Results for: ""

After running the ball the third-fewest times in the league in 2020, the Detroit Lions upped their rushing volume a bit last season under new head coach Dan Campbell. Two years ago, they averaged 22.9 attempts per game. In 2021, they ran the ball an average of 25.1 times per contest. That average ranked No. 21 in the NFL, and was a carry-and-a-half lower than the league-wide 26.6 average. In their ideal world, Detroit would probably run the ball more than they actually have.

I don’t want to overreact to one season of poor play. But at this point in D’Andre Swift’s NFL career, the 2021 season represents 50-percent of his games played and almost 60-percent of his total carries. I loved Swift the prospect as much as anyone.But let’s exercise some caution. Don’t crown him just yet.

In each of the last three years N’Keal Harry, Jalen Reagor and Rondale Moore have had underwhelming starts to their career despite excellent analytical prospect profiles. Each year the consensus has bequeathed different reasons why their lack of success was foreseeable. Harry could not separate. Reagor played in the Big 12 conference. Rondale Moore is too short. So should we now avoid every short player, non-separator or big 12 player?

Some may say we should simply view each player in their own context to determine what rules to apply. I would argue these players most likely failed because sometimes good prospects bust, and often the reasons don’t reveal themselves until after the fact, if at all.

Breece Hall’s resume is as sparkling as one a college running back could create. His tape and production already made him a nearly indestructible running back. But him blowing up the Combine was the last piece to make him a bulletproof prospect. To make matters even better, won’t turn 21 until May 31st, more than a month after he hears his name called. He should be the first running back to hear his name called among his class both in the NFL Draft and in upcoming fantasy drafts.

Whoa! Well, hello there Christian Watson! He may not have lit the college football landscape on fire the way Breece Hall did. But, he did manage to accumulate a robust College Dominator Rating/College YPR combo. Watson blew up the Senior Bowl with his dynamic skillset and then did the same at the Combine with his otherworldly athleticism. Doing so solidified him as a likely Day 2 draft pick at the minimum and possibly a first-round pick in late April. When it comes to winners of the Combine and the draft season, perhaps no player did so as emphatically.

New England is simply a run-heavy team, and they have been since Tom Brady left following the 2019 season. While the development of Mac Jones and the departure of long-time offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels might mean a slight change in gameplan, the Bill Belichick establishment is still holding strong. And it’s probably reasonable to anticipate the Patriots rushing at least slightly more often than league average in 2022.

If I’m on the clock in the middle rounds of a dynasty startup, I’m probably letting somebody else pull the first trigger on a Patriot running back before I scoop up the other guy. If I’m holding Damien Harris on an existing roster, I’m looking to pivot to Rhamondre Stevenson through trade while adding some sort of rookie pick or lottery ticket taxi stash. The difference is small, but I think Stevenson is the better long-term bet.

It’s not uncommon for a high draft pick, especially a first-rounder, to get a second chance despite early career struggles. For many, especially quarterbacks, all they need is that change of scenery to get their career back on track. If there’s a guy that’s going to follow in the footsteps of Ryan Tannehill and Jameis Winston and thrive in new digs, the best candidate to do so among 2022’s crop of free agents is Mitchell Trubisky.

Mitchell Trubisky has a top-12 points per game finish to his name. However, his three other seasons were all outside the top 25. Yes, it is more than fair to be skeptical. But that brings us back to the entire purpose of this article: finding treasure out of someone else’s trash. We’ve seen his ceiling as a top-12 option, it costs almost nothing to see if he can get there again. Which, he could in the right situation.

Every NFL season, millions of fantasy football players around the globe lose leagues as their “stud” early round selections fall flat on their backs. The phrase “forgive and forget” is widely under-appreciated by the fantasy community. With special thanks to the advanced stats and metrics available on PlayerProfiler (and a bit of logic), we among the underworld strive to overcome our biases and find 2022 quarterback bust bounceback candidates among the sea of disappointment.

Late round quarterback has always been a viable fantasy football strategy and continues into 2022. Having a young stud is always nice, but there are plenty of available starters that will absolutely be on championship rosters. Russell Wilson is the least expensive QB1 this offseason. Other players like Matt Ryan and Jimmy Garoppolo present a strong case as value selections in fantasy drafts.

Snoop Conner is a big dude at around 5-10 and 220-pounds. But he did not play a big role as a college football player. His career best Dominator Rating was the 17.9-percent he posted last season. Only a 32nd-percentile mark among third-year college runners who would go on to be drafted since 2007.

Again we see Miles Sanders popping up in the comps list of a total JAG running back (he shows up a lot because he’s average and therefore is relatively comparable to lots of players in the meaty portion of the bad-to-good bell curve). Nick Chubb is the best player here and Conner is the busted ass version of him. He’s bad and you should feel bad if you like him. Turn the film off and touch some grass.

Welcome to the latest and greatest arena where fantasy football takes thrive or die. A place where fantasy football propositions can gain validity or be thrown by the wayside. This is the first installment of the Fantasy Football Shark Tank.

Despite Tony Pollard’s fantastic efficiency metrics and Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s lackluster production, the two backs’ fantasy values have yet to fully flip. D.J. Moore is a stud. He is a wildly talented wide receiver that is as close to QB proof as there is. Just like Pollard, Moore needs his situation to improve to fully reach his potential. But unlike Pollard, he is a stable dynasty asset regardless of his team making any improvements.

Two years ago at the ripe age of 22 years old, Lamar Jackson was the unanimous MVP of the NFL. He was a Konami code! Fast forward two years and people are talking about selling. His ADP is dipping outside the top five quarterbacks and seemingly continuing to fall. Could there be a bigger fall from grace and more disrespected QB in fantasy and real life NFL landscape right now?

Jackson is going to get paid. His injuries or lack thereof, are not a concern. He is a special Konami Code quarterback continuing to rise. He is what fantasy managers look for every year, but instead his ADP is falling. Stop the fall!

It’s not a good look that it took D’Vonte Price four years to break out at Florida International. When it did happen though, it was emphatic. His senior season 40.2-percent Dominator Rating is a 90th-percentile mark for fourth-year college runners. Albeit in a five game season on a team that went winless in Conference USA.

D’Vonte Price is neither a good receiver nor runner, and he also wasn’t an impressive college producer. There just isn’t much indication that he’ll be a quality NFL player. I’m not interested in dynasty rookie drafts.