The Daily Blitz: Devonta Freeman

Showing posts with label Devonta Freeman. Show all posts

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Fantasy Football Projections 2021: New Orleans Saints

Our 2021 Fantasy Football Projections will be viewable by both position and team.

Below you will find our 2021 fantasy football projections for the New Orleans Saints.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams

QUARTERBACKS

Player	Att.	Comp.	Yards	TD	INT	Rush	Yards	TD	Points
Jameis Winston	376.1	243.5	2801.9	17.3	12.04	42.5	174.3	1.7	184.83
Taysom Hill	157.4	102.3	1156.9	6.45	3.46	72.4	391	5.25	150.52

Jameis Winston: Taysom Hill drew four starts when Drew Brees was sidelined last season. Earlier in the offseason, most expected Winston to be named the starter with Brees decided to hang up his cleats this offseason. Now that training camp is underway, however, the team in the midst of a legitimate quarterback competition.

Perhaps both quarterbacks will make starts during the season, but I believe Winston will begin the season as the starter in part so that New Orleans can maximize Hill's versatility, especially given the state of their receiving corps. Two seasons ago in Tampa, Winston led the NFL in both passing yards (5,109) and interceptions thrown (30) and ball security will be critical to keeping the starting gig (should be named the starter).

Taysom Hill: Whenever/if he gets the opportunity to start, Hill will flirt with top-12 production. During his four starts last season, he performed as a top-12 fantasy quarterback every week. At a minimum, Hill should be owned in all two-QB and Super Flex leagues (even if he isn't named the starter).

RUNNING BACKS

Player	Att.	Yards	TD	Rec.	Yards	TD	Points
Alvin Kamara	204.9	942.5	8.5	72.6	653.2	3.7	269.07
Latavius Murray	139.9	622.6	4.34	25.4	201.9	1.1	127.79
Ty Montgomery	20	88	0.5	10.4	118.8	0.6	32.48
Devonta Freeman	7.5	29.3	0.19	2.6	21.8	0.2	8.75
Alex Armah	5	11	0.3	1.4	9.9	0.1	5.19

Alvin Kamara: No running back scored more fantasy points in half-PPR formats than Kamara in 2020. The versatile back had exactly 81 receptions in each of his first three NFL seasons and then set a career high (83) in 2020. That said, he was on pace for an even better career-best number before Drew Brees (ribs) missed four weeks. The only three games that Kamara failed to reach three catches came with Brees sidelined.

If the Saints utilize Taysom Hill as their starter, it would likely cap Kamara's upside and lead to more volatility in his weekly production. In 11 games with Brees, Kamara was a top-10 weekly producer in all but one game last season. In four games with Hill, Kamara posted weekly finishes (half-PPR) of RB25, RB36, RB9 and RB9, respectively.

Latavius Murray: Provided Murray isn't a cap casualty, he flirts with stand-alone flex value -- especially during bye weeks -- when both Kamara and Murray are active. For any week(s) that Kamara may miss, however, Murray becomes a must-start play. In the two games that Kamara missed and Murray was active, Murray had a total of 62 touches, 307 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns.

Ty Montgomery: The Saints have moved Montgomery to receiver. While ESPN lists him as a WR, he is still listed at RB in Yahoo! leagues.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Player	Rec.	Yards	TD	Rush	Yards	TD	Points
Michael Thomas	70	870.9	5	0	0	0	152.09
Tre'quan Smith	38.9	581.9	3.6	0	0	0	99.24
Marquez Callaway	35.4	451.3	2.6	0	0	0	78.43
Deonte Harris	15.2	184.1	1.1	7.5	61.9	0.15	39.7
Juwan Johnson	12.1	162.3	1	0	0	0	28.28
Chris Hogan	2.1	27.7	0.2	0	0	0	5.02
Lil'Jordan Humphrey	0.9	11.9	0.1	0	0	0	2.24

Michael Thomas: It was an injury-plagued 2020 season for Thomas, who failed to score in seven regular-season appearances. Thomas decided to postpone ankle surgery until June and now he's likely to miss the start of the 2021 season. While Thomas appears to be "ahead of schedule," it's unclear how much time he will actually miss.

Before 2020, Thomas had improved every season -- 1,137 yards (2016), 1,245 (2017), 1,405 (2018) and 1,725 (2019). In his last full season (2019), he led the NFL in both receptions (149) and yards (1,725). Drew Brees' retirement and his injury significantly diminishes his fantasy outlook for the upcoming season.

Tre'quan Smith: Smith posted career numbers in receptions (34) and yards (448) in 2020. Even with Brees retiring, Smith should set new career highs with Emmanuel Sanders leaving for Buffalo and Thomas likely to miss the start of the season.

