Daily Dr. Roto — May 17, 2018
Fantasy Football Offseason: May 17 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.
Arizona Cardinals RB David Johnson says that his goal is still 1000 yards rushing and 1000 yards receiving.
Fact or Fiction? Fact: Fantasy owners may have forgotten how special a player Johnson is, but I haven’t. He clearly was the #1 player off the board last season, and I think 2000 total yards from scrimmage would have been achievable in 2017 had he not gotten hurt. With the Cardinals not really adding a backup RB (outside of rookie Chase Edmonds) and the fact that WR John Brown is now in Baltimore should mean that Johnson will continue to be a huge part of the team’s offense. If I were going to Vegas today and needed to go over/under 2000 total yards for the season from Johnson, I would take the over and feel pretty good about it.
PLAY AGAINST THE BEST WITH FullTime Fantasy! | Odds
Bears HC Matt Nagy is “giddy” about the potential of RB Tarik Cohen.
Fact or Fiction? Fact: I would be too if I were Nagy. Cohen is electric with the football, and it was pathetic that John Fox only gave him 140 touches last season. Cohen went from being a big part of the passing game early in the season to being nonexistent at some points with the coaching staff blaming him for bad pass protection. Cohen is the closest thing the Bears have to a game breaker (much like the Chiefs Tyreek Hill), and Nagy is just clever enough of an offensive mind to figure out how to use him properly.
Bears HC Matt Nagy said that TE Adam Shaheen “fits the team’s offense very well.”
Fact or Fiction? Fiction: If Nagy and the Bears liked Shaheen enough, they would not have gone out and spent money on Trey Burton in free agency. Burton is a terrific receiver who will undoubtedly play the Travis Kelce role in Nagy’s up-tempo offense. At best, Shaheen will be used as a blocker and in goal-line situations. I am not against rostering Shaheen in TD only formats, but unless Burton gets injured, his value in PPR formats will be minimal.
Colts WR T.Y. Hilton is supposedly “all in” on HC Frank Reich’s new offense.
Fact or Fiction? Fact: Hilton is a tremendously talented player who suffered from a lack of QB and poor offensive play calling in 2017. It is still hit or miss as to when QB Andrew Luck will return this season, but for certain the Colts play calling will be much improved with Frank Reich and OC Nick Sirianni calling the plays. Reich was the architect of the Eagles offense and should be able to get Hilton the ball in space. If Luck can get back to the field by Week 1 and play 16 games, I think that Hilton might be in the running for Comeback Player of the Year, if it weren’t for the return of Luck of course.
Bengals WR John Ross says he feels as healthy now as he did back in his senior year at college.
Fact or Fiction? Fiction: While I do not doubt Ross’ medical reports, I doubt his ability to succeed at the NFL level. I was a bit surprised when the Bengals selected Ross in the first round of last year’s draft as I did not see him as more than a guy who could run a full route tree. Ross is still very green and will have to wait his turn behind A.J. Green and Brandon LaFell to get targets. Moreover, I think the Bengals are going to want to establish the run with RB Joe Mixon more this season, so at best Ross’ upside is as a Taylor Gabriel-type player who makes a play or two per game as a deep threat.
CLICK HERE to check out our Fantasy Draft lobby! Compete in a FullTime Fantasy Sports contest, anywhere from our $35 Starter League to our $299 Online Championship, and of course in the Main Event! We are the home of the best players and payouts in the world!
