Quarterbacks
Matt Ryan started to gain some momentum in the high-stakes games over the last week so. In one recent draft, he made his way to the 10th QB drafted which came in the 13th round. The depth at QB and the sense of parity has been a critical part of many Fantasy owner waiting at QB in 2018. Ryan has plenty of toys in the passing game, and he’s only one year removed from a great 2016 season.
With Carson Wentz still not cleared to start in Week 1, Fantasy owner will dismiss his success last year, and his high projections in 2018. Wentz can now be had for a pedestrian price of a back QB in 12-team leagues. Next week when he’s named the starter, Wentz will regain his lost value. The Eagles have the talent in the passing game to have a fun season.
Running Backs
Chris Carson was drafted in the fourth round over the last week in the high-stakes market in one draft. This owner dismissed his job loss risk with the ultra-talent Rashaad Penny trailing in his 2018 prep due to a finger injury. Carson is a generally a sixth to eight-round pick in 12-team leagues with Penny coming off the board a round or so later. Just remember faint-hearted drafters, you want the last man standing in this type of situation. By drafting Carson early, a Fantasy owner has to be confident that he’ll keep the job all year.
In the reverse of the above scenario, Ronald Jones is falling into the 10th round in some drafts after Peyton Barber won the opening week starting job. With no defined pass catcher in this offense, both players will be used each week. Jones needs to show he can handle pass protection before earning a more significant piece of the offensive pie with the Bucs.
Wide Receivers
With Marqise Lee out for the season, Keelan Cole has moved into the top ten rounds in many Fantasy drafts. Before the injury, both options were rarely fought for in early drafts. His best fit is WR4 in PPR leagues while still having some failure risk with the Jaguars expected to rotate in multiple options at WR.
Alshon Jeffery has been recovering from an injury all summer, but Fantasy owners forget to turn on the lightbulb when reading his progress. The Eagles announced this year that he’ll miss a game or two of the season leading to him sliding a couple of rounds below his expected value. The wise Fantasy drafters can easily cover him with Mike Wallace well after the 15th round. The pair is well worth a WR3 role in PPR formats.
Tight Ends
Trey Burton continues to be a soft spot for Fantasy owners who miss on the top end talent at TE. His career path and resume don’t support a top-six opportunity at his position, which was his price point in a couple of high-end leagues on Friday. The Bears are a running team while expecting to fall well below the league average in passing attempts. They have an upside pass catching RB and two viable lead WRs, which make Burton tougher to trust that those drinking his Kool-Aid on draft day.
The coin flip at TE in Indy landed on Eric Ebron in the third preseason game (5/54/1), which led to him at least having a pulse in drafts. He remains a TE2 in PPR leagues with his price point no closer to round ten than round 15 over the last week. Before his recent success, Ebron was a layup after the 15th round for the Fantasy owners cheating the second TE.