Marquez Callaway: Callaway has generated some training camp buzz and has the potential to be the team's most productive receiver for as long as Michael Thomas (ankle) is out. Either way, he's an upside sleeper pick in the double-digit rounds.

Fun watching Marquez Callaway really take ownership of being the top dog at receiver right now. Playing with so much confidence.
— Luke Johnson (@ByLukeJohnson) August 6, 2021

Juwan Johnson: While some sites like Yahoo! still list Johnson as a WR, he has converted to TE and the transition has been going well enough that he has some sleeper appeal.

TIGHT ENDS

Player	Rec.	Yards	TD	Rush	Yards	TD	Points
Adam Trautman	45.8	514.6	3.3	0	0	0	94.16
Nick Vannett	5.2	49.5	0.4	0	0	0	9.95

Adam Trautman: Set for an expanded role with Jared Cook now in L.A., Trautman is a breakout candidate that will be a popular sleeper pick at tight end. In addition to his move up the TE depth chart, Emmanuel Sanders is now in Buffalo and Michael Thomas will likely miss the start of the season following offseason ankle surgery.

More New Orleans Saints pages:

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Atlanta Falcons 2019 Fantasy Football Projections

In addition to viewing our 2019 Fantasy Football Projections by position, we will post our preseason projections per team.

Below you will find our 2019 fantasy football projections for the Atlanta Falcons.

QUARTERBACKS

Player	Att.	Comp.	Yards	TD	INT	Rush	Yards	TD	Points
Matt Ryan	595.2	400.3	4672.3	28.87	11.01	34.4	108.4	0.77	295.81
Over the past four seasons, Ryan has finished as a top-two fantasy quarterback twice (2018, 2016) and as the QB15 or worse twice (2017, 2015). Reunited with his offensive coordinator from the three years prior to that four-year stretch, Dirk Koetter's offense in Tampa last season led the league in passing (5,125 yards) and was second to only Kansas City in yards per attempt (8.6). Given the talented group of pass-catchers at his disposal, it wouldn't surprise me if Ryan outperformed my current projections for him.
Matt Schaub	6	3.9	21	0.03	0.02	1	-0.5	0	0.87

More Fantasy Football QB Resources:

RUNNING BACKS

Player	Att.	Yards	TD	Rec.	Yards	TD	Points
Devonta Freeman	223.3	960.2	8.37	47.8	382.4	1.55	193.78
Missing almost all of last season, Freeman is poised for a bounce-back with good health (of course). Not only is Tevin Coleman now in San Francisco, but the Falcons used a pair of first-rounders on the offensive line. I have Freeman projected for a conservative 271 touches and 1,342 yards from scrimmage and perhaps a less-modest 10 touchdowns. Then again, Freeman had a total of 35 touchdowns in the previous three seasons and my projections assume a lower touchdown rate on his rush attempts than his career average (3.91%).
Ito Smith	84	319.2	2.73	25.5	147.9	0.51	66.15
With Coleman signing with the 49ers this offseason, Smith should backup Freeman, but he averaged a pedestrian 3.5 YPC and 5.6 Y/R last season.
Qadree Ollison	22	88	0.44	3.1	20.2	0.03	13.64
Brian Hill	4.8	21.1	0.05	1.1	9.4	0.01	3.41
Kenjon Barner	1.9	7	0.02	1.1	6.1	0.01	1.49
Ricky Ortiz	0	0	0	1.8	7.2	0.01	0.78

More Fantasy Football RB Resources:

WIDE RECEIVERS

Player	Rec.	Yards	TD	Rush	Yards	TD	Points
Julio Jones	107	1610.4	7.76	1	6.5	0	208.25
Over the past six seasons, Jones has averaged more than 100 receiving yards per game five times. Turning his 113 receptions into a league-high 1,677 yards, Jones is a lock for 1,400-plus yards as long as he stays healthy. Even though he was scoreless through seven games (53 receptions on 81 targets), he managed to score eight touchdowns over the final nine games of the season. Will his second-half red-zone production spill over into 2019?
Calvin Ridley	67.1	865.6	6.71	5.7	25.1	0.01	129.39
Ridley put up excellent rookie numbers overall (64/821/10). Off to a hot start with six touchdowns in the first four games, Ridley was inconsistent over the final three quarters of the season. Exceeding the 50-yard mark in three of his first four games, he did so in only three of his final 12. Given the amount of attention that Jones commands, the former first-rounder from Alabama should be able to put together a more consistent sophomore campaign. Ridley is a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3 heading into the 2019 season.
Mohamed Sanu	59.3	705.7	3.85	3.8	18.6	0.02	95.65
Sanu set a career high in receiving yards (838) in 2018 and just missed by one in receptions (66, career high: 67). Even with Jones and Ridley ahead of him, Sanu could once again finish as a top-36 wide receiver in 2019.
Justin Hardy	18.2	178.4	1.82	0	0	0	28.76
Russell Gage	8.3	87.2	0.42	0	0	0	11.24
Marcus Green	0.8	12.2	0.08	0	0	0	1.7

