Dynasty Analysis
If you’re anything like me, you grabbed Robby Anderson every year he was with the Jets expecting a massive breakout. You usually came up empty-handed as Anderson only finished inside the top 24 once (WR18 in 2017). In 2020, he signed with the Panthers and, after a fast start, finished as WR19. The Robby rollercoaster has burned a lot of fantasy managers over the years, so I decided to find out if last season was an outlier or the new normal.
A few weeks ago, I was scrolling the Twitter timeline and saw several tweets about the value of rushing quarterbacks, and how the “Late Round QB” (LRQB) strategy in fantasy football (popularised by JJ Zachariason) was on the wane. Seemingly, the consensus was that capturing the upside that rushing quarterbacks bring to your lineup, was worth the opportunity cost of selecting one in the early to middle rounds of your draft. As a fervent proponent of the LRQB theory, my immediate thought was to dismiss it, but my curiosity got the better of me – so I went to the data to see what I could find.
Among running backs in the 2021 rookie class, three players have clearly risen to the top: Najee Harris, Travis Etienne, and Javonte Williams. All of these players are likely coming off the board in the first round of rookie drafts. The next RB to come off the board is where the questions start to come up. Who is the best of the rest? In this series, several members of the DFF staff will try to make a case for who they think answers that question. Today, I’ll be making the case for Kenneth Gainwell.
Yes, some of us are still nursing Super Bowl hangovers or regretting watching Tom Brady walk out of the organization he called home for the last two decades, but there are three things we love in Fantasy Football: Start-Up Drafting, Trading & Rookie Drafts. So the team at DFF got on board and jumped the gun on a 2021 way too early Rookie Mock, and the results will surprise you in just how deep this class is on the back of a stellar 2020 class.
At 6’6” and 265 pounds, the Hurricane defensive lineman has excellent height for a pass rusher. Rousseau has a good base weight but should be able to add even more muscle as he develops in the NFL. His size, explosion, and speed are already above average coming into the NFL, but within a few years, I would expect Rousseau to play at 280 to 290 pounds and become the prototypical size for an NFL defensive end.
In this series, I will be taking a deep dive into an NFL teams’ situation as we turn to 2021. We will look at coaching/GM changes, team needs, salary cap/free agents, and overall fantasy outlook for 2021. The next team on the list: the Denver Broncos.
Carson Wentz’s career has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. Wentz was initially drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles with the second overall pick in the 2016 draft and caught fire almost instantly. In his first year, he set multiple NFL and Eagles’ rookie records and in his second year led the Eagles to an 11-2 record catapulting him into a front runner for league MVP before suffering a torn ACL, ending his season.
As I continue with my NFL Team Deep Dive series, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and encouragement since I began writing this year. I have been around the game of football for most of my life—as a player, coach, and now a Twitter scout/writer. I have huge aspirations for 2021 and am working my tail off to provide great content for anyone who chooses to follow me!
In this series, I will be taking a deep dive into every NFL teams’ situation as we turn to 2021. We will look at coaching/GM changes, team needs, salary cap/free agents, and overall fantasy outlook for 2021. The next team on the list: the Cincinnati Bengals.
In this series of articles, we discuss some players from each defensive position group that are poised to break out this season. These players should put up a floor of respectable, fantasy starting lineup stat lines with the potential for positional top-15 ceilings. These are players that can be drafted or acquired with minimal draft capital in most full IDP leagues. An examination of the factors promoting these ascending players will take place in each article. Remarkably, there are quite a few players that are among the “IDP unseen,” as of now. The series began with the defensive line last offseason, followed by linebackers a few weeks ago.
Houston is experiencing one of the most turbulent years in sports history. No other time can I remember a city losing four superstars in a matter of just three months. In December, former MVP Russell Westbrook was jettisoned to Washington. Just a month later, Houston lost another former MVP in James Harden to Brooklyn. Yesterday, Houston “mutually agreed” to part with the face of their football franchise J.J. Watt. Lurking around the corner for Houston is a parting with star quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Believe it or not, Ole Miss is not known for producing great wide receiver talent. In fact, outside of Eli Manning and Evan Engram, they haven’t produced many fantasy-relevant players. After the 2019 NFL Draft, that changed. A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf were taken with the 51st and 64th picks, respectively. In year one, Brown finished as WR21, and Metcalf finished as WR33:impressive considering rookie wide receivers don’t usually break out until the back half of the season. The two both jumped up in the rankings and flipped positions in year two with Metcalf finishing as WR7 outpacing Brown who came in at WR12.
Both receivers find themselves as top ten dynasty assets entering the 2021 season. However, the fantasy community is divided on which player is better.
In 2017 as a freshman, Dylan Moses came to the Alabama campus as a 6-foot-3, 235-pound freshman and proceeded to run a 4.46-second 40-yard dash. He then bench pressed 405 pounds, squatted 500 pounds and power cleaned 335 pounds. Four years in the Crimson Tide program has allowed Moses to add muscle weight without sacrificing explosion. Moses’ SPARQ rating (according to ESPN.com) is 132.48, which is extremely high for any athlete and elite for a linebacker.
