Daily Dr. Roto — June 1, 2018
Fantasy Football Offseason: June 1 Fact or Fiction?
Every week I take a look at some NFL “coach speak” or “player speak” to see which are fact and which are fiction for Fantasy Football owners.
Bears RB Jordan Howard will be the bell cow of their offense.
Fact or Fiction? Fiction: Thankfully, the Bears ushered John Fox and his archaic coaching staff out of town and have brought in young offensive genius Matt Nagy as their new head coach. Nagy will do a much better job of integrating the pieces on offense, including getting the ball in the hands of playmaking RB Tarik Cohen more often. The Bears will still use Howard as their primary source of carries, and I would expect that his carries will increase as the weather worsens in Chicago over the course of the season, but Howard will not get 25-30 carries a game as he did with the old regime.
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According to Jaguars OC Nathaniel Hackett, RB Corey Grant “has to get on the field.”
Fact or Fiction? Fiction: First and foremost, the Jaguars need to ensure that RB Leonard Fournette gets about 20 carries per game. Backup RB T.J. Yeldon is the best pass blocking back on the team and possesses terrific hands out of the backfield. This leaves Grant as nothing more than a gadget guy who could get like 3-5 touches a game. Does Grant deserve more? Probably. But if Fournette and Yeldon are healthy, there won’t be more opportunities. That said, I think Grant makes for a great 20th round pick in deeper leagues as he is one injury away from being an impact player.
Titans WR Corey Davis continues to impress in OTAs.
Fact or Fiction? Fact: Davis struggled in 2017 not only with injuries but learning the route tree. By the time the Titans played the Patriots in the playoffs, Davis finally found his confidence and had two TDs in that contest. If he can build from that game, he can easily become one of the top young receivers in the NFL. The Titans lack playmakers at receiver, and they are counting on Davis to be their go-to guy. I see him as a WR2 this year in Fantasy with a strong possibility of a 1000-yard season if he can stay healthy.
The Chargers will use more three wide receiver sets this season with Hunter Henry out for the year.
Fact or Fiction? Fact: Henry’s injury would be a crushing blow for most franchises, but luckily the Chargers have one of the deepest receiving corps in football. Look for Mike Williams and Tyrell Williams to step up this season and get most of the targets that would have gone to Henry. In fact, I think this puts both Williamses on the radar for WR4 in Fantasy leagues.
Giants WR Sterling Shepard will see more time on the outside this season.
Fact or Fiction? Fiction: Shepard has run over 80% of his routes in both 2016 and 2017 out of the slot, and I think he will continue to do so this season. The Giants did nothing to address their depleted receiving corps this off-season, so as it stands now either Roger Lewis or Cody Latimer will be the other outside receiver across from Odell Beckham Jr. This will allow Shepard to do his handiwork in the middle of the field.
Cardinals QB Josh Rosen has impressed the Cardinals coaching staff thus far.
Fact or Fiction? Fact: Rosen has already learned the playbook, and his throwing motion is one of the best that coaches and scouts have seen in the past decade, so it makes perfect sense for him to have impressed the coaching staff. However, in order to play Rosen is going to have to show the coaches that he can handle himself during games and take the tough hits without suffering another concussion. Moreover (and most importantly), he will have to win over his teammates, considering getting along with others has always been an issue for him.
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