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Is Doug Martin a real threat to Marshawn Lynch in Oakland? How Jalen Richard could be this year’s Chris Thompson.

Courtland Sutton pushing Demaryius Thomas into the slot is a good thing.

Over the last two years, I have spent a tremendous amount of time becoming more immersed with the advanced stats and metrics that form the beautiful game we know as fantasy football. As a new metric to measure running back effectiveness, True YPC helps address the flaws in standard YPC by eliminating outlier runs. It can also help spot running backs more likely to break off a big run.

It should come as no surprise that Alvin Kamara came in as one of the most effective running backs in True YPC, posting an amazing 4.1 True YPC score. Kamara was the only running back in 2017 to exceed 4.0.

C.J. Prosise is Seattle’s forgotten back, there is no better time to pick him up at the end of your draft. All the pressure is off him now that the fantasy world is focusing on the current battle between first-round draft pick Rashaad Penny and last year’s surprise, Chris Carson.

Bilal Powell looked to be on the way out in New York, but Elijah McGuire’s foot injury has restored faith that Powell will be a major contributor for the Jets yet again. Always undervalued, never appreciated, Powell has been the Jets’ most consistent and productive running back in the past three years.

The Seahawks vacated 217 targets with the loss of Jimmy Graham and Paul Richardson. Doug Baldwin’s range of outcomes includes 150-target upside, but he doesn’t even need to get there to deliver a fantastic return on investment as the 25th player off of the board.

The Ravens may not be sexy, but 336 vacated targets are appealing. The only question is where they’re going. Michael Crabtree is the big piece on the Ravens roster, and he’s not in a crowded situation.

At what point does the loss of weapons impact Tom Brady’s productivity?

Josh Doctson probably won’t ever become a thing, but Stefon Diggs is the ideal third round wide receiver.

Every year, we see the same mistake among dynasty league owners: using rookie picks to draft players who will lose value in their rookie season in the NFL. In order to complete a true dynasty, a team should accrue value from year to year. The savvy dynasty fantasy football player should use their early rookie picks on running backs. First-round rookie wide receivers are sucker bets.

Wide receiver looks poor compared to the other position groups, steadily losing value on average each year. The only names of much relevance today are Devin Funchess, Tyler Lockett, Zay Jones, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Cooper Kupp. Only three of thirteen second-round wideouts gained value in their first year – Malcolm Mitchell, Smith-Schuster and Kupp.

Boston Scott is an impressive athletic specimen. And he adds what many smaller running backs do not, size. Scott’s 30.5 BMI puts him in the 55th-percentile. He’s not small, he’s compact. In addition to his athletic prowess on the field, we also need to remember that one of the largest benefits of a strict strength, conditioning and nutrition regime: injury prevention.

According to Scott, “there have been running backs my size that have gone on to be pretty productive, names like Darren Sproles, Dion Lewis, Ray Rice, Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacquizz Rodgers, and Justin Forsett, just to name a few, so it’s certainly possible.”

The year was 2012: Cobb was among the most tantalizing weapons in the NFL, Twitter was just people messaging their favorite celebrities, and I was wasn’t online 23 hours a day. It was a long time and many, many injuries ago, but Randall Cobb once saw precisely 104 targets in Green Bay’s offense.

Emmanuel Sanders getting 125 targets is something less than hateful, and hardly unrealistic. Sanders in his tenure in Denver has notched a healthy 8.57 targets per game, which works out to 137.2 targets over 16 games.

Saquon Barkley has the potential to break Eric Dickerson’s rookie rushing records this season barring injury. With the talent of the best running back prospect in NFL history, and a well-balanced offensive line at his disposal, Saquon Barkley is primed to be one of the top fantasy producers in the league.

Seattle acquired D.J. Fluker from the New York Giants, the No. 36 ranked run blocker in the NFL  last season. In addition, Seattle drafted promising tackle prospect Jamarco Jones out of Ohio State. With these new acquisitions, Seattle’s run blocking efficiency is about to take a huge leap.

Ask the question: Which rookie’s value would rise the most if an established starting skill position player get injured? The answer is Scarbrough, an explosive running back operating in a quality running game. He is the ideal late-round upside pick in dynasty rookie drafts.

Justin Watson is an analytics dream. He has great size, elite athleticism, and outstanding college production. He checks every box. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers must have someone on staff who frequents playerprofiler.com, because this is the second year in a row they invested a mid-round pick in a solid analytics prospect.