More Fantasy Football WR Resources:

TIGHT ENDS

Player	Rec.	Yards	TD	Rush	Yards	TD	Points
Austin Hooper	60	612	4.35	0	0	0	87.3
At such a shallow position, Hooper ranked fourth among tight ends in receptions (71), seventh in targets (88) and yards (660) and ninth in touchdowns (four). Certainly not a tight end that I will target, but someone that could very well outperform his current ADP (TE15 via FFC).
Luke Stocker	9.2	81	0.64	0	0	0	11.94
Logan Paulsen	4.9	47.5	0.44	0	0	0	7.39
Eric Saubert	3.8	36.5	0.19	0	0	0	4.79

More Fantasy Football TE Resources:

Friday, June 7, 2019

Atlanta Falcons 2019 Fantasy Football Projections

QUARTERBACKS

Player	Att.	Comp.	Yards	TD	INT	Rush	Yards	TD	Points
Matt Ryan	634.2	423.3	4946.8	31.08	11.73	34.6	109	0.78	314.31
Over the past four seasons, Ryan has finished as a top-two fantasy quarterback twice (2018, 2016) and as the QB15 or worse twice (2017, 2015). Reunited with his offensive coordinator from the three years prior to that four-year stretch, Dirk Koetter's offense in Tampa last season led the league in passing (5,125 yards) and was second to only Kansas City in yards per attempt (8.6). Given the talented group of pass-catchers at his disposal, it wouldn't surprise me if Ryan outperformed my current projections for him.
Matt Schaub	6.4	4.1	22.4	0.03	0.03	1	-0.5	0	0.91

More Fantasy Football QB Resources:

RUNNING BACKS

Player	Att.	Yards	TD	Rec.	Yards	TD	Points
Devonta Freeman	224.9	967.1	8.43	51.1	413.9	1.66	198.64
Missing almost all of last season, Freeman is poised for a bounce-back with good health (of course). Not only is Tevin Coleman now in San Francisco, but the Falcons used a pair of first-rounders on the offensive line. I have Freeman projected for a conservative 276 touches and 1,034 yards from scrimmage and perhaps a less-modest 10 touchdowns. Then again, Freeman had a total of 35 touchdowns in the previous three seasons and my projections assume a lower touchdown rate on his rush attempts than his career average (3.91%).
Ito Smith	85.5	316.4	2.78	29.9	173.4	0.6	69.26
Qadree Ollison	13.5	51.3	0.27	2.2	14.3	0.02	8.3
Brian Hill	11.5	50.6	0.12	1.2	10.8	0.01	6.92
Kenjon Barner	3.8	14.1	0.04	2.2	12.1	0.02	2.98
Ricky Ortiz	0	0	0	2	8	0.01	0.86

More Fantasy Football RB Resources:

WIDE RECEIVERS

Player	Rec.	Yards	TD	Rush	Yards	TD	Points
Julio Jones	116.5	1759.2	8.74	1	6.5	0	229.01
Over the past six seasons, Jones has averaged more than 100 receiving yards per game five times. Turning his 113 receptions into a league-high 1,677 yards, Jones is a lock for 1,400-plus yards as long as he stays healthy. Even though he was scoreless through seven games (53 receptions on 81 targets), he managed to score eight touchdowns over the final nine games of the season. Will his second-half red-zone production spill over into 2019?
Calvin Ridley	72.8	939.1	7.64	5.8	25.5	0.01	142.36
Ridley put up excellent rookie numbers overall (64/821/10). Off to a hot start with six touchdowns in the first four games, Ridley was inconsistent over the final three quarters of the season. Exceeding the 50-yard mark in three of his first four games, he did so in only three of his final 12 games. Given the amount of attention that Jones commands, the former first-rounder from Alabama should be able to put together a more consistent sophomore campaign. Ridley is a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3 heading into the 2019 season.
Mohamed Sanu	69.5	861.8	4.87	3.8	18.6	0.02	117.38
Sanu set a career high in receiving yards (838) in 2018 and just missed one in receptions (66, career high: 67). Even with Jones and Ridley ahead of him in the pecking order for targets, Sanu could once again finish as a top-36 wide receiver in 2019.
Justin Hardy	17.5	171.5	1.75	0	0	0	27.65
Russell Gage	8.3	87.2	0.42	0	0	0	11.24
Marcus Green	1.8	32.4	0.18	0	0	0	4.32

More Fantasy Football WR Resources:

TIGHT ENDS

Player	Rec.	Yards	TD	Rush	Yards	TD	Points
Austin Hooper	68.6	679.1	4.46	0	0	0	94.67
At such a shallow position, Hooper ranked fourth among tight ends in receptions (71), seventh in targets (88) and yards (660) and ninth in touchdowns (four). Certainly not a tight end that I will target, but someone that could very well outperform his current ADP (TE16 via FFC).
Eric Saubert	7.7	73.9	0.39	0	0	0	9.73

More Fantasy Football TE Resources:

Saturday, August 25, 2018

2018 Fantasy Football Projections: Atlanta Falcons

In addition to viewing our 2018 Fantasy Football Projections by position, we will post our preseason projections per team.

