10 Burning Fantasy Football Questions & Predictions

1. Superlatives – Who will lead the league in…

Passing Yards:

• Drew Brees (Great White Shark)
• Drew Brees (JimboSlice)
• Drew Brees (The Truth)
• Drew Brees (The Wolf…for the sake of being different. Brady will lead the league from Week 5 on)
• Philip Rivers (Chris J)

Passing TDs:

• Aaron Rodgers (Great White Shark)
• Andrew Luck (JimboSlice)
• Aaron Rodgers (The Truth)
• Andrew Luck (The Wolf)
• Carson Palmer (CJ)

Rushing Yards:

• Todd Gurley (Great White Shark)
• Adrian Peterson (JimboSlice)
• Adrian Peterson (The Truth)
• Todd Gurley (The Wolf)
• Adrian Peterson (CJ)

Rushing TDs:

• Adrian Peterson (Great White Shark)
• Jeremy Hill (JimboSlice)
• Le’Veon Bell (The Truth)
• David Johnson (The Wolf)
• Cam Newton (CJ)

Receiving Yards:

• Antonio Brown (Great White Shark)
• Julio Jones (JimboSlice)
• Antonio Brown (The Truth)
• Antonio Brown (The Wolf)
• Antonio Brown (CJ)

Receiving TDs:

• Gronk (Great White Shark)
• Allen Robinson (JimboSlice)
• Allen Robinson (The Truth)
• Dez Bryant (The Wolf)
• Odell Beckham Jr. (CJ)

WR Receptions:

• Antonio Brown (Great White Shark)
• Antonio Brown (JimboSlice)
• DeAndre Hopkins (The Truth)
• Antonio Brown (The Wolf)
• DeAndre Hopkins (CJ)

RB Receptions:

• Danny Woodhead (Great White Shark)
• Danny Woodhead (JimboSlide)
• Danny Woodhead (The Truth)
• David Johnson (The Wolf)
• Theo Riddick (CJ)

Targets:

• Jarvis Landry (Great White Shark)
• Julio Jones (JimboSlice)
• AJ Green (The Truth)
• AJ Green (The Wolf)
• Jarvis Landry (CJ)

Total Yardage:

• Lamar Miller (Great White Shark)
• David Johnson (JimboSlice)
• Jamaal Charles (The Truth)
• David Johnson (The Wolf)
• Lamar Miller (CJ)

Overall Fantasy Points Leaders (PPR):

QB:

• Aaron Rodgers (Great White Shark)
• Andrew Luck (JimboSlice)
• Cam Newton (The Truth)
• Cam Newton (The Wolf)
• Cam Newton (CJ)

RB:

• Todd Gurley (Great White Shark)
• David Johnson (JimboSlice)
• Todd Gurley (The Truth)
• David Johnson (The Wolf)
• Lamar Miller (CJ)

WR:

• Antonio Brown (Great White Shark)
• Julio Jones (JimboSlice)
• Antonio Brown (The Truth)
• Antonio Brown (The Wolf)
• Antonio Brown (CJ)

TE:

• Gronk (Great White Shark)
• Gronk (JimboSlice)
• Gronk (The Truth)
• Gronk (The Wolf)
• Jordan Reed (CJ)

2. Rookies make an impact every year on the Rotosphere, especially at WR and RB:

A. Which Rookie WR makes the biggest fantasy impact in 2016?

• Sterling Shepard – I expect to see what we would get from a healthy Cruz and then some (JimboSlice)
• Michael Thomas – From a fantasy standpoint, you have to love a receiver landing in a situation where the defense is awful and Willie Snead and Brandon Coleman are his competition.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Michael Thomas – I just don’t know a ton about this, but I think Brees will throw early and often, I think the Saints will be behind a lot, and I have already seen Thomas make some great catches in the NFL preseason.  Why not? (The Truth)
• Sterling Shepard – The Giants are going to throw the ball a ton and Shepard will be a PPR monster as Manning’s No. 2 target. (CJ)
• Sterling Shepard – In a no-huddle attack that’ll score in bunches, Shepard stands to make an immediate fantasy impact.  (The Wolf)