Just a year ago people were debating if Tom Brady would resign with the Patriots. Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans were certainly not expecting his services in Tampa Bay. Fast forward to now and Brady practically owns the bay, now hearing it dubbed “Tompa Bay.” Additionally, he brought plenty of friends with him for the Super Bowl ride. The layers behind this win create an epic tale for Tom Brady, and there is now no questioning that he is beyond special, and that he just wins. Brady will continue to do things on the field that we only dream of doing in our own leagues: championship appearances, rings, etc.
I get it. Kyle Pitts is the savior that’s going to rescue your fantasy team from the desolate tight end landscape. Based on the eye-test and a lot of metrics, that seems to be true. HOWEVER, if Kyle Pitts is truly an NFL-level tight end, he would have to absolutely smash all rookie records in order to meet some of the expectations being laid out by the fantasy community.
Micah Parsons came out of Harrisburg High School in 2018 as one of the most highly recruited and talented players in the entire country. Rated fifth overall nationally in the class, and 64th all-time at any position by 247sports.com, Parsons ticks every skill box a linebacker would need to succeed at the college level as well as the NFL.
I am sure that if you follow me on Twitter, (@FF_Derrick) it is no secret that I am a proud Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. No, I did not board the ship at Raymond James Stadium in the summer of 2020 when Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady signed a two-year deal. I have been following the Buccaneers since my childhood. I promise to leave my love for my lifelong favorite team aside and give an honest evaluation of this Super Bowl.
Building a successful dynasty league can be challenging for many people. Unlike redraft leagues, dynasty leagues have a year-round aspect to them that requires extra planning and preparation. The goal of this series is to take you along with me as I write and edit my own personal league’s by-laws. This exercise is a great way, as a commissioner, to evaluate your league and take strides to make it better!
In this series, I’ll be taking a deep dive into an NFL teams’ situation as we turn to 2021. We will look at coaching/GM changes, team needs, salary cap/free agents, and overall fantasy outlook for 2021. The next team on the list: the New York Jets.
I’ve been doing this series of free dynasty profiles on 2020 rookies. I love the dynasty profile format, as it provides quick-hitting information in a short and digestible form. My previous work in this series is all found in links at the bottom of the page. Let’s jump straight into my next entry, Laviska Shenault.
This is the fourth article of the team needs series covering teams picking 16 through 20. Obviously, free-agency acquisitions will make a major difference as to who teams will draft. These predictions and needs will therefore change as we acquire more information. However, many are of the thinking that it’s better to supplement with free-agency and build through the draft. Teams want to get young assets and have them develop cohesion with the team. Therefore, the draft is often more predictive of a team’s long-term confidence in a player.
The Draft starts in Mobile, Alabama. Over the past two seasons, the player who has won Senior Bowl MVP honors was selected early in the first round of the NFL Draft. In 2019, that was Daniel Jones going sixth overall to become the New York Giants franchise quarterback. In 2020, Justin Herbert scorched the Senior Bowl, earning MVP honors and being selected sixth overall to the Los Angeles Chargers. Herbert went on to set rookie quarterback records and is one of the most valuable Superflex dynasty quarterbacks and players overall. Since 2014, there have been a number of players to play in the senior bowl and go on to become very good NFL players and correspondingly very valuable fantasy assets.
Your author covered the first three coaching hires in a previous article, so it’s time to cover the remaining four new head coaches here. Each team needed enough time and attention and a fair rundown of where their franchise currently stands. Let’s continue the break down!
This is the third article of the team needs series covering teams picking 11 through 15. Obviously, free-agency acquisitions will make a major difference as to who teams will draft. These predictions and needs will therefore change as we acquire more information. However, many are of the thinking that it’s better to supplement with free-agency and build through the draft. Teams want to get young assets and have them develop cohesion with the team. Therefore, the draft is often more predictive of a team’s long-term confidence in a player.
I’ve been doing this series of free dynasty profiles on 2020 rookies. I love the dynasty profile format, as it provides quick-hitting information in a short and digestible form. My previous work in this series is all found in links at the bottom of the page. Let’s jump straight into my next entry, Jalen Reagor.
All seven of the vacant head coaching positions that were available in the NFL this offseason have been filled. In this piece, your author is giving a rapid reaction to each hire, along with some brief fantasy football implications. Understand that these are the analyses and opinions of your author, based on the knowledge and information he possesses. The NFL is a dynamic league, and turnover at the head coach and GM positions not only occur each year but also keeps interest in NFL franchises fresh and relevant. The complete slate of additions will be covered in two articles, the first three breakdowns are here. Overall, the decisions made were underwhelming but interesting. Some teams made strong hires, some underwhelming hires, and some were true boom or bust hires. Now it’s time to dive in, in no particular order, and unpack the new coaching hires…