Below you will find our 2018 fantasy football projections for the Atlanta Falcons.

Quarterbacks

Player	Att.	Comp.	Yards	TD	INT	Rush	Yards	TD	FL	Points
Matt Ryan	543.8	356.7	4296	25	12	33.2	119.5	0.2	1.5	257.99
Over the past six seasons, Ryan has finished as fantasy's QB7, QB15, QB7, QB17, QB2 and QB15, respectively. (So, perhaps he's due to finish as a top-seven fantasy QB this year?) In the first season with Steve Sarkisian calling the plays, Ryan threw for 4,095 yards, a seven-year low, and 20 touchdowns, a nine-year low. On a positive note, the addition of Calvin Ridley in the first round gives a boost to an already talented group of pass-catchers and I expect better year-over-year numbers.
Matt Schaub	2.2	1.3	14	0.1	0.1	1.3	-1.3	0	0	0.63

More Fantasy Football QB Resources:

Running Backs

Player	Att.	Yards	TD	Rec.	Yards	TD	FL	Points
Devonta Freeman	245.8	1106.1	10.8	45.5	395.9	2.3	1.2	226.4
Missing two-plus games last season, Freeman still managed to finish as the RB13 after much better seasons in 2015 (RB1) and 2016 (RB6). Over the past three seasons, only Todd Gurley (4,599), Le'Veon Bell (4,522) and LeSean McCoy (4,396) have more yards from scrimmage than Freeman (4,357) and his 35 touchdowns are tied with Gurley for the most over that stretch.
Tevin Coleman	141.4	608	5.7	32.3	384.4	3.2	0.8	151.04
Even if he's the 2 to Devonta Freeman in the team's 1-2 rushing attack, Coleman has finished as a top-24 running back and exceeded 900 yards from scrimmage in each of the past two seasons with 19 total touchdowns since 2016.
Ito Smith	17.7	77.9	0.4	1.6	12.8	0	0.1	11.27
Terrence Magee	0.4	1.5	0	0.3	1.5	0	0	0.3

More Fantasy Football RB Resources:

Wide Receivers

Player	Rec.	Yards	TD	Rush	Yards	TD	FL	Points
Julio Jones	90.2	1470.3	6.9	0	0	0	0.1	188.23
With 1,400-plus yards in each of the past four seasons, Jones has a total of 6,317 receiving yards during that four-year span. Only Antonio Brown (6,349) has more and both have more than 1,200 yards more than DeAndre Hopkins (5,063, third). Only Brown has more catches than Jones over that span. Of course, the problem is that Jones has just 23 touchdowns, tied for 21st in the NFL since 2014, but it's highly unlikely that he scores only three times like last season.
Mohamed Sanu	58.9	636.1	4.7	2.2	8.4	0	0.1	92.45
In his first two seasons with the Falcons, Sanu posted 59/653/4 and 67/703/5 statistical lines in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Barring an injury to Julio Jones, the first-round selection of Calvin Ridley limits the upside above Sanu's recent level of production.
Calvin Ridley	46.2	568.3	3.3	0	0	0	0.2	76.23
Old'ish for a rookie (turns 24 in December), Ridley is neither the biggest (6-1, 189) nor most-explosive athlete (31-inch vertical and 9-foot-2 broad jump), but he's an excellent route-runner with a chance to be the best rookie wideout in re-draft formats.
Justin Hardy	24.5	257.3	2.2	0	0	0	0.1	38.73
Marvin Hall	2.7	40.5	0.3	0	0	0	0	5.85
Russell Gage	1.2	14.4	0.1	1.3	5.2	0	0	2.56

More Fantasy Football WR Resources:

Tight Ends

Player	Rec.	Yards	TD	Rush	Yards	TD	FL	Points
Austin Hooper	49.1	549.9	4.2	0	0	0	0.1	79.99
In his second season, Hooper posted a 49/526/3 stat line and finished as fantasy's TE18 (TE17 in PPR), but it was all downhill after a 2/128/1 start to the season. Hooper exceeded 40 yards only once in his final nine games.
Logan Paulsen	10.4	87.4	0.5	0	0	0	0.1	11.54
Eric Saubert	7.2	77	0.5	0	0	0	0	10.7

More Fantasy Football TE Resources:

Keep track of our updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) LIKE us on Facebook and/or (3) add us to your Google+ circle.

