. The difference is even more astounding as Gordon is being drafted as the 73rd player overall with Woodhead going 90th overall. In PPR the two players switch roles which makes a ton of sense but still after Demarco Murray, Latavius Murray, and Thomas Rawls. Id gladly take Woodhead over those players especially the cost. He also goes 20 picks overall after Matt Forte which seems aggressive to me. Give me the value all day.

Take advantage of the draft value with Woodhead stacking up on other players along the way. Id gladl hae Woodhead as a ‘B i PP‘ ad ‘B i stadad. He also akes a to of sese if you want to employ the zero RB strategy.

ROOKIE - HUNTER HENRY

There is only one rookie for the Chargers that has a chance to be fantasy relevant and that is Hunter Henry. The tight end out of Arkansas has the potential to make an impact in year one, something that is not often said about rookie tight ends. Typically this position has the steepest learning curve of the offensive skill positions and takes two to three season before any real impact is felt. Henry is currently sitting second on the depth chart at tight end for the Chargers behind ole reliable Antonio Gates. Gates is not the same player that he has been in previous seaso ut oe that a still e eliale. Gates aouted fo just oe peet of the teas tagets last seaso, his loest taget shae sie per T.J. Hernandez of 4for4.com. This should provide an opportunity to be a weapon in sub packages. Henry has the ability to stretch the field vertically utilizing his athleticism. He can also be a physical presence in the red zoe, soethig the Chages dot eall hae ith thei other pass catchers.

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His current ADP on Yahoo is TE15 which feels aggressive. He is currently going ahead of Dwayne Allen, Ben Watson and Zach Miller, all of whom I would rather have. That said he is absolutely worth putting on a watch list or stashing in deep leagues. An injury to Gates could vault him into some serious snaps and garner fantasy value.

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