B. Ezekiel Elliott is the easy favorite for top Rookie RB. Who will be #2?

• Derrick Henry – I still think Murray has juice left in the tank but he is a freak.  I also like Jordan Howard to come in and score TD’s in Chicago.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Derrick Henry – Almost went Kenneth Dixon, but Henry is a monster and if he somehow becomes the starter, watch out (JimboSlice)
• Derrick Henry – 100% Henry in a keeper league; he’ll be the man soon enough.  I just don’t think anyone else out produces him even if he splits time (The Truth)
• Derrick Henry – I think Kenneth Dixon will be more valuable to his team, but there are too many cooks in Baltimore’s kitchen.  Henry will be the goal line back in Tennessee and if history has told us anything, DeMarco Murray won’t last all 16 games. (CJ)
• Derrick Henry – I’ve written three love stories for this complete bulldozer already. He’ll be the 2016 David Johnson, smashing mouths in exotic fashion. (The Wolf)

3. Which common first rounder are you avoiding at his current price tag?

• Odell Beckham Jr – I’m a big fan of OBJ but this year is going to be different.  He has Sterling Shepard and the Giants defense has greatly improved.  This means they will be throwing less and Eli has a better second option than Rueben Randle.  He is always a risk to pull a hammy too.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• David Johnson – I’m not passing on the top 4 receivers (AB,ODB,Julio,Hopkins) for a RB. He’d have to be middle of the first round (JimboSlice)
• David Johnson – I just think there are too many question marks.  I don’t doubt his talent, but I wouldn’t draft him top 5 I don’t think.  I think he’ll be really good–not necessarily great.  Arizona loves to pass–I just don’t think he’ll get the rushing yards people expect him to.  (The Truth)
• Todd Gurley – I love him as a player, but their offense as a whole sucks and they have to face Seattle (2x), Arizona (2x), Carolina, Minnesota and New England. No team will respect their passing game and opponents will load the box against Gurley. (CJ)
• Adrian Peterson – Yes, he’s a machine. So was Megatron. AP doesn’t catch and is 31; give me an elite pass catcher or a back with every-down status any day. (Wolf)

4. Is Eddie Lacy going to bounce-back or be a useless bag of fat?

• Bounce-back – I think the entire Packers offense bounces back with Jordy back.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Bounce-back – Think of his Hulk undershirt as opposed to his bulging belly (JimboSlice)
• Bounce-back – But not as much as we’d like to see.  He’ll be better than he was last year, but he has set the bar low. (The Truth)
• Bounce-back – This doesn’t mean I want him on my team, but he’s looked good so far in the preseason (CJ)
• Bounce-back  – He doesn’t look thin by any means, but Lacy has regained his explosion..  Sign me up. (Wolf)

5. In PPR Leagues there seems to be a consistent Big Three at WR: Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham, and Julio Jones. Who’s #4?

• Allen Robinson – You might think it’s a reach, but Bortles will only get better and everything I read on Robinson says he looks better than he did last year.  (1,400 yards and 14 TDs last year) (GreatWhiteShark)
• DeAndre Hopkins –  This should be obvious. The better discussion is who’s #5? *AJ Green* (JimboSlice)
• DeAndre Hopkins – I can make a serious case for him being better than 1-2 of the supposed big 3.  I agree with Jimbo–its a big 4, not a big 3.  #5 is a better question, and I agree it’s AJ Green (The Truth)
• DeAndre Hopkins – Hopkins put up 111/1,521/11 with four different starting quarterbacks. Three of those four quarterbacks (Hoyer, Mallett, Yates and Weeden) shouldn’t be in the NFL, never mind starting games. (CJ)
• DeAndre Hopkins – I’m also taking DeAndre Hopkins because of his QB-proof floor and still unknown ceiling, but I have a feeling Allen Robinson, Dez Bryant and AJ Green are right there with him (Wolf)

6. Which third round WR will break into the elite in 2016?

• Keenan Allen – He was on pace for 134 Receptions, 178 Targets, 1450 yards and 8 TDs before going down with an injury last year.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Keenan Allen –  He was stopped short by injury last year. Expect elite numbers over 16 games (JimboSlice)
• Amari Cooper – Not sure if he’s a 3rd rounder, but I can see him having a really big year if the Raiders offense is what everyone is saying it will be. (The Truth)
• Brandin Cooks – I’m obsessed with Keenan Allen; however, let’s go with Drew Brees’ No. 1 target. (CJ)
• Jarvis Landry – He’s even falling to Round 4 at times, which is highway robbery. Landry could lead the league in targets as Gase’s go-to bubble screen guy (a la Demaryius Thomas). (Wolf)