Thursday, August 9, 2018

2018 Fantasy Football Projections: Atlanta Falcons

Quarterbacks

Player	Att.	Comp.	Yards	TD	INT	Rush	Yards	TD	FL	Points
Matt Ryan	541	354.9	4274	24.9	11.9	32.9	118.4	0.2	1.5	256.8
Over the past six seasons, Ryan has finished as fantasy's QB7, QB15, QB7, QB17, QB2 and QB15, respectively. So, perhaps he's due to finish as a top-seven fantasy QB this year? In the first season with Steve Sarkisian calling the plays, Ryan threw for 4,095 yards, a seven-year low, and 20 touchdowns, a nine-year low. On a positive note, the addition of Calvin Ridley in the first round gives a boost to an already talented group of pass-catchers. Even though I expect better year-over-year numbers, Ryan is unlikely to bounce back to his 2016 MVP-level production.

More Fantasy Football QB Resources:

Running Backs

Player	Att.	Yards	TD	Rec.	Yards	TD	FL	Points
Devonta Freeman	244	1110.2	10.7	44.6	388	2.2	1.2	224.82
Missing two-plus games last season, Freeman still managed to finish as the RB13 after much better seasons in 2015 (RB1) and 2016 (RB6). Over the past three seasons, only Todd Gurley (4,599), Le'Veon Bell (4,522) and LeSean McCoy (4,396) have more yards from scrimmage than Freeman (4,357) and his 35 touchdowns are tied with Gurley for the most over that stretch.
Tevin Coleman	142.4	612.3	5.7	32	380.8	3.2	0.8	151.11
Even if he's the 2 to Freeman in the team's 1-2 rushing attack, Coleman has finished as a top-24 running back and exceeded 900 yards from scrimmage in each of the past two seasons with 19 total touchdowns since 2016.
Ito Smith	15.3	67.3	0.4	1.6	12.8	0	0.1	10.21
Terrence Magee	0.4	1.5	0	0.3	1.5	0	0	0.3

More Fantasy Football RB Resources:

Wide Receivers

Player	Rec.	Yards	TD	Rush	Yards	TD	FL	Points
Julio Jones	90	1476	6.8	0	0	0	0.1	188.2
With 1,400-plus yards in each of the past four seasons, Jones has a total of 6,317 receiving yards during that four-year span. Only Antonio Brown (6,349) has more and both have more than 1,200 yards more than DeAndre Hopkins (5,063, third). Only Brown has more catches than Jones over that span. Of course, the problem is that Jones has just 23 touchdowns, tied for 21st in the NFL since 2014, but it's highly unlikely that he scores only three times like last season.
Mohamed Sanu	59.9	646.9	4.7	2.2	8.4	0	0.1	93.53
In his first two seasons with the Falcons, Sanu posted 59/653/4 and 67/703/5 statistical lines in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Barring an injury to Julio Jones, the first-round selection of Calvin Ridley limits the upside above Sanu's recent level of production.
Calvin Ridley	43.9	540	3.2	0	0	0	0.2	72.8
Old'ish for a rookie (turns 24 in December), Ridley is neither the biggest (6-1, 189) nor most-explosive athlete (31-inch vertical and 9-foot-2 broad jump), but he's an excellent route-runner with a chance to be the best rookie wideout in re-draft formats.
Justin Hardy	24.3	255.2	2.2	0	0	0	0.1	38.52
Marvin Hall	2.7	40.5	0.3	0	0	0	0	5.85
Russell Gage	1.2	14.4	0.1	1.3	5.2	0	0	2.56

More Fantasy Football WR Resources:

Tight Ends

Player	Rec.	Yards	TD	Rush	Yards	TD	FL	Points
Austin Hooper	48.7	545.4	4.1	0	0	0	0.1	78.94
In his second season, Hooper posted a 49/526/3 stat line and finished as fantasy's TE18 (TE17 in PPR), but it was all downhill after a 2/128/1 start to the season. Hooper exceeded 40 yards only once in his final nine games.
Logan Paulsen	10.3	86.5	0.5	0	0	0	0.1	11.45
Eric Saubert	7.1	76	0.5	0	0	0	0	10.6

More Fantasy Football TE Resources:

Keep track of our updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) LIKE us on Facebook and/or (3) add us to your Google+ circle.

