Saturday, February 1, 2014

2014 Youth Served

Well, our fantasy seasons are over and we face a long off-season. A lot can happen between now and training camp with player movement, retirements and the draft, but it is never too early to start a list of players to watch next summer. It is always wise to target young starting players that appear to have significant upside in the following year.
QB: Ryan Tannehill (MIA)
 - Tannehill and Miami had their season end in unspectacular fashion. All they needed to do was to beat either Buffalo or the Jets and they failed miserably in each contest and Tannehill was largely to blame in each. Prior to those 2 games, Tannehill was having a quietly nice and consistent year; having double digit scoring in 13 of his 14 starts, including three straight 20+ point outings leading into his debacle in Buffalo. If Miami adds a speedster on the other side of the field from Mike Wallace, Tannehill could step into QB1 territory next season as a late draft pick.
RB: La'Veon Bell (PITT) - Bell started the season with an injured knee and missed the first 3 games of the season. With the Steelers struggling until the second half of the season and the public focus on rookie RBs Eddie Lacy and Giovani Bernard, Bell was an afterthought. The Steelers didn't overload Bell; giving him an average of 19 carries a game, but he delivered nicely for them. He put up 860 yards and 8 TDs on the ground and added 400 yards receiving. Those numbers will surely go up next year and will prove Bell to be a bargain at his expected ADP.
WR: Cordarrelle Patterson (MINN) - Patterson proved that he was a playmaker early in the season when he broke off a 105-yard opening kick return in game 2 at Chicago. However, the dysfunctional Vikings took most of the season before working Patterson into the offensive rotation more. He scored a TD in the last 5 games of the season and is the Vikings only wideout with speed. The new coaching staff would be remiss in not making him a full-time player to start 2014.
TE: Tim Wright (TB) - Every year, a new top tight end appears (see Julius Thomas in 2013). These players distract from the lower-level bargain-basement talent that provides good production for a low cost. Wright, much like the rest of the Bucs' offensive players, had an up-and-down year. However, when Tampa was playing well, it coincided with him being involved in the gameplan. Wright tallied 54 catches for 571 yards and 5 TDs and was virtually ignored in half of this season's games. He will be a nice TE2 pickup at the end of your 2014 draft.

2013 Fantasy Football Saviors

The key to winning fantasy football leagues often is through adding very productive late draft picks, stealing someone else's handcuffs or raiding the waiver wire. These Sleepers help round out a successful team with your top draft picks. While Peyton Manning and Jamaal Charles were fantasy MVPs, they alone did not win championships. The fantasy football saviors come from the list below and are found on many of the teams that finished in the money this year.

QB: Nick Foles (PHIL)
 - Foles showed flashes of promise in 2012 and should have been handcuffed to the injury-prone Michael Vick. If you did that, you were wise. If not, and you owned him, it was most likely a waiver wire addition. Foles produced Top 10 fantasy points and did so in only 12 games. He only yielded one dud game that he started, which was against Dallas in a game he left early due to a concussion. He was also solid during the fantasy playoffs; scoring 18, 33 and 19 points.
RB: Knowshon Moreno (DEN) - Before the season started, no one knew if anyone from Denver's backfield would be a primary ball-carrier. It was assumed that the rock would be shared between Ronnie Hillman, Montee Ball and Moreno, with goal line opportunities being given to Ball. Oh how wrong we were. Moreno had the 5th most points for running backs and had double digit points in 12 of his 16 games. With him being a late round draft pick, he was a true Sleeper.
WR: Josh Gordon (CLE) - Gordon was ignored is most league drafts due to three factors working against him; he plays for Cleveland, he was suspended for the first 2 games and Brandon Weeden was slated as his starting QB. However, Gordon made a statement in his first game back with 24 points. He narrowly missed being the highest scoring WR and did it in 14 games. He had double-digit points in 11 of his 14 games and scored 25, 13 and 13 in the fantasy playoffs.
TE: Julius Thomas (DEN) - It was hard to envision Manning being able to entertain his tight ends with enough opportunities to make them relevant with the wide receiving corp that he had at his disposal, but he did with great ease. Even with missing a few games during the season, Thomas was a late round draft pick that paid huge dividends. He was the 3rd highest scoring tight end this season.