Articles

By: Jeremy Gaskins @FlyTheWNews May 9, 2021

Fantasy Stock Up OR Stock Down?

Stock UP^

Jalen Hurts (PHI)

After trading Carson Wentz to Indianapolis and not selecting a quarterback in the NFL Draft, Hurts is the QB1 in Philadelphia. I don't buy Joe Flacco as a real threat to taking snaps away from Hurts. Hurts showed flashes of his potential at the end of last season, especially in week 15 at Arizona where he racked up 338 passing yards and 68 more on the ground. Currently, consensus ratings have Hurts somewhere between QB8 to QB12, but Hurts can take a mediocre stat line and turn into something useful in fantasy. Dual-threat QBs are always useful in fantasy and while his accuracy needs improvement, I can see Hurts becoming what Lamar Jackson was in 2019 in his sophomore season as a top 5 QB

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (KC)

So, you drafted CEH early last year and were disappointed with the hype that he brought when he was drafted by KC? Well, it's a new year and I’m back on the hype train. Edwards-Helaire was actually an RB1 (RB11 overall) in the six weeks before Le’Veon Bell was brought in. Again, RB11, and he only scored once in that time frame. Now, with Bell out of KC, Edwards-Helaire should return to his 18-25 touches per game. The Chiefs have retooled their offensive line this year, which will help CEH improve on his strong 4.4 yards per carry in his rookie season. Production was there last year and touchdowns will come in the high-powered Chiefs offense. CEH is no longer a first-round draft pick, but there is value as a high-end RB2 with RB1 potential at the end of round 3

Ja’Marr Chase (CIN)

Reunited and it feels so good. Chase will line up with former college QB Joe Burrow and try and recreate 2019 against NFL defenses. The chemistry is already there with Burrow, the only downside to where he was drafted is that Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are already there. All three deserve a high target share, but Chase should distance himself from the other two by midseason. Plus, Dallas has Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup and they are all productive, right? Mocks have Chase going in round 8, which seems like a steal at this point if he is the best WR prospect in the last two drafts (Justin Jefferson, anyone???)

Irv Smith Jr. (MIN)

Speaking of Justin Jefferson, his teammate Irv Smith Jr. could have found himself as the next emerging star and the tight end position in Minnesota. After the departure of Kyle Rudolph and his 37 targets to the New York Giants, Smith is set up nicely to continue what he finished at the end of last season. With Rudolph out of the lineup, Smith Jr. averaged 3.8 receptions, 5 targets, 46 yards, and 0.75 touchdowns. Over the course of a new 17 game season, that’s 65 catches, 782 yards, and 13 touchdowns, which would’ve landed him as a TE3 in fantasy points—right in the middle of Darren Waller and Robert Tonyan. With new OC Klint Kubiak replacing run-heavy Kevin Stefanski, more targets could be heading Smith’s way. Grab him now, while he’s not on everyone's radar

Stock DOWN

Russell Wilson (SEA)

With a roster of WR that consists of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, how can Wilson’s stock be down? Hear me out, Wilson became disgruntled with Head Coach Pete Carroll over the off-season, and trade rumors started swirling that he doesn't want to play for the Seahawks anymore. Strike one. Another beef Wilson had with Seattle was that the offensive line was not protecting him. The NFC West has only gotten stronger in the pass-rushing department with the additions of JJ Watt to the Rams and the return of Nick Bosa to the 49ers. Plus, Seattle has not added a draft pick or free agent to date, strike two. Lastly, short of the outlier of the Jets who were awful last year, Wilson did not have a 300-yard passing game and did not throw for more than 2 touchdowns in a game after week 9. I don't want my QB falling off a cliff in the playoffs

James Robinson (JAC)

The hidden gem of 2020, James Robinson! How the mighty have fallen. New head coach Urban Meyer comes in and takes Travis Etienne at #25 and we have now entered RB Hell. What made Robinson so good a year ago was that he was the only option and at times Jacksonville ran the ball to run the clock so they could draft Trevor Lawrence. With Lawrence starting he will need help in the backfield but I still see this franchise losing games in 2021, which means throwing and letting Lawrence learn on the job and potentially dumping off the guys not named James Robinson. The days of 25 touches are over and maybe Robinson can produce at the 10-15 range, but there is more potential where Robinson is still projected

Robby Anderson (CAR)

Reunited and this one doesn’t feel as good. Anderson will team back up with Sam Darnold. There is a lot going against Anderson in 2021. First, the return of the consensus 1.01 in Christian McCaffrey. Second, the Panthers spent a second-round pick on Terrace Marshall, who OC Joe Brady is familiar with from LSU. I see a return of the inconsistency that plagued Anderson with the Jets. He may be good for a long touchdown in a plus matchup, but then put up a goose egg the next. There is other talent at the wide receiver position with higher upside where Anderson is projected as a WR2 (WR24 overall)