Saturday, July 21, 2018

2018 Fantasy Football Projections: Atlanta Falcons

Quarterbacks

Player	Att.	Comp.	Yards	TD	INT	Rush	Yards	TD	FL	Points
Matt Ryan	540	354.2	4266	24.8	11.9	32.9	118.4	0.2	1.5	256.08
Over the past six seasons, Ryan has finished as fantasy's QB7, QB15, QB7, QB17, QB2 and QB15, respectively. So, perhaps he's due to finish as a top-seven fantasy QB this year? In the first season with Steve Sarkisian calling the plays, Ryan threw for 4,095 yards, a seven-year low, and 20 touchdowns, a nine-year low. On a positive note, the addition of Calvin Ridley in the first round gives a boost to an already talented group of pass-catchers. Even though I expect better year-over-year numbers, Ryan is unlikely to bounce back to his 2016 MVP-level production.

More Fantasy Football QB Resources:

Running Backs

Player	Att.	Yards	TD	Rec.	Yards	TD	FL	Points
Devonta Freeman	245.3	1116.1	10.8	44.5	387.2	2.2	1.2	225.93
Missing two-plus games last season, Freeman still managed to finish as the RB13 after much better seasons in 2015 (RB1) and 2016 (RB6). Over the past three seasons, only Todd Gurley (4,599), Le'Veon Bell (4,522) and LeSean McCoy (4,396) have more yards from scrimmage than Freeman (4,357) and his 35 touchdowns are tied with Gurley for the most over that stretch.
Tevin Coleman	140.2	602.9	5.6	32	380.8	3.2	0.8	149.57
Even if he's the 2 to Freeman in the team's 1-2 rushing attack, Coleman has finished as a top-24 running back and exceeded 900 yards from scrimmage in each of the past two seasons. The contract-year back has scored 19 total touchdowns since 2016.
Ito Smith	11	48.4	0.3	1.6	12.8	0	0.1	7.72
Terron Ward	6.6	28.4	0.1	2	15.6	0.1	0.1	5.4

More Fantasy Football RB Resources:

Wide Receivers

Player	Rec.	Yards	TD	Rush	Yards	TD	FL	Points
Julio Jones	89.8	1472.7	6.8	0	0	0	0.1	187.87
With 1,400-plus yards in each of the past four seasons, Jones has a total of 6,317 receiving yards during that four-year span. Only Antonio Brown (6,349) has more and both have more than 1,200 yards more than DeAndre Hopkins (5,063, third). Only Brown has more catches than Jones over that span. Of course, the problem is that Jones has just 23 touchdowns, tied for 21st in the NFL since 2014.
Mohamed Sanu	59.4	641.5	4.7	2.2	8.4	0	0.1	92.99
In his first two seasons with the Falcons, Sanu posted 59/653/4 and 67/703/5 statistical lines in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Barring an injury to Julio Jones, the first-round selection of Calvin Ridley limits upside above Sanu's recent level of production.
Calvin Ridley	43.2	527	3	0	0	0	0.2	70.3
Old'ish for a rookie (turns 24 in December), Ridley is neither the biggest (6-1, 189) or most-explosive athlete (31-inch vertical and 9-foot-2 broad jump), but he's an excellent route-runner with a chance to be the best rookie wideout in re-draft formats.
Justin Hardy	24.2	254.1	2.2	0	0	0	0.1	38.41
Marvin Hall	2.8	42	0.3	0	0	0	0	6
Russell Gage	1.5	18	0.1	1.3	5.2	0	0	2.92

More Fantasy Football WR Resources:

Tight Ends

Player	Rec.	Yards	TD	Rush	Yards	TD	FL	Points
Austin Hooper	47.8	535.4	4	0	0	0	0.1	77.34
In his second season, Hooper posted a 49/526/3 stat line and finished as fantasy's TE18 (TE17 in PPR), but it was all downhill after a 2/128/1 start to the season. Hooper exceeded 40 yards only once in his final nine games.
Logan Paulsen	9.7	81.5	0.5	0	0	0	0.1	10.95
Eric Saubert	6.8	72.8	0.5	0	0	0	0	10.28

More Fantasy Football TE Resources:

Keep track of our updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) LIKE us on Facebook and/or (3) add us to your Google+ circle.

Friday, July 20, 2018

2018 Fantasy Football Profile: Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons

In the first year without Kyle Shanahan running the offense, the Atlanta Falcons saw their offensive output drop from a league-best 33.1 points per game to middle of the road (22.1 PPG, 15th) in 2017.

Not only did Devonta Freeman miss two games after leaving Week 10 in the first quarter with a concussion, but he dealt with MCL and PCL sprains down the stretch.

Yet as the lead back of the team's 1-2 rushing attack with Tevin Coleman, Freeman still managed to finish as fantasy football's RB13 (PPR's RB14) in 2017 despite those injuries and the team's overall offensive decline.

Before last season, however, Freeman finished as fantasy's RB1 and RB6 in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Over the past three seasons, only three running backs have more yards from scrimmage than Freeman (4,357): Todd Gurley (4,599), Le'Veon Bell (4,522) and LeSean McCoy (4,396). Only three running backs -- Duke Johnson (188), Theo Riddick (186) and Bell (184) -- have more receptions than Freeman (163) over that same span.

