Fantasy Football 2015 roundtable: In-depth fantasy tips, guide
By Adnan Ikic
Aug 21, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant (10) raises his hands and celebrates his touchdown during the second half of a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles won 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Who are your late round sleepers?
Adnan: Some names to watch out for that aren’t on many people’s radar are Tyler Eifert, Martavis Bryant, and Cody Latimer.
Eifert has been described as “uncoverable” in training camp and could end up being Andy Dalton’s No. 2 target this year. The fact injuries robbed him of his sophomore season means that people aren’t paying attention to him, but he is a candidate to break out at the tight end position.
Bryant is someone who burst onto the scene last year and ended up catching eight touchdown passes despite missing the start of the season and being just the Steelers’ third receiver. His speed should create big plays when matched with Big Ben’s arm this year.
Latimer will shift into a No. 3 receiver role with the Broncos this year. There have been reports that the Broncos will run the ball more, but Peyton Manning is still a prolific fantasy passer: even his third option will look good.
Freddie: There are a couple of receivers I like. The first is the Steelers’ Martavis Bryant, as Adnan mentioned. Bryant played in ten games last year and flashed his potential. He only made 26 receptions, but put up 549 yards and eight touchdowns, meaning he found the end zone on almost one in every three catches.
He showcased his ability to burn defenses with huge gains, scoring touchdowns of 94 and 80 yards. In his second season, I expect big things from No. 10.
A couple of other names to watch out for are Green Bay’s Davante Adams and Detroit’s Ameer Abdullah. Adams sits behind Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb on the depth chart, but he was coach Mike McCarthy’s offseason MVP and could make a huge leap this year.
Abdullah was one of my favorite running backs in the draft and his versatility could make him a productive fantasy player.
Kevin: The late rounds are all about maximizing value. One of my favorites this year is TE Jason Witten. He’s been a strong fantasy player for years, but saw a dip in his numbers last year. As a result, he’s being mostly ignored in drafts, often falling into the 10th or 11th round.
At that price, he’s almost guaranteed to give you an excellent return on your investment.
Another guy that could be primed for a sneaky good season is the Falcons’ own Leonard Hankerson. He’s the WR3 in Atlanta right now, but all it takes is one injury to propel him into the WR1 or WR2 role. If you take Julio early, I recommend taking Hankerson as a form of handcuff in case the bug bites again.
Tyler: John Brown is a sneaky fast home run threat that thrived under Carson Palmer last year. His production admittedly fell after Palmer’s ACL injury, but he is now set to have a great year with his quarterback healthy again.
Brown is excellent at sneaking behind defenses and beating everybody down the field. You can expect at least a few 30+ yard touchdowns from him this season, which could be the difference in your fantasy playoffs.
Colin: A late round sleeper will be running back Ameer Abdullah from Detroit, a rookie with a lot of upside who will be the number one guy. Abdullah was a second-rounder in the NFL draft this year and the Lions see big things in him.
WR Jordan Matthews is another guy who could bring your team a lot of success in the later rounds out of Philadelphia. Matthews caught eight touchdowns and had over 800 yards as a rookie last year. This season he will be a No. 1 option after Jeremy Maclin departed in free agency.
Next: What is your draft strategy?