7. Breaking down the Middle Round (Picks 48 – 70) 

A. RBs 

–Target:

• Jeremy Hill – His yards per carry dropped last year but he still scored 11td’s.  Lot’s of value at his current ADP. (GreatWhiteShark)
• Latavius Murray –  I love that O-line and Oakland wants to feed him more (JimboSlice)
• Latavius Murray – GreatWhiteShark got me all aboard the Murray train, yet he picks Jeremy Hill. Hmm… (CJ)
• Arian Foster – I hope this at least as much as I think it.  He’s going to be the featured back in Miami for as long as he can stay healthy.  If he stays healthy, he’s a top 5 or 10 guy.  (The Truth)
• Jeremy Langford – He seems to have secured the three down gig in Chicago, despite all the nonsense committee reports. Perhaps John Fox does have a brain, and maybe even a heart. (Wolf)

–Bust: 

• Dion Lewis (pre-injury) –  I don’t think you can trust any RB in the Patriots offense.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Ryan Mathews –  He’s Mr Glass from Unbreakable, I just can’t trust him (JimboSlice)
• Dion Lewis (pre-injury)- I will never draft a Patriots RB… I will never draft a Patriots RB… I will never draft a Patriots RB… (CJ)
• Carlos Hyde – It’s not so much I think he’ll be a bust–because I don’t think people are expecting much in the first place–it’s just I expect the 49ers to be bad (like last year) and Hyde’s production to suffer as a result (like last year).  (The Truth)
• Does Matt Jones count after his AC Joint sprain? He clearly seems incapable of handling feature back rigors. I’m also lower on Carlos Hyde than most. (Wolf)

B. WRs

–Target:

• Eric Decker – What does this guy have to do to get some respect?!  11+ TD’s in 3 of last 4 seasons.  The only time he didn’t reach that mark, he had Geno Smith throwing him the ball.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Donte Moncrief –  Putting Landry in here would be cheating so I’ll go Moncrief. I think he’ll outperform TY Hilton and become Indy’s #1 receiver (JimboSlice)
• Devante Parker – Adam Gase has done a good job with big bodied WRs in the past (Demaryius Thomas and Alshon Jeffery) and Parker showed flashes of brilliance in the last few games of 2015. This year, Parker will be Ryan Tannehill’s No. 1 perimeter target and you could probably select Decker/ Moncrief and Parker in back-to-back rounds. (CJ)
• Donte Moncrief – Agree with Jimbo.  Moncrief has all the right skills and I feel like Hilton might be on the way out.  (The Truth)
• Doug Baldwin – Baldwin falling to the fifth round is an embarrassment. Pete Carroll has already said they’ll keep the offense wide open and attacking, and no team uses their slot WR more creatively/in the vertical game.. A WR1 for a WR3 price. (Wolf)

–Bust: 

• Michael Floyd – “I think Michael Floyd breaks out this year…” – Every person the last 3 seasons.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Jeremy Maclin –  Ew, no. Alex Smith under center with a healthy Charles, and I’ll pass. (JimboSlice)
• Doug Baldwin – Which number doesn’t fit here: 4, 3, 5, 3, 14. Baldwin is not a 14 TD wide receiver, nor is he a double digit TD wide receiver. (CJ)
• Allen Hurns – You’ll excuse me if I don’t just bend over and declare Blake Bortles and the “offensive juggernaut” Jaguars fantasy Gods yet.  They’re still the Jaguars.  (The Truth)
• Jordan Matthews is dog mess.  (Wolf)

C. TEs

–Target:

• No One – I don’t think any of the tight ends in this range are reliable.  Gun to head, I’ll take Delanie Walker. (GreatWhiteShark)
• Coby Fleener –  Drew Brees loves his tight ends and this offense should be passing at an unbelievable rate (JimboSlice)
• Delanie Walker – Walker led all tight ends in receptions last season with 94 and targets with 133. It’s a good bet to think that will remain the same in 2016. (CJ)
• No One – I am also not going after any of the guys in this range.  Gun to head, I’d probably tell you to shoot me.  (The Truth)
• Gary Barnidge is no one year wonder. You saw both his playmaking ability and chemistry with RGIII on their beautiful 29 yard TD hookup in preseason Week 2. Hue Jackson loved using Eifert’s big frame in the red zone, and he’ll do the same with Barnidge. (Wolf)

–Bust: 

• Travis Kelce – Take out his week 1 performance, and he never topped 88 yards or more than 6 receptions in a game.  Why is this guy ranked so high?  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Travis Kelce – Not worth that high a pick IMO. I’ll wait for a cheaper guy (JimboSlice)
• Travis Kelce – I owned him last year and he was very disappointing.  No way I’m using a top 5 TE pick on him.  (The Truth)
• Gary Barnidge – Do players just get good at age 30? Before last season, Barnidge’s best combined statline was 13/242/1. I don’t see him replicating a 79/1,043/9 season again. (CJ)
• Travis Kelce  – All hype, no show. I’m off this train forever. (Wolf)

D. Which mid-round QB has a shot at challenging Cam Newton for the #1 spot?

• Andrew Luck – The Colts invested 4 picks on the O-Line and he has the talent on the outside to make noise.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Russell Wilson –  I expect big things this year sans-Beast Mode. Also provides that dual threat capability (JimboSlice)
• Drew Brees – Brees is back. He looked sharp against the Patriots during practice and in their preseason game. He also has an excellent supporting cast of Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead, Coby Fleener, Michael Thomas and Mark Ingram. Not to mention they play indoors for eight-plus games. (CJ)
• Russell Wilson – Realistically, I think Cam is #1 barring injury.  Wilson can keep a play alive better than anyone except maybe Rodgers though, and he can rack up a lot of fantasy point that way.  I’m not a buyer at #44 overall though, which is where he’s ranked right now on the Wolf’s big board.  (The Truth)
• Russell Wilson – He was on pace for Cam Newton’s numbers once Lynch went down and the team turned over the offensive keys. He hasn’t been great this preseason, but the team has already been taking it to the air more than usual. (Wolf)

8. Breaking down the Late Rounds (Picks 90-150) 

A. RBs 

–Target:

• Charles Sims – Doug Martin got his contract, but Sims had the higher yards per carry and is the 3rd down back.  I like his value here especially in PPR. (GreatWhiteShark)
• Rashad Jennings –  I would feel comfortable starting Jennings as my RB2 every week. This uptempo offense should keep him on the field and involved (JimboSlice)
• Ameer Abdullah – Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. It’s on me this time. (CJ)
• Devontae Booker – I think CJ Anderson is pedestrian and I’m not sure if Ronnie Hillman is in the NFL anymore.  Denver’s going to want to run, and I think the opportunity for Booker to be the guy could present itself.  (The Truth)
• Isaiah Crowell – Picking the Exotic Mouthsmasher Derrick Henry would be unfair, so I’ll go Crowell. I’m buying the RGIII bounce back and think Crowell has a shot at 10+ TDs in Jackson’s successful power scheme. (Wolf)

–Bust: 

• LeGarrette Blount – Same reason I don’t like Dion Lewis.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Chris Ivory –  Will likely be touchdown dependent while Yeldon eats into his work (JimboSlice)
• DeAngelo Williams – LeVeon Bell is only missing three games and Bell is in a contract year. Williams will be fantasy irrelevant this season. (CJ)
• LeGarrette Blount – Yeah right.  (The Truth)
• Shane Vereen  – It’s not so much that he’ll bust, he just doesn’t offer any type of ceiling. (Wolf)

B. WRs

–Target:

• Marvin Jones – I hope your draft is soon, because his ADP is way too low right now.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Stefon Diggs – He came out on fire last year before cooling off. The Vikings are looking to get him the ball a lot more this season (JimboSlice)
• Sterling Shepard – I think you can tell that I’m all in on the former Sooner (CJ)
• Marvin Jones – His biggest impediment to having a great year will be Matthew Stafford.  I think he outperforms Golden Tate.  (The Truth)
• Desean Jackson – Jackson is going way too late right now. He’ll be motivated to make the big bucks in this contract year (Wolf)