Not only has Freeman been highly productive on a full-year basis, he has provided fantasy owners with both weekly consistency and upside.

From 2015 to 2017, Freeman has 28 games with double-digit (standard) fantasy points. Only McCoy (30) and Gurley (29) have more. In addition, Freeman ranks third in games with 15-plus fantasy points (18) and 20-plus fantasy points (10).

Despite a change in offensive coordinator, the Falcons once again ranked 11th in run-play percentage. In fact, they ran the ball a little more frequently -- 43.86 percent in 2017 vs. 42.27 percent in 2016.

In terms of blocking, Atlanta's offensive line was ranked second (behind only Philadelphia's) according to PFF. Meanwhile, Austin Hooper earned PFF's eighth-best run blocking grade (80.7) among tight ends while posting sub-50 grades for receiving and pass blocking.

Freeman ranked 10th in red-zone rush attempts (34) in 2017 as he received 63.6 percent of the team's rush attempts inside the 5-yard line. Missing two games in 2017, those numbers were down year-over-year.

In 2016, Freeman ranked third in red-zone carries (53) with an 84.2-percent share of his team's carries inside the 5-yard line. (Only Melvin Gordon had a higher percentage.)

Even though teammate Tevin Coleman has 19 touchdowns in the past two seasons, Freeman is tied with Gurley for a league-high 35 touchdowns over the past three seasons.

Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule

Based on the fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs last season, Freeman and Atlanta's running backs have the sixth most-difficult strength of schedule for Weeks 1 to 16 in 2018. It's even more challenging in the fantasy playoffs (third most-difficult) with matchups against the Packers, Cardinals and Panthers from Weeks 14 to 16, respectively.

- View full Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule

Fantasy Football Average Draft Position (ADP)

Below is a chart of his ADP at Fantasy Football Calculator over the past month:

Fantasy Football ADP for Devonta Freeman

In my mind, there is little distinction between Freeman and the RBs going immediately before him -- Leonard Fournette (1.08), Melvin Gordon (1.10), Kareem Hunt (1.11) and Dalvin Cook (1.12). That said, there are plenty of question marks in the next tier of backs -- Jordan Howard (2.05), Jerick McKinnon (2.08), Joe Mixon (2.09), Christian McCaffrey (2.12) and Derrick Henry (3.02).

Devonta Freeman: Full Season Projections

Below you will find full-season projections for Atlanta Falcons RB Devonta Freeman for the 2018 NFL season:

Rush	RuYD	RuTD	Rec.	ReYD	ReTD	Fantasy Points
240.8	1095.6	10.8	43.7	380.2	2.2	223.18

- Atlanta Falcons 2018 Fantasy Football Projections
- More Fantasy Football Projections

Bottom Line

A versatile do-it-all back, Freeman is one of the safest second-round picks. Although his ADP and my ranking are equal (RB11), there is a significant dropoff from Freeman to the next tier of running backs. The gap in my fantasy football projections between RB11 (Freeman) and RB12 (Howard) is twice as much as the gap between RB5 (Saquon Barkley) and RB11 (Freeman).

Relative value: Undervalued

Check out more of our content:

Good luck in your 2018 fantasy football leagues!
To keep track of our updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) LIKE us on Facebook and/or (3) add us to your Google+ circle.

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

2018 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 14 Teams, 5th Pick

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. While we may not be able to draft a "perfect" fantasy football team, the more we practice, the better our teams will be.

Starting on July 7th, we began drafting (at least) one fantasy football team per day using the 2018 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator and we will continue to do so up until the start of the 2018 NFL season.

Each day, we will switch things up -- e.g., PPR vs. standard scoring, league size, draft slot, 2-QB leagues, auction leagues, etc.

In addition, we will centralize links to our daily fantasy football mock drafts for an easy way to keep track of our mock drafts.

Embed from Getty Images

Details of today's mock draft:

Scoring: Standard scoring (i.e., non-PPR scoring)
# of Teams: 14
Draft Slot: 8
Starters: QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, Flex (RB/WR/TE), K, DST
Bench Size: 6

With that said, here are the results of today's mock draft:

1.08 - DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans: Leading the NFL in receiving touchdowns (13) last season, the (now) 26-year-old receiver has three 1,200-yard seasons in his young career. With a league-high 174 targets last season, Hopkins had 35-percent target share in 10 of 15 games and double-digit targets 11 times. As the focal point of Houston's offense, he arguably has the highest floor among all receivers in the league.

2.07 - Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons: Missing two-plus games last season, Freeman still managed to finish as the RB13 after much better seasons in 2015 (RB1) and 2016 (RB6). Over the past three seasons, only Todd Gurley (4,599), Le'Veon Bell (4,522) and LeSean McCoy (4,396) have more yards from scrimmage than Freeman (4,357) and his 35 touchdowns are tied with Gurley for the most over that stretch.