Tyler Higbee (LAR)

Basically rendered fantasy irrelevant after week 2 of last year Tyler Higbee finally said goodbye to Gerald Everett. Which seems good, but the addition of quarterback Matthew Stafford, who likes to push the ball down the field. Plus, Stafford will have deep threats at wide receivers with new additions in DeSean Jackson and Tutu Atwell (on top of Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods) does not bode well for Higbee. Plus, with Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson at running back in a run-first offense, Higbee will be used as a blocker more than fantasy owners may like. Higbee is still projected as a TE10, but I see a fall outside of a TE1 that will not be anything more than a touchdown-dependent play this season

By: Charles J Schlueter @FlyTheWNews April 24, 2021

Why Devante Smith Will be a Successful WR in NFL

NUMBERS NEVER LIE!!

Devante Smith had a magical season at Alabama despite facing the obstacles and challenges in 2020 with the coronavirus. With no or little crowd to witness his greatness, he was motivated to show up each and every game and perform at a high level. This was all after Smith went for over 1,200 yards and scored 14 TDs in 2019. Smith pulled in 23 TDs to go along with 1,856 yards in 2020, which put him in the top 10 all-time leaderboards in both these categories for a single season. Although he is on the lower end of the spectrum when comparing his size to other big body Wide Receivers, Smith finished in the top 5 for most career TDs as a collegiate athlete and will be a red-zone threat in the NFL!

The Heisman Trophy Award

This is a big-time award and any collegiate athlete would tell you it is an honor to win. However, it is very RARE when a Wide Receiver achieves the award. It has only happened twice before 2020 and Devante Smith’s achievement in that category made it 3x. Tim Brown was the last player to win the Heisman as a wide receiver and managed to have a successful NFL career. Brown played 16 seasons in the NFL and was selected by the Raiders with the 6th overall pick in the 1st round of the 1988 NFL Draft. Devante Smith is also projected to be a top 10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. While playing for the Raiders from 1992-2001, Brown had 9 straight seasons of 1,000+ yards and averaged 154 targets, 92 receptions, to go along with 9TDs per year in that span!! Brown is a 9x Pro Bowler and 2015 Hall of Fame Inductee. Smith has the ability to succeed in the NFL just like Tim Brown did and he can use the people that doubt him as fuel to prove them wrong!

Size Will NOT MATTER!!

Some experts and maybe even NFL GMs believe that Devante Smith’s current height (6.:1) and weight (175lbs) will not be enough for him to reach elite status in the NFL. I would place all my eggs in the basket to have Smith prove all the doubters wrong on the field come the start of the 2021 NFL season. Here are a few former Wide Receivers who managed to have success in the NFL. Wes Welker (5:9-185lbs), DeSean Jackson (5:10-175lbs), Steve Smith (5:9-185lbs). At the young age of 22 years old, Devante Smith still has time to put on weight, but there is no reason why his talent, versatility, and athleticism all alone won’t be enough to dominate NFL CornerBacks right out the gate.

ROLL TIDE for Crimson Wide Receivers

The last few years alone have been a testament that Alabama Wide Receivers can be special! They have produced five 1st round wide receivers in the last 4 NFL Drafts. Amari Cooper was drafted as the #4 overall player to the Oakland Raiders and has had five out of six 1,000 yard seasons thus far since coming into the league in 2015. Calvin Ridley was drafted by the Falcons in 2018 and has had 3 straight seasons of 800+ yards, 90+ targets, and 60+ receptions. Ridley had career highs in yards (1,374), targets (143), and receptions (90) for the 2020 NFL season. Julio Jones is perhaps the most successful Wide Receiver to ever play for the Atlanta Falcons. He also happened to play at the University of Alabama. From 2014-2019, Jones had 6 straight seasons of 1,300+ yards and averaged 161 targets, 103 receptions, and 6TDs in that span. The only 2 wide receivers part of this list that has not yet found success in the NFL are Jerry Jeudy (DEN) and Henry Ruggs (LV). However, in my opinion, better days are ahead for these two former Alabama Crimson Tide.

CONCLUSION!!

I have listed not 1, not 2, not just 3, but 4 REAL reasons why Devante Smith will become a successful NFL wide receiver! He isn’t your ideal size wide receiver but if all these points hold up it’s good enough for NFL teams to shoot their shot at him!! And if he has a good landing spot and ends up with the right team, then fantasy football teams need to be prepared to shoot their shot on him! After all, he does hold the same skills, athleticism, and name as one of the current great NFL wide receivers (Green Bay Packers-Devante Adams).

