Mac Jones was named the starter in New England this week after the surprising release of previously presumed QB1 Cam Newton. This was shocking to many as Belicheck has not let out a peep of who he was going with for the season. So what’s Mac Jones dynasty value?
The Mac Jones Era Begins in New England Read More »
Welcome mafiosos to a little Q and A session with the only @Heady_Football. I took some time to gather some questions you on Twitter, our DFF Army, have asked over the off-season along with some questions I have been asked off-line, by my friends and family. Yes, don’t be shocked, I do have a life outside of fantasy football. Granted, it’s not much but it is one nevertheless. So, without further adieu, here are some of the best questions I received.
Fireside Chat With Heady Read More »
Football is in the air folks! Training camp highlight tweets are crackling on our timelines and the preseason overreactions are flying through the air. Most importantly, the DFF Kickoff Countdown marches on! So, with eight days left until kickoff, I’ll be bringing you one sleeper from all eight divisions.
NFL Kickoff Countdown: 8 Divisional Sleepers Read More »
Former NFL MVP Cam Newton has been released by the New England Patriots. If you’ve followed me at all over the last few months you know this comes as no surprise. By all accounts, the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft Mac Jones outperformed Newton all offseason during camp and joint practices. We all witnessed Jones stand out above the pack in the preseason games, which clearly gave the Patriots the confidence to move forward with the 15th overall pick as their starting quarterback.
Cam Newton Released: Rapid Reaction Read More »
This article will be the third of twelve, counting down the days until we can once again sit and watch this sport that we love (and dominate our fantasy leagues in the process). Each article will have a numeric theme, which will also count down as each day ticks the calendar. In this piece, I’ll be discussing the top-10 players who will increase their dynasty value in the 2021 NFL season. So, without further ado, I am thrilled to bring you DFF’s 2021 “Kickoff Countdown”!
Countdown to Kickoff: Day 10 Read More »
We were so close to the regular season. So close. Most starters sat on the bench during week three of the preseason as it was treated much like preseason week four in past years, but for one team that chose to play their starters, the consequence was dire. Baltimore Ravens second-year running back J.K. Dobbins has suffered a torn ACL and will miss the 2021 season according to Adam Schefter.
J.K. Dobbins Injury Rapid Reaction Read More »
Many of us in the dynasty community were excited about Bryan Edwards last year, but based on the stats he put up as a rookie, it is fair to call him a rookie face planter. Historically, wide receivers who fail to reach meaningful thresholds are longshots to ever emerge in the future. I think Edwards can be an exception to the rule. Given proper context, much of last year’s poor fantasy stats can be explained.
2021 Dynasty Profile: Bryan Edwards Read More »
Darren Waller burst onto the scene during the 2019 season after years of bouts with substance abuse. Waller is a true American comeback story. After being suspended for the entire 2017 by the NFL, he overcame his addictions and found his way back onto the Ravens practice squad in 2018. From there, he was plucked by the Raiders and further developed behind aging starter Jared Cook. After Cook’s departure in free agency, Waller earned the starting job at TE for the Raiders.
2021 Dynasty Profile: Darren Waller Read More »
Michael Gallup’s college football career began at Butler Community College. As a freshman in 2014, he dominated the competition and led the team in receiving. Unfortunately, Gallup missed most of his sophomore season with an ankle injury before transferring to Colorado State University for his junior season. There, he posted back-to-back seasons of at least 1,250 yards. Gallup’s recorded breakout age of 20.5 is relatively late, but his 98th-percentile College Target Share and 75th-percentile College Dominator reflect a truly dominant finish to his college football career.
2021 Dynasty Profile: Michael Gallup Read More »
Sony coming to Los Angeles helps give him a path towards more work than he would have found in New England. He wasn’t even in my top 40 for running backs before this but now he becomes a late-round pick you must make. Why? Darrell Henderson suffered a hand injury in his last pre-season game and while most reports say he will be good to go, Sean McVay will be more likely to give him a breather during the season. The Rams are all in on this season. Even with the arrival of Xavier Jones onto the scene in LA, Sony is a proven commodity and to me, he becomes the RB2 in that room and should take some series from him.
Rapid Reaction: Sony Michel to the L.A. Rams Read More »
I don’t see too many changes amongst the rankings at the top of the list. Josh Allen has a huge amount of rushing upside and if he can be close to as efficient as he was last year, with an upgraded receiving corps, he has the likelihood of repeating. Patrick Mahomes is on another level, but I do expect the Chiefs to utilize their RBs at some point. While this may seem like slander to not predict Mahomes at 1; he is still my Dynasty Startup 1.01 as I think we can expect top-5 performances into his 30s. That consistency is the value to pay up for early in a startup, but Allen’s rushing upside cannot be overlooked. Jalen Hurts has the luxury that Lamar Jackson had in his second season. Hurts started enough games to have a taste, but teams haven’t schemed for him yet. He has the potential to put up 1000 yards on the ground and is in an offense that will throw the ball more than Baltimore has, and will likely trail in more games which will necessitate airing it out. I would like to be proved wrong but I think this will be the ceiling season for Hurts and at some point this year we should seek to move your shares or ride him to the ship and move on. Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, and Justin Herbert will likely feature in or around this list but regression or low volume will likely limit their vault into the top-3.