3.08 - Kenyan Drake, RB, Miami Dolphins: Over the final five games of the 2017 season, Drake ran for a league-high 444 yards on 91 carries (4.88 YPC) with two touchdowns and added 17 receptions for 150 yards. Adding Frank Gore and rookie Kalen Ballage likely means that Drake won't see his December workload (21.6 touches per game), but he should still be the team's most productive back.

4.07 - Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears: Still only 24 years old and with an 80/1,400/14 season (2015) under his belt, Robinson was lost for (almost) all of 2017 with a torn ACL sustained in Week 1. There is certainly risk with A-Rob following his injury and given the move to a new offense, but he was my top-ranked receiver here.

5.08 - Michael Crabtree, WR, Baltimore Ravens: As part of a 1-2 punch with Amari Cooper in Oakland, Crabtree had three (well, two if you don't count 2017) productive seasons as a Raider. During that span, Crabtree has 25 touchdowns -- eight-plus in each of the past three seasons. The move to Baltimore means that Crabtree now becomes his team's clear No. 1 wideout.

6.07 - Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons: Even if he's the 2 to Freeman in the team's 1-2 rushing attack, Coleman has finished as a top-24 running back and exceeded 900 yards from scrimmage in each of the past two seasons. The contract-year back has scored 19 total touchdowns since 2016.

7.08 - Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers: Since exceeding 800-plus yards in his three healthy seasons from 2012 to 2015, Cobb has 600-something yards in back-to-back seasons. Given a secure WR2 role, Cobb could bounce back provided that he and Aaron Rodgers can stay healthy.

8.07 - Jamaal Williams, RB, Green Bay Packers: With both Ty Montgomery and Aaron Jones missing time, only three running backs had more carries than Williams (122) from Week 10 on -- Melvin Gordon (137), Frank Gore (134) and McCoy (130). Although Williams averaged only 3.6 yards per carry as a rookie, the two-game suspension of Aaron Jones to start the season helps Williams' case.

9.08 - Trey Burton, TE, Chicago Bears: Burton had 23 catches for 248 yards and five touchdowns as the second tight end behind Zach Ertz for the Super Bowl champs last season. Signed to a four-year deal this offseason, Burton has plenty of breakout potential in the "U" role that Travis Kelce had in Matt Nagy's offense in Kansas City.

10.07 - Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions: Golladay's best games were his first (4/69/2) and his last (2/80/1). Missing five games, the rookie totalled only 22/328/0 in his nine games from Weeks 2 to 16. As ESPN's Matt Bowen predicts, Golladay is certainly a candidate for a second-year breakout.

11.08 - Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles Chargers: Except for 2012 (21st) and 2016 (14th), Rivers has finished as a top-12 fantasy quarterback in the eight of his past 10 NFL seasons. In addition, Rivers has thrown for at least 4,286 yards and 28 touchdowns in each of the past five seasons.

12.07 - Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals: Over the past four seasons, Eifert has nearly as many touchdowns (18) as games played (24). Durability has been (and still is) the obvious concern, but upside for double-digit scores is a legitimate possibility if he can stay/get healthy.

13.08 - Peyton Barber, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tampa's leading rusher in 2017, Barber had 335 rushing yards (15th-most in the NFL) on 78 carries (4.29 YPC) from Weeks 13 to 17. As much as most expect Ronald Jones to lead the backfield in workload and production, Barber will get his share of opportunities and wants (albeit, unrealistically) to "get 1,000 yards – and more."

14.07 - Chris Ivory, RB, Buffalo Bills: Ivory averaged a career-low 3.4 YPC for Jacksonville last season and the 30-year-old back signed a two-year deal with Buffalo. With LeSean McCoy facing serious allegations, which he denies, Ivory would be the first option if McCoy were to miss any time given him plenty of upside this late.

15.08 - Seattle Seahawks D/ST

16.07 - Matt Prater, K, Detroit Lions

- View full mock draft results here

Complete your own mock drafts for free on our Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator page.

Check out more of our content:

Pages

Thursday, August 19, 2021

QUARTERBACKS

RUNNING BACKS

WIDE RECEIVERS

TIGHT ENDS

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

QUARTERBACKS

RUNNING BACKS

WIDE RECEIVERS

TIGHT ENDS

Friday, June 7, 2019

QUARTERBACKS

RUNNING BACKS

WIDE RECEIVERS

TIGHT ENDS

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

Friday, July 20, 2018

Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule

Fantasy Football Average Draft Position (ADP)

Devonta Freeman: Full Season Projections

Bottom Line

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Fantasy Resources

NFL Draft Resources

More