–Bust: 

• Willie Snead – Michael Thomas is too good to not eat into his touches.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Tavon Austin – A new QB in Goff, with a strong focus on Gurley has me staying far away from Austin (JimboSlice)
• Torrey Smith – Whenever Blane Gabbert or Colin Kaepernick’s dead arm is throwing you the ball, you have no chance (CJ)
• Emmanuel Sanders – Have Mark Sanchez’s 2nd best receivers traditionally been fantasy studs?  (The Truth)
• Sammie Coates   – Join Travis Kelce on the all hype squad (Wolf)

C. TEs

–Target:

• Martellus Bennet – Current FantastPros ADP has him at 147.2.  If the hype stays low and this can be a steal.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Dwayne Allen – With no Fleener around Allen will be the locked in #1 tight end. Allen was very good two years ago with a healthy Luck (JimboSlice)
• Martellus Bennett – Mike Reiss of ESPN thinks the Patriots will run 2-TE sets on 80-percent of their snaps… Take him. (CJ)
• Martellus Bennett – Yeah, I know everyone else is saying it.  I don’t care.  (The Truth)
• Martellus Bennett –  He’ll be on all of my squads this season at his current price, whether I own a TE or not. Yes, 10+ TDs are fully possible, but he’ll produce plenty of yards too, which people seem to be overlooking (Wolf)

–Bust: 

• Ladarius Green – He’s hurt and I’ve heard talk of retirement.  Why is he the 11th TE?  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Kyle Rudolph – I expected big things from him in the past, but he’s never come through (JimboSlice)
• Jason Witten – He’s Mr. Reliable for Tony Romo, but his goal line usage will go down with Dez Bryant and Ezekiel Elliott in the fold. (CJ)
• Ladarius Green – Can’t produce if you can’t play.  I think he’s done.  (The Truth)
• Jason Witten  – see Vereen, Shane (Wolf)

D. Which late round QB has the best shot at being the next Blake Bortles?

• Robert Griffin III – Is it possible for someone to break out twice?  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Jameis Winston –  I’d put Kirk Cousins here but I think he already semi-broke out last year so I’ll go Winston. I think the Bucs will want to develop Winston further and really give him the opportunity to shine. (JimboSlice)
• Robert Griffin III – We all love him and he’ll probably be the demise of our website (CJ)
• James Winston – I think Cleveland is going to have a really good year!  See how stupid that sounds?  (The Truth)
• Derek Carr – I love both these two; let’s throw Carr’s name out there behind a line that should give him all day to throw. (Wolf)

9. Who’s your favorite Penny Stock – a guy who available in the last few rounds and could explode?

• Devin Funchess – He’s had a really strong camp and is the 56th ranked WR right now.  He could breakout in a big way.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Philip Dorsett –  An explosive Colts aerial attack moving from 2-TE sets to a 3-WR set could be very nice for Dorsett if he can flash his first round pick talent (JimboSlice)
• Tyler Boyd – The rookie WR from Pitt has stood out in camp and in the first two preseason games, grabbing two touchdowns. With AJ Green as the Ginger’s only perimeter target, look for Boyd to take advantage of Brandon LaFell’s injury and become a playmaker across from Green. (CJ)
• Chris Johnson – I don’t know about “explode”, but I feel like he’s one David Johnson injury away from being the feature back in a great offense.  (The Truth)
• Christine Michael could offer stand alone value right away, and would win people leagues if Rawls got hurt again. (Wolf)

10. How big of a dump is Tom Brady going to take on the league’s chest when he returns in Week 5?

• What’s the record for Td’s in a game… double it.  (GreatWhiteShark)
• Imagine plowing through $50 worth of laxative laced Taco Bell. Or just think of this scene (JimboSlice)
• I feel bad for Cleveland, jk. (CJ)
• The guy is great. I will be hoping he fails, but am positive he will succeed in spectacular fashion.  (The Truth)
• If Mount Everest was made of steaming turd, it’d be sitting on Roger Goodell’s chest when Brady takes the Lombardi trophy out of that crook’s hands.   (Wolf)