Bull’s Crystal Ball: Predicting the Top Three at Each Position for 2021 Read More »
The season is almost upon us! In FFPC leagues, there are barely two weeks left before we have to cut our rosters down to 20, including a kicker and a defense. On some of my dynasty squads, I am facing some steep cuts and difficult choices. How do I go about deciding which players to cut? Can I make some two-for-one trades that clear roster spots for me, or players for picks? Am I going to be fielding a competitive team that can contend for the title? Will there be a couple of impact players available on the first waiver run, and if so, will I have room to roster them? What about some later-round rookie picks that flashed during the preseason and I want to develop them?
Chasing Ships and Flipping Pieces: Part 3 Read More »
The Jaguars offense has looked putrid over the first two games of the season as they battle through the learning curve of a new offensive system with a new head coach, a new quarterback, and a new running back, both drafted in the first round, thus setting the stage for some large expectations. However, their first-round running back, Travis Etienne may not even get to see the field this year after suffering a Lisfranc injury in Monday night’s game against the Saints.
Travis Etienne Injury Rapid Reaction Read More »
Most rookie drafts are done by now, though there may still be a few going on. If you are reading this and you still have some late-round draft picks for this year, don’t give them up just yet! You may think they are worthless or that you don’t have room on your roster for these assets, but there can and are league winners to be found in the third round or later of rookie drafts.
Dynasty Rookie Pick Hit Rates in FFPC Read More »
In dynasty, one of the most under-appreciated assets is the bench stash running back. These cheap assets can climb up depth charts and become useful to either your starting lineup or for trade. These types of players can be acquired for a fourth-round rookie pick or less in most leagues but can return a second-rounder or more in trades if they become a starter. Even if it’s only for a couple of weeks. For example, last season I was able to trade Ryan Nall and a third-round rookie pick for a second-round rookie pick when he took over for David Montgomery. The hardest part is finding which players are the best bets to not only remain on a team but also climb a depth chart. This article will go over certain metrics you can look for when deciding between these late-round or free-agent RBs.
Searching for RB Deep Stashes Read More »
While we do not want to overreact to the preseason debut for the five first-round rookie quarterbacks, we do have new data points to review. Let’s review how these rookies looked in the preseason debut both on the stat sheet and how they looked on all of their productive plays.
Rookie Quarterback Preseason Week 1 Review Read More »
The fantasy community had high hopes for a Jonnu Smith breakout last season and did in some ways despite some injuries and the Titans’ infamously low passing volume. He still finished as the TE15 in PPR and TE9 in standard, but 2020 was also a terrible year for tight ends. Smith got most of his work from his dominance in the red zone, finishing number five in targets and scoring at a 20% rate with eight touchdowns. His 448 yards on 41 receptions certainly left truthers wanting more.
Jonnu Smith: 2021 Dynasty Profile Read More »
Ryan Tannehill revitalized his career when joining the Tennessee Titans in 2019. After taking over in Week 7 as the starting quarterback in 2019, Tannehill never looked back. From Week 7 on, Tannehill was the quarterback three with 225 fantasy points, averaging 22 points per game. The following year, he finished as the quarterback seven with 350 fantasy points in 16 games. Even after these stellar finishes, people are still doubting him. This is evident by his ADP, which, according to DFF Rankings, is the 11th quarterback off the board. I am here to tell you that you are too low on Tannehill.
Ryan Tannehill: Still Underrated Read More »
Film vs Analytics is one of the contested debates in the fantasy community. Both are important and one hand washes the other. Scouting and watching film are the foundation of evaluating talent. If data was the only indicator of success, NFL scouts wouldn’t need a scouting department. They would hire a Google Intern to run algorithms for them. On the flip side, data can help you make unbiased decisions and adjust your rankings by having a macro-level view of a pool of statistics. It’s important to understand what coaches look at on the field or in training camp because they decide if a player will even see the field. Not your algorithm. Moreover, learning scouting and theory can help you understand why players perform the way they do and what makes your data sing or choke.
Film Study Guide: Scouting Elite Route-Runners Read More »
Nick Chubb is the most recent star running back to get a big extension. While the contract does not make him the highest-paid running back in the NFL, it still puts him in the top ten. So what does this new contract mean for Chubb, the future of the Browns, and some of their star players? Let’s dive in.
Rapid Reaction: Nick Chubb Extension Read More »