**Credit to ESPN.com & ProFootballReference.com for the statistical facts found in this article**

By: Charles J Schlueter @FlyTheWNews April 22, 2021

The Future “Scary” Connection of Terry McLaurin & Ryan FitzMagic!

To start this article out I would like to just say the proof is in the numbers!! Ryan Fitzpatrick is perhaps the most underrated QB to ever play in the NFL. Time after time, he seems to dominate even if he is not the QB1 on the depth chart to start the year. “Scary” Terry McLaurin’s 2021 NFL season is looking bright with Fitzpatrick as his QB1. Currently being drafted as the #12 WR off the board with an ADP of 33 overall (late 3rd, early 4th round) there is a high floor for Terry McLaurin as your WR2. I believe he will become what is known in fantasy football as, “A STEAL” when the 2021 season ends. So if you trust numbers, talent and consistency you better shoot your shot with Terry McLaurin for the 2021 Fantasy Football Season.

To follow up that introduction I would like to start listing my reasoning behind why I think Terry McLaurin's will have a 2021 break-out season! I will start by giving you Two words that rhyme with “Lion Pitts Magic”, and that is, "Ryan Fitzpatrick”. Or as we fans love to call him, “FitzMagic!” The most recent version of FitzMagic was on display in the 2020 season whereas a starter in 9 games he passed for over 2,000 yards and had 13 TDs. In that year, Fitzpatrick had 3 games with 300+ passing yards, averaged a career-high completion percentage of 68.5% and 95.6 QBR on the year!! Although no Wide Receiver was able to hit the 1,000-yard mark that year, both Mike Gesicki and Devante Parker did go over 50 receptions and 700 yards on the year. I credit Ryan Fitzpatrick for most of those numbers, considering he was the QB starter for more than half the season.

Prior to that electric 2020 season, Fitzpatrick put on a show during the 2019 NFL season. He threw for over 3,500 yards and held a QBR of 85.5. In that year Devante Parker finished as a WR1 in fantasy and had 72 receptions for 1,202 yards. In 2018 Fitzpatrick started only 7 games for the Tampa Bay Bucs on the year but managed to throw for over 2,300 yards. In 4 out 8 games during the 2018 NFL season, Fitzpatrick threw for over 400 yards and averaged 295 yards in those 8 games he started. In those same 8 games, Mike Evans averaged 9 targets, 5 receptions, and 99 yards per game. (WR1 status).

Let us now go back in time to the Buffalo Bills Ryan Fitzpatrick!! In 3 consecutive seasons, from 2010-2012 he only missed 3 games and averaged 3,410 passing yards, 23 TDs per year with an average QBR of 81.4. In those 3 consecutive seasons, Fitzpatrick also held a “fair” average QB completion percentage of 60.15%. With Fitzpatrick as his QB for those 3 years, Stevie Johnson (WR) was able to get 3 straight 1,000 yard seasons. He averaged 7TDs per year in that span but did manage to have 1 season (2010) with double-digit TDs (10). Johnson also averaged a HUGE target share of 141 targets per year and 79 receptions per year during that 3-year span. He finished all 3 of those years as a high-end WR2 in fantasy.

Following that magical 3 year run, while playing for the New York Jets in 2015, Fitzpatrick threw for 3,900 yards and had a 2:1 TD to Int ratio with 31 TDs and 15 ints. That year he supported two 1,000 yard wide receivers in Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. The only downfall of this 2015 FitzMagic year was that The Jets failed to make the playoffs that year even though Fitzpatrick led them to a 10-6 winning record.

In conclusion, the "FitzMagic" to "Scary Terry McLaurin" connection will be the talk of the 2021 season. It can be stated that Fitzpatrick will go into the 2021 NFL season with perhaps the greatest talented supporting cast he has ever had in his 15-year long career. Guys like RB Antonio Gibson, RB J.D Micissic, WR Curtis Samuel, and even TE Logan Thomas offer Ryan Fitzpatrick so many weapons that he can expose the opposing defense to each and every week. This will also allow McLaurin to produce above and beyond his abilities as a talented Wide Receiver because, with so many other targets to account for, he will be able to find space and produce a ton of yards after the catch. So say it together with me, folks!!!

"FitzMagic to "Scary" Terry McLaurin for the win & Fantasy Championship!!"

**Credit to ESPN.com & ProFootballReference.com for most statistics found in this article and theFantasyFootballers.com "Andy, Mike, & Jason for their "FitzMagic" and "Scary" Terry McLaurin nicknames!!

By: Charles J Schlueter @FlyTheWNews April 15, 2021

2021 Bounce-Back Candidates